Grigory Gurkin
Encyclopedia
Grigory Ivanovich Gurkin was a Russia
n landscape painter, the first professional artist of Altay
ethnic origin. He is notable for his Altay mountain landscapes.
. He was ethnic Altay from the family of Choros (his name is sometimes indicated as Choros-Gurkin). In 1878 he was sent to the icon-painting school in Ulala, and eventually he became a professional icon-painter. He worked in Ulala and Biysk. In 1897, he started his studies in the Imperial Academy of Arts
in Saint Petersburg with Ivan Shishkin
and Alexander Kiselyov.
In 1903, Gurkin returned to Altai and started to work as a teacher in the selo of Anos
, travelling every summer to remote regions of Altai Mountains. The closest city with the developed art scene was Tomsk
, where Gurkin participated in art exhibitions. He was the member of Tomsk Society of Art Lovers (the main Tomsk art scene society) since 1909.
In February 1918, after the October Revolution
, representatives of Altay tribes in Ulala decided to establish the Karakorum Government, which had the purpose of uniting all Altay lands to a national state which would be a part of Russian Federation. Gurkin became the chairman of the government. In 1919, the government was dismissed by the forces loyal to Alexander Kolchak, and Gurkin escaped to Mongolia
, and later to independent Tuva
.
In 1925, he returned to Soviet Union. In 1920s and 1930s, he was involved in education, in particular, he created illustrations to Altay epic poems and to the primary school books. In 1937, during the Great Purge
, Grigory Gurkin was arrested and subsequently executed.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n landscape painter, the first professional artist of Altay
Altay people
The Altay or Altai are an ethnic group of Turkic people living in the Siberian Altai Republic and Altai Krai and surrounding areas of Tuva and Mongolia. For alternative ethnonyms see also Teleut, Tele, Telengit, Mountain Kalmuck, White Kalmuck, Black Tatar, Oirat/Oirot.The Uriankhai people were...
ethnic origin. He is notable for his Altay mountain landscapes.
Biography
Gurkin was born in 1870 in the selo of Ulala, currently Gorno-AltayskGorno-Altaysk
Gorno-Altaysk is the capital town of the Altai Republic, Russia, situated east of Moscow. Population: This only town of the republic lies in a narrow Mayma Valley in the foothills of the Altay Mountains...
. He was ethnic Altay from the family of Choros (his name is sometimes indicated as Choros-Gurkin). In 1878 he was sent to the icon-painting school in Ulala, and eventually he became a professional icon-painter. He worked in Ulala and Biysk. In 1897, he started his studies in the Imperial Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
in Saint Petersburg with Ivan Shishkin
Ivan Shishkin
Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin was a Russian landscape painter closely associated with the Peredvizhniki movement.Shishkin was born in Yelabuga of Vyatka Governorate , and graduated from the Kazan gymnasium...
and Alexander Kiselyov.
In 1903, Gurkin returned to Altai and started to work as a teacher in the selo of Anos
Anos
Anos is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.-References:*...
, travelling every summer to remote regions of Altai Mountains. The closest city with the developed art scene was Tomsk
Tomsk
Tomsk is a city and the administrative center of Tomsk Oblast, Russia, located on the Tom River. One of the oldest towns in Siberia, Tomsk celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2004...
, where Gurkin participated in art exhibitions. He was the member of Tomsk Society of Art Lovers (the main Tomsk art scene society) since 1909.
In February 1918, after the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
, representatives of Altay tribes in Ulala decided to establish the Karakorum Government, which had the purpose of uniting all Altay lands to a national state which would be a part of Russian Federation. Gurkin became the chairman of the government. In 1919, the government was dismissed by the forces loyal to Alexander Kolchak, and Gurkin escaped to Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, and later to independent Tuva
Tuva
The Tyva Republic , or Tuva , is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders with the Altai Republic, the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, and the Republic of Buryatia in Russia and with Mongolia to the...
.
In 1925, he returned to Soviet Union. In 1920s and 1930s, he was involved in education, in particular, he created illustrations to Altay epic poems and to the primary school books. In 1937, during the Great Purge
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
, Grigory Gurkin was arrested and subsequently executed.