Ivan Shishkin - Paintings and Biography

Ivan Shishkin was born on January 25, 1832 in Yelabuga (Vyatka province, which is now referred to as Tatarstan). His father was a merchant belonging to the second guild - Ivan Vasilievich Shishkin.

Even during his childhood, Shishkin was an outstanding personality. His honesty was incorruptible, that is why he became a relatively young mayor in Elabuga and held in this position for 8 years. He worked a lot for the benefit of his hometown: the water supply system he built is still partially operational.

However, the merchants turned out to be too tight society for Shishkin. He was fond of mechanics, history, archeology, and natural sciences. He composed his own biography, published "The History of the City of Elabuga", actively participated in excavations.

In 1856, the young man entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts and became S. Vorobyov’s student. However, he does not stop communicating with the previous teacher.

At the Academy, the young artist literally blossomed. His successes were actively celebrated with medals and awards. He even happened to be granted the right to a foreign internship, however, he refused it and left in 1861 for his native Elabuga, where he worked tirelessly.

Still, Shishkin lived abroad - in Switzerland and Germany. He also visited other European countries. He made friends with many representatives of the world art. Repin wrote about the "hero" Shishkin in his notes. It is worth to note that this heroic voice sounded from the rebel Shishkin.

Shishkin"s personal life was tragic. Both his spouses died quite early, and both of his sons followed them. The deaths did not stop there - after the darlings, perhaps the closest person, the father, passed away. Shishkin plunged headlong into work, which remained his only joy.

Shishkin died at work. This happened on March 20, New Style in 1898. It was a sudden death. In the morning he wrote in the workshop, then visited his relatives and returned to the workshop. At some point, the master just fell off the chair. This was immediately noticed by the assistant, but, running up, he saw that he was no longer breathing.