Beggorov Alexander Karlovich (Беггров Александр Карлович), one of the greatest masters of seascape painting from the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, was a member of the Russian touring exhibition school, a member of the Tsarist Academy of Arts, and a figure who has been recorded in the history of Russian painting.
Alexander Beggorov (1841-1914) was born in St. Petersburg, his father was a famous oceanographer in St. Petersburg and a member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. The father did not favor his son's artistic talent, but Beggorov lived and grew up in an environment full of artistic atmosphere and artistic creativity. Growing up, the father decides his son's future on his own. Despite Alexander's refusal to resist, his father sent the young man to the Nikolayev Artillery Engineering School of the Tsarist Russian Admiralty.
At the age of 18, at the naval parade unveiled at the monument to Tsar Nicholas in the first century, Beggorov saw for the first time the grand scene of a large fleet marching. Impressed by what he saw and heard, he drew several sketches. These pictures caught the eyes of the military officials and left a good impression on them. This will play an important role in Beggorov's future career.
Three years later, he was promoted to officer, and in 1863, as a second lieutenant in the Regiment of Mechanics, he joined the Baltic Imperial Fleet on a voyage. Depart from the coast of the Baltic Sea and take the battleship "Oslya" to the sea and return on the frigate "Alexander Nevsky". However, on its way back in 1868, the Alexander Nevsky sank off the coast of Denmark. The ship sank to the bottom of the sea, and most of the crew was not spared, but the future artist was one of the few survivors.
Blessed by misfortune, Alexander Beggorov met the famous navigator Alexei Bogorepov. Using the still immature technique of a young officer, he created his own painting for the shipwreck of the Alexander Nevsky. It was the navigator who told the young man, "Don't bury your talents in the soil." ”
After landing, Alexander Begegorov worked for several years at the Admiralty Painting Studio in St. Petersburg. From 1870 to 1873, as a freelancer and a 30-year-old officer, Beggorov entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. He studied in Professor Mikhail Klot's Master Class in Landscape Painting.
In 1871, Beggorov interrupted the academy's painting courses. He was honored to accompany Grand Duke Alexei Alexander Alexanderrov of Russia on a tour of the world on the rifle frigate Svetlana. This journey opened the artist's eyes and accumulated a lot of material for his future creations.
In 1874, Begorov retired to Paris, where he continued to study with the famous French artist Leon Joseph Florentin Bonn. It was there, in the French capital, that he met a group of Russian traveling artists, namely Ilya Repin, Konstantin Sawitsky, etc. Over time, Beggorov became eager to travel to sketch and began to regularly participate in the exhibitions of the roving exhibition school.
Beggorov participated in the Vienna World Exposition in 1873, 1878 and 1900, the Paris World Exposition in 1878 and 1900, and his oil painting Vasilievsky Island and the Stock Exchange won the highest prize at the Paris World Exposition in 1878.
In 1878, Beggorov was appointed artist by the Tsar as an artist of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, a position in which he spent the rest of his life. He soon formed the Russian Marine Art Association and became one of the founders. In 1899, he was awarded the title of academician of the Tsarist Academy of Arts.
As a retired naval officer, his landscapes were mostly seascapes, depicting ships and fleets. He knew everything about naval equipment, masts, sails, all the smallest details of steamships were so familiar to him. Commenting on the paintings of his peers, he can often point out flaws in the shape, "Well, how did this sail fit?" Will the boat sail? Tell me what nonsense is! ”
He also skillfully uses oil paintings and watercolors to depict cityscapes, which are both well-composed, perspective-oriented, and have a clear sense of rhythm.
"If a person is talented, then he will be excellent in all aspects."
Beggorov had an incredibly serious, confident, and short-tempered personality, always smiling, and the expression on his face was always the same, as if he had never been born to laugh. However, his creativity is incredible, and anything is bound to lead to a logical ending if he wants to.
In 1892, the painter and his wife settled on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. He bought a piece of wasteland and built a house on it and opened up a small garden. He began to turn over his land and fertilize the plants. He bred beautiful berry curries, strawberries, and unusual varieties. In terms of size and taste, no one in this area can cultivate it. In addition, in addition to planting, he also created still life paintings of flowers. Neighbors came to Beggorov's beautiful garden to admire the flowers and the paintings.
Beggorov was also a great cook, and he often invited his friends to his house and entertained them to dinner comparable to that prepared by the best chefs. When the guests arrived, he asked them to read the album first, read the paintings, and read the newspaper. When everyone was seated, he served the soup, opened the lid, and stood quietly waiting for the guests' reactions. He made soup as if it were art, bringing to them a greater marvel of culinary art.
In the artist's house, the food is brought to the height of art, without excessive quantity. He equates the art of cooking with other arts, with no concept, only the pursuit of the outside. He said that a person drawing eyes is like filling a stomach with delicious dishes. In this case, the sense of sight and taste is equivalent to art... Those who attended his dinner for the first time showed great respect for his culinary talents.
Beggorov also raised poultry on his farm, which he kept very neatly. He can hardly be described as meticulous in his work.
Overnight, however, everything in Begegorov's life collapsed. His beloved wife died, and he was knocked down and disheartened. He sold his magical garden and farm, and later he sold his villa and rented an apartment. His life became boring and everything was plagued by indifference, which caused his mental and physical strength to decline rapidly. He began to age, faltering, and he could not resist adversity and disease.
He no longer paints, no longer creates, no longer participates in exhibitions. He donated the money from the sale of the property, together with his previous savings, a total of 63,900 rubles to the Imperial Academy of Arts to help "poor artists and their widows and orphans." At that time, 2,000 rubles could buy a manor, and more than sixty thousand rubles was a huge amount of money.
Since then, Beggorov has been seriously ill. He endured the worst of the pain, but he did not want to succumb to weakness, much less to endure in silence. On April 15, 1914, Alexander Beggorov, exhausted, picked up his revolver and fired a shot at himself in the heart.
Beggorov is buried in the St. Petersburg State Cemetery, next to his wife, Lucia Berggrova. Alas, a talented, alive and exquisite man tragically ended his life.
2021.10.8 Written by ValloJamong