Ivan Akimov | |
|---|---|
| Иван Акимов | |
 Portrait byJohann Baptist von Lampi the Younger, Museum of the Russian Academy of Arts,Saint Petersburg (1796) | |
| Born | (1755-05-22)May 22, 1755 |
| Died | May 15, 1814(1814-05-15) (aged 58) Saint Petersburg |
| Resting place | Smolensky Cemetery, Saint Petersburg |
| Alma mater | Imperial Academy of Arts (1773) |
| Known for | Painting |
| Awards |  |
| Elected | Member Academy of Arts (1782) Professor by rank Full Member Academy of Arts (1791) |
Ivan Akimovich Akimov (Russian:Иван Акимович Акимов; 22 May 1755 – 15 May 1814) was a Russian painter in theClassical style.
His father was atypographer and typesetter for theGoverning Senate. At the age of ten, after his father's death, he wrote a letter to theImperial Academy of Arts, requesting admission and pleading poverty.[1] The letter was successful, and he was admitted. He was there from 1765 to 1773 and studied underAnton Losenko.
During the years 1773 to 1778, he received a fellowship to study in Italy, going by way of Paris and Avignon and then to Genoa and Bologna, where he was enrolled at theAccademia di Belle Arti di Bologna[1] underGaetano Gandolfi. He found the teaching there unsatisfactory, however and, after numerous unanswered petitions to the Academy, moved to Rome without permission.[2] He arrived there only to discover that their "Academy" was really an association of artists with private students. Thanks to a recommendation from a Russian nobleman residing in Italy, he was able enter the classes ofPompeo Battoni.[1] Later, on orders from the Imperial Academy, he finished his course in Bologna, then lived successively in Rome, Venice and Florence. In 1779, he returned to Saint Petersburg and became a lecturer at the Academy.[2] Three years later, he was named an Academician for his painting ofHercules burning himself on apyre.
In 1785, he was promoted to Associate Professor and, in 1791, he was appointed Director of theImperial Tapestry Manufactory [ru]. He also taught drawing to TsarPaul I's daughters. Three years later, he rose to Associate Director of the Academy and, finally, became the Director in 1800. In the following years, he turned to painting more contemporary historical scenes, under patriotic pressure from the war withNapoleon. They were not highly thought of, but cannot be judged now because few have survived.[1]
Although he is not considered to be a first-rate artist, he had a special talent for teaching and was a great influence on Russianhistory painting. Among his best-known students areAndrey Ivanovich Ivanov,Vasily Shebuyev andAlexei Yegorov.[1]Alexander Stupin (who would later establish his own art school) actually boarded with Akimov and his family.
He was also one of the founders of Russian arthistoriography, beginning with his article "Brief Historical Information About Some Russian Artists" in the 1804 edition ofSeverny Vestnik. In his will, he bequeathed 15,000Rubles to the Academy.[2]
Media related toIvan Akimov at Wikimedia Commons
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