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Henryk SemiradskiyPolish artist, representative of academic art.
Date of Birth: 24.10.1843
Country:  Poland |
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Biography of Henryk Siemiradzki
Henryk Siemiradzki was a Polish artist and representative of academicism. He was born on October 24, 1843, in the village of Novobelgorod (now Pechenegi) near Kharkov, in a family of a doctor and officer of the Imperial Russian Army.
Siemiradzki showed an interest in painting from a young age. After graduating from the Kharkov Gymnasium, he enrolled in the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of Kharkov University, which he successfully completed in 1864. Due to his passion for art, Siemiradzki decided to continue his education at the Imperial Academy of Arts, which he completed in 1870, receiving a 6-year state scholarship and the opportunity to further improve his skills abroad. Until 1871, Siemiradzki studied under the German artist Karl von Piloty in Munich, and in 1873, he moved to Rome.
Academic Achievements
In 1873, Siemiradzki was awarded the title of academician of the Imperial Academy of Arts. In the same year, he married his cousin, Maria Prushinskaya. Siemiradzki mostly worked abroad, and his most significant works in Russia include participating in the decoration of the choir of the northern wing of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. He depicted a large-scale scene of the struggle between paganism and Christianity, specifically the illumination organized by the cruel Nero of the burnt followers of the new religion. This painting, known as "Torches of Nero," brilliantly concluded the end of his pension term in 1877. When it was exhibited in St. Petersburg, it caused general astonishment, and the painting also appeared at the 1878 Paris World's Fair. Siemiradzki was awarded the title of professor by the Imperial Academy of Arts for this work, and the French government honored him with the Order of the Legion of Honor.
Legacy and Death
Henryk Siemiradzki passed away on August 23, 1902, at his estate in Strzalkowe near Radomsko. He was buried in Krakow, in the Pantheon on Skalka. His notable works include "Trust of Alexander the Great in the Physician Philip" (1870), "Roman Orgy" (1872), "The Sinner" (1873), "Torches of Christianity" (1876), "Funeral of a Russian on the Volga near the City of Bulgar," "Night Offerings," "Dance Among Swords" (1881), "At the Temple (Idyll)" (1881), "Talisman" (1881), "Chasing the Butterfly" (1883), "Song of the Slave Girl" (1884), "Roman Idyll" (1885), "Chopin at Prince Radziwill's" (1887), "Phryne at the Feast of Poseidon in Eleusis" (1889), "Festival of Bacchus" (1890), and "The Judgment of Paris" (1892).
