Kyriak Kostandi
Encyclopedia
Kiriak Kostantinovich Kostandi ; ; –31 October 1921) was a prominent Ukrainian
painter and an art scholar. A member of the Russian realist artistic movement Peredvizhniki
(lit. Itinerants) he also authored several Impressionist
paintings.
Most of Kostandi's life and work is connected with the city of Odessa
(now in Ukraine
) in the south-west of the Russian Empire
where he lived most of his life. His paintings are displayed in the museums of Odessa, Kiev
, Moscow
and St. Petersburg.
Kostandi graduated from the Odessa Drawing School in 1874, and then the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts in 1882. He then returned to Odessa, where he painted and taught at the drawing school. In 1897 he joined the Peredvizhniki
. Kostandi played an important part in introducing the ideology of the Peredvizhniki to Ukraine. He was one of the founders of the Society of South Russian Artists, serving as the society's president from 1902 to 1920. In 1907 he was elected full member of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts. From 1917 he served as director of the Odessa City Museum.
Kostandi was a strict realist, and was opposed to every formalist
trend. He was mainly a genre painter
, but also did some landscape painting and portrait painting
. After his death, his followers started the Kostandi Society of Artists .
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
painter and an art scholar. A member of the Russian realist artistic movement Peredvizhniki
Peredvizhniki
Peredvizhniki , often called The Wanderers or The Itinerants in English, were a group of Russian realist artists who in protest at academic restrictions formed an artists' cooperative; it evolved into the Society for Travelling Art Exhibitions in 1870.- History :In 1863 a group of fourteen students...
(lit. Itinerants) he also authored several Impressionist
Impressionism
Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...
paintings.
Most of Kostandi's life and work is connected with the city of Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
(now in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) in the south-west of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
where he lived most of his life. His paintings are displayed in the museums of Odessa, Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and St. Petersburg.
Life
Kostandi born in 1852 in Dofinovka, close to the city of Odessa in the family of Greek descent.Kostandi graduated from the Odessa Drawing School in 1874, and then the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts in 1882. He then returned to Odessa, where he painted and taught at the drawing school. In 1897 he joined the Peredvizhniki
Peredvizhniki
Peredvizhniki , often called The Wanderers or The Itinerants in English, were a group of Russian realist artists who in protest at academic restrictions formed an artists' cooperative; it evolved into the Society for Travelling Art Exhibitions in 1870.- History :In 1863 a group of fourteen students...
. Kostandi played an important part in introducing the ideology of the Peredvizhniki to Ukraine. He was one of the founders of the Society of South Russian Artists, serving as the society's president from 1902 to 1920. In 1907 he was elected full member of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts. From 1917 he served as director of the Odessa City Museum.
Formalism (art)
In art theory, formalism is the concept that a work's artistic value is entirely determined by its form--the way it is made, its purely visual aspects, and its medium. Formalism emphasizes compositional elements such as color, line, shape and texture rather than realism, context, and content...
trend. He was mainly a genre painter
Genre painting
Genre works, also called genre scenes or genre views, are pictorial representations in any of various media that represent scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, and street scenes. Such representations may be realistic, imagined, or...
, but also did some landscape painting and portrait painting
Portrait painting
Portrait painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to depict the visual appearance of the subject. Beside human beings, animals, pets and even inanimate objects can be chosen as the subject for a portrait...
. After his death, his followers started the Kostandi Society of Artists .