Sergei Ivanovich Svetoslavsky (1857-1935) "Pilgrims by Svyatogorski Monastery", large oil painting

Clearly signed in Cyrillic "Svetoslavskyi", this large oil painting, which came to light in the summer of 2021 in the Stockholm antique trade and was immediately acquired by us, is an important work by the well-known Ukrainian artist of the turn of the 20th century, Sergei Ivanovich Svetoslavsky, hitherto unknown to art historians.

It is an evening landscape with the pilgrims on their way to the famous Orthodox Svyatogorsky Monastery, situated on the rocky bank of the Seversky Donets River in Ukraine (Donbass region).

Sergei (Serhyi) Ivanovich Svetoslavsky (Ukrainian: Svitoslavsky) was born in Kiev on 6th October 1857 and died in that city on 19th September 1935.

Between 1875 and 1883 he studied painting at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where his teachers were Savrasov, Perov, Sorokin, Pryanishnikov and Polenov. From 1884 to 1900, he participated in the exhibitions of the group "PEREDVIZHNIKI" ("ITINERANTS"), a realist movement in Russian art, and formally joined this group in 1891.

Pawel Tretyakov, an art collector who later founded the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, bought Svetoslavsky s first painting as early as 1879.

In 1889, the artist undertook a journey to Central Asia.

Between 1890-1894 he was married and lived in Moscow. After his divorce, he settled in Kiev and lived with his mother.

Svetoslavsky s early works, mostly city views, are in grey and brown colors, as was typical of the "PEREDVIZHNIKI". After his return to Ukraine, lighter colors began to spread. His interest was mainly in the city views of Kiev and the rural landscapes surrounding this city. One of his favorite subjects was the river Dnieper.

From 1910 Svetoslavsky suffered from an eye disease that eventually forced him to stop painting.

In 1911-1914 he was a board member of a committee to erect a monument to the poet Taras Shevchenko in Kiev.

For many years Svetoslavsky was an active supporter of the Kiev Zoo. In 1909, he persuaded his friend and patron Pavel Tretyakov to make a large donation to the newly established zoo.

In 1910 Svetoslavsky sold his estate and organized an expedition (in which he himself took part) to Central Asia to catch animals for the Kiev Zoo. Soon a significant part of the zoo s collection consisted of animals caught on this expedition.

Victor Vasnetsov used Svetoslavsky as a model for the Moses painting in St Vladimir s Cathedral in Kiev.

Our images show some other works by Svetoslavsky that have been offered on the international art market in recent years.

Condition: good; in original 1900 frame

Creation Year: ca 1900

Measurements: UNFRAMED: 70.0cm x 135.0cm / 27.6in x 53.1in
FRAMED: 87.8cm x 143.8cm x 4.0cm / 34.6in x 56.6in

Object Type: Framed oil painting

Technique: oil on canvas

Inscription: signed in Cyrillic (lower left corner): Svetoslavskyi; illegibly inscribed (right lower corner)

Keywords:
SVETOSLAVSKY, SERGEI IVANOVICH, UKRAINIAN; RIVERSCAPE; RIVER; ROCK; MOUNTAIN; MONASTERY; MONK; PILGRIM; MUZHIK; EVENING; SUNSET; PANORAMIC; RELIGIOUS; PRAYER; CHURCH; DONBASS; PEREDVIZHNIKI

Good; in original 1900 frame.