Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov, Russian Imperial Academy Life Class Duo (Title: Two Men???). Many art historians give this piece that title, others call it “Unknown Nude Duo.” At this writing, our magazine team is still researching for BEAUX HOMMES readers.
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ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Alexander Andreyevich Ivanova was a wonderful Russian painter who strictly followed the waning tradition of Neoclassicism but found little sympathy amongst his contemporaries. The reasons were many. Some of it was because it wasn’t “authentically Russian,” or due to “homophobia” of the Russian artistic community. Because of that fear, most of his works were destroyed, unless they had a religious theme. Then when the Soviets took over in 1917, many of these were placed in official storage and didn’t see the light of the day until either the 1960s or 1990s. The Soviets like the approach towards masculinity, but they were of the old imperial order, and had to be analyzed in order to figure out their future.
Ivanov spent 20 years (1837–1857) in Rome, Italy; learning the classics of the Italian Renaissance and how to perfect the male and female body in figurative work. He had a deep love for Italy and their artistic legacy to Western civilization. Telling friends that the years spent in that country studying their artistic traditions, changed his work immensely. In Russia, his art is finally getting the attention it should have received in his lifetime. The Soviets even put him on a stamp.
Kisses from PARIS!!!
DETAILS OF THE WORK:
TOP, Quadrants of Drawing:
BOTTOM, Quadrants of Drawing:
OTHER WORKS:
“Joseph Interpreting the Dream of The Butler & Cook” – 1827 or 1828
