Karl Wilhelm Rabus,
russified
Russification (), Russianisation or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians adopt Russian culture and Russian language either voluntarily or as a result of a deliberate state policy.
Russification was at times ...
as Karl Ivanovich Rabus (; 11 May 1800,
St. Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...
- 14 January 1857,
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
) was a Russian architectural painter and art teacher.
Biography
His father died when Karl was seven. At the age of only ten, he was sent to study at the
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Imperial Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov, the founder of the Imperial Moscow University, under the name ''Academy of th ...
; remaining there until 1821, when he received a small gold medal and a second-degree certificate.
[S. N. Kondakov, ]
Anniversary reference book of the Imperial Academy of Arts. 1764-1914
'. Vol.2 (1915), St. Petersburg: R. Golike and A. Vilborg Partnership. p.163
Crimea
Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...
became one of his favorite places to paint. There, he created the works necessary for him to obtain the title of "Academician" by painting landmarks in a manner that would later become known as
en plein aire. He was awarded the title in 1827 for his canvas depicting a villa in
Gurzuf
Gurzuf or Hurzuf (, , , ) is a resort town (urban-type settlement) in Yalta Municipality of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, a territory recognized by a majority of countries as part of Ukraine but incorporated by Russia as the Republic of Cri ...
, built by the
Duc de Richelieu. He also received praise for his view of
Balaklava
Balaklava ( Ukrainian and , , ) is a settlement on the Crimean Peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol. It is an administrative center of Balaklavsky District that used to be part of the Crimean Oblast before it was transferred to Sevast ...
. From Crimea, he went to
Odessa
ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...
, then spent some time in
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
.
[A. I. Donchenko]
"Rabus, Karl Ivanovich"
@ Журнал (Rexstar)
In 1835, he moved to Moscow and became a teacher of
perspective, at the . Later, he taught the same subject at the . He also taught a few classes in the
theory of colors
''Theory of Colours'' () is a book by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe about the poet's views on the nature of colours and how they are perceived by humans. It was published in German in 1810 and in English in 1840. The book contains detailed descri ...
and art history. Sometimes, he would offer financial support to his most promising students.
A painting of the village church in was presented at court; obtaining him the title of
Court Painter
A court painter was an artist who painted for the members of a royal or princely family, sometimes on a fixed salary and on an exclusive basis where the artist was not supposed to undertake other work. Painters were the most common, but the cour ...
. In his later years, he tried his hand at writing; producing "A Guide to Perspective" and beginning a history of art. He also provided commentary on art for several magazines and newspapers.
During those years, he taught landscape painting at the
Stroganov School
The Stroganov school () is a conventional name for the last major Russian icon-painting school, which thrived under the patronage of the fabulously rich Stroganov family of merchants in the late 16th and 17th centuries.
The Stroganov school o ...
and the
Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture
The Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (), also known by the acronym MUZHVZ, was one of the largest educational institutions in Russia. The school was formed by the 1865 merger of a private art college, established in Moscow ...
.
Toward the end of his life, he suffered from a type of
color blindness
Color blindness, color vision deficiency (CVD) or color deficiency is the decreased ability to color vision, see color or differences in color. The severity of color blindness ranges from mostly unnoticeable to full absence of color percept ...
(possibly due to
glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of ...
), that left him unable to distinguish orange and yellow shades. He died after an unspecified long and serious illness.
Selected paintings
Рабус Карл Иванович - Вид Москвы времён Петра.jpg, View of Moscow in the Times of
Peter the Great
Peter I (, ;
– ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Sovereign, Tsar and Grand Prince of all Russia, Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of Russia, Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned j ...
Рабус Карл Иванович - Спасские ворота в Москве.jpg, Spasskaya Tower
The Spasskaya Tower (), also translated as the Saviour Tower, is the main tower on the eastern wall of the Moscow Kremlin which overlooks Red Square.
History
Early history
The construction of the Spasskaya Tower was commissioned by Grand Prince ...
, Kremlin
The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...
Рабус Карл Иванович - Преображенская церковь в Алексеевском монастыре (1838).jpg, Transfiguration Church at the
Рабус Карл Иванович - Терем царя Алексея Михайловича.jpg, The Terem of Tsar Alexis
Alexis may refer to:
People Mononym
* Alexis (poet) ( – ), a Greek comic poet
* Alexis (sculptor), an ancient Greek artist who lived around the 3rd or 4th century BC
* Alexis (singer) (born 1968), German pop singer
* Alexis (comics) (1946– ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Karl Rabusat the
Russian Academy of Arts
Russian Academy of Arts (RAA / rus. РАХ, Росси́йская акаде́мия худо́жеств) is the State scientific Institution of Russian Federation, eligible heir to the USSR Academy of Arts. A founder of RAA is the Governmen ...
' official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rabus, Karl
1800 births
1857 deaths
Landscape painters from the Russian Empire
Court painters
Cityscape artists
Imperial Academy of Arts alumni
Artists from Saint Petersburg
Academic staff of the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture
Academic staff of Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry
Burials at Vvedenskoye Cemetery