Nikolay Semyonovich Samokish (; ; 25 October 1860, Nezhin, Government of Chernigov,

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

– 18 January 1944,

Simferopol Simferopol ( ), also known as Aqmescit, is the second-largest city on the Crimea, Crimean Peninsula. The city, along with the rest of Crimea, is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, but controlled by Russia. It is considered the cap ...

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

) was a Ukrainian and

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

and illustrator of Ukrainian Cossack descent who specialized in

military art Military art is art with a military subject matter, regardless of its style or medium. The battle scene is one of the oldest types of art in developed civilizations, as rulers have always been keen to celebrate their victories and intimidate ...

and animal painting. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Samokish was a correspondent for ', one of the most popular patriotic journals in

Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...

. He was a recipient of the Stalin Prize in 1941. Samokish is also known as the second husband of the book illustrator Elena Sudkovskaya, with whom he often collaborated.

Biography

His father was a postman; probably of Hungarian ancestry. He spent his youth in Nosivka with the family of his maternal grandfather, who was a

Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...

. Later, he graduated from Nezhin Lyceum of Prince Bezborodko. His first attempt to enroll at the St. Petersburg Academy of arts was unsuccessful, but he gained an endorsement from an associate of Professor Bogdan Willewalde, was admitted, and studied there from 1879 to 1885 with Mikhail Clodt and

Valery Jacobi Valery Ivanovich Jacobi ( or Якобий; , Kudryakovo, Kazan Governorate, Russia - 13 May 1902, Nice, France) was a Russian painter

as well as Willewalde, and won several awards.Brief biography
@ Maslovka. His painting "Прогулка" (the Walk) was bought by Pavel Tretyakov.Biography and critique of his illustrations
@ Slovo. SamokishTabunOrlovskihRysistyhMAtok

From 1885 to 1888, he studied in Paris with Édouard Detaille. When he returned, he and Franz Roubaud travelled to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

to create some large works for a panorama at the military history museum of

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

. In 1889, he married the well-known book illustrator, Elena Sudkovskaya.Brief biography of Elena
@ Лаборатория Фантастики. The following year, he was named an Academician. From 1894 to 1918, he taught at the Academy, where he became a Professor in 1913. In 1904, on behalf of the magazine '' Niva'', he travelled to the front during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

and produced an album of paintings. In 1915, he and some of his students at the Academy formed an "Art Squad" and went to the Eastern Front to make sketches. During the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, he became separated from his wife. She went to Paris and apparently died there in 1924, although some sources say she returned to Russia and died in

Vyborg Vyborg (; , ; , ; , ) is a town and the administrative center of Vyborgsky District in Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Karelian Isthmus near the head of Vyborg Bay, northwest of St. Petersburg, east of the Finnish capital H ...

.Brief biography of Elena
@ Yandex. In 1918, after the old Academy was abolished, he moved to

Yalta Yalta (: ) is a resort town, resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crime ...

with the

Armed Forces of South Russia The Armed Forces of South Russia (AFSR or SRAF) () were the unified military forces of the White movement in southern Russia between 1919 and 1920. On 8 January 1919, the Armed Forces of South Russia were formed, incorporating the Volunteer Ar ...

then, in 1922, to Simferopol, where he provided support to artistically talented youngsters and eventually organized an art school that received official state recognition. In 1934, he was given what would prove to be his largest commission: acting as managing consultant for a gigantic panorama depicting the Siege of Perekop. After 1936, he worked at the art institute in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

. Among the thousands of book illustrations he produced, perhaps the most notable are those for stories by Marko Vovchok, ''Mykola Dzherya'' by Ivan Nechuy-Levytsky, ''

Taras Bulba ''Taras Bulba'' (; ) is a romanticized historical novella set in the first half of the 17th century, written by Nikolai Gogol (1809–1852). It features elderly Zaporozhian Cossack Taras Bulba and his sons Andriy and Ostap. The sons study at th ...

'' by

Nikolai Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; ; (; () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright of Ukrainian origin. Gogol used the Grotesque#In literature, grotesque in his writings, for example, in his works "The Nose (Gogol short story), ...

and ''Imperial Hunting in Russia'' by Nikolai Kutepov. He and his wife worked together to illustrate '' Dead Souls'' and create murals for the Tsarskoye Selo railway station. Shortly after the end of World War II, a major exhibition of his early works was held at his workshop in Kharkiv. He was the subject of a documentary film in 1966.

Selected paintings

File:SpeedingTroikaSamokishSaleLondon2006.jpg, ''Speeding Troika'' File:Zaporozhians - Korchma.jpg, ''Cossacks at a Tavern'' File:СамокишПогоняДневник.jpg, ''Pursuit'' File:Raevsky saltanovka.jpg, ''The Courage of General Raevsky'' File:SamokishBorodinoLitograf.jpg, '' The Attack of the Shevardino Redoubt''

References

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External links

from Samokysh's diary @ Русское воскресение

(Exquisite Illustrator, Mykola Samokysh) @ the Kharkiv Korolenko State Library website.
Arcadja Auctions: More works by Samokysh
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Samokysh, Mykola 1860 births 1944 deaths People from Nizhyn People from Chernigov Governorate 19th-century painters from the Russian Empire 19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire Russian male painters 20th-century Russian painters 20th-century Russian male artists People of Zaporozhian Cossack descent War artists from the Russian Empire Awarded with a large gold medal of the Academy of Arts Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class Recipients of the Stalin Prize 19th-century war artists 20th-century war artists Imperial Academy of Arts alumni Full Members of the Imperial Academy of Arts

Biography

Selected paintings

References

Further reading

External links