Henryk Siemiradzki (1843 - 1902)

Henryk Siemiradzki

Henryк Siemiradzki (Russian: Генрих Ипполитович Семирадский) was a Polish-born Russian painter of the second half of the 19th century. He is known as a master of historical and religious genres. Siemiradzki is most famous for his large-scale paintings on ancient and biblical subjects.

Henryk Siemiradzki was one of the most famous representatives of academism of his time. Despite the criticism of much of the painters in the Russian Empire (particularly the Wanderers), by the late 19th century he had become one of the most respected masters of European classical painting. He was recognized as a full member of the Academies of Arts of Rome (where he spent most of his artistic life), Berlin, Stockholm, Paris and Turin, and at international exhibitions the artist's work constantly received the highest awards.

In addition to painting, the painter spent a lot of time on decorative painting, creating murals and large-scale panels for palaces and temples. In particular, he was one of the authors of the mural of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

The best masterpieces of Siemiradzki's work are now kept in museums in Russia, Ukraine and Poland.