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Two old men

Artist Klavdiy Vasilievich Lebedev was born in 1852 into a peasant family.

Claudius Vasilyevich's father was a church painter. It can be assumed that the father's profession had a great influence on the future choice of his son's life path. Alas, information about the artist’s childhood and youth has sunk into oblivion—it simply doesn’t exist.

Somewhere in the early seventies of the nineteenth century, Claudius began studying at the Stroganov School of Drawing; in 1875, he continued his education at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where his teachers were V. Makovsky, V. Perov and E. Sorokin. Teachers noted Lebedev as an undeniably talented aspiring artist.

Since 1877, Claudius Vasilyevich has been taking part in exhibitions organized by the school and the Imperial Academy of Arts.

Since 1891 - an active member of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions. During the same period, the artist began work on the design of temples. First there was the Ascension Cathedral in Yelets, then the iconostasis of the First Martyr Stephen in Istanbul.

Marfa Posadnitsa. Destruction of the Novgorod veche

In the early nineties, Lebedev became a teacher at the Moscow School of Painting, and in 1896 he was appointed professor of the natural class at the Higher Art School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture at the Imperial Academy of Arts. In 1897, Lebedev was awarded the title of academician. Since 1906 - full member of the Academy of Arts.

Today I want to bring to your attention the artist’s paintings on historical themes. There were also very successful works for the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions, illustrations for the works of famous writers, hunting scenes, etc.

The thing is that paintings from the lives of noblewomen and princes were consigned to oblivion - during the USSR, such painting was simply not in demand, and then time took its toll and this huge beautiful layer in painting from Claudius Lebedev was simply forgotten.

Art critics write that the work of Claudius Vasilyevich Lebedev cannot be considered a significant phenomenon in Russian culture. At the same time, it deserves the attention of anyone interested in nineteenth-century painting and the history of the “peredvizhniki” movement.

Paintings by artist Claudius Vasilievich Lebedev

Election of Mikhail Romanov in 1613

Falcon hunting

Princess Sophia receives a letter from Vasily Golitsyn from Trinity

Tsar Ivan the Terrible asks Abbot Kirill to bless him to become a monk

Boyar wedding

Clerk Zotov teaches Tsarevich Pyotr Alekseevich to read and write

Ivan the Terrible in the chambers

Forced tonsure

To the boyar with slander

Prince Igor collects tribute from the Drevlyans

Buddies

Clerk

Russian development of new lands

Portrait of Ivan the Terrible

Ivan the Terrible and his mother

Hawthorn

Princess Nesmeyana

Alms

Bear hustle in the forest

In 1912-1914. studied at the private art school M.D. Bernstein. In 1918-1921 taught at the Petrograd State Free Art and Educational Workshops. He was a member of the societies “Youth Union” (since 1913), “Unification of New Trends in Art” (in 1922-1923), “Four Arts” (since 1928); took part in their exhibitions.

In 1917-1918 worked as a political cartoonist, collaborated with the satirical magazines "Satyricon" and "New Satyricon"; created many political caricatures of the Bolsheviks. He worked as a book graphic artist from 1918 to 1967; the first books with his drawings were published by the Raduga publishing house. In 1919-1920 together with V.I. Kozlinsky he worked in the Petrograd “windows” of ROSTA (Russian Telegraph Agency). He created a new style of propaganda poster, intended for placement in factories, clubs, store windows and on propaganda ships.

In 1924-1933. V.V. Lebedev headed the art editorial office of the children's department of the State Publishing House. Throughout his life he worked as a children's book artist. Work in the publishing house and work on the book did not prevent V.V. Lebedev from realizing himself in painting and creating a number of outstanding paintings.

In 1936, articles appeared in the press about Lebedev’s work, where his work was given the most derogatory assessment; the articles could provoke persecution, the consequences of which for the artist could be the worst; These events greatly influenced the artist and broke him. Critics believe that Lebedev's best works were created before this turning point.

In 1941-1950 Lebedev lived in Moscow, where he collaborated with TASS Windows. He also worked in book graphics after returning to Leningrad. Among his post-war books, the best are considered: "Where did the table come from?" (1946) and “The Many-Colored Book” (1947) by S. Ya. Marshak, “Three Bears” by L. N. Tolstoy (1948).

After the war, in the 1950-60s. Lebedev lived a secluded life, seeing only a few friends and almost never appearing in public.

On Simeonovskaya Street in St. Petersburg (since 1923 - Belinsky Street), on house No. 11, where Lebedev lived, a memorial plaque is currently placed.

Children's book

The children's department of Gosizdat, created in Petrograd at the end of 1924, was located on Nevsky Prospekt, 28, in the House of the Singer Company. It was headed by two editors, literary and artistic: S. Ya. Marshak and V. V. Lebedev. Together they set themselves the goal of creating a fundamentally new children's art book. Over the years of their work in the publishing house, a new children's book appeared, having a completely different form and a different purpose than the children's book of the 19th century.

Critics consider lithographed books by Russian futurists of the 1910s to be an example of the artistic form of a new children's book. The authors of these books abandoned typographical typesetting and used lithographic techniques common to text and illustrations. Russian lithographed books are a unique phenomenon in the book art of the 20th century, which has no analogues in the West. Artists - M. F. Larionov, N. S. Goncharova, O. V. Rozanova, P. N. Filonov - relied in their lithographed books on the tradition of ancient Russian handwritten books and on folk lubok.

She produced lithographed books in Petrograd in 1918–1919. book printing artel "Segodnya". , with which artists V. M. Ermolaeva and N. F. Lapshin collaborated. A significant role in the creation of children's books in the 1920s. belongs to the private publishing house "Rainbow", headed by the once famous journalist L. M. Klyachko. He attracted K.I. Chukovsky and S.Ya. Marshak, who had not previously written poetry for children, to the publishing house. Mainly artists close to the World of Art circle collaborated with the publishing house: S. Chekhonin, N. Kuzmin, Y. Annenkov, M. Dobuzhinsky, V. Konashevich, B. Kustodiev, E. Kruglikova, M. Tsekhanovsky. It was in this publishing house that the first “new” book was published - “The Little Elephant” by R. Kipling, translated by K. Chukovsky with illustrations by V. V. Lebedev. This modest book was highly appreciated by N.N. Punin.

The most famous books illustrated by V. Lebedev include, first of all, books written by the poet Samuil Marshak: “Circus”, “Ice Cream”, “The Tale of a Stupid Mouse”, “Mustache Striped”, “A Multi-Colored Book”, “Twelve Months” ", "Baggage".

As a master, Lebedev made a huge contribution to the development of the artistic design of a children's book, to compositional and visual techniques and means, and supported a completely new attitude towards the very content of a children's book. S. Ya. Marshak attracted such writers and poets as Alexander Vvedensky, Daniil Kharms, Nikolai Oleinikov, Korney Chukovsky, L. Panteleev, Boris Zhitkov, Evgeny Schwartz, Vitaly Bianki, Nikolai Tikhonov, Mikhail Zoshchenko, Olga Berggolts to collaborate in the new publishing house , Veniamin Kaverin and others. A special merit of writers and artists was also the creation of a new literary genre - “educational” books for children.

In September 1933, on the basis of this department and the children's sector of the Molodaya Gvardiya publishing house, the Children's Literature publishing house was created, originally called DETGIZ (Children's State Publishing House); S. Ya. Marshak and V. V. Lebedev also became its editors.

Children's book artists

A unique feature of the era of the late 1920-30s. was that many artists of the Russian avant-garde at that time were looking for opportunities to earn money outside of their main, painting work, and willingly went to the publishing house to work with Lebedev. Without exception, all the wonderful book masters were major painters or graphic artists who were able to bring the achievements of their own painting and drawing into the mainstream of book specificity. The only condition that Lebedev the editor set was that the book be a single, integral and constructively resolved organism. “Now all the artists who are capable of working in a book are working on the book, that is, creating clear and convincing images,” Lebedev asserted.

Lebedev considered Vera Ermolaeva, Nikolai Lapshin and Nikolai Tyrsa his comrades-in-arms.

Artists who united around Lebedev were not just different, but even opposite, sometimes having nothing in common with each other: Pyotr Sokolov, Vladimir Tatlin, Alexander Samokhvalov, Eduard Budogosky, Genrikh Levin, Nikolai Radlov, Victor Zamirailo, Lev Yudin, Vladimir Sterligov, Eduard Krimmer, Elena Safonova, Alisa Poret, Tatyana Glebova, Pavel Kondratiev, Konstantin Rudakov, Vladimir Tambi, Pavel Basmanov, Yuri Syrnev. Among the artists of the previous circle, Lebedev collaborated with Vladimir Konashevich and Dmitry Mitrokhin.

Lebedev School

V.V. Lebedev, already an experienced artist by that time, created his own “Lebedev school” in the twenties and thirties. Young artists began to learn from him how to work in books, many of them were talented painters: Alexey Pakhomov, Yuri Vasnetsov, Evgeny Charushin, Valentin Kurdov, many of his students included Evgenia Evenbakh, Tatyana Shishmareva.

“All these masters, who worked a lot not only in graphics, but also in easel painting, called their creative method “pictorial realism”, meaning by this term the art of turning to the real surrounding reality, drawing their themes and images from it... based not on only on the tradition of critical realism of the 19th century, but widely using the experience and achievements of all new and contemporary artistic culture, both Russian and Western European... One could call “graphic realism” the creative movement that was formed then among the masters of children's illustrated books who worked under the leadership of V.V. Lebedev, N.A. Tyrsa and N.F. Lapshin in the artistic edition of the children's department of the State Publishing House." The aesthetics of “graphic realism” consisted not only of a system of artistic techniques. It can also be characterized as a real creative movement, due to the existing agreed upon creative principles. It united many artists involved in the process of formation and development of children's books in Leningrad graphics of the 1920-1930s.

Creation

For most of Lebedev's books, his posters for the ROSTA "windows" were the source and creative impulse. “The artist saw the poster as an art of large form, laconic artistic language, strict constructiveness and plastic simplicity of visual elements, leading to the impression of monumentality.” Engraving posters and coloring them by hand, Lebedev was guided by the traditions of Russian folk popular print; but at the same time, he immediately rejected any stylization and imitation of popular prints. The connection with the popular print remained, but as “a connection of continuity or organic growth.” Lebedev’s work “fused a new form and an old artistic tradition.” The laconic, geometrically generalized drawing found by the artist was transferred by him to a children’s book, in addition, “he was the first among children’s book artists to use type as a means of expressiveness.”

Painting and graphics

In the 1920-30s. Lebedev created many easel graphic works that became classics of Leningrad graphic art of the 1920s-1930s.

Series on “everyday” themes: “Laundresses” 1920-1925 (gouaches, appliqués), a series of 23 drawings “Panel of the Revolution”, 1922 (B., ink), also called “Street of the Revolution”, and the series “NEP” and “ New way of life" (mid-1920s). Series of pencil and ink drawings: "Models", "Ballerinas", "Acrobats". Paintings: early period - “Still Life with Palette”, 1919, Russian Russian Museum; “Coffee pot, spoon, mug”, 1920, “Saw and board”, 1920, “Worker at the anvil”, 1920-21, Russian Russian Museum; series "Counter-reliefs", 1920-1921 (including "Selection of materials: iron, wood, cardboard", 1921).

Lebedev's paintings in the 1920s. was determined largely by his friendship with Ivan Puni, and later by his friendship with N. F. Lapshin and N. A. Tyrsa, who constituted for him the artistic environment necessary for every artist. Lapshin and Tyrsa were fond of French art; Lebedev was also fascinated by Seurat, Picasso, and later by Renoir and Edouard Manet.

In the early 1930s. The series "Still Lifes with a Guitar", 1930-1932 (including "Red Guitar and Palette", 1930, Russian Museum) and "Fruit in a Basket" 1930-31 were written. "Each of these still lifes is a small world, alive with its concreteness, sometimes funny, sometimes lyrical, sometimes with a slight touch of cheerful irony. The still life with a guitar, lemons and shells can serve as an example of brilliant work in organizing the pictorial space. Color and its masonry, and not aerial or linear perspective, builds spatial vibrations of objects within a very narrow distance, as if sandwiched between two parallel planes - a feeling close to a sign. The material sensation of a thing here is carried out with maximum intensity, the laying of colors is carried out with great richness and variety of techniques "(Vera Anikiev).

Since the late 1920s. and until 1957, the artist created a significant number of female portraits, including: “Portrait of the artist N. S. Nadezhdina” (1927), Russian Russian Museum; “Girl with a Jug” (1928), “Model with a Mandolin” (Malvina Stern; 1927), portrait of the artist Nina Noskovich (1934, also known as the portrait of Nina Lekarenko). One of Lebedev’s most famous paintings, “Woman with a Guitar” (1930), depicts the model Elena Nikolaeva. Portrait

In 1933, a series of “ironic” portraits was painted, called “Athletes” or “Girls with Bouquets.”

Among other works of Lebedev in the 1930s. - portrait of the artist Tatyana Shishmareva (1935, Russian Museum), portrait of the sculptor Sarra Lebedeva (1936), “Red Navy Man” (1937), “Turkish Fighters” (1937), portraits of the writer Susanna Georgievskaya (1937). After the war, Lebedev wrote little; his later works include a portrait of Ada Sergeevna Lazo (1954) and a portrait of a young girl in a headscarf (1957).

Family

Wife (until 1925) - Sarra Dmitrievna Lebedeva, born. Darmolatova (1892, St. Petersburg - March 7, 1967, Moscow), famous Soviet sculptor, portrait painter; worked in monumental and memorial sculpture. Corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Arts. She met V.V. Lebedev in 1912-1914. at the private art school of M. D. Bernstein. After her divorce from V.V. Lebedev, she continued to maintain friendly relations with him throughout her life.

Wife - Nadezhda Sergeevna Nadezhdina (1908, Vilno - 1979, Moscow). Daughter of the writer A. Ya. Brushtein. Ballerina, student of A. Ya. Vaganova; soloist of the Bolshoi Theater. Famous Soviet choreographer, People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of the Order of Lenin. In 1948 she created the dance “Beryozka”, which became a discovery in the stage embodiment of Russian folk dance, laying the foundation for a new choreographic style. She created the ensemble "Beryozka", which has been named after her since 2000. N. S. Nadezhdina served as a model for V. V. Lebedev’s graphic series “Dancer” in 1927.

Wife (from 1940 to 1967) - Ada Sergeevna Lazo (1919, Vladivostok - 1993, Moscow). Philologist, writer, editor of Detgiz. Daughter of the famous military and political figure S. G. Lazo. She prepared a book about her father: Lazo S. “Diaries and Letters. Vladivostok, 1959.

Book illustration (selected editions)

Christmas tree. Collection of poems, stories and fairy tales. Compiled by A. Benois and K. Chukovsky. Drawings by Y. Annenkov, A. Benois, M. Dobuzhinsky, V. Zamirailo, V. Lebedev, I. Puni, A. Radakov, I. Repin, V. Khodasevich, S. Chekhonin and others - Pg.: Parus, 1918 .
The Lion and the Bull: An Arabian Tale / Trans. S.S. Kondrushkina. - Pg.: Lights.1918.
New Russian fairy tales. People's Library. Region D. Mitrokhina, ill. V. Zamirailo and V. Lebedeva. - Pg.: State Publishing House, 1919.
Lebedev V.V. The Adventures of Chuch-lo. - Pg.: Epoch. 1921
Kipling R. Baby Elephant / Trans. K. Chukovsky. - Pg.: Epoch. 1922.
Lebedev V. Medved. Russian fairy tale.- Pg.: Thought. 1923.
Lebedev V. Three goats. Russian fairy tale.- M.: Thought. 1923
Lebedev V. Golden Egg: A Fairy Tale. - Pg.: Thought. 1923
Lebedev V. Hare, rooster and fox: A fairy tale. - Pg.: Thought. 1924.
Lebedev V. Hunting. - M.; L.: Rainbow. 1925.
Marshak S. Poodle. M.L.: Rainbow, 1925, 1927.
Marshak S. Ice cream. - M.; L.: Rainbow. 1925.
Marshak S. Ice cream. - L.Azbuka. 1925.
Marshak S. Yesterday and today. L.: Rainbow. 1925
Marshak S. About a stupid mouse. - L.; M.: Rainbow. 1925.
Marshak S. Circus. - L.; M.: Raduga 1925.
Lebedev V. ABC. - L.: GIZ. 1925.
Marshak S. Luggage. - L.: Rainbow. 1926.
Lebedev V. Who is stronger. - M.; L.: GIZ. 1927
Marshak S. How a plane made a plane - L.: Rainbow. 1927.
Lebedev V. On horseback. - M.; L.: GIZ. 1928.
Marshak S. Happy hour: Supplement to the magazine “Hedgehog”. - L.: GIZ. 1929.
Kipling R. Fairy Tales / Trans. K. Chukovsky. Poems in trans. S. Marshak. Rice. L. Bruni, A. Borisov, E. Krimmer, V. Lebedeva, A. Pakhomova. - M.; L.: GIZ, 1929
Marshak S. Mustache-striped. - M.: GIZ. 1930.
Berggolts O. Winter - summer - parrot. - M.; L.: GIZ. 1930, 1933.
Marshak S. Walk on a donkey. - M.; L.: GIZ.1930.
Orlova N. Paint and draw. Vol. 1, 2- L.: OGIZ: Young Guard. 1932.
May Day. Drawings by a team of artists: Y. Vasnetsov, Y. Mezernitsky, V. Lebedev, V. Ermolaeva, V. Kurdov. - M.: OGIZ: Young Guard, 1932.
Marshak S. Mister Twister. - L.; M.: Young Guard. 1933.
Marshak S. That's how absent-minded he is. - L.: Detgiz, 1934.
Marshak S. Fairy tales, songs, riddles. - M.: Academia. 1935.
Marshak S. Parsley the Foreigner. - L.: Detgiz. 1935.
Marshak S. We are military. - M.; L.: Detizdat. 1938.
Marshak S. Fairy tales, songs, riddles / Fig. V. Konashevich, V. Lebedev, A. Pakhomov. - M.; L.: Detizdat, 1938.
Lebedev V. Toys and animals. Detizdat of the Komsomol Central Committee. 1939.
Marshak S. Why was the cat called a cat? Miller, boy and donkey. - M.; L.: Detizdat. 1939.
Marshak S. Happy day. Poems and fairy tales / Fig. V. Konashevich, V. Kurdov, V. Lebedev, A. Pakhomov, K. Rudakov, G. Shevyakov. - M.; L.: Detizdat, 1939.
Marshak S. Living letters. - M.; L.: Detizdat. 1940.
Marshak S. English ballads and songs. - M.: Soviet writer. 1941.
Marshak S. One, two, three, four. - M.: Detizdat. 1941.
Red Army. Collection of stories, fairy tales, games and poems dedicated to the Red Army / Fig. V.V. Lebedeva and others - M.; L.: Detgiz, 1942.
Korolenko V.G. No tongue. - M.; L.: Detgiz.1942.
Kuprin A.I. White poodle. - Kirov: Detgiz.1942.
Marshak S. Twelve months: Slavic fairy tale. - M.; L.: Detgiz.1943.
Marshak S. Pigeons: Fairy Tales. - M.; L.: Detgiz.1946.
Marshak S. Where did the table come from? - M.; L.: Detgiz.1946.
Marshak S. Heather honey: English ballads, songs and lyric poems / M.; L.: Detgiz.1947.
Marshak S. Multi-colored book. - M.; L.: Detgiz.1947.
Marshak S. Poems for children. - M.; L.: Detgiz.1947.
Marshak S. Children in a cage. - M.; L.: Detgiz.1948.
Tolstoy L.N. Three Bears. - M.; L.: Detgiz. 1948.
Marshak S. Giant. - M.: Detgiz. 1949, 1950.
Mikhalkov S. Kittens. - M.: Detgiz. 1949.
Marshak S. All year round. - M.; L.: Detgiz.1949.
Marshak S. Forest book. - M.; L.: Detgiz.1950.
Marshak S. Ryabka hen and ten ducklings. - M.: Detgiz. 1953, 1954.
Mayakovsky V. Every page is either an elephant or a lioness. - M.; L.: Detgiz.1954.
Marshak S. What was Petya afraid of? - M.: Detgiz.1955.
Marshak S. The Tale of a Smart Mouse. - M.: Detgiz. 1956,1959.
Tolstoy L. Stories for young children. - M.; L.: Detgiz.1956.
Marshak S. Quiet fairy tale. - M.: Detgiz.1958,1961.
Marshak S. What horses, hamsters and chickens talked about. - M.: Detgiz. 1962.
Marshak S. Who will find the ring?: A fairy tale-game. - M.: Detgiz. 1962, 1965.
Marshak S. Circus. - M.: Children's literature. 1964.
Marshak S. For children. - M.: Children's literature. 1967.

"IN. V. Lebedev was never an illustrator or a book decorator. Along with a writer - a poet or a prose writer - he can rightfully and justifiably be considered their author: he brings so much originality, subtle observation and confident skill to each book. And at the same time, his drawings never diverge from the word in the most essential and important way. They are unusually rhythmic and therefore fit so well with poetry or prose, such as, for example, folk tales and tales of Leo Tolstoy.”

S. Marshak

Vladimir Vasilyevich Lebedev is a magnificent artist with a bright creative personality, a recognized master of children's illustration.

Vladimir Vasilyevich Lebedev (May 14 (26), 1891 - November 21, 1967) - Russian Soviet painter, graphic artist, master of posters, book and magazine illustration, founder. People's Artist of the RSFSR, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Arts, recognized classic of children's illustrations, creator of its principles, founder of the Leningrad school of book graphics - the “Lebedev school”.

Lebedev’s first steps in children’s book illustration were drawings in the collection of poems, fairy tales and short stories “Yolka” and ink drawings for the Arabic fairy tale “The Lion and the Bull,” published in 1918. In them he already appeared as a brilliant animal painter. While studying at the Academy of Arts, Lebedev attended the battle workshop of Franz Alekseevich Roubaud, specially focusing on drawing animals.

His first books with drawings were published by the Raduga publishing house, which played an important role in the creation of children's books in the 1920s. It was in this publishing house that the book “The Elephant’s Child” by R. Kipling was published, translated by K. Chukovsky with imaginative and dynamic illustrations by V.V. Lebedev.

In 1923, Vladimir Vasilyevich met the poet Samuil Yakovlevich Marshak (1887-1964). Both of them began working in the children's magazine Sparrow, around which a small group of young writers and artists united.

At the end of 1924, a children's department of the State Publishing House was created in Petrograd, which was located on Nevsky Prospekt, 28, in the House of the Singer Company. It was headed by two editors, literary and artistic: S. Ya. Marshak and V. V. Lebedev. They set themselves the goal of creating a fundamentally new children's art book, a book that would be a single, integral and constructively resolved organism, and they succeeded. Lebedev and Marshak became friends and began making books together. The most famous books illustrated by V. Lebedev include, first of all, books written by the poet Samuilov Marshak: “Circus”, “Ice Cream”, “The Tale of a Stupid Mouse”, “Mr. Twister”, “Mustache Striped”, “Twelve Months” ", "Luggage", "Fairy tales, songs, riddles".

1930

1948

1968

A brilliant draftsman and experimenter, he brought a vitality and imagery unprecedented before that time to illustrations for children. Lebedev made drawings for children, paying attention not only to execution techniques, but also to the entire structure of the book.

Books illustrated by the artist Lebedev are distinguished by the simplicity and brightness of their images, and a wonderful combination of graphic and font forms.

Looking at his drawings, you are convinced that he studied not only the anatomy of animals. He knew their habits, features of appearance, and gait very well. The artist's students recalled that he demanded that you study what you were drawing. Lebedev himself surprised those around him with his knowledge. He knew what kind of boots, bridles, saddles, claws of animals and much, much more there were in the world. And even among artists who were entirely immersed in their art, Lebedev preferred acquaintance and friendship with people of different professions. A man in love with life, he confidently found a common language with sailors, workers, engineers, scientists and travelers.

In 1941-1950, Lebedev lived in Moscow, where he collaborated with TASS Windows. He also worked in book graphics after returning to Leningrad. Among his post-war books, the best are considered “Where did the table come from?” and “The Many-Colored Book” by S. Ya. Marshak, “Three Bears” by L. N. Tolstoy.

In October 1967, Vladimir Vasilyevich Lebedev was elected corresponding member of the Academy of Arts. A month later he was gone. An elegant magazine graphic artist, satirist, poster artist, painter, he remained for us an unsurpassed master of children's literature.

Illustrator, cartoonist.
A. I. Lebedev is known mainly as the author of numerous cartoons published in satirical magazines, as well as illustrations for the works of Russian writers, published in separate lithographed albums. His artistic abilities manifested themselves in childhood. However, by the will of his father, a military man, the young man was sent to the School of Topography. Only in 1849 did Lebedev begin to attend evening drawing classes at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts as a visiting student, combining art classes with service. In 1857 he graduated from the Academy of Arts and received the title of free artist. Lebedev's paintings are almost unknown. The artist's talent was most fully revealed in satirical graphics and book and magazine illustration. Lebedev made his debut as an author of everyday cartoons in 1858 on the pages of the then fashionable magazine Veselchak. Subsequently, he collaborated with many satirical magazines: “Splinter”, “Illustrated Newspaper”, “Bee”, “Krugozor”, “Niva”, “Oskolki”, “Dragonfly”. The artist's productivity is simply amazing, the range of topics is very wide. Lebedev portrayed various social strata of society, noting funny and sometimes ridiculous collisions that arise in everyday life. The artist combined such “pictures” into thematic albums: “Picnic” (1859), “You, darling, look good in all your outfits” (1861), etc. In the 1860s. Lebedev published a series dedicated to the fate of young, inexperienced girls who became victims of the temptations of the big city. This includes issues such as “Dead, but Lovely Creatures” (1862), “Ten More Dead, but Lovely Creatures!” (1863). They are followed by "The Fair Sex" and "The Cap" (both 1864). In the last two albums, the scenes are captioned in the form of a short dialogue composed by Lebedev himself and the writer V.V. Krestovsky. In some cases, these are quotes from the works of A. S. Pushkin, V. Hugo, and the satirist poet V. S. Kurochkin. Sometimes, in his sketches of contemporary life, Lebedev acted as a master of social satire. Along with scenes of quarrels, betrayals, drunken brawls and revelry, his depictions of bribery by minor officials and the arbitrariness of high-ranking officials are known. The civic orientation of satire was especially emphasized by Lebedev during the period of collaboration with the magazine Iskra (1864-66), where 54 of his works were published in 9 issues. Lebedev was also famous as the author of humorous portraits of celebrities - writers, artists, publishers, public figures, etc. These were also friendly cartoons, like those that ridiculed the seemingly incredible performance of I.K. Aivazovsky and the inflated complacency of M.O. Mikeshin; but there were also openly satirical images, such as, for example, grotesque portraits of journalists M. N. Katkov and A. S. Suvorin.

The main graphic technique in which Lebedev worked and achieved great mastery was lithography, often using a colored background. He was just as skilled with a pencil. Quite a few of his drawings have survived, usually preparatory ones intended for transfer to lithographic stone. Numerous illustrations by the artist were also made using the lithography technique. Lebedev the illustrator turned to the works of A. S. Pushkin, M. Yu. Lermontov, I. A. Krylov, N. V. Gogol, A. N. Ostrovsky, and other Russian writers. Illustrations were published separately from the text in magazines, for example in Northern Lights for 1862 and 1864. However, most often they were released in the form of album releases. The artist’s most significant works in this area are lithographs based on the works of N. A. Nekrasov and M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin. Lebedev first turned to Nekrasov’s work in the mid-1860s. In 1865, his “Drawings for the Poems of N. A. Nekrasov” appeared in two notebooks (10 lithographs each). The artist deliberately chose poems about the hard life of the common people (“Orina, the Soldier’s Mother,” “On the Volga,” “Reflections at the Front Entrance,” “The Thief,” etc.). Twelve years later, in December 1877, Lebedev again released the album “Something from Nekrasov”, some of the pages of which were immediately banned by censorship. If Lebedev’s interpretation of Nekrasov’s poetry was dominated by notes of sorrow, then, illustrating Saltykov-Shchedrin, the artist turned to satire. On the cover of the album “Shchedrin Types”, published in 1880, Lebedev depicted a writer shaking the heroes of his works out of a bag. Despite the fact that the artist worked extremely hard, he was never able to achieve material well-being until the end of his life. Lebedev’s repeated appeals to the Academy of Arts for help were refused. After his sudden death, many newspapers and magazines published obituaries. Contemporaries paid tribute to the excellent master of lithography, endowed with a satirical gift and a talent for interpreting literary works.

See about him: Smirnova E.I. Alexander Ignatievich Lebedev. 1830-1898. M.: Art, 1954. 27 p.

Illustrated publications

34.1.6.2
Lebedev A.I. Drawings for poems by N.A. Nekrasova: Tetr. 1-. - [SPb.]: Senkovsky and Co., censor. 1865.
Mf K1/27538, 18.166.3.44
Minaev D. D. Evgeny Onegin: A Novel in Verse, abbr. and corr. according to Art. new false realists Dark man: with adj. 5 fig. artist's works A.I. Lebedeva, [engraving. P.Z. Kurenkov]. - St. Petersburg: type. Dep. Usledov, 1866. - 56 p., 5 l. ill.
18.109.8.21
Lebedev A.I. Drawings by artist Lebedev for scenes from Jewish life by Pavel Weinberg. - St. Petersburg. : type. K.N. Plotnikova, 1873. - 8 sheets. ill. with explanation text
18.257.2.32
Illustrated entertaining companion: collection. jokes and various articles. oh they will notice. events, new inventions. extraordinary exploits of selflessness, virtue, etc. / ed., decorated. 60 cartoons, fig. Lebedev and Ievlev 10 volumes. Tetr. -. Tetr. 2 Tetr. 2.- 73-144 pp., 6 l. ill. : ill.
Alis57/3-N-480, 18.132.1.31, 18.132.1.32, 18.132.1.333
Lebedev A.I. Something from Nekrasov: [an album of drawings and excerpts from his works]. St. Petersburg : V. Ivanov, 1877. - sheet, 11 sheets. ill., portrait
Digital copy
37.5.1.25
Lebedev A.I. Caricature album of modern Russian figures, designed by "Az" [pseudo. I.F. Vasilevsky] and “G. Kor...” [pseudo. G.K. Kornfnld], performed by the artist A.I. Lebedev: [Ser. 1]-. - [SPb.]: magazine. "Dragonfly", qualification. 1877-. - 3 t.
18.52.2.32
Lebedev A.I. Theatrical album / fig. artist A.I. Lebedeva; text by P.V. Bykova. - [SPb.]: magazine. "Dragonfly", 1879. - p., 8 p. portrait
18.52.2.32
Lebedev A.I. Shchedrin's types: an album of artistic and humorous works. magazine "Dragonfly". - St. Petersburg. : G. Kornfeld, 1880. - p., 12 p. ill.
8.340a.5.1
Mikhnevich V.O. Our friends: Feuilleton. Dictionary of Contemporaries: 1000 characteristics of Russian. state and societies. figures, learned writers, artists, businessmen, industrialists, etc.: With 71 portrait-caricatures (59 sheets) / rice. artist A.I. Lebedev, M.E. Malyshev and A.A. Serebryakov based on sketches by the author. - St. Petersburg. : type. E. Hoppe, 1884. - XII, 283 pp., 1 sheet. front. (ill.), 59 l. ill.
18.52.2.32, 1/409 bottom
The Dark Kingdom: an album of drawings for the works of A.N. Ostrovsky / preface Letters; rice. filled with artistic A.N. Bogdanov, A.I. Lebedev, M.N. Malyshev, V.I. Porfiryev and V.S. Shpak. St. Petersburg : Hermann Kornfeld, 1881. 2 pp., 15 l. ill.
52/721 , 18.158.4.20
Vasilevsky I.F., Human Comedy / I.F. Vasilevsky (Letters); rice. ON THE. Bogdanova, G.A. Helmsdorf, A.I. Lebedeva [and others]. - St. Petersburg. : Dragonfly (G. Kornfeld), 1882. -, 236, p. : ill.