Oil painting Meeting with Santa Claus Borisov Alexander Alekseevich

№Vern 1674


*** ABOUT THIS PAINTING ***
* TITLE: "Meeting with Santa Claus"
* ARTISTS: Borisov Alexander Alekseevich
* SIZE: 150x200 cm/'59.05x78.74 inches'
* MEDIUM: oil, canvas
* HAND PAINTED: Original painting from our collection
* CONDITION: we tried to convey the maximum information with the help of photos about this product

About the artist: Russian artist, writer, public figure, explorer of the polar lands.
Alexander Alekseevich Borisov was born on November 2, 1866 in the village of Glubokiy Ruchey, near Krasnoborsk, Vologda province.
From the age of fifteen, Alexander worked on a fishing tone in the Savvatievsky monastery of the Solovetsky Monastery. Soon he got a job as an apprentice in an icon-painting workshop. The archimandrite of the monastery, seeing the pencil drawings of Borisov, took him to the main monastery. As a novice, Alexander studied drawing and icon painting.
Borisov’s works were visited by Solovki, the president of the Academy of Arts, Grand Duke Vladimir Alesandrovich, and the famous art collector General Bogolyubov, who served in the headquarters of the St. Petersburg military district. They helped Alexander: he was awarded a scholarship and on September 20, 1886 he moved to St. Petersburg.
During his studies at the Imperial Academy of Arts from 1888 to 1892, Borisov’s creative achievements were marked by two small and one large encouraging silver medals. The teachers of Alexander Alekseevich were initially I.I. Shishkin, and later - A.I. Kuindzhi.
In the summer of 1894, Borisov accompanied S.Yu. Witte on a trip to the North. The duties of the young artist included sketches of the harbors and bays of the Murmansk coast. From the trip he brought about 150 studies, some of which were exhibited in 1897 at the academic exhibition in St. Petersburg. These works aroused admiration of V.M.Vasnetsov, approving reviews of V.V. Stasov. P.M. Tretyakov purchased for his collection the work of A. Borisov for 8 thousand rubles.
In 1890, A.A. Borisov and eight of his companions set off for Novaya Zemlya. They examined and mapped the shores of the bays, giving the bays, straits, mountain peaks and capes the names of artists, scientists and those who contributed to the development of the North. Thanks to Borisov, the names of many Russian artists are immortalized on the map of Novaya Zemlya. In addition, travelers made meteorological observations, collected geological, botanical and zoological collections. One of the main results of the expedition was hundreds of sketches and sketches, which served as the theme of monumental paintings created by Borisov upon his return.
The artist's works exhibited at the spring St. Petersburg exhibitions 1900 - 1905 attracted the attention of art lovers not only in Russia but also abroad. In 1902, at the invitation of the Vienna Society of Artists, A. A. Borisov arranged an exhibition in the Austrian capital. Borisov’s success allowed him to hold exhibitions in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Dusseldorf and Paris. In 1906, A. A. Borisov took an active part in the creation of the Northern Circle of Fine Arts Lovers, participated in the development of the charter, and then in the organization of all exhibitions of the circle (1905-1919).
In early 1908, Borisov holds his exhibition at the White House (Washington, USA) and becomes the first Russian artist to be accepted by the US President.
Returning to Russia, Borisov settled in his homeland, near Krasnoborsk. During these years, the artist creates works dedicated not only to the Arctic, but also to Solovki, Pechora, and Severodvinsk lands. In February 1914, the artist arranges a major exhibition in St. Petersburg.
In the years 1915-16 A. Borisov is developing a project for the construction of the Ob-Murmansk railway.
In 1922, at the initiative of A. A. Borisov, the resort “Solonikha” was opened on the basis of a salt source near Krasnoborsk, the first manager of which was the artist himself.
On August 17, 1934, Aleksandr Alekseevich Borisov died in his house near Krasnoborsk.
Currently, the artist’s works are stored in the Russian Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Arkhangelsk Regional Museum, the Vologda Art Gallery, the Nenets Regional Museum and other museums in Russia.