I think many of us have our own favorite Kharkiv artists. Some love Serhii Ivanovych Vasylkivsky and his unique landscapes, while others cherish Konstantin Alexandrovich Trutovsky and his *Kolyadki in Little Russia*. There are those who can spend hours gazing at distant Normandy in the paintings of Viktor Ivanovich Zarubin. The list goes on and on; indeed, in the 19th and 20th centuries, Kharkiv and the surrounding province gave birth to quite a few talented artists who, over time, became quite well-known. For me, however, one of my favorite and greatest Kharkiv artists has been, is, and always will be Mikhail Alisov. Our first “encounter” took place about five years ago, when I happened to come across a passage stating that a monument with the following inscription had been preserved at the old Yalta city cemetery: “Artist Mikhail Alexandrovich Alisov, Jan. 5, 1860 – June 15, 1933. Seascape painter, Aivazovsky’s best student. From the Communal Economy Committee, 1960.” Some time later, it turned out that the artist himself was born on April 30, 1859, in Kharkiv. So, quite naturally, I searched for information about him everywhere I could. This included the collections of the Kharkiv Regional Archives, as well as our city’s early 20th-century media. A significant motivation for me in this search was the fact that contemporary foreign publications about Mikhail Alisov paid very little attention to his ties to our city. And after mentioning the 1900 exhibition in Kharkiv, the text continued: “Then there were two more exhibitions: in 1902 and 1903. That’s all…”
Today, I’d like to give a general overview—not of the artist’s biography (there are already plenty of articles about that online)—but specifically of how closely the name of the man recognized as “Aivazovsky’s best student” was tied to our city.
So, the *Genealogical Book of the Hereditary Nobility of the Kharkiv Governorate* provides the following information about the family of this great artist:
The Alisov Family.
1. Court Counselor Alexander Ivanov, son of the Alisovs, residing in the Izyum District.
9. Court Counselor Alexander Ivanov, son of the Alisovs, owning real estate in the Izyum District, petitioned to be entered into the Book of Noble Lineages, in the same section in which he is already registered for the Kursk Governorate; and, as proof of his rights, submitted a copy of the decision of the Kursk Noble Deputies’ Assembly dated February 21, 1868, which shows that he and his son Mikhail were entered into the second section of the noble genealogical register of that [same] province, based on the merits of his father, Lieutenant Ivan Alexandrov, son of Alisov, and that a copy of that case file was submitted for review to the Heraldry Department of the Governing Senate on February 29, 1868, under No. 202.
On the basis of this document, the Kharkiv Nobility Assembly, by its resolution of October 16, 1876, entered the aforementioned Court Counselor Alexander Ivanov, son of Alisov, was entered for the Kharkiv Governorate into the same second part of the Noble Genealogical Register in which he is already listed for the Kursk Governorate.
Mikhail Alisov received his early art education at M. D. Raevskaya-Ivanova’s private school of drawing and painting in Kharkiv. And in 1877, as evidenced by documents from the Kharkiv Regional Archives, he attempted to enter the service of the chancellery of the leader of the nobility of the Izyum District.
From 1887 to 1889, we find our fellow townsman already studying at the Imperial Academy of Arts. His teacher at that time was Yuli Yul’evich Klever, a renowned landscape painter of the salon-academic school. After completing his studies at the academy, Mikhail Alisov traveled to Crimea, where he worked under the guidance of Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky in the latter’s studio in Feodosia.
In 1897, Alisov’s paintings could be found among the works of other artists raffled off in an art lottery to benefit the Dr. Vladislav Andreevich Frankovsky Shelter for the Terminally Ill.
Mikhail Alisov’s first major solo exhibition of paintings took place on February 16, 1900—that is, after his teacher’s death. Moreover, it was held not just anywhere, but specifically in Kharkiv, and was timed to coincide with the artist’s 40th birthday. Journalists who attended the exhibition wrote enthusiastically in the media:
I will share some information about the artist, which partly explains why he chose our city to hold his exhibition. M. A. Alisov is a native of Kharkiv, but his work as a marine painter took him away from our steppes for many years. The story of his artistic education is as follows. The well-known writer Grigory Petrovich Danilevsky, the artist’s uncle, noticing the young man’s inclination toward art, advised and helped him enroll in the Academy…
A small catalog listing the titles of the 132 paintings on display was also published by N. V. Petrov’s printing house in a print run of 1,000 copies to accompany the exhibition.
In October of that same year, Mikhail Alisov donated two of his large landscapes depicting scenes from Crimea to the Kharkiv Museum of Fine Arts. In August–September 1901, an exhibition of paintings by Alisov and foreign artists was held at Galanov’s store.
In the spring of 1902, a solo exhibition of Mikhail Alisov’s paintings opened its doors to the public for the fourth time at the Kharkiv Museum of Art and Industry. Over the course of a month, more than 2,000 people came to view the works of the “local marine painter” (as the media referred to him at the time). About a dozen paintings were sold, with some fetching considerable sums. Those who were fortunate enough to see the master’s canvases in person at the time noted that his paintings were “full of air; the waves of the sea, creating an optical illusion, draw the viewer in, keeping them standing before the canvas for a long time.” Critics wrote in their reviews: “A student of the brilliant marine painter I. K. Aivazovsky, the artist Alisov nevertheless managed to develop a completely different style of his own, one that does not imitate his teacher’s.”
Almost a year later, an exhibition of paintings by an artist who is already well-known and beloved in our city of Kharkiv is opening once again. This time, however, Mikhail Alisov has significantly expanded his landscape themes to include views of Slobozhanshchyna, Crimea, and the Caucasus.
After that, there was a hiatus of several years. It was not until 1909 that a joint exhibition by Mikhail Alisov and one of the most brilliant still-life artists, Evdokim Voloshinov, was once again held with great success in Kharkiv. A total of about 200 paintings were exhibited there. After that, Alisov’s solo exhibitions returned to his hometown and were just as successful at the City Art Museum in 1910 and 1911. Reviews of the latter speak volumes about the townspeople’s attitude toward the artist:
“An exhibition of paintings by the marine artist M. A. Alisov is currently on view at the city museum in Kharkiv. Kharkiv is not known for having an abundance of exhibitions. It is not hard to say why. The exhibitions that open here mostly end in vain. A traveling exhibition is hardly an exception in this regard. For several years in a row now, neither private individuals nor the city museum have purchased absolutely anything from traveling exhibitions. In Kharkiv, there isn’t a single dedicated collector, not a single art lover—the kind you find in Moscow, for example. It follows that while seven exhibitions are open simultaneously in Moscow, here in Kharkiv we have only one—that of Mr. Alisov. We’re grateful even for that. M. A. Alisov is well known here, and many people own his paintings. He is an artist of the old school—but a school nonetheless. Those members of the public who are not accustomed to innovations in the style of the “Jack of Diamonds”—where everything seems incomprehensible, intrusive, and unnecessary—can rest easy here. Alisov paints in the old style, creating his sketches and paintings with the utmost diligence and a deep understanding of his craft. Not all of his paintings will captivate or enchant a discerning viewer, but many of them command respect for the artist. In addition to Alisov’s customary paintings of the Black Sea coast, this exhibition features many sketches from Little Russia, from areas near Kharkiv; particularly interesting among them are those depicting the “foreground” (to use the artists’ terminology), that is, the landscape at the foot of the hills. The exhibition is drawing a satisfactory number of visitors, and Mr. Alisov clearly has his own loyal following: many of his canvases already bear the inscription “sold.” It is worth noting in detail about Mr. Alisov that he has always remained true to himself; he has not changed himself as an artist or altered his style in order to conform to new trends and tastes, but has done—and continues to do—what he loves, what he knows thoroughly, and he does so in the way he understands it.”
During his visits to Kharkiv, Mikhail Alisov also took part in the city’s cultural life and frequently donated his paintings to the art museum. And in February 1911, we even find him among the four artists who made up the jury responsible for awarding prizes for the best, most original, or most creative costumes for the “Maslenitsa Carnival-Masquerade.”
During the Soviet era, Mikhail Alisov’s name was consigned to oblivion for reasons that remain unclear to this day. Although it is believed that most of the artist’s paintings have been lost, some of his works can still be seen in museums (including the one in Kharkiv). Mikhail Alisov’s direct descendants now live in the Kstovo District of the Nizhny Novgorod Region. It is thanks to them, as well as the attention art historians have paid in recent years to this artist who had been forgotten for so long, that interest in him has been revived; and on the internet, one can finally see a photograph of Alisov taken during his visit to our city in 1903.
From December 2018 through January 2019, the Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum hosted a wonderful exhibition titled “Aivazovsky’s Best Student. Mikhail Alisov,” which featured a total of 32 of the artist’s works. My point is that in those regions foreign to Alisov, his name is now well-known, and he is considered one of their own there. In comparison, it is a shame that in his native Sloboda Ukraine region and in Kharkiv—a city so beloved by the artist—his name has been forgotten and is known to very few.
