Dmitri Minajewitsch Sinodi-Popov

“The Portrait of SI Blonskaya / The Letter”, 1890 from the collection of the Taganrog Art Museum

Dmitri Minajewitsch Sinodi-Popov ( Russian Дмитрий Минаевич Синоди-Попов , scientific transliteration Dmitrij Minaevič Sinodi-Popov ; * 1855 in Taganrog ; † 1910 in Paris ) was a Russian painter of Greek descent. He received a good home education. Musical (he played the violin) and foreign language skills (Italian, French and Greek) testify to his talent.

In 1870 Sinodi-Popow entered the Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts as a guest student , where he acquired good practical skills. His illness, which plagued him constantly - epilepsy , prevented him from continuing his studies . But his surroundings, which were alien to art issues, bothered him no less.

At the end of the 1970s the artist returned to Taganrog, where he combined independent work with further training and painted a lot. Most of his drawings from the Taganrog picture gallery were created between 1870 and the beginning of the 20th century. They form a significant part of its graphic heritage. The Greek types found by the artist are expressive: "The Portrait of Doctor Divaris", "The Greek Boy". The drawing from the 1870s "The old Greek" is particularly interesting.

The graphite drawings on the Bible motifs "Madonna with the Child", "Golgotha", "Ascension of Christ", "Archangel Gabriel" are masterful. Some go back to the classic patterns. For all its apparent traditionality, the "Golgotha" sheet is particularly original.

The artist was also enthusiastic about genre painting : “Embroidering”, “The girl sifting through flour”. He recorded the most interesting observations with a precise pencil: "The car with the household items", "Ships and people", "The city street".

One group of drawings, which capture fleeting impressions, stands out from the others, "Two children's heads", "The head of a young woman". In his self-portraits, a beautiful, strong-willed face looks at the viewer somewhat ironically. Two completed works have been preserved: «Portrait of the sculptor Yegorov» (1888) and «Portrait of SI Blonskaya / The Letter» (1890).

Around 1880 the artist began to work within the framework of the traveling painting tradition ( Peredwischniki ) and thereby created "The Portrait of Serafima Blonskaja ". This work, a portrait and subject image at the same time, overcomes genre boundaries. The appearance of the young woman surprises with its seriousness and simplicity. The only completed landscape is "Winter Landscape". The name Sinodi-Popov became known through exhibitions. He won admirers and received orders, but his illness became more and more apparent. The artist went to Rome , then to Paris for a cure without leaving his work or study. Dmitri Minajewitsch Sinodi-Popov died in Paris in 1910.

Many of the artist's pictures were lost, many never returned from Paris . But also the preserved works of the Taganrog master testify to the high degree of his talent and extraordinaryness.

Web links

Commons : Category: Dmitri Sinodi-Popow  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files