Borisov, Alexander Alekseevich

Parents of Alexander Borisov were peasants. At the age of fifteen, he came to the Solovetsky Monastery , where he worked on a fishing tone in the Savvatievsky 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.

The works of Borisov drew attention to the visiting Prince Solovki of the Academy of Arts, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and the famous art collector General A. A. 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 arrived in St. Petersburg .

During his studies at the Academy of Arts ( 1888 - 1892 ), Borisov’s creative achievements were marked by two small and one large encouraging silver medals. For "good success in art classes" the Academy Council granted the request of Borisov, and in June 1892 he was awarded a scholarship "as a state peasant." In 1895, Borisov worked in the workshop of I.I. Shishkin , and a year after his departure from the Academy, with A.I. Kuindzhi .

In the summer of 1894, Borisov accompanied S. Yu. Witte on the Lomonosov steamer on a trip around the North. Borisov's duties included sketches of the harbors and bays of the Murmansk coast. Borisov fulfilled the dream of visiting the Arctic Ocean and began to bear the idea of ​​a high-latitude artistic expedition ^[1] . 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 and approving reviews of V. V. Stasov . P. M. Tretyakov acquired for his collection the work of Borisov for 8,000 rubles. I.E. Repin responded so much about the works of a young artist:

These are all superb and faithful, like a mirror, pictures strictly painted and unusually truthfully written. They clearly expressed the love of this Russian Nansen for the black water of the ocean with white ice floes, the freshness and depth of the northern tones, now gloomy, then illuminated by the harsh light of the low sun. Mountains half covered with snow during the hottest summers, beaches, dales, boats, Samoyeds in reindeer skins ... - all this breathes in him with the special beauty of the Arctic Ocean and gives the impression of a living truth.

In 1900, Borisov and eight of his companions set off for Novaya Zemlya . The expedition lasted 14 months, during which time Borisov and his comrades had to overcome many difficulties. They examined and mapped the shores of the Chekin, Unknown and Bear gulfs, 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, capes of Shishkin, Kuindzhi, Kramskoy , Vasnetsov, Vereshchagin , Repin, and also the Tretyakov glacier appeared on the map of Novaya Zemlya ^[2] . The Kazi Mountains are named after M. I. Kazi, the organizer of shipbuilding in Russia ^[3] . 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 studies, which formed the basis of the monumental paintings created by Borisov upon his return from Novaya Zemlya.

The artist’s works exhibited at the St. Petersburg spring exhibitions of 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 Borisov arranged an exhibition in the Austrian capital. Borisov's success allowed him to hold exhibitions in Berlin , Hamburg , Cologne , Düsseldorf and Paris . The French government awarded the artist the Legion of Honor . In 1907, the famous polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen visited the Borisov exhibition in London and presented the Order of St. Olaf to the artist on behalf of the governments of Sweden and Norway , and the British Government awarded the artist the Order of the Bath .

In 1906, 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) ^[4] .

In early 1908, Borisov came to the United States . An exhibition of his paintings in Washington was held at the White House . Borisov became the first Russian artist to be accepted by the US President .

Returning to Russia, Borisov settled in his homeland, near Krasnoborsk . In subsequent years, he created works dedicated not only to the Arctic , but also to Solovki, Pechora , and Severodvinsk lands. In February 1914, the artist staged a major exhibition in St. Petersburg .

In addition to painting, Borisov wrote travel essays - “Samoyeds. From Pinega to the Kara Sea ”( 1907 ),“ In the Land of Cold and Death ”( 1909 ),“ The Great Northeast Route. The Great River Route from Siberia to Europe ”( 1910 ),“ Ob-Murmansk Railway ”( 1915 ) - about the natural resources of the region and the plight of the indigenous population. In his scientific reports and projects, he explored the economic life of the North , spoke out about the need to build the Northern Railway Track and connect the northern and Siberian rivers with canals.

In 1915 - 1916, Borisov developed the Ob-Murmansk railway project, the construction of which was supported by the tsarist government, and also replaced by the Council of People's Commissars after the revolution. However, due to the civil war, the project was implemented only after dozens of years.

In the 1920s and 1930s , Borisov took an active part in the development of the Ob – Kotlas – Soroka railway project, and in 1922, on the initiative of a salt source near Krasnoborsk, the resort “Solonikha” was opened, the first manager of which was the artist himself.

August 17, 1934 the artist died in his house near Krasnoborsk . He was buried in Krasnoborsk at the Ust-Evd cemetery ^[5] .

Currently, Borisov’s works are stored in the Tretyakov Gallery , the Russian Museum , the Museum of the Arctic and Antarctic , the Arkhangelsk Regional Museum , the Vologda Art Gallery , the Nenets Museum of Local Lore and other museums in Russia .

• Order of St. Vladimir IV degree
• Legion of Honor
• Order of St. Olav
• Order of the Bath
• 1973 - a decree of the Council of Ministers “On the name in honor of the polar explorer-artist A. A. Borisov of the nameless peninsula located in the eastern part of the Northern island of Novaya Zemlya between the bays of Chekin and the Unknown, Borisov Peninsula” was issued

• The name of A.A. Borisov is the peninsula located in the eastern part of the Northern island of Novaya Zemlya between the bays of Chekina and Unknown.
• In 1974, a bust of the artist was installed in Krasnoborsk .
• Streets in Arkhangelsk , Krasnoborsk and Veliky Ustyug are named after A. A. Borisov.
• In Arkhangelsk , at the address: st. Pomeranian, 3, the Museum of Art Development of the Arctic named after Borisov, a member of the State Museum Association "Artistic Culture of the Russian North" .

• Borisov A.A. From Pinega to the Kara Sea: Travel Essays by the artist. Alexander Alekseevich Borisov: With an autobiographical note and with 36 pictures of the author’s paintings, of which 15 are in colors. - St. Petersburg, 1907
• Borisov A. A. In the country of cold and death: Expedition artist. A.A. Borisova. - St. Petersburg, 1909
• Borisov A.A. The Great Northeastern Sea Route. Great river way from Siberia to Europe. - St. Petersburg, 1910
• Borisov N.P. Artist of eternal ice. The life and work of A.A. Borisov. 1866-1934. Leningrad: Artist of the RSFSR. 1983. 268 p.
• Shestimirov A.A. The Far North of the artist A.A. Borisov // Philokartiya, 2013, No. 5 (35). - S. 20-22.
• Tsukanov P.D. Catalog of postcards by A.A. Borisov // Philokartiya, 2013, No. 5 (35). - S. 23-25.

• Biography and painting by A. A. Borisov on the site "ArtLib.ru"
• N.K. Roerich . “To the Etudes of A. A. Borisov” / Artists of Life. Moscow: International Center of the Roerichs, 1993. - 88 p.