Sapozhnikova, Nadezhda Mikhailovna

Nadezhda Mikhailovna Sapozhnikova was born in Kazan on March 26, 1877, and was the seventh child in the family of the merchant Mikhail Fedorovich and Serafima Ivanovna Sapozhnikovs. Father owned a manufactory store. Although the family had 11 children, the mother raised them herself, without a governess . In 1888, Nadezhda was given to the Mariinsky Gymnasium , where she showed obvious drawing abilities. After graduating from the course in 1895, Nadezhda Mikhailovna received the title of home teacher, she taught at the Sunday school ^[1] . In addition, she graduated from the music school of R. Gummert ^[2] . Her aesthetic aspirations were expressed in woodcarvings and porcelain paintings; the teacher of painting advised Nadezhda Mikhailovna to do art professionally. Before that, N. Sapozhnikova received a medical education and became a sister of mercy , but was too impressionable to work in a hospital. In 1904, when she was already 27 years old, Nadezhda Sapozhnikova entered the Kazan Art School . She demonstrated notable successes, but was fully able to realize her talents only after moving to Kazan N.I. Feshin in 1908 ^[1] .

Nadezhda Sapozhnikova studied with Feshin, but since she was 4 years older than him, had a completely different level of culture and general education, they quickly began to communicate on an equal footing ^[3] . During the many years of friendship with Sapozhnikova N. Feshin painted five of her portraits, the first of which appeared in the same 1908. It was called differently: "Portrait of N. M. S. in a shawl", more often, especially at international exhibitions, - "Portrait of M-lle Sapozhnikova." Feshin made his debut with him in America, at the international exhibition "Carnegie Institute" in Pittsburgh ^[1] .

In 1910, Nadezhda Mikhailovna graduated from the Kazan Art School and, together with Feshin, went on a pensioner trip, visiting Berlin , Munich , Verona , Venice , Milan , Padua , Florence , Rome , Naples , Vienna . The journey ended in Paris . Feshin soon decided that he had nothing to study in Europe, and returned to Kazan, while Sapozhnikova remained in Paris until 1912, working mainly in the open workshop of Van Dongen ^[3] . There were rumors about her close relationship with Feshin, she had never married and had no family and children ^[4] .

Returning to Kazan, N. M. Sapozhnikova founded her own studio, for which her brother, Konstantin Mikhailovich, attached a special room to the building of his company in Petropavlovsky Lane (now Rakhmatullin Street). Sapozhnikova’s workshop quickly became the art center of Kazan; artists - teachers and students gathered here. Memories often mention dumplings and coffee, which were treated to all visitors. In 1914-1916, according to K. Chebotaryov’s unpublished manuscript “Traces”, she organized nude painting sessions, which were worked only by female artists (including Vera Vilkoviskaya ), and “boys” were not allowed; for male artists, similar sessions were held at other times ^[5] . Nadezhda Mikhailovna was also a philanthropist; she helped Feshin, ordering portraits of her relatives and friends; she also paid tuition fees for low-income students at the Kazan Art School ^[6] . In her workshop there was a piano, which was usually played by her relative K. Samarsky, an instrument appeared at the insistence of Feshin, which was extremely musical ^[7] .

In the studio, Sapozhnikova Feshin performed carved furniture in the Neo-Russian style (most of the items were not preserved). The artist visited there almost every day, many of his significant works were written here, including “ Portrait of Vari Adoratskaya ” - the niece of Sapozhnikova. As an artist, Nadezhda Mikhailovna, mainly specialized in portraits, together with Feshin took part in exhibitions in Kazan ^[1] . In 1913, N. Sapozhnikova contributed to the creation of the cottage industry museum of the Kazan provincial zemstvo, for which two students of the Tatar gymnasium Aitova were sent to her workshop ^[8] .

After the revolution of 1917, N. M. Sapozhnikova opened a free school of applied art for girls in Kazan ^[9] , and from 1919-1924 she taught painting at the work faculty of Kazan University . In the same period, she worked at ARKHUMAS , and took Feshin's workshop after his departure to the USA. In 1925, she left Kazan and moved to the Adoratsky in Moscow. Her last years were described contradictory; according to some reports, in the 1930s she continued to teach drawing in Moscow. After the illness she moved to Nikolina Gora . According to the recollections of her niece - V. Adoratskaya - in the late autumn of 1942 a goat escaped from one of the neighbors, N. Sapozhnikova went to look for her and caught a cold; Nadezhda Mikhailovna could not recover from the disease ^[1] .

N. M. Sapozhnikova participated in Kazan periodical exhibitions of 1909, 1914, 1915 and 1916, as well as in the 1st and 2nd state exhibitions of painting, sculpture and architecture (Kazan, 1920 and 1921) ^[9] . In a review of the 1909 Art School periodical exhibition, K. Chebotaryov noted that Nadezhda Mikhailovna’s portrait works showed “purely shoemaker sharpness and fidelity of characteristics,” and that she was “more a portrait painter than Feshin himself.”

According to K. Chebotaryov’s reviews, the result of Sapozhnikova’s training with Van Dongen was the use of a “flat” background in portraits ^[7] . In general, it’s difficult to judge Sapozhnikova’s painting: very few of her works have been preserved, and, apparently, neither she herself nor her entourage considered her a serious painter. According to G. Tuluzakova’s definition, Sapozhnikova’s art “does not claim particular significance, but it is very important for characterizing the artistic life of Kazan in the 1910-1920s” ^[3] .

• ARKHUMAS. Kazan vanguard of the 20s. / Comp. I.I. Galeev. - M .: Scorpio, 2005 .-- 170 p. - 999 copies. - ISBN 5-86408-120-5 .
• Ladushina I. Gorokhovetsky Sapozhnikovs in Kazan: Nadezhda Mikhailovna Sapozhnikova - student of the artist N. I. Feshin // New Life. - 2014. - No. 33 (10847) . - S. 9 . Archived February 13, 2015.
• N. I. Feshin: Documents, letters, memories of the artist / Comp. and comm. G. Mogilnikova. - M .: Artist of the RSFSR, 1975 .-- 172 p.
• Tuluzakova G.P. Nikolai Feshin: album. - SPb. : Golden Age, 2007. - S. 68-70. - 480 p. - (Russian artists. XX century). - ISBN 978-5-342-00105-2 .

• Nadezhda Mikhailovna Sapozhnikova. Artist, philanthropist, teacher (neopr.) . Genealogical forum of IOP. Date of treatment February 12, 2015.
• Takhtamysheva N.A. Nadezhda Mikhailovna Sapozhnikova. Kazan (neopr.) . Photowalks: genealogy, history, local history, photos. Date of treatment February 12, 2015.