Academy of Art student before the easel. Sketch

Taras Shevchenko. Academy of Art student before the easel. Sketch. A girl prays before bedtime. Sketch.
[1840 – 1841, winter months. St. Petersburg]. Paper, pencil. 17,8 × 26,3 cm
Taras Shevchenko National Museum, № g – 782.

On the back -"Students of the Academy of Arts. Sketch. "Sitter in Marsyas posture". Thumbnail sketch. Other sketches.

Top right is marked with ink: Number 116 – 1; next blue ink: 536.

Figures drawed in one of the four pages of double sheet landscape, noted by G.M. Chestahivsky in 1861 in description of the drawings that were in Shevchenko's academic workshops, under the heading "Pictures by Sternberg" at number 50/60 [Department of manuscripts and textology Institute of Literature National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, fund 1, unit 459]. Later, the sheet was cutted by the line of bend.

Under carefully worked sketches figure almost from the back of a student at the easel with brush in hand, met in an academic class, ink inscription by G.M. Chestahivsky: Portrait of poet Shevchenko in youth. Its credibility weak, in particular, because young Shevchenko did not wore mustaches. Right – a thumbnail sketch made later, probably associated with the picture, abouth which Shevchenko wrote February 19, 1841 in a letter to G.F. Kvitka–Osnovjanenko: "… I must paint this summer for academy the picture, as our browed girl prays to God, going to bed." There is no picture of such content in Shevchenko's heritage.

Dating approximately the winter months 1840 – 1841's with consideration of the date and contents of said letter.

Scientific description provided in 1900 as part of the album of pictures by V.I. Sternberg (without detailed description) [Catalog of V. Tarnowski's Museum of Ukrainian antiquity / arranged by B.D. Grinchenko. – Chernigov, 1900. – T. 2. – p. 4. – № 21].

As Shevchenko pictures were first commented and reproduced in 1961 [T. Shevchenko Complete Works: in 10 volumes. – K., 1961. – Vol. 7, bk. 2. – p. 23 – 24. – № 244].

Storage areas: from April 1861 – property of M.M.Lazarevsky, later purchased by St. Petersburg's Ukrainian community, not earlier than July 1861 – A.O. Kozachkovsky, not later than 1875 came to V.P. Kakhovski; from 1891 Kakhovski family, not later than 1893 transferred to S.D. Brazol; since 1898 – a collection of V. Tarnowskі; from 1899 – V. Tarnowski's Chernihiv museum of ukrainian antiquities, 1925 – Chernihiv Historical Museum, from 1932 – Gallery of pictures by T.H. Shevchenko (Kharkiv), from 1948 – State Museum of T.H. Shevchenko (Kyiv).

Exhibition: 1974. Kyiv. Works from the collection of Taras Shevchenko [Artworks in own collection of Taras Shevchenko: Exhibition Catalogue. – K., 1974. – p. 5].

I.M. Verykivska

After publication: Taras Shevchenko Complete Works in 10 volumes. – K.: ed. of Acad. Sci. of UkrSSR, 1961, t. 7, bk. 2, № 244 (image); T.H. Shevchenko Complete Works in 12 volumes. – K.: Naukova Dumka, 2003, v. 7, p. 431 (notes).