01 Painting, RELIGIOUS ART, Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov's Appearance of Jesus Christ to Maria Magdalena - with footnotes #189

Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov (1806 - 1858)

Appearance of Jesus Christ to Maria Magdalena, c. 1835

Oil on canvas oil on canvas

height: 2,420 mm (95.27 in); width: 3,210 mm (10.53 ft)

Russian Museum

Two of the Gospels maintain that Jesus’ first post-resurrection appearance was to Mary alone, and the accounts include some description of Mary’s bewildered, frightened and joyful reactions as well as the condescending dismissal she initially received when she shared the good news with the others. 

Ivanov painted Christ’s Appearance to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection in Italy as a progress report to his sponsors. In St Petersburg. The canvas was sent to the Russian capital in May 1836, and exhibited to great acclaim at the Imperial Academy of Arts. Ivanov was elected an academician and the Society for the Encouragement of Artists donated the painting to Tsar Nicholas I. Although Ivanov paints a canvas wholly in the traditions of academic art, the work is also enriched by the artist’s direct contacts in Italy with High Renaissance paintings. More on this painting

Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov (July 28 (July 16), 1806 – July 15 (July 3), 1858) was a Russian painter who adhered to the waning tradition of Neoclassicism but found little sympathy with his contemporaries. He was born and died in St. Petersburg. He has been called the master of one work, for it took 20 years to complete his magnum opus The Appearance of Christ Before the People.

Alexander Andreyevich was born to an art professor Andrey Ivanov. Aged 11, he entered the Imperial Academy of Arts and studied at his father's course together with Karl Briullov. For his good achievements he was awarded with two silver medals, in 1824 he received a golden medal for the painting 'Priam Asking Achilles to Return Hector's Body'. In 1827 he was honoured with the Big Gold Medal of the Imperial Academy of Arts for 'Joseph interprets the butler's and the baker's dreams' and was promoted to the XIV grade artists.

Ivanov's benefactors decided to send him abroad to study art, but required one more picture, thus he creates 'Bellerophon sent to a campaign against the Chimera'. In 1830 Ivanov departs to Europe, first in Germany, then to Italy.

Ivanov's first works in Rome were copies of The Creation of Adam of the Sistine Chapel and some drafts of Biblical scenes. He dreamt to create an epic painting of the Messiah coming to people, but first he decided to try himself on lesser scale picture. In 1834-1835 he finished 'Appearance of Jesus Christ to Maria Magdalena'. The painting had great success both in Rome and St Petersburg. The Russian Imperial Academy of Arts granted Ivanov an honorary academic degree in 1836.

He spent most of his life in Rome where he befriended Gogol and was influenced by the Nazarenes.

Ivanov died of cholera on July 3, 1858. More on Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov

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