Эльбрус

1882–1901

Twenty years of seclusion

The reasons for the seclusion are unknown; he was probably tired of the fuss and of accusations of cheap effects. The public thought he had exhausted himself, but he worked tirelessly, searching for pigments and grounds resistant to the air, and created about five hundred sketches and finished works and about three hundred graphic works.

1888

To the Caucasus with Yaroshenko: the Brocken spectre

In 1888, at the invitation of Nikolai Yaroshenko, Kuindzhi visited the Caucasus, where they witnessed the very rare mountain phenomenon of the Brocken spectre. Inspired by the trip, he painted a series of mountain landscapes in which the Caucasus is a symbol of an ideal, unattainable land; some researchers think they inspired Roerich’s Himalayan landscapes.

1891

Buys an apartment house on Vasilievsky Island

When fame came to Kuindzhi and his paintings were bought for large sums, in 1891 he acquired an apartment house on Vasilievsky Island and drew a profit from it for the rest of his life. He and his wife lived very modestly, and he gave most of his fees and profits to charity.

1892–1893

Professor and full member of the Academy

In 1892 Kuindzhi became a professor at the Imperial Academy of Arts and in 1893 its full member (under the new statute).

1894–1897

Heads the landscape studio of the Higher Art School

From 1894 to 1897 Kuindzhi was professor-head of the landscape studio of the Higher Art School at the Academy of Arts.

1897

Dismissed for supporting his students’ protests

In 1897 Kuindzhi was dismissed from the Academy for supporting the students’ protests.