Ivan Martos is a brilliant author of monuments to Minin and Pozharsky in Moscow and to Duke Richelieu in Odessa

Ivan Martos (1754 April 5, 1835) is a famous Russian sculptor of the 18th-19th centuries, an outstanding master of classicism. Martos Ivan  created many public and tombstones, statues, busts and bas-reliefs, which still amaze art connoisseurs with the perfect harmony of silhouettes and shapes. The wonderful masterpieces of the artist’s work invariably evoke strong emotions in the audience, and there are many interesting facts in his biography.

Ivan Martos devoted a lot of time and effort to teaching young talents. He devoted more than 50 years to teaching at the Imperial Academy of Arts and educated many famous students. The great master enjoyed the special favor of the Russian imperial family, and by the end of his life he had amassed a solid fortune. But he always remained a kind, decent and deeply religious person.

Biography

Ivan Petrovich Martos was born in the small town of Ichnya, Chernigov province in 1754. Unfortunately, the exact date of his birth is unknown, but historians do not doubt the Cossack origin of the brilliant master. The father of the future sculptor was the centenary chieftain and was in active service in the tsarist army. Little Ivan from early childhood was fond of modeling clay figurines, but his parents dreamed that their son would become a professional military man. Fortunately, the boy’s unique talent was noticed in time by his uncle, who served as a deacon in the church, who persuaded Vanya’s father and mother not to send his nephew to the cadet corps.

The persistent uncle personally took the 10-year-old boy to St. Petersburg in 1764, where he was admitted to study at the Imperial Academy of Arts. Under the guidance of experienced mentors Louis Rolland and Nicolas-François Gillet, Ivan Martos studied sculptural art with passion for nine years and achieved brilliant academic success. In 1773 he was awarded the large gold medal of the academy and won the right to travel to Italy to continue his studies at public expense.

The young graduate immediately left for Rome, where unique opportunities opened up for him to study the masterpieces of the masters of antiquity and the Renaissance. In Italy, he was fortunate enough to meet many famous sculptors of that time.

During his six years in Rome, he managed to gain experience and knowledge in the workshops:

• Antonio Canova;
• Pompeo Girolamo Batoni;
• Anton Raphael Mengs;
• Joseph-Marie Vien;
• Carlo Albacini.

The Italian period of his life was of decisive importance for the further professional career of Ivan Martos. Under the influence of authoritative teachers, he became an ardent adherent of the ideas of classicism in art and remained faithful to the chosen style until the end of his life. Immediately after returning to Russia, the 25-year-old master was appointed teacher of sculpture at the Academy of Arts, and in 1782 he was awarded the title of academician. Then Ivan married a young noblewoman named Matryona, who gave him four sons and seven daughters. Unfortunately she died of tuberculosis in 1807, leaving the children in the care of a widower.

Even during his stay in Italy, Martos was carried away by the creation of tombstones and it was this type of sculptural work that brought him wide fame in his homeland. At that time, it was customary in Russia to decorate graves with traditional Orthodox crosses. The young master decided to radically change this situation and began to offer wealthy compatriots services for the manufacture of majestic relief gravestones.

The bold, innovative idea has proven to be very successful.

Unique works of art, imbued with deep sorrow and feelings, literally excited the elite of St. Petersburg society. In the capital of the Russian Empire, a real boom in the production of tombstones began, and Martos invariably received the highest-paid orders. The growing fame and recognition contributed to the rapid development of the artist’s professional career. Ivan Petrovich quickly became the most demanded sculptor in St. Petersburg. In addition to tombstones, they willingly ordered antique-style bas-reliefs and statues from the master to decorate parks or palaces.

A new stage in the artist’s creative career began at the beginning of the 19th century, when the idea of ​​creating a monument to the heroes of the war with the Poles two hundred years ago gained immense popularity in the Russian Empire. Ivan Martos decided to contribute to a noble cause and created an author’s project of a monument to Minin and Pozharsky in Moscow. Subsequently, he repeatedly made changes to the original concept, and in 1808 the final version was approved by the competition committee.

The opening of the monument took place only in 1818

But this event was the greatest triumph in the life of the brilliant artist. Ivan Petrovich finally established himself in the role of the greatest Russian sculptor of our time. And later, Martos created a number of other public monuments that were installed in different cities of Russia. Sculptor in 1814 was appointed rector of the Academy of Arts and married a second time to the niece of his first wife. In this marriage, he had two more children, of which only his daughter Catherine survived, and his son Alexander died at the age of two.

In 1831, the aging master resigned from the post of rector, which was soon accepted by Emperor Nicholas I. By that time, the sculptor was experiencing serious health problems, but continued to work in the workshop until the last days of his life. And on April 5, 1835, Ivan Martos died surrounded by his wife and other close relatives. He was buried with great honors at the Smolenskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg, where his remains are still buried under a modest slab.

The most famous works of Ivan Martos

The great master has created many unique masterpieces of bronze, marble and granite. And yet, among the most famous works of Ivan Martos are monuments:

• Minin and Pozharsky in Moscow (1818) a monument glorifying the feat of the people’s militia in the troubled years of the war with the Polish invaders. Initially, it was located in the center of Red Square, but today it stands in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral.
• to the Duke of Richelieu in Odessa (1828) a work that has long become the hallmark of the seaside city. The famous Frenchman, dressed in an antique toga, stands on a pedestal decorated with bronze high reliefs.
• Alexander I in Taganrog (1830) a monument that adorns the city center, where this Russian emperor died. The original monument was destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1932, and 66 years later an exact copy was installed in its place.
• Lomonosov in Arkhangelsk (1832) a masterpiece dedicated to the memory of the great Russian scientist and built with money collected by popular subscription.

Ivan Martos is rightfully considered one of the greatest sculptors in the history of Russian art, and his name will forever remain in the memory of grateful descendants.