Agin, Alexander Alexeevish

Agin, Alexander and his younger brother were illegitimate sons, Basil, Horse Guards officer, AP Yelagin, who was able to give both a truncated its name. In 1834 the brothers went to St. Petersburg to enroll in the Academy of Arts, but was accepted only senior. He studied art history class at KPBryullov, but did not become a painter: was released in 1839 with the title of a drawing teacher, and his creative destiny is tied up with the graphics.

Agina vocation was illustrating contemporary Russian literature, mostly satirical. In the mid-1840s. He illustrated the story "Evil Man" EP Combs, an essay, "St. Petersburg columnist" Panayeva II, the poem "landlord" Turgenev. This work is bringing it closer to the artist-engraver EE Bernardskim, which translated fine print of his paintings in wood engraving. Together they created the first illustrations of "Dead Souls," Gogol. According to their plan of 100 large and 100 small figures were to accompany the second edition of the poem, but the author has suddenly refused to reprint it, and were restricted to only 100 large illustrations and publish them without the text, individual issues, and 4 in each figure. Thus, in late 1846 and early 1847 were published in 72 images (and all 100 - only in 1892). They had a great success and still remain the best of all attempts to illustrate the poem. Their strength and charisma - in vivid types outlined grotesque, but not losing their vitality. Social psychological acuity and household characteristics, clarity and integrity of the plastic compositions give the images created by the artist, a considerable breadth of generalization and denunciatory effect.

Nothing like making Agin is no longer possible. He was interrupted by small orders for magazines, fell into poverty. In 1853 he moved to Kiev, where he taught drawing in the Cadet Corps and worked in a theater - props and make-up artist. Then he found a refuge in Kachanivka - the rich man's estate, collector and patron G.S.Tarnovskogo. There he died.

Agin, Alexander A. - Russian painter.