WIP Iwan Sirko

[Martin Antonenko]

First day, 18 October 2012

In the early autumn of 1676, the Turkish sultan Mehmed IV ....

... wrote the following letter to the Zaporozhian Cossacks:

"I, Sultan, and Lord of the High Gate, son of Muhammad, brother of the sun and the moon, grandchildren and Allah’s vicegerent on earth, ruler of the kingdoms of Macedonia, Babylon, Jerusalem, the Greater and Lesser Egypt, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, incomparable knight invincible commander, hope and comfort of all Muslims, terror and great protector of Christians commands, you Zaporozhian Cossacks to give up voluntarily and without any resistance, my kingdom no longer to disturb by your attacks.
Sultan Mehmed IV "

What made the Sultan so angry was that the Cossacks had during the first Ottoman-Russian War (1676–1681)taken the cheap opportunity to plunder the rich Crimean peninsula, at that time belonging to the Ottoman Empire.

And not only that!

The Cossacks had also had the audacity to beat devastating a hurried after them sent Ottoman army at the lower Dniepr..

The Sultan had every reason to be angry - especially since four years ago, the Ukrainian Cossacks under their leader Petro Doroshenko…

... had already capitulated.

The Zaporozhian Cossacks did not hesitate with their answer to the Sultan It is survived and one of the finest pieces of defamatory literature, we know.

Their response letter read:
“You secretary Turkish devil, brother and comrade of the accursed devil incarnate and Lucifer! What a knight you are the devil, if you can not even kill a hedgehog with your naked ass? What the devil shits, eats your army. You will not Christians among you have sons. Your army, we are not afraid, we will to land and water hit us with you, fuck your mother!

You scullion of Babylon, wheelwright of Macedonia, Goatherd of Alexandria, brewer of Jerusalem, pigowner of large and small Egypt pig of Armenia, Tartar Billy Goat, criminal of Podolia, hangman of Kamenetz and fool of the world and underworld, to our God fool , grandson of Satan incarnate, and the hook of our tail. Pig face, ass mare, butcher's dog, unbaptized brow, had fucked your mother!

It will cost you the Cossacks responded, baldy. You're not even suitable to guard Christian pigs. Now we need to go. The date we do not know because we do not have a calendar. The moon is in the sky, the year in the book and we have the same day as you here. Therefore, kiss our ass!

Signed: The Koschewoj Ataman Ivan Sirko along with all Zaporozhian Cossacks ".

So far the story of the letter.

But one can hardly talk about it, without mention the famous painting by the Russian painter Ilya Repin (1844-1930)…:

Repin worked at his Cossack project more than 20 years years. If you look in detail at the history of this painting, you will find a surprising number of versions of the painter.

First, he drew a few dozen sketches ...:

Then, a preliminary study (1887), which can be seen today in the Moscow Tretyakov Gallery ...:

There was another preliminary study, that is at Minsk (Belarus) at the National-Museum ...:

From this painting again Repin painted another copy (1.74 x 1896, 2.65 meters), which can be seen in the Museum of Russian Art in Kharkiv (former Kharkov/Ukraine) ...:

And finally, the final version of the image (1891), 3.58 x 2.03 meters tall! As Czar Aleksandr III. bought it for 35.500 Gold Rubels, it was the most expensive Painting of that time. Today it hangs at the Pushkin Museum in St. Petersburg and is my favorite painting...:

I was very happy to see the picture again in May this year, when it was shown at an exhibition in Chemnitz, Saxony...:

There exists – also by Repins Hands – an exact smaller copy. This was bought before the First World War by the Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III. Of Baroda for the museum he founded. It is there still today in Gujarat, India…:

My project this year it is only indirectly about the Repin-image, but the signatory of the famous letter, Koshevoi Ataman Ivan Sirko, from which I would like to make a bust (1:10).

I will again write a detailed "building and painting diary" about it, in which each step is explained in detail up to the finished product, WHAT I made each day and HOW I did it.

But because my figures for me always are "painted history" are, I'll tell you first about the Zaporozhian Cossacks and their Ataman Ivan Sirko.

Tomorrow I will continue with it .

Enjoy reading further on...

 

[Tecumsea]

HI Martin, a fascinating and amusing background to what is obviously a great piece of art-without your explanation I wouldn't have appreciated the context of the painting. Look forward to seeing your work progress on the bust.

Keith

 

[billyturnip]

Looking forward to the next installment. (As always.)

Roger.

 

[Braemp]

This I Will follow with interest..

Regards lars


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Joe55]

Fascinating story Martin! I look forward to learning more.

Joe

 

[sarouman]

Hi Martin!!
I like how whenever the whole story about the miniature will show up.
Collect as much information that will really help us when and we will paint a corresponding theme.
Thanks for this and wait for the continuation of this.

Thanks
Alexandros

 

[Martin Antonenko]

Thanks a lot, guys!

2. Day, 19 October 2012

On most of the pictures I showed yesterday to you, the Ataman Ivan Sirko sits among his comrades, smokes cozy his "Burulka" pipe and listens to how shouted from all sides "suggestions" for the letter to the Sultan the to the writer...:

On the basis of this image now Young Miniatures has released a 1:10-bust, which was sculpted by Greeny Ahn…:

This bust is now on my workbench, for I will take it as the basis of my project ...:

However, I will rebuild the bust very much!

First, I will grind away at the collar …:

This, for there are a few pictures of Cossack from that times wearing such collared shirts, however the most of them did not!

The painter Repin had to correct himself there. His first version of the picture shows in the foreground a Cossack in a shirt with Collar...:

In the final painting, this version corrected Repin and "dressed" him with a simple Peasant shirt with short stand-up collar ...:

Such a shirt will get also my Ivan Sirko:

I will not take the wide leather belt because it looks to me too much as a "pirate" than a Cossack. On most Cossack pictures that I know, the guys wearing colored sashes of fabric - and so one will get my bust too ...:

The pistol I will use - but it needs to be changed.

The shape of the weapon looks too new for me and reminds me more of the 18th or 19th century ...:

If you look even at pistols from the late 17th Century, one can see at first glance that the pistons had a very different shape.

Here a model from Prague ...:

…and here a Russian pistol ...:

Either I will not use the knife, the cossack bears in his belt!:

For the shape of the handle, I have not found any historical evidence - the shape is reminiscent of Yemeni daggers, but in this case here it just does not fit!

Instead I'm going to sculpt our friend a Cossack whip, the famous "Nagaika" stuck in the belt...:

Also omitted will the pipe. Because of her the sculptor failed! The shape is much too modern!

Right would be properly a "Burulka", was that consisted of a simple (willow-) tube and a hand-shaped head made
​​of clay

...:

However, there are voices that say, this "Burulkas" only came about 40 years after the date on which our story takes place (we discussed this here at this forum).

And finally, I will give up the really very well made fur hat. This has to do, among other things, that I will replace the head as the most important change!

Why that I will tell to you next Monday. I promise: Thats will be an interesting story again...

 

[Stephan]

I think i cant wait another half year to see this finished
Gib Gas Alter.
like it so far. How long do you need to get al this informations about that?

 

[Martin Antonenko]

How long do you need to get al this informations about that?

The books I had already. But bear all the informations together and prove them with pictures took about four months ...

And there still come more details. Tomorrow I'll write something about the real face of Ivan Sirko (the reason for me to change the head) and later on in this sbs much about the Zaporozhian Cossack and the very interesting life of their famous Ataman...

Cheers

 

[Martin Antonenko]

3. Day, 22 October 2012

As Ilja Repin painted his famous picture, he faced a problem:
He did not know like the Cossacks looked, he should paint.

So Repin fell for the trick, at least to give the protagonists in the foreground of the picture the facial features of friends and acquaintances.

A few examples:

This cossack is copied as the Polish painter Jan Cigalinski ...:

In the person of the writer was the cossack-historian Dmitij Jawornizki the model...:

Because of the thick laughing Cossack with the white fur hat was until recently assumed that Repin portrayed his friend, the writer Vladimir Giljarovsky ...:

Today, however, the research tends more to designate the Director of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Aleksandr Rubez as a template ...:

One thing is certain: Repin adopted the in his time very popular Russian general Vladimir Dragomirow (1830-1905) as a model for the "Ataman Ivan Sirko" ...:

By happy coincidence of history we know today much more - namely, as Ivan Sirko looked really!

Sirkos very interesting biography I will tell you in detail - for now just know that: On 4. May 1680 in which for that time - and moreover as a Cossack, who had fought in 24 battles - very high age of 70 (or 75 after other sources) Sirko died peacefully in his beekeeping in the village Gruschewka. This village is exists today no more.

He died once, but was buried three times!

First, he was buried with full honors at the Dnieper Island Chortyza, the main base of the Zaporozhian Cossacks. This island was in Dnjepr by nine cataracts was very well protected against attacks. Of these cataracts are the reason for the name of the Zaporoshian Cossacks: "Sa porogami" means "behind the cataracts" ...:

When the soldiers of the Empress Catherine II. took and destroyed the island Chortyza 1775, loyal Cossacks took Ivan Sirkos body and buried him a second time near the village Kapulowka, on the Dnieper River near the present town of Nikopol ...:

As in the 1960's the great Kakowka Reservoir was built in the Dnieper, it was clear that the village Kapulovka would be flooded.

So Sirko was reburied once again and there where the village Kapupowka was rebuilt. Here is today also a large monument that reminds him..:

During this last reburial Sirko’s skull was sent to Leningrad(now Saint Petersburg) and brought under scientific investigation. Using a technique invented in the Soviet Union, skulls on a strictly scientific basis again to lend a face, the facial features of the Ataman Ivan Sirko were reconstructed in there.

This technology incidentally plays a "major role" in the U.S. thriller "Gorky Park" from 1983 with Lee Marvin and William Hurt.

The Leningrad scientists were successful! Here is a photo from the newspaper with the result ...:

For I planned already in the past year to make a bust of Ivan Sirko, I asked my friend Heinz Frieben (Usernick "kingbingo") already to sculpt a head of the Ataman based on these modern findings.

It's the first head, the Heinz has ever sculpted - and it is fantastic!

Well - now you know why I want to change the head ...:

Concerning the position of the head will work after the monumentof Ivan Sirko…:

 

[megroot]

Really interesting threat.
Will follow it.

Marc

 

[Martin Antonenko]

Tanks Marc!

4. Day, 23 October 2012

Today I finally started working on the bust!.

In order to get familiar with the material and generally "get in the business again" I have removed the casted block at the back.

Previously ...:

Now ...:

The signatures of "Young" and the sculptor I let where they are.

 

[Joe55]

Fascinating! In addition, I admire your penchance for historical accuracy and detail surrounding this project. Following this with great interest.

Joe

 

[Martin Antonenko]

5.Day, 24th October 2012

Today I changed the collar of the bust.
As I said, I want to be a peasant shirt with a short collar.

Previously ...:

After ...:

In addition, the caftan or coat collar was sharpened significantly thinner.

Then I have the new shirt collar from Milliput "Superfine Classic" new modeled.

Because of the whole thing later hardly anything will be seen, I am - especially at the bottom - did not proceed quite as super-accurate.

Now it looks like that..:

 

[Martin Antonenko]

6. Days 25 October 2012

Well - now we come to the core of the rebuild - the head.

Problem: The necks of the original head and the new head of my friend Heinz (kingbingo) do not fit together!

For the original neck is the fact that he and his lower part absolutely perfectly fits into the hole of the bust.

However, I imagine Ivan Sirko as a tall, gaunt, but still muscular man.

For this case Heinz’ neck would be better - but it is modeled to “Sirko” looks straight ahead. When I ordered my head at Heinz, neither he nor I know that “Young” would bring out a “Sirko” five and a half months later.

Decision:
I'll use the original bottom-neck, will cut off from Heinz's head neck - and then model their own matching neck!

So the necks of both heads were cut off..:

By means of wire and a strip "Milliput" then the lower neck of the original and Heinz's head are put together. With a rather I try to make a long, but not TOO long neck, which is my idea of
​​Ivan Sirko as I said.

Then I have the head/neck provisionally placed on the torso to control everything. Okay, that’s good for me…
The whole thing can now cure overnight ...:

By the way: the really well-made fur cap of the original kit...

... I will not use because I want to show the typical haircut the Zaporozhian Cossacks: A bald had with one single lock at the skull…:

 

[Martin Antonenko]

7. Day, 26. Oktober 2012

Today I started with the new neck. It is still wip…

Next Monday, I will continue here.
Till then a nice week-end!

 

[Tarracus]

He will look great with this new head! I'll keep following

 

[Stephan]

in my opinion it seems the neck a bit too long.

 

[Martin Antonenko]

Hi Stephan!

It is as long I want to have it...;-)))

8. Day, 29. October 2012

Welcome to the new week!

Today I have further sculpted the neck – thus long, until I had no more desire…:

Tomorrow I want to finish this.

 

[Martin Antonenko]

9. Day, 30. October 2012

Today without many words.

The head became with …

… temporarily put on.

In the nape I will work once more again – it still looks too mighty to me.