VERESHTCHAGIN, ViYr5sh-C11:11, VAS S ILI ( 18.13-11(04). A Russian milita ry paint or, born at Tehereporets, Government of Novgorod, Octo ber 26, 1842. He studied at the Saint Petersburg Academy, and later removed to l'aris, when. in 186-I he began his work with Gicrlime at the EN& des Beaux-Arts. In 1867 he joined the expedition against Samarkand, and after a sojourn in Paris went in 1869 to Siberia. After his return he spent two years in :Munich. His travels (lur ing the subsequent four years took him to China and India, but in 1877 lie quitted Paris, whither lie had gone to live, to join the Russian army in the Russo-Turkish War. He was present at the attack on the Shipka Pass and the siege of Plevna, and acted as secretary to General Skobe leff in the peace negotiations of San Stefano. From this time lie abandoned the art of war to become its severest denouncer. Striving to teach his detestation of war by depicting its horrors, be has restrained his art from no extravagance of emphasis or realism of subject. From the technical side, his pictures are crude in color, and filled with figures that contribute a multi tude of facts to the history of the subject ; hut as paintings they are lacking in artistic signifi cance. Among his works dealing with war are
"The Pyramid of Skulls:" "Forgotten:" "The Road After Plevna ;" "Skoheleff in the Shipka Pass;" "The Emir of Samarkand Visiting the Trophies." His war pictures are arranged in cycles, among which. besides those mentioned, are an Indian series, executed during a stay in that country; a splendid series representing Napoleon's campaign in Russia, and another on the Spanish-American War from studies made in Luba. lie held repeated exhibitions in the United States, and a number of his works are in private possession here. Ile is best repre sented in the Tretyakoff Collection, Moscow, which possesses •e• the Indian and Central Asiatic sub 1 jects, and his best known battle-pieces. Veresh tchagin was also a writer of note. Selections his memoirs have been published in English under the title Veresluchayin, Painter, Soldier, Traveler (New York, 1888) ; as has also been his Napoleon I. in ltussia (London, 1899).