Aleksandr notbek, socrates with his students, 1831, irkutsk regional art museum ж-678. Jpg this painting is an example of the historical genre of the first half of the 19th century. It was painted by artist and teacher aleksandr notbek. As a student at the st. Petersburg academy of arts, he created the canvas to participate in the main academic competition for a large gold medal. The theme for the competition works was the death of the ancient greek philosopher socrates, who was falsely accused of "atheism", "corruption of youth" and executed. In athenian society, socrates was treated in two ways. For some, he was the embodiment of a great sage, for others - a charlatan who corrupted youth and did not honor the gods. Socrates' philosophy, which implied self-improvement, limiting the power of the crowd and respecting the laws, was not liked by demagogue politicians. In addition, the philosopher openly criticized democratic institutions. The creation of the public image of the "corrupter" was facilitated by aristophanes' comedy "clouds", in which socrates is depicted as an idler and a blasphemer, stupefying the young with "godless" teachings. All this led to the official accusation of socrates of atheism. Socrates' student, the philosopher plato, recreated the last day of his life in the dialogue "phaedo". According to plato, socrates spent this day surrounded by students. He consoled them with conversations about immortality and the fate of the soul after death. Notbeck, turning to plato's description, almost verbatim reproduced the farewell scene in a gloomy prison cell. He chose a moment imbued with special solemnity and sadness. The general grief is conveyed through poses, gestures, and movements. In the center of the triangular multi-figure composition is depicted the philosopher himself, surrounded by students who came to say goodbye. Information about alexander notbeck is very scanty. It is known that he studied at the st. Petersburg academy at the same time as alexander ivanov, the author of the famous painting "the appearance of christ to the people". During his studies, the artist repeatedly received awards for his works, and the painting "theseus killing the minotaur in the cretan labyrinth" brought him a large gold medal. In 1860, notbeck was recognized as an academician for the painting "saint jerome in the cave with a lion". The artist participated in the painting of the church on aptekarsky island in st. Petersburg. Only a few of his small works have survived. The canvas from the irkutsk regional art museum is the artist's most significant work. The painting came from the russian museum in 1951. Object Type: painting. Date: 1831. Dimensions: height: 214 cm (84.2 in); width: 287 cm (112.9 in). Medium: oil on canvas. Collection: Irkutsk Regional Art Museum. Aleksandr Notbek, Socrates With His Students, 1831, Irkutsk Regional Art Museum Ж-678
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