Description

Extended Data

Birth Place

St Petersburg, Russia

Biography

painter, was born in St Petersburg, son of an actor. He entered the Russian Imperial Academy School in 1795, winning a gold medal in 1807. In 1815 he was elected to membership of the Russian Imperial Academy of Fine Arts for his portrait of Count Tolstoy. Mikhailov was official artist on board the Vostok when it travelled to Antarctica and the Pacific in 1819-21 under the command of Captain Thaddeus Bellingshausen (whose diary of the voyage was translated into English in 1945). The Vostok put in at Port Jackson in April-May and September-November 1820, visiting Hawaii, Fiji and Van Diemen’s Land in the interim. Governor Macquarie was well-disposed towards the Russians and welcomed their visit. When they visited his country residence at Parramatta, Captain Bellingshausen wrote: 'He received us most cordially, led us through the garden, showed us the house, and then took us to the upper storey, reserved for the use of guests; he assigned separate rooms to … [the officers] and myself and a double room to our astronomer, Mr Simanov, and to our artist, Mr Mikhailov, observing that science and art should be closely allied’. While at Sydney Mikhailov drew natural history and ethnographic subjects as well as views of the harbour. After returning to Russia he produced an album of watercolours (1823) based on the sketches he had made on the spot. These formed the basis of I.P. Fritrits’s lithographs produced the following year and subsequently used in the Atlas volume of Bellingshausen’s official account of the voyage (St Petersburg 1831). The only Australian lithograph, View of the Town of Sydney in Port Jackson , was taken from the North Shore where the Russians were camping. Three Aborigines are emerging from the bush in the foreground, there are numerous ships in the harbour and the distant view of the town is precisely and accurately detailed, closely following Mikhailov’s original watercolour. The second of his three known views of Sydney Harbour is a pen, ink and watercolour drawing taken from almost the same spot but closer to the shoreline and focusing on the family of Aborigines in the foreground rather than on the distant town. The third, a panoramic view from Kirribilli Point with no humans in sight, emphasises the natural setting of Sydney. He also painted extremely competent and naturalistic watercolour portraits of the Aboriginal people themselves. His original portfolio is in the Russian State Museum, Leningrad; the State Historical Museum, Moscow, holds his 1823 album. Writers: Staff Writer Date written: 1992 Last updated: 2011

Born

b. 1786

Summary

Official artist on board the Russian vessel Vostok when it travelled to Antarctica and the Pacific in 1819 21. He drew natural history and ethnographic subjects as well as views of Sydney harbour.

Gender

Male

Died

1840

Age at death

54