Nikolai Ge

Born into a family of French noble descent in Voronezh, his surname 'Ge' is a Russian transliteration of the original French 'Gay'.¹

In 1850, Ge abandoned his career in science to enroll in the Imperial Academy of Arts, studying under Pyotr Basin and being strongly influenced by Karl Briullov.¹

During his stay in Italy, Ge met Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov, who became a profound influence on his future works and spiritual exploration in religious painting.¹

The Last Supper caused a scandal, with critics hailing it as a 'triumph of materialism and nihilism' for its humanized, non-idealized depiction of Christ.¹

In 'The Last Supper' (1863), Ge used a photograph of Alexander Herzen as the model for Christ, marking the first known use of photography for a central figure in a painting.¹

In the 1870s, believing art should not be for sale, Ge moved to a farm and became a close friend and follower of Leo Tolstoy's philosophy.¹

In his later years, Ge claimed everyone had the right to a portrait and accepted commissions for whatever the subject could afford, including portraits of Tolstoy.¹

His later religious works were criticized for illustrating Ernest Renan's rationalist views rather than the New Testament, leading to bans for blasphemy.¹

His final work, 'The Crucifixion' (1894), was banned from exhibition by Tsar Alexander III due to its shocking and unconventional depiction.¹

Many of Ge's drawings were discovered in Swiss second-hand stores in 1974 and were finally acquired by the Tretyakov Gallery in 2011.¹