"Alexandr Andreyevich Baranov" and "Sitka Island Chief Katlian With His Wife"
Two of the most historically significant portraits Mikhail Tikhanov produced are the twin paintings of Alexandr Baranov, head of the Russian North American Company, and Chief Katlain, his greatest rival. Both men fought an extended and bloody war against each other, and had even engaged in hand-to-hand melee during a Russian assault on Sitka Sound led personally by Baranov. The campaign had ended a stalemate, with neither side being able to gain significant ground and the Russians taking heavy casualties.
The portrait "Alexandr Andreyevich Baranov" is a notable break from Tikhanov's usual style, and more in line with the conventions of European portraiture at the time. Rather than the colourful Pacific landscape which features in the rest of Tikhanov's work, Baranov's background is obscured in shadow. The composition of the painting is made for a rounded frame, and the usually jagged hands and features of Tikhanov's other paintings have been rounded and softened to affect a greater photo-realism. Around his neck Baranov wears the medallion of knighthood, and on his face the crooked and wyly smile of a man who, through hard work and cunning, had risen from humble beginnings to the highest ranks of Russian society.
In the painting "Sitka Island Chief Katlian With His Wife" we can see that Chief Katlain, in a bold statement of defiance, also wears a medallion. In this case, rather that signalling his submission to the Russian Empire, it represents the absolute sovereignty of him and his people. His wife sits in the background, drawn in both portrait and profile, as is typical of Tikhanov's paintings. In the background we see the Russian fortress of Castle Hill rising from the ocean. This Russian fort marks the first European settlement of what will eventually grow to become the city of Sitka, Alaska.
By the time Tikhanov arrived aboard the Kamchatka both groups had settled into an uneasy peace, both Russians and Tlingit alike preferring the advantages brought by sustained trade over the initial disagreements which had led to the conflict.
Tikhanov Library is an independent publishing company founded in Lund, British Columbia. To read about Mikhail Tikhanov and see his artwork, visit our website at www.tikhanovlibrary.com | Our book catalogue includes books by Alexis de Tocqueville, Dmitri Alioshin, and F.T. Marinetti, among other authors. We are constantly updating with new books and deals.
