Which French artist born in St. Petersburg, but was famous for depicting Paris?

For the Russian-speaking tourists in the capital of Israel is an excursion "by Bulgakov places of Jerusalem." Name first surprise. What then can be Bulgakov place? There has never been Mr Mikhail in Jerusalem! It has never happened, of course. But as described! Probably every reader of The Master and Margarita "remembers of his / her magical feeling of the first collision with unrealistically bright, yet surprisingly realistic descriptions of the city Yershalaim. That is why now may guide, leading a tour of the Old Town, said: "And here Matthew Levi stole a bread knife shop, and it will be understood. Not only that - believe it. Pilgrims and tourists traveling to the holy sights and not so much so that, figuratively speaking, to touch the stones, but in order to partake of the legend. In some places brew of legends such dense, that a stranger could not help looking at what he sees, someone else's eyes. Thus, from Venice enthusiastic tourists often bring experience, read in the books of other enthusiastic travelers still the eighteenth century. Sortant De La Madeleine, Paris   In France, the center of Paris is a legend. Legends, created over the centuries and, in turn, creates an unusual, attractive atmosphere in the capital of France. That is why, perhaps, Paris - the main goal of all who come to France. How, how, "The Three Musketeers", "Notre Dame de Paris, Balzac all read ... But only a modern Paris has little in common with those of Paris, which depict Alexander Dumas, Victor Hugo, and even O. de Balzac. Those old, even medieval, Paris has been ruthless and I must say, deservedly so, demolished in the course of a giant reconstruction carried out in 1850-1870-ies under the direction of Baron Haussmann. At the old place has arisen a new, modern Paris, with wide streets, tall buildings comfortable, but ... without the old legends. And to the new capital was worthy of the title of the former, the brilliant, Paris had to quickly create new legends. For this they took all. Engineers, writers and artists. On one of these artists, which left us the memory of beautiful pictures of life renewed in Paris, I want to tell more. Expectation   He was called by this artist Jean Beraud (Jean Béraud). He was born Jan. 12, 1849, as it may seem strange, in St. Petersburg. His father, also named Jean, was a sculptor. Beraud Sr. invited - to put it in modern language - a team of sculptors who worked on the creation of internal decoration of St. Isaac's Cathedral. The family already had two daughters, Adriana and Estelle, and in St. Petersburg got more twins - Jean and Melanie. Four years later his father died and the family Beraud returned to Paris. Initially, Jean did not think of a career artist. At the end of the Lyceum, he entered the law faculty of the University. Education was given to the young man easily, and he planned to become a lawyer. But shortly after graduation began the Franco-Prussian War. France lost the war. It was a major blow to the hyper-patriotism of the French. But then - worse. In Paris there was a revolt of the Paris Commune, which lasted 72 days and were brutally suppressed. On the streets of Paris, the French shot the French. Military defeat and civil war have changed much and many. Jean Beraud abandoned legal career in 1872 began to study painting with artist Leon Bonn and took a studio in Montmartre. And next year he exhibited his paintings at the Salon, the famous annual Paris art exhibition. While his paintings does not stand out. The bistro   Fame came to the artist in 1876. General drew attention to his painting "Returning from the funeral, where he depicted the streets of Paris, on returning from the funeral ceremony, relatives and friends of the deceased. And life is already taking its own: a man lighting a cigar, the women talked among themselves. And the main thing - Paris did not even notice this little heartbreaker. On the painting by Jean Beraud not just talk! Its forged, and the artist had to participate in the trial about this fake. Is not the glory? The artist has found his "niche". He shared the views on the art of impressionists. But unlike them, Jean Beraud curse the new Paris and not run away in search of suitable subjects in the village. He began to draw the capital, seen by the eyes of a lover in his city Parisian. Street scenes, which involve both ladies and gentlemen of high society, and the usual "small" Parisians and Parisiennes. Scene in a cafe in the theater, out of the church. Depicted in the impressionistic style, filled with recognizable everyday details, these pictures impressed contemporaries ultimate realism. Pont des Arts   Now we could compare a few scornful painting with color photography. But in the late 19 th century, the viewer has not yet been spoiled by technical innovations. And most importantly, for each such "snapshot" of the Paris boulevards and streets can feel the artist's personal attitude to the heroes of the picture, people accidentally "fallen into the frame. Most of this humor and compassion, sometimes - sarcasm. Therefore imprinted Jean Beraud Parisian scenes warm heart, memorized, they want to be considered again and again. "Paris" Jean Beraud paintings played a significant role in the emergence of a new image of the updated capital of France. And the new image of Parisians, too. And after the horrors of the First World War, they became the reason for the Europeans (and not just the French) ponostalgirovat of irretrievable time, which became known as the "Belle Epoque» ( «La belle Epoque»). Time, when it seemed that all problems have been solved or will be resolved in the near future, as people saw the great and beautiful. "Man - it's my own" - is an echo of those times. The driver, go home! Jean Beraud life did not escape their small gifts. As well-known artist, he was awarded the Legion of Honor, has participated in many exhibitions and himself became the organizer of known opening day. In 1890 he became one of the founders of the National Society of Fine Arts. However, an attempt to escape from an already lived-in theme failed. Several paintings of scenes of the Gospel, in which the artist put contemporary characters (for example, "Mary Magdalene, the Pharisees"), made a small scandal among the critics - and nothing more. Jean Beraud died Oct. 4, 1935, leaving the glory of the most beautiful Parisian artists of the era.