Love triangle: admirer of female beauty Ilya Glazunov and his muse

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

A talented artist, founder of the Russian Academy of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture - Ilya Sergeevich Glazunov (1930) fate rewarded with talent from God and love for women. Unusually beautiful and famous women of the planet: Indira Gandhi, Claudia Cardinale, Juliet Mazina, Gina Lollobrigida were the heroines of the famous artist's paintings. And there were also muses who walked alongside through life, loved, inspired and idolized.

Nina Vinogradova-Benois is Glazunov's only wife

Their love story was a drama with a tragic end. Nina, the daughter of the great Russian architect Leonty Benois, being a talented costume designer and art critic, abandoned her career in order to serve the great genius Ilya Glazunov.

As a student of the Faculty of Art History, Nina fell in love with a 25-year-old unknown poor artist. Contrary to the arguments and protests of her parents, she married him, and became a faithful friend and devoted wife. It was said about Glazunov that the young artist “adhered” to the famous surname in order to enter the world of art.

Nina's love was strong before self-sacrifice: in difficult times, she donated her blood to buy her husband paints for work. But these sacrifices were nothing compared to what she had to endure throughout their married life for the sake of love for Glazunov.

After all, there were legends about the fact that the artist became famous not only for his work, but also for his very stormy personal life. He himself admitted that he could not resist the power of a woman's beauty. The spouse took all his novels with dignity, without complaining about fate. And in justification of the artist she even said:. And Ilya always emphasized that despite his romantic hobbies on the side, he really only loved her - Nina.

He always said that they were tied not just by marriage, but by the union of two kindred souls, and that he would never leave her, under any circumstances. After all, only from Nina the artist wanted to have his children, and this he considered the most important proof of love. In 1969, a son, Ivan, was born in the family, and three years later, a daughter, Vera, was born.

Nina fulfilled her destiny completely: her whole life was devoted to Glazunov - her beloved husband, father of her children, friend, creator, famous artist. And he idolized her and very often painted her portraits with a very beautiful, but sad face.

Ilya and Nina lived together for about thirty years. But everything collapsed overnight, when in the spring of 1986 a terrible news shook Moscow: the wife of the famous painter threw herself out of the window. The death of Nina has remained a mystery to this day. She was found falling out of the window of a Moscow apartment, wearing a winter hat: she was afraid that her husband would see her disfigured face. Ilya Sergeevich still does not believe that this is suicide. Left alone with two children, who so reminded him of Nina - now with a familiar look, now with a gesture, Glazunov experienced a sharp pain piercing his heart. The question constantly tormented: who and why?

Larisa Kadochnikova and Ilya Glazunov: Three Years of Passion and Madness

They say that Nina always knew about her husband's addictions, but she always inspired herself that the creator needs a muse for inspiration. And it happened so that she unwittingly pushed the “inspirers” to her husband, who later became his mistresses.

At the beginning of 1957, a stunning romance began between Glazunov and 18-year-old Larisa Kadochnikova, who came to the first exhibition of the young artist with her mother, the famous film actress Nina Alisova. And ironically, Nina herself introduced them, and immediately drew her husband's attention to the extraordinary beauty of the girl.

An aspiring actress with "mermaid eyes" immediately became a source of inspiration for Ilya to create the greatest canvases that became world famous. Their frantic romance lasted more than three years.

The notoriety that was known in Moscow, the wild jealousy of a loved one, two abortions after which it was already impossible to have children, brought Kadochnikova to nervous exhaustion. Seeing how her daughter disappears from insane love, Nina Alisova did not let Larisa go on a date with Glazunov, tying her to the bed.

Subsequently, Ilya tried to avoid meeting with Larisa. And she, having thrown the veil from her eyes, no longer burned with the desire to see him. The actress could have ended her life deplorably, if not for the operator Yuri Ilyenko, who was then nearby. Larisa literally ran away into marriage with Yuri from excruciating suffering and experiences.

The artist's wife took this novel with dignity, as did all the subsequent numerous hobbies of her husband.

The monstrous tragedy that happened to Nina did not give Glazunov the moral right to marry again. He never dared to call any woman his wife. Although the muses were still and changed often: it was difficult to withstand the wayward character of the master.

Inessa Orlova

Soon there was a new muse next to the artist - Inessa Orlova. Having met her just on the street, Ilya immediately burst out:.

And now for about twenty years Inessa - a beloved woman, a faithful friend and assistant to the artist - brightens up loneliness, surrounds with care and attention. Today she is the director of the gallery on Volkhonka, 13. The big age difference does not prevent them from being together for how many years.

The children of Ilya Glazunov, following in the footsteps of their parents, became artists.

During his long and fruitful life, the artist has created about three thousand canvases, some of which can be found in the review: "Monumental paintings by Ilya Glazunov".