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ha the Great, king of Hawaii, posed for him in
front of his royal residence in Kona (fig. 5). He
recreated the flamboyant atmosphere of the islands,
not only with his eye for detail, but with
his use of color. His Hawaiian palette, with its
use of orange, yellow, and scarlet (figs. 7–9),
differed dramatically from the cold green, blue,
and beige tones prevalent in his northern work.
The Philippines, Kamchatka’s next destination,
had particular significance for Tikhanov.
Not only was he the first Russian artist to visit
that country and to document its mode of life,
he also finally “materialized” by placing himself
in one of his own watercolors, titled An Indian
Caught Tikhanov’s Hat and Ran Away Next to
a Shop in Manila, an image that recalls his being
mugged in the streets of the capital of the Philippines
(fig. 1). Sadly, this is the only extant image
of the artist, and it doesn’t provide much clarity
about his appearance.
The intense nature of the voyage, its exoticism,
and unsettlement wore heavily upon Tikhanov’s
mental health. His paintings in the Philippines were
his last from the voyage. Following the stop in the
Philippines, he became depressed and eventually
suffered a psychological breakdown. Even though
his condition improved upon Kamchatka’s
return to St. Petersburg in 1819, it
did not last long and he was placed in a
psychiatric hospital. He died in 1868 in
the care of his fellow artist and friend,
Ivan Luchaninov, and the latter’s wife,
spending most of his life mentally disturbed
and incapable of painting.
Ironically, it was not only Tikhanov’s
mind but also his legacy that faded
away soon after the end of the voyage.
It was planned that his watercolors would be
published together with Golovnin’s memoires of
the circumnavigation, but this never happened.
Due to some unclear miscommunication between
the academy and Golovnin, the book was
printed without illustrations, and the several
original paintings that had been selected for this
purpose disappeared. More than a century later,
in 1965, some of Tikhanov’s paintings were
finally published in a new edition of Golovnin’s
book. The main collection of his remaining watercolors
today is in the Museum of the Russian
Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Anichtchenko, Evguenia. ‘’Tikhanov, Mikhail,’’ in
“Envisioning Alaska: Artistic Legacy of Russian America,”
envisioning-alaska.org, accessed 3/2019.
Farris, Glenn J., 1995. “Bodega Miwok as Seen by Tikhanov
in 1818,” Journal of California and Great Basin
Anthropology, Malki Museum, Banning, CA.
Rutenko, Yulia, 2010. “M. T. Tikhanov (1789(?)–1862) –
Perviy Russkiy Zhivopicets, Pobivavshiy Na Fillipinakh”
M.T. Tikhanov (1789(?)-1862) – the First Russian Artist
Who Visited the Philippines, Peter the Great Museum
of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) of the
Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg.
Shur, Leonid, 1971. “K Beregam Novogo Sveta” To the
Shores of the New World, Izdatelstvo Nauka, Moscow.
FIG. 14 (left):
Mikhail Tikhanov, Kolosh
Chief from Baranov Island
in War Outfit, Sitka, 1818.
Watercolor and pencil on paper.
33.4 x 46.2 cm.
Russian Academy of Arts Museum,
St. Petersburg, inv. ƣƨ-610-Ʃ-2114.
FIG. 15 (right):
Mikhail Tikhanov, Girl
from Kodiak Island Named
Chenvychuk, Kodiak, 1818.
Watercolor and pencil on paper.
33.4 x 46.2 cm.
Russian Academy of Arts Museum,
St. Petersburg, inv. ƣƨ-610-Ʃ-2121.
MIKHAIL TIKHANOV
FIG. 13 (above):
Mikhail Tikhanov, portrait
of Alexandr Andreyevich
Baranov, Sitka, 1818.
Oil on canvas.
68 x 53 cm.
State Historical Museum Moscow.
/envisioning-alaska.org