An Artist of the Peredvizhniki
Emily Shanks was an English painter who was active in Moscow during the reigns of Alexander III and Nicholas II. Born in Moscow, she studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture around 1882 under instructors including Vasily Polenov, Vladimir Makovsky, and Illarion Pryanishnikov. In 1890, she was awarded a large silver medal by the school for her painting Reading a letter, graduating that year with the rank of artist.
Shanks achieved historical significance as the first woman to be elected as a full member of the Peredvizhniki Company, an honor she received in 1894 following her painting Inkspot. Between 1891 and 1915, she exhibited with the Peredvizhniki at 19 exhibitions. Her work was also shown with the Moscow Union of Artists, the Moscow Society for Lovers of the Arts, and the Moscow Lemercier Gallery.
Later Years and Notable Works
Following the outbreak of World War I, Shanks moved back to London. During this period, she exhibited at the summer exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1916 with A bit of Moscow and in 1918 with Peaceful Moscow. Her notable paintings include:
- Older Brother (exhibited 1891)
- New Girl at School (sold to the Tretyakov Gallery)
- Inkspot
- Portrait of Natalia Vasilievna Polenova (1894)
- Tsarina's Golden Chamber
