In 1858, in the village of Utevka near Samara, a boy was born, who seemed to be destined for an imminent death. The baby was born without legs and arms — «smooth like an egg.» The good wishes advised the grief-stricken mother to stop feeding him, still not a tenant. But her suffering was so great that, having decided to kill the child, she herself was preparing to say goodbye to life. Save their grandfather boy, promising to take the newborn Gregory in his care.
So Grigory Zhuravlev grew up with his grandfather, and led a life full of dangers and adventures. He moved freely around the house and yard. Local guys wore him to walk on the river, where the future artist was once almost carried away by an eagle. Often, holding a twig in his mouth, he drew figures on the ground. People, houses, cows, dogs… Seeing this, the Zemstvo teacher decided — out of kindness or for jokes — to teach the boy literacy. And Zhuravlev was a capable student! He was only in school for two years and couldn’t stay longer because of his grandfather’s death. But from his short training he took everything he could. And now he writes letters for all neighbors, exam minutes, keeps notes, draws portraits of friends. Zhuravlev loved to read, later he had a large library at home. His fellow villagers loved him, without a brisk and sociable Grisha Zhuravlev could not do any fishing, no wedding, no festivities, but … in his heart he cherished a big dream — to become an artist.
Since childhood, he loved to go to church, but not so much because he was especially devout, as out of love for icons. He could spend hours looking at the peaceful faces of saints, and once announced that he intended to become an icon painter. Zhuravlev was so confident in his calling — «The Lord gave me a gift!» — that his family had only to support him on this path. In 1873, fifteen-year-old Grigory Zhuravlev became a student of the icon painter Travkin, however, only for a few days, and then five years studied anatomy, perspective and canons independently.
His family helped him as much as they could – they brewed paints, cleaned brushes. Brother and sister accompanied Gregory throughout his life, despite the fact that Zhuravlev had his own apprentices, and all the support work fell on their shoulders. When the artist began selling his icons, he was only twenty-two years old. He worked enthusiastically and fruitfully. He presented several icons to Samara officials, and soon orders from the local rich fell on him. However, Zhuravlev worked and for ordinary people, in each hut of Utevka hung his icons, signed on the back side «This icon was painted with teeth by peasant Grigory Zhuravlev village Utevka Samara province, armless and legless.»
In 1884, Grigory Zhuravlev, through the governor of Samara, handed over to Tsarevich Nicholas – the future last Russian Emperor Nicholas II – an icon “painted with teeth on the admonition of God.” For this icon from the royal family, the icon painter was awarded one hundred rubles – a lot of money for those times. It is said that Alexander III personally invited Grigory Zhuravlev to the Imperial Palace, but it is not known whether the meeting took place.
A year later, another incredible event happened. The artist without arms and legs was invited to paint the Trinity Church. Zhuravlev had to repeat the creative feat of Michelangelo — but a healthy person is not easy.
Every morning the icon painter was tied to the cradle and raised twenty-five meters. Holding his brush in his teeth, he worked on the images of saints, and in the evening he could not open his mouth with pain. The sister, sobbing, warmed the jaws squeezed with hot towels, and the next morning Zhuravlev again went to the temple. The work went on for several years, the rumor about the temple, painted by the artist without limbs, thundered throughout Russia. The artist was besieged by reporters, students of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts came to see his work. It is believed that Zhuravlev also took part in the creation of the architectural appearance of the temple.
There was another meeting with the Romanovs. Emperor Nicholas II ordered Zhuravlev several icons (according to another version – a group portrait of the royal family). The icon painter worked for the emperor for a year, and after the emperor appointed him for life maintenance and ordered to give the artist a horse.
In 1916, his health was severely affected. The life of the artist took a fleeting consumption …
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