Ivan Artemevich Bezmin
Bezmin, Ivan Artem’evich
Died around 1696. Russian painter.
Beginning in 1662, Bezmin studied in the Armory, and in the 1680’s he took over its painting workshop. He decorated the tsar’s mansion with religious paintings. He was the first to paint “on taffeta” (icons with silk appliques to depict clothing) and brought out depth in icons and portraits with chiaroscuro (The Last Judgment, 1682–83, Raspiatskaia Church, Moscow Kremlin; a portrait of the Patriarch Nikon, around 1683, attributed to Bezmin, Historical Museum, Moscow).