Brilliant scientists of the world, not recognized by their contemporaries. Great books that were not recognized when they appeared

Rembrandt Van Rijn (1606-1669)

Outstanding Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn was born in Leiden on July 15, 1606 in big family rich mill owner. There he went to the Latin school at the local university and even then showed great interest in painting. At the age of 13, he began to study the art of drawing from the Leiden painter Jacob van Swanenburch.
In 1623, young Rembrandt began studying with Pieter Lastman, his second teacher, who introduced Rembrandt to the mysteries of chiaroscuro, in which Rembrandt subsequently achieved enormous success. This stage of his life later had a great influence on his work in his youth. When compared with more late paintings, then at first Rembrandt’s paintings were more colorful and were distinguished by simply unimaginable attention to detail. Such paintings include, for example, “The Stoning of St. Stephen” and “The Concert of Musicians.”
In 1627, Rembrandt returned to Leiden and opened his workshop with his friend Jan Lievens. A significant moment in the life of Rubens is that he was noticed and highly appreciated by the friend of the Prince of Orange, Constantin Huygens, who subsequently organized useful connections for him and himself ordered religious paintings for the Prince of Orange. It was Huygens who Rembrandt would later give his famous “Danae”.
In 1931 he moved to Amsterdam, where he had unprecedented success. The beginning of this success was the group portrait "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp." He was treated kindly by the public and there were a lot of orders. Rembrandt buys own house, where he lives in wealth and luxury with his beautiful young wife, but soon enough she dies, leaving behind her only son. Rembrandt does not lose heart and continues to create one masterpiece after another. During this period he creative search in painting they begin to diverge from the tastes of the public, and gradually the attention of the aristocracy to the artist fades away, and along with it his financial position. As a result, Rembrandt had to sell his luxury home and in 1658 moved to the outskirts of Amsterdam, where he lived out his days. The great Rembrandt died on October 4, 1669.
More about the artist Rembrandt can be found on the website

“Art is scary because every mortal considers himself an art connoisseur.
After all, ignoramuses don’t meddle in chemistry, nor in microbiology, nor in quarks.
The astronaut’s mother, holding back tears, said the best she could say:
“Be careful in space, son.”
But in painting and literature, all and sundry are specialists” (E. Yevtushenko)

If you are a true artist, you give yourself entirely to creativity, without reserve. Not the slightest concession, otherwise you are not an artist.

© John Fowles. Collector

- Try to prove this to my father.

Vsevolod Smirnov

Anyone creative person He has his own internal schedule, which often creates inspiration for him. He can create when it is convenient for him. And this strange feature life, including his unexpected vision of various events and images, subsequently depicted by him in paintings, is not always understood by other people, sometimes even by relatives.

The cry of the artist's soul:

"You know what? I'm tired of pretending. I went to art school, wrote a dissertation on art, visited new exhibitions once a month for 5 years, and even bought something there. But now I'm finally ready to admit: I'm not driving into modern Art.

Call me a hillbilly, but I don't understand why modern art should be strange and cause confusion, anger, epileptic attacks and loss of appetite at the same time. And if in front of me are monochrome squares and diamonds, I have not the slightest desire to discuss their conceptual component, the author’s intention and other dregs.”

We take as an example paintings that are recognized by connoisseurs all over the world, and we want our contemporary artists wrote their creations just like the classics. Because their works are understandable, recognizable and in the style of the academic tradition of drawing.

In the 21st century, another art has appeared that finds its admirers from its creator. Everything has changed in the world. New technologies have appeared more possibilities in using a variety of tools, materials and palettes. The paintings become bright, varied, and the artist’s individual style increasingly emerges. We observe, study, we like something, some drawings still remain incomprehensible.

“What we have, we don’t keep, and when we lose, we cry.” This is very true when applied to the work of unrecognized masters of the brush in their time.

During the artist’s lifetime there are many connoisseurs and critics, and after his death the number of connoisseurs and purchasers increases significantly, as does the cost of the paintings. Is this a symbolic coincidence: on February 18, 1895, an exhibition-auction of Paul Gauguin’s paintings failed, the proceeds were only enough to pay the rent, and on February 9, 2012, his painting “Still Life a l’Esperance,” painted in a tribute to Vincent Van Gogh with a top estimate of $15.4 million?

Why does it happen that fame comes to an artist only after his death?

He lived most of his life in poverty, his works were almost never in demand among connoisseurs.

A collection of 47 paintings he painted in Tahiti that were put up for that ill-fated disastrous auction were recognized as a masterpiece after his death.

Gauguin was threatened with prison, from which he was saved by death from a heart attack in 1903. And in 1906, an exhibition of more than 200 of his works was held, from which his Fame and Fame began.

A sad example of an artist who laid his whole life at the feet of art.

- a textbook example of how genius is revealed after death, and a special role in posthumous fame is played by the image created by enterprising dealers in order to promote and sell paintings.

This artist died in 1890, having sold only 14 paintings, and his universal recognition artwork came only after 1900.

Vincent Van Gogh was a shy child with low self-esteem, but later discovered his love for drawing and painting and began to develop his artistic career. He later fell into depression and suffered from epilepsy, which led to death: the artist died from loss of blood after attempting suicide. After his death, he left about 2,000 works, which today are valued at millions of dollars.

The Dutchman was rediscovered only in XIX century(almost 200 years later), and ended his days in poverty. His wife was forced to sell all the works of the creator of “The Girl with a Pearl Earring” in order to pay debts to creditors, and after some time the artist’s name was completely forgotten. Later, in order to sell paintings, owners often changed the signatures on Vermeer's canvases, which further confused the attribution of his works. Thus, the famous “Girl Reading a Letter from open window“In 1724, the Saxon Elector Augustus III bought it in full confidence that he was acquiring a Rembrandt painting.

During his lifetime, Vermeer was a respected painter who painted mainly to order, and his workshop in Delft was one of the local attractions, which was certainly visited by visiting art connoisseurs. The situation of the artist and his family worsened sharply with the outbreak of war between Holland and France in 1672. Vermeer, who always worked slowly and created two or three paintings a year, caring little about the interests of the market, lost the opportunity to sell even these few paintings at a decent price.

art was his only source of existence and, despite the indifference of art dealers, he was absolutely confident in his genius. Now his paintings are worth millions and critics enthuse about his “amazingly graceful flowing lines” and “expressive forms.” The artist’s first and only personal exhibition caused a scandal because the paintings depicted... naked models - future “nudes”... Modigliani died at the age of 35 from tuberculous meningitis amid alcohol and drug abuse in complete poverty.

At the 2004 Sotheby's auction, the most expensive was: “Boy in a Blue Jacket” by Modigliani. The canvas went for 11.2 million dollars.

In all these portraits there is one woman - Jeanne Hebuterne, Modigliani's wife and muse. She could not survive his passing and fell to her death by jumping from the fifth floor, although she was expecting her second child.

Nikolai Pirosmanishvili, self-taught artist. He was a printer, a shepherd, a brakeman, sold milk and painted signs for drinking establishments, and was known as a man “not of this world.” Pirosmani painted his paintings... on oilcloths that were used to cover tables in dukhans. White and black oilcloths. Until the end of his life he lived in complete poverty, sleeping in basements. The place of his grave is unknown; paintings, signs and legends remain. You know one of them: “Once upon a time there was an artist, he had a house and canvases...”.

The scenery for the performance of the Bolshoi Drama Theater “Khanuma” - take a closer look, these are his paintings: “As soon as I close my eyes, you stand before me! As soon as I open my eyes, you’re floating above my eyelashes!”

Konstantin Vasiliev –Konstantin Velikoross the pseudonym of an artist who had 34 years of life and four hundred works to his name. “Vasiliev’s works do not carry the content that we can see in the paintings of Vasnetsov, Vrubel or Repin, they are nothing more than interesting book illustrations.” This is how they appreciated the bewitching magic of his paintings - illustrations...

Vasiliev died tragically in 1976 - he was hit along with a friend at a crossing by a passing train, the investigation was discontinued. Personal exhibitions, a museum, official and not so official websites named after him, clubs, films... but without him. I won’t talk about Vasiliev’s paintings - it’s pointless, you need to see them. His last work is “Man with an Owl”, under the feet of an old man there is a burning scroll “Konstantin the Great Russian 1976...”

“What a pity that we do not know how to appreciate the living... Gauguin, Modeliani, and many other artists, composers... why were they not recognized during their lifetime, which made people turn away from them and their work? »

“During their lifetimes, they mainly did not recognize those artists who wrote in a new way, for which the public was not ready. The fact is that it is difficult to understand and appreciate something fundamentally new; it really takes time. And they were ahead of him..."

Flowers, landscapes, still lifes, buildings...

And everything is incredibly beautiful. Who would have thought that the creator of these paintings is Adolf Hitler, the main Nazi of all times. He has the blood of many innocent people on his hands, but once upon a time he could have become not a dictator at all, but good artist, and the history of the whole world (Russia in particular) would not be so sad...

But everything happened differently - talent young artist Hitler was not recognized, he was not accepted into the Vienna Academy of Arts, and then they offered him to be a simple architect, although they knew in advance that such a career would have little interest in him...

If he had become an artist, his life would have turned out differently. Yes, ours too.

“In order to become a good artist, you even need to sleep with a sketchbook and a pencil.”

Arkhip Kuindzhi.

If you love to draw, if your hobby brings you joy, don’t give it up, keep creating! Even if you remain misunderstood for now...

“My profession will feed me, and plus it’s such an abyss for self-development and improving my skills. I’m not even afraid of old age, I know that no matter what happens, I will draw.

Develop in your hobby, because if you give it up, your soul will cry. I just understand you very much - take my graphics programs away from me, it will be very bad for me too.”

Rogova Anastasia 09.23.2010 at 10:00

In the 21st century, their paintings are sold at auctions for fabulous sums, their literary works included in school curriculum many countries, their music is heard in the most prestigious theaters in the world... But during their lifetime they received nothing but curses and public censure. Poets, artists, composers - fate was unfair to many of the geniuses.

There is a well-known saying that talent needs to be helped to break through, but mediocrity will break through on its own. However, it is not always talented person receives help from the outside, and only after his death, as if having come to his senses, those around him suddenly begin to admire his work. Often this happens because the genius himself does not seek fame and even resists attempts to impose this fame on him. Serving art for true geniuses- this is creativity for the sake of creativity, and not for the sake of bonuses and fees, although for many creators the smile of fortune could save their lives.

One, perhaps, of the most famous people, to whom fame came posthumously, is the Dutch post-impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh. It can be considered a symbol of an unrecognized genius. Vincent's interest in painting arose during his work as a dealer in one of the art and trading companies. He learned to understand painting and began to earn decent money.

And then the biographers get confused, agreeing on only one thing - Vincent fell unsuccessfully in love, quit his job and fell into religion. Future artist became a missionary. But he carried out his mission so zealously that church representatives hastened to get rid of the fanatic. Then Van Gogh transferred his energies to art. However, they did not understand it here either. Today, about 850 paintings by the artist, many drawings and engravings are known, and during his lifetime he sold only one work - “Red Vineyards”, and even that was bought by Van Gogh’s friend.

Once, during the liquidation of a cafe, Van Gogh was allowed to organize an exhibition and sale of his paintings there. There was no buyer for any of them. As a result, many of Van Gogh's paintings were simply thrown away or given to those who wanted to paint new paintings on them. Today, the master’s masterpieces hang in the most prominent museums, they are hunted for at auctions, they are stolen for private collections, and no one doubts his genius.

Although there was still one “relapse”. At the exhibition “Degenerate Art” organized by the Nazis, Van Gogh’s works occupied the main place, along with paintings by Picasso, Munch, Cezanne and other masterpieces of world fine art.

Among the writers there were also many who became famous posthumously. Stendhal, considered a classic today French literature, during his lifetime he was famous as a salon wit and intellectual. But his writing experiments were not successful. The situation was not changed by the laudatory review of Balzac, who was perhaps the only one who recognized a true artist of words in Stendhal. But what was visible to the brilliant Balzac escaped the attention of other contemporaries. Stendhal died on the street - from apoplexy.

Several notes reporting his death stated that a little-known German (!) poet had died. This is how France celebrated the death of one of its most talented writers. Moreover, in last years Stendhal, who supported himself by odd literary jobs, lived on the brink of poverty.

A classic closer to us, whose fame has already overtaken him beyond the grave, is Franz Kafka. His books, which are read by millions today, were at one time perceived as something unintelligible. True, this also reflected the character of Kafka himself, who was an unsociable person, was distinguished by mental instability and had many serious illnesses. During his lifetime, Kafka managed to publish only a few stories that were not noticed.

Therefore, before his death, the writer decided to destroy his works, which he asked his friend to do in a letter. However, the friend did not do this, but made every effort to publish the manuscripts. Kafka's works became a sensation. And today he is one of the most popular writers in the world. It is noteworthy that Kafka’s mistress, who kept many of his manuscripts, listened to the dying man and destroyed everything she had.

The English poet, one of the best lyricists of world literature, John Keats did not live to see his fame for only a few months. The young gifted poet was terminally ill with consumption, for which there was no cure at that time. During my short literary career Keats heard not a word of praise from the serious critics who shaped public opinion. On the contrary, if articles devoted to his poems were published, they were only devastating. Keats died very young - at the age of 25, and soon after his death a book of his poems was published, which gained such popularity among readers that critics could only posthumously recognize him as a genius.

Another poet who died early, Arthur Rimbaud, was luckier with the patronage of older writers. The gifted young man was proclaimed the new Shakespeare and was predicted to achieve brilliant fame. But Rimbaud stopped writing when many people are just starting - at the age of 20. He decided to become a traveler and gold miner. But nothing came of his idea.

Rimbaud died at the age of 37, in a hospital where he was considered a merchant. The cause of death was amputation of a leg, which had a detrimental effect on the general health of the poet, who had been undermined during his travels. After his death, Rimbaud’s poems, like the poems of other symbolists who called themselves “damned poets,” gained fame, and today Rimbaud occupies a strong place in the “golden fund” of world poetry.

The famous Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, whose name sounds on par with musical geniuses of all times and peoples, also during his lifetime did not taste the fruits of his gift. Author of such masterpieces as "Khovanshchina", "Boris Godunov" and many more musical works, Mussorgsky worked on them all his life, but died without finishing his main work. Another Russian became his executor genius composer- Rimsky-Korsakov, who not only completed Mussorgsky’s works, but also achieved their production on the imperial stage, which ensured their universal recognition and elevated Mussorgsky to the Olympus of Russian musical culture.

It is generally accepted that fate is ironic (there is even a New Year’s film on this topic, but you’re unlikely to have seen it). However, a basic analysis of the tricks of fate proves that this is not entirely true. Forcing you to marry an ugly girl because you are pregnant, whom you nevertheless fall in love with just at the moment when she decides to kill you for insurance, is yet the most innocent of her tricks. And is this irony? Rather, in such situations one should say “sarcasm of fate” or “sick, perverted sense of humor of fate, unworthy of a real humorist”!

However, bullying mere mortals is still okay. It’s worse when fate forces a genius to starve to death a couple of months before the exhibition at which his painting will be sold for the first time for wild millions. But give a genius a banal piece of bun with a sausage - and he could serve for some time. But no, history does not know such examples. But she has a lot of others...

Nikolai Lobachevsky (1792-1856) Didn't live to see fame for 1 year

It would seem that it is not so difficult to make people take you seriously if your last name is Lobachevsky (with the last name Pupikov, for example, this is more difficult to do). Nevertheless, the creator of non-Euclidean geometry every now and then became an object of ridicule, and the magazine “Son of the Fatherland” even published mocking articles about him. And this despite a seemingly good start.

After all, Lobachevsky managed the impossible: being an illegitimate child, he managed to enter Kazan University at the age of 14 using forged papers, and after graduation he remained to teach there, and by the age of forty he was even elected rector. But this was only a shadow of true success.

In 1846, as a result of a conspiracy among professors, Lobachevsky lost his position as rector and began to slowly lose his sight. He completed his last work, Pangeometry, when he was already almost blind. He could not afford a secretary, and the most faithful of the mathematician’s former students took turns taking dictation from the florid formulations.

The work was completed a year before his death, but neither it nor the earlier books (including Imaginary Geometry) real glory They didn’t bring it to Lobachevsky. He died forgotten by everyone and almost blind.

And a few months later, in 1857, the diaries of the German mathematician Gauss saw the light - he died a year before Lobachevsky, but the manuscripts languished with the publisher for a long time. Great attention in the diaries was paid to our genius and his theory. Gauss wrote that he learned Russian (“a barbaric, difficult language”) for the sole purpose of reading the masterpiece in the original.

This recognition caused a wave of interest in the research of the retired rector, and by the early 60s of the 19th century, Lobachevsky’s authority was recognized by the whole world. The English mathematician Clifford called him the “Copernicus of geometry,” and Kazan University, realizing it, published full meeting his writings. But Lobachevsky didn’t care anymore.

André-Marie Ampère (1775-1836) Didn't live to see fame for 2 years

Ampere is known to collectors of historical anecdotes as the man who boiled his watch for three minutes, glancing at his watch every now and then. Of course, with such eccentricity, success during his lifetime was impossible for him. And this despite the fact that he came up with a sea of ​​terms familiar to the physicist’s ear, such as “electric circuit”, “ electricity" and so on. But Fortune mocked Ampere, and with enviable consistency.

In 1792, in Andre-Marie's hometown - Lyon - his father was executed, having fallen under distribution during another french revolution. Then Ampere married a woman who not only did not love him, but also did not live to see 30 years old (she died in 1803, leaving her husband with a two-year-old daughter in her arms). The second wife was in no hurry to die, but she distinguished herself by driving her talented husband out of the house.

His career also did not develop very well, and even having gone from an ordinary lecturer at the Polytechnic School to a member of the Academy of Sciences, he remained in the shadow of his more successful contemporaries (such as Ørsted). Andre-Marie died at the age of 61 from pneumonia. On his tombstone he asked to be embossed: “Happy at last.” The request was not fulfilled (the words were replaced with pathetic banality). But this was the last injustice that Ampere had to come to terms with.

His death galvanized the scientific community: Arago called the scientist’s departure a “national misfortune,” and Maxwell, building on the works of Ampere, began to create a theory of the electromagnetic field in 1938. The unit of current was also named after Ampere. But this happened quite late: in 1881.

Ivan Polzunov (1728-1766) Didn't live to see fame for 71 days

In 1763, Russian craftsman Ivan Polzunov (1728-1766) invented a steam engine. Yes, not a simple one, but with a power of 1.8 hp, moreover, capable of functioning without water (other steam engines of that time needed water as if they needed air.) It took Polzunov only 13 months to make all the parts for the steam engine, and it turned out to be a feast for the eyes.

Ivan immediately reported the success to Empress Catherine II. She praised the inventor, allocated him 400 rubles, and promoted him by two ranks - but, like a true woman, she failed to appreciate the technical merits of Polzunov’s machine.

Then the resourceful inventor assembled a larger and more colorful steam engine - with a power of 32 hp, “for blowing bellows in smelting furnaces.” Such a menacing-sounding name could not help but have an effect on the empress. But, alas, Polzunov did not make it to the presentation. After all, it is known that assembling steam engines (some parts weigh more than 2000 kilograms) does not improve health.

A year before the launch of the machine, Polzunov quickly developed consumption, and on May 27, 1766, at the age of 38, he died. The machine started working on August 7 of the same year. In two months, this device not only fully covered all the costs of its creation, but also brought significant profits to its owners. True, after a couple of months of intensive use, Polzunov’s brainchild malfunctioned, and, unable to fix the problem, the owners dismantled the car for spare parts...

Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) Didn't live to see fame for 3 years

During his lifetime, no one needed the works of the Parisian Gauguin, and the artist lived in poverty - just like most of his neighbors in Montmartre. And although Gauguin was received quite warmly by his friends in the workshop - Pissarro and Van Gogh, their favor did not bring dividends. And then there was the Danish wife, who treated her husband’s activities as a meaningless whim.

Realizing that a “thoroughly false society” would not carry him in its arms in the near future, Gauguin retired to a voluntary settlement in Tahiti in the early 90s. There he, as usual in such cases, married a Tahitian woman and created a series of his best - no, not half-breed children, but picturesque scenes of their life as aborigines. IN

In 1898, deprived of his livelihood, and, accordingly, all the other joys of life, Gauguin tried to commit suicide. Obviously, the attempt failed, since he died on May 8, 1903 on the island of Dominic in poverty and loneliness. And not at all from old age.

A morphine syringe was found next to the body of the 55-year-old artist, and its size hinted that someone had overdose on the sedative potion. When the news of Gauguin's death reached Europe, the businessmen there suddenly had an epiphany. In 1906, an exhibition of 227 works by Gauguin was organized in Paris (all that could be collected at that time), most of which were immediately bought. For a huge amount of money.

Sergei Dovlatov (1941-1990) Didn't live to see fame for 5 days

Oddly enough, but Dovlatov, now one of the most popular prose writers (in in a good way, and not like Dontsova), was never published in the USSR, “the most reading country.” There were mentions, yes. Some stories appeared in magazines. But there was no book - a full-fledged book, the dream of every author! No “Zone”, no “Reserve”, no “Compromise” - nothing that we love.

Dovlatov's first collection, already typed at the Esti Raamat publishing house, could have been published in 1973, but the KGB stopped printing. And five years later, Sergei realized that he should not expect mercy from the Fatherland and emigrated to the USA. There, his affairs seemed to improve: in the States, Dovlatov published more than a dozen of his collections, was published in the respected New Yorker magazine, but remained just one of a dozen talented emigrants.

“I’m not a writer, I’m a storyteller,” Dovlatov said in an interview. - I don’t write how people should live. I describe how they live." Alas, the very people Dovlatov wrote about did not read him. All his life he dreamed of recognition in his homeland, resisted depression, drank - and against this background he died for some unknown reason on August 24, 1990. And after five miserable days (120 hours!) in Russia, his “Reserve” was put into print, which subsequently sold 500,000 copies. Well, why did he hurry?!

Stendhal (Henri-Marie Bayle) (1783-1842) Didn't live to see fame for 7 months

Writer with a strange female patronymic entered literary history under the pseudonym Stendhal. Although “entered” is not quite the right word. He was rather posthumously pushed into this story. After all, just two hundred years ago, even a fashionable pseudonym could not save Henri-Marie from being completely ignored. The public considered his novels boring (many current students of humanities universities would share this point of view) and did not read them.

Critics wrote exclusively devastating reviews. The only exception was Balzac, but he himself was a novice author, so no one listened to his praise for Stendhal. Perhaps society was simply not ready to accept the genius: even Stendhal’s best texts were shocking by the standards of that time.

The author diligently exposed not only the meanness of human nature, but also the heroines of his novels. In his books, absolutely everyone sinned: young virgins, mothers of families, and even abbots. This was due to developmental imbalances: Henri-Marie’s parents and his teachers (a devoutly religious aunt and a Jesuit monk) kept the boy under a tight rein. It is not surprising that, having run away from home at the age of 16 (first to the army, and then to Paris), he began to sin recklessly.

Outwardly, Henri-Marie's life looked quite prosperous: he successfully pursued an administrative career and successfully avoided marriage by seducing the daughters of noble families. But alas, no one recognized his talent as a writer. Stendhal, who was ahead of his era, died in 1842 in an Italian port town.

Ironically, in the same year Balzac began publishing his The human comedy"and became monstrously popular. Belatedly, the public also discovered his protégé, Stendhal, whose genius Balzac had shouted at all corners several years earlier. The executor of the late Henri rushed to publish his works: “ Parma monastery", "Red and Black" (this novel was subsequently filmed more than once) - and in just six months he earned a bunch of sonorous Napoleons from this...

Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) Didn't live to see fame for 9 months

On the one hand, Berlioz’s life cannot be called difficult: he toured a lot as a conductor and even received the Prix de Rome for his diligent baton waving. However, the life of Berlioz the composer can hardly be called an ascent to the heights of fame - rather, it was a fall into the orchestra pit.

His “Solemn Mass,” presented with pomp in 1825, did not touch the audience in any way. The same fate befell both the Waverley Overture and the Symphony Fantastique.

Over time, he took the honorary position of librarian of the conservatory and gained fame as a strict and respected critic. Berlioz’s modest salary was more than enough, especially since family expenses did not appear in his budget: the composer’s first wife died of an incurable nervous illness ten years after the wedding, his second wife lasted even less... On March 8, 1869, Berlioz died alone .

And in 1870, another Franco-Prussian war broke out. Everything national and heroic quickly began to come into fashion. The music written by Berlioz fell perfectly into both categories and began to be heard from all the orchestra pits of Prussia. But Hector no longer heard her.

Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield (1694-1773) Didn't live to see fame for 3 years

Of course, the Count of the same name could not have lived to see the appearance of Chesterfield cigarettes on sale: after all, they are separated by three centuries. But the British Count Philip Dormer Stanhope did not taste the more visible fruits of fame. Although I could.

His life was unusually carefree. Being a hereditary nobleman, the young man for a long time lived for his own pleasure. The hormonal storms of youth overtook him in Holland, where young Stanhope was visiting local nobles. In the host's house, a British rake seduced the governess. Just think - it's a big deal - such incidents happened all the time to service sector workers in the 18th century.

However, when the girl gave birth, Stanhope, to the great surprise of his friends and parents, recognized his son. And he immediately began to educate him - and remotely, in writing. For more than twenty years, Chesterfield persistently advised his son to clean his ears, be polite to elders and beware of syphilis. After which, having made a career in the House of Lords, the count died decently of old age.

Shortly before his death, he gave the go-ahead to his daughter-in-law to publish the letters. In 1776, the first edition of “Letters to my Son” was published and was immediately recognized as the best philosophical and pedagogical treatise of its time. Voltaire became one of the main fans and PR promoters of the correspondence. The letters went through more than twenty reprints and for once brought real benefit to the count’s son, and fame to him. Alas, posthumously.

Franz Kafka (1883-1924) Didn't live to see fame for 1 year

A modest employee of the insurance department, Franz Kafka was not eager for fame. All his life he was absorbed in another desire - not to go crazy from fear of the world around him. The suspicious clerk was tormented by headaches, insomnia, constipation, boils and almost all other diseases that occur from nerves.

Outwardly, Kafka was a typical “man in a case”: he dressed in black, was mostly silent, and regularly went to boring work. In his spare time, Kafka wrote unprecedentedly depressing prose - about how one man is mistakenly executed, and another one morning turns into a giant cockroach.

Few people dared to publish the fruits of Kafka's neurosis, and ninety percent of the manuscripts ended up on the table. At the age of 40, without having published a single major thing, he discovered that he had tuberculosis. In 1923, Kafka left Berlin to improve his health in a sanatorium, but it was too late, and he died - actually from malnutrition, since with a sore throat it was almost more difficult to swallow food than knives.

Just before his death, Kafka began to destroy what he had written, and when he could no longer throw piles of papers into the fireplace, he asked his beloved Dora Diamant to finish what he started. She carried out the will of the deceased sluggishly, thanks to this, in 1925, the manuscripts fell into the hands of Max Brod, publisher, critic and old friend of Franz. From 1925 to 1927, Max published the fragmentary legacy of the deceased, gradually making capital on it. Existentialists were crazy about Kafka, and he was quickly put on a par with Camus and Sartre. Since then the bookshelf in the house smart person looks lonely without his books...

Karl Marx (1818-1883) Didn't live to see fame for 2 years

Marx’s ideas, as we know, did a lot of things in Europe, but it’s scary to remember what happened in our country under the guise of Marxism. Just some thirty years ago, half of the population of our planet lived in countries whose main ideology (if not religion) was more or less perverted Marxism.

It is difficult to imagine how much money Marx could have received for the use of this one word (if he had registered it as a trademark in time), had he lived to see this happy time. But, alas, Marxomania began after the death of the German philosopher-economist.

And during his lifetime, Karl - a talented communist, but a bad self-promoter - suffered extreme poverty. The author of Capital could not even afford to call a doctor to his sick wife’s house: there were not enough funds. If it were not for Friedrich Engels, who sympathized with Marx in every possible way and helped him with money, the father of communism would have died completely ahead of his time.

And so he died at 64 from bronchitis, leaving behind not only the multi-volume “Capital”, but also the compact bestseller “Manifesto” communist party" And only in Russia did his ideas take root so much that they led to a revolution. Moreover, the first adherents (led by Plekhanov) began to replicate Marx already in 1885. Plekhanov dreamed of inviting him to Russia and doing him a favor - until he found out that he had already died.

Antoine Augustin Cournot (1801-1877) Didn't live to see fame for 18 months

Cournot was considered a very talented mathematician. And in this, not to the table, incarnation, he became fully established: he taught, and became the rector of the University of Grenoble. However, for such merits they are not included in the encyclopedia and are not proclaimed a genius. Cournot lay claim to popular love and laurels as an economist, but in this again he was cruelly ridiculed.

The innovation of Antoine our Augustin was that he was one of the first to consciously apply mathematical methods in economic research. In his work “A Study of the Mathematical Principles of the Theory of Wealth,” he analyzed the relationship between demand and price in various market situations, derived a general mathematical theory of demand and proved that the greatest revenue from sales is most often provided not by the highest price, but by competent dumping.

Alas, these wonderful ideas could not inspire their contemporaries, and they continued to sell silk scarves to clients for three hundred francs apiece, which absolutely contradicted Cournot’s scientific approach, which he outlined in the chapter that was translated into modern language called “A silk scarf cannot cost three hundred francs.” The economist died a quiet senile death, just a year and a half short of the discovery of a new direction in economics, the pioneer of which he was posthumously proclaimed. If Cournot had lived at least until 1879, when the first department of econometrics was opened, he would have gained followers and fame...

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) Didn't live to see fame for 4 years

“If fame is my property, I will not be able to escape it - if not, the longest day will overtake me - while I pursue it” - in these words, the American poet Dickinson rather vaguely outlined her attitude towards success. However, if she had said it more clearly, there would have been no more money and recognition in her life.

Emily was unlucky to live in a time when women were practically not considered anything, and their pathetic attempts to write some kind of “poems” were usually looked down upon (little has changed since then, but that’s not what we’re talking about). However, stubborn Emily, not listening to the reproaches of the crowd, persistently wrote, and specifically poems.

Her writing activity has reached a truly gigantic scale: at last count, the collection of her works contains about 1,789 poems. However, only seven of them were published during the poetess’s lifetime. Emily never married, lived almost all her life in her native Massachusetts and died at the age of 55 from kidney inflammation.

The poetess's sister gave her writings literary critic Thomas Higgins, and they made a strong and, what is more important, a favorable impression on him. In 1890, Dickinson's first collection of poems was published in Boston and almost immediately went through eleven reprints. American suffragists declared Dickinson their mouthpiece, and her niece Emily Martha Bianchi rummaged through family archive and with great benefit for herself published the works of the poetess that were considered lost.

Emily Brontë (1818-1848) Didn't live to see fame for 40 days

Emily has to younger sister Charlotte Brontë, author of the tearful female thriller Jane Eyre, if you don't know. Everyone in the Brontë family wrote: on lonely evenings in the provinces, Emily scribbled down the novel Wuthering Heights, and Anne, the youngest of the sisters, wrote the novel Agnes Gray.

The main intrigue of “The Pass” is the intimate (on the verge of incest) relationship between young people who are in an intricate but close relationship. It was all probably copied from life. After all, in the Bronte family, in addition to the sisters, there was also an older brother, who, during a break between drinking sessions in the village pub, communicated exclusively with Emily. And then he died, in 1848.

At his funeral, Emily was so sick that in December of the same year, at the age of 30, she died from a severe cold infection. “Wuthering Heights” had been on the shelves for a year by that time, but was not a success: the abundance of writers with the surname Bronte created confusion in the market. Success came to Emily posthumously, when just a month later - oh pitiful lot! - after her death, the eldest of the Bronte sisters published “Jane Eyre.” One bestseller led to another. Critics en masse re-read the work of all the sisters. Reviews for “The Pass” boiled down to one phrase: author, write more! But there was no one left to write to...

Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) Didn't live to see fame for 6 months

The world press reacted rather sluggishly to Van Gogh's death. To be completely honest, only one newspaper published a note: “On Sunday, July 27, a certain Van Gogh, 37 years old, a Dutch citizen, an artist, shot himself in a field with a revolver and returned, only wounded, to his room, where he died two days later.”

Well, of course: who could be interested in a painter who managed to sell only one painting out of eight hundred, and who also suffered from a “mysterious brain disorder” (a diagnosis made to the artist by a doctor who certified his death).

But if Van Gogh had lived a few more years, he would have received mountains of letters from fans every day. Or maybe not only letters, but also parcels - with ears and other intimate parts of the body. Nevertheless, Van Gogh's career ended well for everyone except himself. Six months after the artist’s death, his brother Theo, who kept most of Vincent’s works in his house, also died. Theo's widow, who decided to try her luck with all this rubbish, packed the genius's works in wooden boxes and began sending them to exhibition organizers and private collectors.

And although final recognition of Van Gogh’s work was achieved only in 1901, when his major exhibitions took place in Paris, Amsterdam and New York, already in 1981 there were those wishing to purchase a masterpiece or two. Had Vincent outlived his brother, he probably could have enjoyed the glory live. But he could only watch from heaven as crowds of art students painted sunflowers, trying to surpass their idol...

Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) Didn't live to see fame for 14 days

Modigliani, as is often the case in creative environment, was a jack of all trades: both a sculptor and an artist. True, no one except Modigliani himself was particularly concerned about such amazing universality in art. Amadeo was known as an outcast even in Montmartre, where he moved from sunny Italy, and he drenched his lack of recognition with absinthe. Fellow painters called the artist “Modi,” which means “demon” in French.

His talent had only one real admirer - his wife Jeanne Hebuterne, whom you can see in a good half of Modigliani's works. He also drew other women, but even a pencil sketch of a nude Anna Akhmatova, made in 1911, did not bring him fame (however, Akhmatova herself began to enjoy popularity a little later). The only exhibition that took place during Modigliani's lifetime failed miserably. It was difficult to lure the public into the pavilion, in the window of which there was a canvas with the immodest title “Large Nude.”

By 1919, Modigliani had completely given up: hours of gatherings in cheap cafes and night walks through the narrow streets of Paris (already while drunk) had become a habit. Poverty and professional isolation were complemented by progressive tuberculosis. Amedeo died on the night of January 24, 1920 in a hospital for the poor and homeless.

On Modi's tombstone at Père Lachaise Cemetery, good friends carved: “Death overtook him on the threshold of glory.” After all, shortly before the artist’s death, in the same January, several of his paintings were sold abroad!

If only the postal ship from London, carrying a hundred pounds from collectors, had gone a little faster... If plastic cards had already been invented... However, fate does not like the particle “would”. Give fate irony.

Geniuses have existed at all times - and at all times their talents, their giftedness, their unique capabilities, the fruits of their creativity have been recognized, glorified, extolled and simply assessed according to their merits directly during the life of geniuses. What we have, we don’t store. Sometimes truly great and significant things become noticeable only when their author is no longer on this Earth.

Perhaps one of the most famous unrecognized geniuses is an artist Vincent Van Gogh. Shy, with low self-esteem, he tried to develop his artistic career, but he actually had to draw “on the table.” During his lifetime, Van Gogh managed to sell only 14 of his works. The artist suffered from depression and epilepsy and died in 1890 from loss of blood after attempting suicide. And after 1900, his paintings gained fame and recognition. In total, the painter created about 200 works, which today are valued at millions of dollars.

Franz Kafka- this name is familiar to everyone today educated person. However, when own life German writer failed to enjoy the glory. Publishers refused to publish his works; his works were not taken seriously. Kafka, considered the most influential existentialist writer of the 20th century, died in obscurity in 1924. He suffered from tuberculosis and could not eat on his own.

Before his death, Kafka bequeathed to his friend Max Brod to burn all his works, but he, by a happy coincidence, did not do this.

Another writer - albeit of a completely different direction - Edgar Allan Poe. He is famous in modern world with his poems and stories, is considered the founder of the introduction of a new style of writing and themes into works, but never had big money from his literary creativity, and after his death in 1849, his wife began to abuse alcohol out of despair.

Gregor Johann Mendel- Austrian scientist, founder modern genetics. He discovered the basic principles of heredity as a result of experiments with peas in the monastery garden, but his discovery was not understood by his contemporaries. Mendel died in 1884, and his discoveries were only fully appreciated at the end of the 20th century. There are now two laws related to genetics named after Mendel.

Galileo Galilei from Italy was a scientist, mathematician, astronomer. He played a vital role in the scientific revolution of his time - and was recognized only at the beginning of the 19th century - 300 years after his death in 1642. Galileo built the first telescope, with which sunspots, craters of the Moon and many others were identified celestial bodies in outer space. In his time, he was often criticized by those who were active in a religion that believed that the world did not revolve around the sun.

Artist Jan Vermeer known for his paintings of everyday scenes of middle-class life in the 17th century. Vermeer made a living artistic creativity, however, was not known outside hometown and was never rich. According to one version, the cause of his death in 1675 was stress due to financial difficulties. The artist's talent was fully appreciated only in the 19th century.

German meteorologist and geophysicist, polar explorer Alfred Lothar Wegener engaged in research on continental drift. He hypothesized that all continents are connected to each other and move slowly around the Earth. However, he did not have concrete evidence to support the hypothesis. Wegener died in 1930, and 20 years later confirmation of his theoretical calculations was found.

Composer Johann Sebastian Bach During his lifetime he was known as an excellent organist and teacher. He died in 1750, and in the 1800s his musical works aroused great interest among researchers - and since then Bach has come to be considered one of greatest composers of all times.