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All art historians agree that the most
outstanding Russian artist of the first half of the 19th century was Karl
Pavlovich Briullov, 1799-1852. As we see from his name, he was of German
origin. His grandfather a craftsman, came to St. Petersburg to work, and
remained there. The young Briullov entered the Academy, as a boy and studied
under A.I. Ivanov and under Yegorov and soon was remarked to be a very gifted
graphic design artist. After graduation as a talented painter, the Society for
the Encouragement of Artists sent him to Italy, where he completed his studies
and also painted a few striking allegorical and historical scenes taken from
the Russian past. But fascinated with Italian art and cultural achievements,
and with Italy itself, the independent minded Briullov quickly forgot about the
commission he had received and chose to paint the subjects he wanted. Briullov
remained abroad until 1836 and when he returned to St. Petersburg he had
depicted Italy and Italians in his paintings "Vintage" or
"Italian Noon," "Italian Morning," "Virsavia,"
(the famous beauty and mother of Solomon), "Saturn and Neptune at
Olympus," "The Meeting of Apollo and Diana," and a few portraits
of prominent Italians, and his huge composition with impressive light effects,
"The Last Days of Pompeii," 1828-1832. The
last picture was painted after a visit to Pompeii, and after seeing the opera
that has the same name, which produced a strong impression on Briullov. His
style reveals the influence of Poussin, David and to a certain extent of
Raphael. It appears that he was commissioned to paint it by A. N. Demidov, a
member of the famous wealthy Russian family and a well known patron of the
arts, who for his large contributions was appointed by the Duke of Tuscany
"Principe San Donato," where he had a large estate. The painting was
acclaimed by Italian art critics and art lovers when exhibited in Rome and
Milano before being taken to Russia. Its success was even greater in St.
Petersburg. Pushkin wrote a poem and Gogol an essay to praise it, an unusual
flattery by the two great literary figures.
In St. Petersburg, Briullov was offered a professorship at the Academy, which
he accepted. His friendship was sought after by top Russian intellectuals; his
students admired him, and many followed his style. Briullov continued to paint
and remained more or less faithful to his academy, but he also defended the
right of the artist to "Depart from the conventional forms..." And
"To come closer to nature." Here is his portrait of two peasant girls.
Perhaps he would not be rated as highly by posterity if it were not for the
masterful portraits that he painted. Most of his portraits are distinguished by
their elaborate and well balanced composition, technical brilliance and strong
expression; they are basically monumental. His colors are beautiful, usually
set on a dark background. Particularly impressive are the pale faces and
delicate hands, easily remarked on his portraits. In portraiture he tried to
create pictures that have value in themselves regardless of their resemblance
to the person he painted. In a few portraits he was as good as the best
contemporary Italians or other European masters. Such are the portraits of
Countess Samoilova, Shishmarev Sisters, Strugovshchikov, Kukolniks, Krilov, his
self-portraits, or the equestrian portrait of Demidov, still exhibited in one
of the halls in the Pitti Palace in Florence. Here is his portrait of the
Shishmarev sisters.. Poor health forced Briullov
to leave St. Petersburg in 1849 and seek again a refuge in Italy, where he
remained until his death. Here we show Briullov's portrait of Countess Yu. P.
Samoilova (1842). To view his portrait of Mikhel Angelo Lanchi please go to
Lanchi.
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