Portrait of Struiskaya Rokotova: history and description of the painting

There are few portraits, moreover, depicting not the most august persons, to whom poets even after centuries devote verses. Among them is the portrait of Struiskaya Rokotova, which even today evokes a desire to better consider the beauty depicted on it and to comprehend the mystery of her black eyes.

A few words about the creativity of the artist's canvases

F. S. Rokotov is considered the first Russian painter, who created, as it were today expressed, without receiving a reward from either the church or the state treasury. Nevertheless, for 60 years (to be precise, for the entire second half of the 18th century and even for the first decade of the 19th), he, according to contemporaries, "rewrote the sex of St. Petersburg." Despite the fact that Rokotov was not a court artist, he was often ordered by his famous portraits and even by Catherine II. Moreover, he enjoyed such high confidence of the empress that it was to him that she entrusted to capture on the canvas of her illegitimate son, later known as Count Bobrinsky. This work has reached our days and is considered one of the best children's portraits, written by Russian artists.

Biography of Rokotov

The life of the painter has been extremely meager information, and even the appearance of the artist has to be judged on the only canvas of his work, which some researchers consider a self-portrait. It is for certain known only that Rokotov came from serfs, but even at an early age he managed to attract the attention of I. Shuvalov, who identified a talented young man in the Petersburg Academy of Arts. In addition, there is a version that for some time the future well-known artist has studied in the Landed Schlechter Corps, since on his sketches of that time the cadets are mostly depicted. Having risen to captain, Rokotov received the nobility and retired, devoting himself to painting.

Description

The portrait of Struiskaya Rokotova depicts a young lady of the nobility. The artist tried to capture it so as to convey the charm of youth to an eighteen-year-old girl who is happy and proud of her high standing in society. According to the testimony of contemporaries, many who saw the portrait of Struiskaya Rokotov, immediately flared with the desire to get acquainted with this beauty, how alive and attractive she looked on this canvas.

A young woman is depicted with a high hairstyle, according to the fashion of that time, opening a long neck and forehead, and her outfit with a deep, but at the same time chaste neckline emphasizes the whiteness of the chest.

As for Struiskaya's posture, she is truly royal and shows a well-developed sense of dignity. At the same time, this painting is devoid of pomposity, typical of ceremonial portraits. This is evidenced by a rather modest outfit girl, and the lack of jewelry, with the exception of a brooch with a pearl suspension. However, the researchers of the artist's work note that this chamberiness and even some kind of intimacy are inherent in the works of this portraitist, with the exception of the works he wrote in his last years of life.

Discussing the portrait of Struiskaya Rokotova, it is impossible not to mention her eyes, which are the darkest object in the picture. They are almost black and express tenderness, care and light sadness about the lost days of childhood and adolescence, which ended with marriage.

Who was Nikolai Eremeevich Struisky

A well-known portrait in 1772 ordered the Rokotova spouse of a lady, who is depicted on it. This man was Nikolai Eremeevich Struisky. By an unfortunate coincidence of circumstances, his entire family was destroyed during the Pugachev rebellion and plague raging in Moscow in the early 1770s, and he was already at quite a young age heir to a huge fortune. At the same time, it was a refined nature, fond of literature. In particular, we have reached some poetic works belonging to the pen of this landowner. It is also known that he was the owner of one of the first and best private printing houses in Russia.

Between 1663 and 1771 he served in the Preobrazhensky regiment, but afterwards retired and settled in his estate Ruzaevka, devoting himself to literature and art.

Even before retirement, Nikolai Eremeevich married the Olympiad Sergeyevna Balbekova, who died during childbirth, giving the wife of twin girls who did not live to be a year old. By the way, one of the paintings from the estate Ruzaevka, on which, according to some researchers, in the man's suit and a cocked hat is depicted by O. S. Struiskaya, is a portrait of Rokotov, written by him about 1768. In general, it is known that the artist and Nikolai Eremeevich closely communicated for many years and, perhaps, in their youth, even were colleagues.

Who was Alexandra Petrovna Struiskaya

After his first wife died about three years ago, Nikolai Eremeevich wooed to AP Ozerova, who at the time was barely eighteen. She was incredibly good-looking and at the first meeting turned the head of a 23-year-old widower. Immediately after the honeymoon, the enamored husband took his young wife to Moscow and ordered his friend, which, undoubtedly, was Rokotov, a portrait of Struisk and his own.

Alexandra Petrovna made an indelible impression on the artist and, as he wrote subsequently, was not only good-looking and clever, but also "the devil's cunning and polite." In addition, the girl was almost an ideal model and patiently posed as much as needed.

Rokotov. Portrait of Struiskaya: the fate of the canvas

The fate of this painting, as well as the portrait of NE Struisky written at the same time, is quite interesting. The fact is that almost a hundred years after the death of the artist they were kept in the estate of Ruzaevka, remaining unknown to the general public. However, in 1903 a lady addressed the Moscow Imperial Historical Museum, claiming that she wanted to sell two canvases depicting her ancestors. The surname of people did not attract much interest from the directorate, but when she reported that the author was F. Rokotov, the portrait of A. Struiskaya and the picture depicting her husband were immediately sent for examination. She confirmed the authenticity of the masterpieces, and they were put on display, to the delight of lovers of Russian painting.

The riddle of the "Russian Gioconda"

As already mentioned, AP Struiskaya (the portrait of Rokotov, according to the testimony of her contemporaries, quite accurately conveys the features of her face) was a special extraordinary. Suffice it to say that as a gift to the bridegroom, the groom presented not the ornaments, but the temple of the Holy Trinity in Ruzaevka, as he knew that the spiritual side of life, and not jewelry or costumes, was much more valuable for the bride. Despite her beauty, she preferred the tranquil joys of family life and gave birth to a spouse of 18 children, of whom only 8 survived until she was of age.

Such an unusual choice has always amazed contemporaries, since a lady of that time, who still possessed a huge fortune, in their opinion should not have stayed away from the splendor of the court. Rokotov (a portrait of AP Struiskaya considered one of the most famous of his works) was able to catch the uniqueness of this young woman and reflect it in the look of her blue-black eyes.

Rokotov's painting "The Portrait of the Stream": where to look

Today, the canvas depicting the "Russian Gioconda" is stored in the fourth hall of the Tretyakov Gallery, at 10 Lavrushinsky Lane, and is considered one of the pearls of the collection of works by Russian artists of the 18th century.