Russian artists of the 18th century. The best paintings of 18th century Russian artists

The 18th century is a period in which enormous transformations took place in all spheres: political, social, and social. Europe introduces new genres into Russian painting: landscape, historical, everyday. The realistic direction of painting becomes predominant. A living person is a hero and a bearer of the aesthetic ideals of that time.

In the history of art the 18th century entered as a time of picturesque portraits. Everyone wanted to have their own portrait: from the tsarina to the ordinary official from the province.

European trends in Russian painting

Famous Russian artists of the 18th century were forced to follow the western fashion at the behest of Peter I, who wanted to Europeanise Russia. He attached great importance to the development of visual arts and even planned to build a specialized educational institution.

Russian artists of the 18th century mastered new techniques of European painting and depicted on their canvases not only kings, but also various boyars, merchants, patriarchs who tried to keep up with fashion and often instructed local artists to draw a portrait. At the same time, artists of that time tried to enrich portraits with objects of everyday life, elements of a national costume, nature and so on. Attention was accentuated on expensive furniture, large vases, luxurious clothes, interesting poses. The image of people of that time is perceived today as a poetic story by the artists about their time.

Still, the portraits of Russian artists of the 18th century differ from the portraits of invited foreign painters in a striking contrast. It is worth mentioning that artists from other countries were invited to teach Russian artists.

Types of portraits

The beginning of the 18th century was marked by the appeal of portrait painters to semi-parade and chamber types of the portrait genre. Portraits of painters of the second half of the 18th century give rise to such types as ceremonial, semi-parade, chamber, intimate.

The front view of the portrait differs from the others in the image of a man in full growth. Splendor of luxury - both in clothes and in everyday objects.

Semi-front view is an image of the model knee-deep or waist-deep.

If a person is depicted on a neutral background on the chest or waist - this kind of portrait is called chamber.

The intimate view of the portrait implies an appeal to the inner world of the hero of the picture, while the background is ignored.

Portrait Images

Often, Russian artists of the 18th century were forced to embody in the portrait image the representation of the customer about himself, but not the actual image. It was important to take into account public opinion about this or that person. Many art historians have long concluded that the main rule of that time was the image of a man not so much as he was in reality, or as he would like to be, but the one he could be in his best reflection. That is, in portraits of any person tried to portray as an ideal.

The first artists

Russian artists of the 18th century, whose list is generally small, is, in particular, IN Nikitin, AP Antropov, FS Rokotov, IP Argunov, VL Borovikovsky, D G. Levitsky.

Among the first painters of the 18th century Petrovsky era - the names of Nikitin, Antropov, Argunov. The role of these first Russian artists of the 18th century was insignificant. It boiled down to writing a huge number of royal images, portraits of Russian nobles. Russian artists of the 18th century are portraits masters. Although often they simply helped foreign masters to paint the walls of a large number of palaces, to make theatrical scenery.

The name of the painter Ivan Nikitich Nikitin can be found in Peter I's correspondence with his wife. His brush belongs to the portrait of the Tsar himself, Chancellor GI Golovin. In his portrait of the floor hetman there is nothing artificial. Appearance is not changed either by a wig or by court clothes. The artist showed the hetman as he did in life. It is in the life of truth that the main virtue of Nikitin's portraits is laid.

Creativity Anthropova preserved in the images of St. Andrew's Cathedral in Kiev and portraits in the Synod. These works distinguish the artist's penchant for yellow, olive flowers, because he is a painter who studied with a master of icon painting. Among his famous works are portraits of Elizabeth Petrovna, Peter I, Princess Trubetskoi, ataman F. Krasnoshchekov. Creativity Antropova combines the traditions of original Russian painting of the 17th century and the canons of fine art of the Petrine era.

Ivan Petrovich Argunov - famous serf portraitist Count Sheremetyev. His portraits are graceful, the poses of the people depicted by him are free and mobile, everything in his work is accurate and simple. He is the creator of a chamber portrait, which later becomes intimate. Significant works of the artist: portraits of Catherine II, the Sheremetyevs, PB Sheremetyev in childhood.

Do not think that at that time there were no more genres in Russia, but the great Russian artists of the 18th century created the most significant works in the genre of the portrait.

The top of the genre of the portrait of the 18th century was the work of Rokotov, Levitsky and Borovikovsky. A person in portraits of artists is worthy of admiration, attention and respect. Humanity of feelings is a distinctive feature of their portraits.

Fedor Stepanovich Rokotov (1735-1808)

Almost nothing is known about Fedor Stepanovich Rokotov, a Russian artist of the 18th century from serf Prince I. Repnin. Portraits of women, this artist writes softly and airily. The inner beauty is felt by Rokotov, and he finds the means of embodying it on canvas. Even the oval shape of the portraits only emphasizes the fragile and elegant appearance of women.

The main genre of his work is a semi-portrait. Among his works - portraits of Grigory Orlov and Peter III, Princess Yusupova and Prince Pavel Petrovich.

Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky (1735-1822)

A well-known Russian artist of the 18th century - Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky, a disciple of A. Antropov, was able to sensitively capture and recreate the mental states and characteristics of people in his paintings. While portraying the rich, he remains truthful and unbiased, his portraits exclude obsequiousness and lies. His brush belongs to a whole gallery of portraits of great people of the 18th century. It is in the front portrait that Levitsky reveals himself as a master. He finds expressive poses, gestures, showing noble nobles. Russian history in person - so often called the work of Levitsky.
Paintings belonging to the artist's brush: portraits of MA Lvova, EI Nelidova, NI Novikov, four Mitrofanovs.

Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky (1757-1825)

Russian artists of the 18th and 19th centuries are distinguished by their appeal to the so-called sentimental portrait. The artist Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky writes thoughtful girls who are portrayed in bright colors, they are airy and innocent. His heroines are not only Russian peasant women in traditional dresses, but also respected ladies of high society. These are portraits of Naryshkina, Lopukhina, Princess Suvorova, Arsenyeva. The pictures are somewhat similar, but they can not be forgotten. These portraits are distinguished by the amazing fineness of the characters being conveyed, the almost imperceptible characteristics of emotional experiences and the feeling of tenderness that unites all the images. In his works Borovikovsky reveals all the beauty of a woman of that time.

The legacy of Borovikovsky is very diverse and extensive. There are in his work as front portraits, and miniature, and intimate canvases. Among the works of Borovikovsky the most famous were the portraits of VA Zhukovsky, GR Derzhavin, AB Kurakin and Paul I.

Paintings of Russian artists

Paintings of the 18th century by Russian artists are written with love for man, his inner world and respect for moral virtues. The style of each artist, on the one hand, is very individual, on the other hand it has several similarities with others. This moment determined the style, which emphasizes the nature of Russian art in the 18th century.

The most famous paintings of the 18th century Russian artists:

1. "The Young Painter". The second half of the 1760's. Author Ivan Firsov - the most mysterious artist of the 18th century. The picture shows a boy in uniform who writes a portrait of a beautiful little girl.
2. "Farewell of Hector with Andromache", 1773 Author Anton Pavlovich Losenko. The last painting of the artist. It depicts the story of the sixth song of Homer's Iliad.
3. "Stone bridge in Gatchina near the Konnetabl square", 1799-1801. Author Semen Fedorovich Shchedrin. The painting shows a landscape view.

And still

Russian artists of the 18th century nevertheless tried to uncover the truth and authentic characters of people, despite the conditions of serfdom and the wishes of rich customers. The genre of the portrait in the 18th century embodied the specific features of the Russian people.

Undoubtedly, we can say that, no matter how the art of the 18th century was influenced by European culture, it did lead to the development of national Russian traditions.