Contents: 20 slides, manual

The slide set tells about the work of the first Russian portrait painters F.S. Rokotova, D.G. Levitsky and V.L. Borovikovsky. Images of portraits of A.P. Struyskaya, Khrushcheva and Khovanskaya, P.A. Demidova, M.I. Lopukhina, Catherine II on a walk in Tsarskoye Selo park and others carry objective and accurate psychological characteristics, express advanced views on the individual, his human and social value.

The visual series of the manual includes the following slides

Click on the picture to enlarge

1. F. Rokotov. Portrait of Prince Grigory Volkonsky. 1780
2. F. Rokotov. Portrait of Varvara Surovtseva. 1780
3. F. Rokotov. Portrait of an unknown woman in a pink dress. 1770s
4. F. Rokotov. Portrait of Countess Elizabeth Santi. 1785
5. F. Rokotov. Portrait of Alexandra Petrovna Struiskaya. 1772
6. F. Rokotov. Portrait of a naked girl. 1780s
7. D. Levitsky. Portrait of Khrushcheva and Khovanskaya. 1773
8. D. Levitsky. Portrait of Ekaterina Molchanova. 1776
9. D. Levitsky. Alexander Kokorinov, director and first rector of the Academy of Arts. 1769
10. D. Levitsky. Portrait of Princess Praskovya Repnina. 1781
11. D. Levitsky. Portrait of the adjutant of the Empress Alexander Lanskoy. 1782
12. D. Levitsky. Portrait of Prokofy Akinfievich Demidov. 1773
13. D. Levitsky. Portrait of Maria Alekseevna Dyakova. 1778
14. V. Borovikovsky. Portrait of the sisters of the princesses A.G. and V.G. Gagarins. 1802
15. V. Borovikovsky. Portrait of Ekaterina Arsenyeva. 1790
16. V. Borovikovsky. Portrait of Skobeeva. 1790
17. V. Borovikovsky. Portrait of Major General Fyodor Borovsky. 1799
18. V. Borovikovsky. Countess Anna Bezborodko with her daughters Luba and Cleopatra 1803
19. V. Borovikovsky. Portrait of Maria Ivanovna Lopukhina
20. V. Borovikovsky. Catherine II for a walk in Tsarskoye Selo park. 1794

8
Russian painting of the second halfXVIIIcentury
The 18th century in Russia is not only the time of the rise of public self-consciousness, social and philosophical thought, but also the time of the flourishing of art. Next to the names of the luminaries of Russian science and literature - Lomonosov, Fonvizin, Radishchev, Derzhavin are the names of Russian artists - Rokotov, Levitsky, Borovikovsky, Losenko, Shibanov.
In the 18th century, the realistic direction began to prevail in painting. A living and thinking person becomes the hero of art, the bearer of social and aesthetic ideals. At this time, new genres of painting were formed: historical, landscape, everyday life. The diversity and completeness of the genre structure developed in the last decades of the 18th century. Painting is widely distributed: royal collections are enriched, family collections are formed in the capitals, provincial cities and estates. Receive public recognition of the role of the painter, poet, artist. The first art exhibitions and the sale of works, the role of professional opinion on matters of art, the first aesthetic treatises.
The first and most prominent figure in the field of historical painting was Anton Pavlovich Losenko (1737-1773). He painted only a few paintings, including "Vladimir and Rogneda" on the plot of Russian history and "Farewell of Hector and Andromache on the theme of Homer's Iliad. Both paintings today seem archaic in many respects, but at one time they were very famous and became the first thematic compositions in Russian art.
Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov (1735-1808) - an outstanding master of the chamber portrait, i.e. chest image of the model, where all the attention of the artist is focused on the face of the person being portrayed. The main thing for Rokotov is to show the inner experiences of a person, his spiritual exclusivity. Rokotov was an excellent master of the female portrait. The female images of the artist are filled with a sense of inner dignity and spiritual beauty, they are majestic and humane. His work was characterized by poetic images, the subtlety of pictorial relationships, the lightness and softness of the brushstroke. His brushes belong to the portraits of N.E. and A.P. Struisky (1772, Tretyakov Gallery), "Unknown in a cocked hat" (early 1770s, Tretyakov Gallery), "Unknown in a pink dress" (1770s, Tretyakov Gallery).
In the second half of the 18th century, artists began to pay attention to depicting the life and way of life of peasants. The serf artist of Count Potemkin, Mikhail Shibanov, devoted his works to the peasant theme.
Among other artists of the XVIII century, one can note the work of Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky (1757-1825), who was the third of the leading portrait masters of the second half of the eighteenth century. His canvases stand out for their underlined lyricism, contemplation, and attention to the world of a person's personal experiences. He painted such paintings as "Catherine II for a walk in Tsarskoye Selo Park" (1794, Tretyakov Gallery) and "Portrait of D. A. Derzhavina" (1813, Tretyakov Gallery), as a domestic version of the English "portrait - walk". Sentimentalism imbued female images artist - portraits of M.I. Lopukhina (1797), E.A. Naryshkina (1799), E.G. Temkina (1798, all in the State Tretyakov Gallery). In the composition of the canvases, the artist assigned a large role to the landscape.
The portraiture of the eighteenth century was significantly influenced by the contemporary F.S. Rokotova Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky (1735-1822). It was in the work of Levitsky that the very essence of the Russian Age of Enlightenment was embodied, whose heyday falls on Catherine's reign.
Creativity Levitsky demonstrates that Russia has finally entered the European circle. Enlightenment ideals of dignity, reason and naturalness, relevant to Western cultural consciousness, are very significant for him. In terms of painting skill, his portraits are not inferior to the works of the best French and English contemporaries. No one paints the material world so juicy and tactile, admiring its preciousness and diversity: the brilliance of bronze, the heaviness and iridescence of fabrics.
Coming from a family of Little Russian priests, Levitsky acquired a taste for drawing since childhood. His father, Grigory Kirillovich, in addition to the clergy, was the most famous engraver in Ukraine, "reference officer" of the printing house of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. An enlightened man, an amateur poet, he received an art education in the West. By family tradition, having graduated from the seminary and the Kiev Theological Academy, the son helped his father in the performance of allegorical programs for theological disputes. His training in the "arts" was destined to continue, when, to direct the paintings in the building under construction according to the project of F.B. Rastrelli St. Andrew's Cathedral in Kiev in 1752 arrived Alexei Petrovich Antropov. Both Levitskys were "in the wings" with him. Appreciating their efforts, Antropov recommended the elder for the position of temple auditor - to seize icons of "unskillful carving", and in 1758 he invited the younger to be his student.
Antropov was a portrait painter - that's what he taught. Levitsky got the first orders: the craft not only gave pleasure, but also promised to feed, and this was important, since a daughter was growing up in the family. Subsequently, Levitsky will become the most "fashionable" artist - he will be literally inundated with private orders. Already on his own initiative, in order to "polish his style", he takes several lessons from skilled foreigners - J.-L. Lagrenet Sr. and J. Valeriani. And in 1770 real success came - for the "Portrait of A.F. Kokorinov" (1769), shown at the exhibition of the Academy of Arts, the artist who did not study there received the title of academician, and a year later he was invited to lead a portrait class.
Levitsky painted portraits in the manner required by the aesthetic and ethical standards of the era. Models were bound to be presented in a winning light. They do not hide the fact that they are posing for the artist. Hence their proud posture, conditional gestures, condescending glances. The portraits were usually depicted in luxurious clothes, ceremonial uniforms, stars and sashes. However, through this extravaganza of wealth and parade of ranks, an attentive viewer can see living and full-blooded images of outstanding people.
Takov A.M. Golitsyn, whose portrait was created by Levitsky in 1772. A statesman, a dignitary, he is depicted according to the laws of a ceremonial portrait. To do this, the artist chose a large canvas format and a point of view from below, gave a generational cut of the figure. With a broad gesture of vice-k, etc. ..................

In the 18th century, the "Europeanization" of Russian culture took place - the process of introducing Russian culture to the European one.

Fedor Ivanovich Shubin

The remarkable Russian sculptor Fyodor Ianovich Shubin was born near Kholmogory, Arkhangelsk province, into a peasant family. His father had a long friendship with M.V. Lomonosov.

In his youth, Shubin was engaged in the ancient Pomeranian craft - bone carving, and in 1759 he went to St. Petersburg, where he entered the sculpture class at the Academy of Arts.

Shubin studied at the Academy of Fine Arts for more than 10 years, and after graduation he was sent as a pensioner to Paris. In 1770 he moved to Rome, where he studied the sculpture of antiquity and the Renaissance for three years and worked independently, performing busts of F.N. Golitsina, A.G. Orlova (1771) and others.

In 1773, Shubin returned to Russia with the title of a member of the Bologna Academy of Arts and the glory of a skilled craftsman. Soon, for the portrait of Catherine II, he was elected an academician.

In the portrait gallery Shubin appears Russian society XVIII century. The accuracy and versatility of characteristics, the diversity and richness of compositional solutions give Shubin's busts exceptional expressiveness.

A complex human personality is revealed by the portrait of Prince A. M. Golitsyn, created by Shubin immediately after returning to his homeland. The virtuously processed surface of the marble evokes the warmth of the skin, the splendor of the wig, the finest frill lace. No less interesting are the busts of M.R. Pashina, Z.G. Chernysheva, P.A. Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, V.G. Orlova and many others.

Shubin works hard and quickly, never repeating himself or falling into a pattern. Shubin's psychological insight was revealed with particular force in the works of the last period. With enthusiasm, he sculpts a portrait of his great countryman Lomonosov (1792), emphasizing in his appearance the features of a fearless inquisitive mind, energy, spiritual breadth. The sculptor in this work is far from any pomp and officiality. The image of Lomonosov is deeply democratic.

The bust of A.A. Bezborodko, secretary of Catherine II, a smart, powerful, cruel and voluptuous man.

Working hard on portraits, Shubin found time for monumental and decorative sculpture. In 1774-1775. for the Chesme Palace near St. Petersburg, he made 58 marble medallions with images of Russian princes and tsars, then creates several allegorical statues and reliefs for the marble palace under construction in St. Petersburg. Later, Shubin participated in the decoration of the Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and in 1789-1790. performs for the Tauride Palace the ceremonial statue of Catherine II - the legislator.

Shubin's work is one of the pinnacles of Russian and world realistic sculpture. Its best traditions were adopted by a whole galaxy of the largest Russian masters - Kozlovsky, Martos and sculptors of the 19th century.

O one of the most mysterious and charming authors of the XVIII century - the artist Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov. His subtle in painting, intimate, deeply poetic portraits are imbued with awareness of the spiritual and physical beauty of man. The artistry and vital penetration of Rokotov's works delighted his contemporaries. They noted that the painter could, effortlessly, when describing the face and gaze, reflect both the fiery soul and the tenderness of the heart.

The "Portrait of A.P. Sumarokov" was highly acclaimed. In the 60s, "Portrait of V. I. Maikov", an energetic and mocking poet, author of the heroic-comic poem "Elisha, or the irritated Bacchus" and mischievous fables, was created. strong, bold.

Rokotov's female portraits are amazing. Portraits of an unknown woman in a pink dress, V. E. Novosiltsova, P. N. Lanskoy capture. I want to look at these faces again and again. They are illuminated by harsh direct light. Dark, slightly closed eyes are full of velvet depth. The corners of the lips are sharply outlined, as if ready to smile. These faces are full of quivering living feeling, but they never reveal themselves to the end. It's practically impossible to "read" anything in them, it's easier to read minds or get cheats for CSS. The author uses sophisticated compositional and rhythmic means. So, his later works are almost all enclosed in the shape of an oval. The coloring of the paintings is complex, refined, but unmistakably accurate. In the ratio of tones, Rokotov achieves a subtle, melodic consonance.

The intriguing mystery of Rokotov's images has survived to this day. Is it not these languidly wise, smiling ladies condescendingly conversing with dreamer boys in love and dancing the minuet in the semi-dark old halls.

A positive assessment of the painting of Fyodor Rokotov in the twentieth century was given in his poem by Nikolai Zabolotsky, seeing in the "Portrait of A. Struyskaya" "the soul of a changeable sign."

Among the first artists of the 18th century, called the century of the portrait in Russian art, Dmitry Grigoryevich Levitsky occupies a place of honor. His ceremonial and chamber images of Empress Catherine II, her nobles, famous people in Russia, close to the artist, pupils of the Smolny Institute for Noble Maidens contributed to European recognition rapidly developing Russian painting. In terms of craftsmanship, they were hardly inferior to the masterpieces of Western European portrait painters of that time. Born in the family of a priest, D. Levitsky, from childhood, got acquainted, as we would now say, with the hobby of his father, who successfully combined his preaching activity with engraving - decorating church books with drawings.

Fate favored the young D. Levitsky. He became (about a dozen years remained before the creation of the Imperial Academy of Arts) a student of the famous painter A.P. Antropov, in whose “team” the future portrait painter worked for a fair amount of time. The actual year of birth of D.G. Levitsky in great painting began in 1770, when his first portraits were presented at the exhibition of the already existing Academy of Arts. The success was so impressive that the artist received the title of academician and an invitation to head the portrait class of the Academy. Years of his creative success and recognition began. However, D.G. Levitsky does not confine himself to the circle of pictorial problems.

Among Levitsky's friends are the progressive people of Russia (portraits of some of them, for example, writers N.I. Novikov, N.A. Lvov, A.V. Khrapovitsky, are the pride of the Russian painting XVIII century). The nineteenth century was not so kind to D.G. Levitsky, although after a significant break, in 1807, he again became an adviser to the Academy of Arts. Years, illness, blindness left his highest achievements in the 18th century.

Borovikovsky Vladimir Lukich, Russian artist of historical, church and portrait painting. A native of the Cossack family. It is assumed that he used the advice of the famous portrait painter D. G. Levitsky, who later became his teacher. From his teacher, Borovikovsky adopted a brilliant technique, ease of writing, compositional skill and the ability to flatter the person being portrayed. In the early Petersburg period, Borovikovsky painted miniature portraits, painted in oils, but imitating miniatures on enamel. He also succeeded in formal portraiture, many of his works in this genre were revered as models. From the 2nd half of the 1790s. Borovikovsky finds a vivid expression of the traits of sentimentalism in his portraits. As opposed to the official estate portrait, he develops a type of depiction of a “private” person with his simple, natural feelings, which manifest themselves most fully in the bosom of nature. Delicate, faded coloring, light, transparent writing, smooth, melodic rhythms create a lyrical atmosphere of dreamy elegiacity. The artist's talent was most clearly revealed in a series of female portraits: O. K. Filippova, E. N. Arsenyeva, E. A. Naryshkina, V. A. Shidlovskaya and others. They are not as spectacular as men's, small in size, sometimes similar in compositional solution, but they are distinguished by exceptional subtlety in the transfer of characters, elusive movements mental life and combines a gentle poetic feeling. Borovikovsky reproduces in the portrait the typical features of the national Russian landscape - white trunks of birches, cornflowers and daisies, golden ears of rye. The national spirit is also emphasized in the image of Lopukhina, which is given an expression of tender sensitivity.

Historical painting. In the 18th century, the main historical genre, since only he, according to the concepts of that time, was able to capture the heroic images of the past, the great events of world and Russian history. Therefore, the Academy of Arts took care of the development of this genre and encouraged the work of historical painters. At that time, historical painting was understood as works made on historical, antique, mythological and biblical themes proper.

Russian painters gradually developed compositional principles for constructing a historical picture: they paid great attention to the transfer of character actors, clothing and furnishings. Often the compositions were interpreted as stage theatrical performances, where the main character dominated, as in a drama, pronouncing the words of his role, and focusing all attention on himself. The environment obeyed him - other characters, architecture, landscape. The coloring of such paintings was distinguished by an underlined conventionality of color. At the same time, artists usually tried to deeply convey the inner life of the characters. There was a desire for simplicity and naturalness. Often the best historical works turned out to be associated with artistic awareness of the past of the Fatherland.

Depths and monumentality of incarnation important event Russian history reached M. V. Lomonosov in the mosaic "Battle of Poltava", which, under his leadership, was performed by Russian masters, continuing to develop and enrich the monumental traditions of ancient Russian art. Mosaic outlined a new path for Russian monumental painting.

A. P. Losenko(1737-1773). The greatest historical painter was Anton Pavlovich Losenko. He was born in Ukraine, orphaned early and ended up in St. Petersburg in the court choir, from where at the age of 16 he was sent to study with IP Argunov, and in 1759 to the Academy of Arts. After graduating from the Academy, he was sent to France and Italy. Returning to St. Petersburg in 1769, Losenko became a professor, later director of the Academy of Arts. His drawings and paintings ("The Sacrifice of Abraham", "Cain", "Abel") enjoyed great success among contemporaries, for a long time served as examples of skill and were often copied by students. The artist's talent was most fully revealed in his last two works - Vladimir and Rogneda (1770, ill. 62) and Hector's Farewell to Andromache (1773, ill. 63). While working on a painting about Prince Vladimir of Novgorod, who decided to take the Polotsk princess Rogneda away by force, Losenko created a series of natural drawings to depict Russian soldiers. Of course, in the poses of the main characters, their gestures, in the costumes, there is still a lot of conventionality. But the artist has already taken the first step towards the embodiment of human passions in their collision and development by means of painting. The first Russian historical painting on a national theme testified to the maturity of the new Russian painting. In Hector's Farewell to Andromache, Losenko, having chosen an ancient plot, acted as a characteristic master of classicism. He affirms the idea of ​​a person's love of freedom, his patriotism, citizenship, readiness for a feat. This is how Hector, the hero of Homer's Iliad, is shown, saying goodbye to his family and compatriots before the battle for native city Troy. The picture is imbued with a sense of heroic pathos.

Losenko was not only a talented historical painter, but also an outstanding portrait painter. Some of his paintings of this genre have survived to our time, including an expressive portrait of the first Russian actor F. G. Volkov.

Losenko's pedagogical activity was very fruitful: the largest artists of historical painting came out of his school, senior pupils of all departments of the Academy of Arts studied drawing with him, his authority was high among academic professors. Losenko died early, without having time to realize many of his creative ideas, and the Academy of Arts lost its largest teacher.

Among the students of Losenko stand out I. A. Akimov (1754-1814) - the author of a number of historical paintings, a long time former professor at the Academy of Arts, and P. I. Sokolov (1753-1791) - one of the best academic draftsmen of the 18th century. Almost all of Sokolov's works are created on themes from ancient mythology, but compared to the teacher's paintings, they are less heroic, their images are distinguished by soft lyricism and poetic beauty.

G. I. Ugryumov(1764-1823). After Losenko, the most famous historical painter of the 18th century was Grigory Ivanovich Ugryumov. After graduating from the Academy of Arts in 1785, he was sent on a pensioner's trip to Italy, and upon his return he performed a series of paintings from Russian history: "Alexander Nevsky's solemn entry into Pskov after his victory over the German knights", "The Capture of Kazan" and "The Election of Mikhail Fedorovich to the kingdom. It was then that his teaching career began. In 1797, he performed a program for the title of academician - "Testing the Strength of Jan Usmar" (ill. 64): Kozhemyaka Jan Usmar, wanting to fight with the Pecheneg hero, demonstrates his strength to Prince Vladimir. The impressive image of this Russian hero, reminiscent of Hercules, is almost sculptural in the plasticity of his athletic figure. Live, full of underlined expression figures of warriors are depicted on the left side of the picture.

In addition to paintings, Ugryumov left behind a number of portraits, psychologically sharp and simple in composition. For more than 20 years he taught at the Academy of Arts. He studied such historical painters early XIX century, as A. E. Egorov, A. I. Ivanov, V. K. Shebuev, as well as the portrait painter O. A. Kiprensky.

The greatest success of Russian painting is the second half of XVIII reached the century not in the historical picture, but in other genres - primarily in the portrait.

Portrait painting. In the second half of the 18th century, portraiture reached its peak. At this time, the largest painters F. S. Rokotov, D. G. Levitsky and V. L. Borovikovsky created a brilliant gallery of portraits of contemporaries, works that glorify the beauty and nobility of human aspirations. The Russian portrait of that time happily combines great depth and significance in the image. human personality. Artists recreated the image of a person using various pictorial means: exquisite color shades, complementary colors and reflections, the richest system of multi-layered overlaying of paints, transparent glazes, subtle and virtuoso use of the texture of a colorful surface. All this determined the significant place of the domestic portrait in contemporary European painting.

F. S. Rokotov(1735 or 1736-1808). Among the largest portrait painters was Fedor Stepanovich Rokotov. While still a young man, he became widely known as a skilled and original painter. His creative heritage is significant, but in the 19th century the artist was almost forgotten, and only at the beginning of the next century did the painstaking collection of the facts of his biography and work begin. Many events in Rokotov's life remain mysterious.

Already in 1760, Rokotov was a teacher at the Academy of Arts. After 5 years, he was awarded the title of academician. After such a brilliantly launched career, he left the Academy of Arts and moved to Moscow. There began a new, creatively very fruitful period of his life.

Rokotov painted mainly chamber portraits. His works reflected the desire of the best, enlightened part of the Russian nobility, characteristic of that time, to follow high moral standards. The artist liked to depict a person without a parade environment, not posing.

Also in early works Rokotov - the portraits of Grand Duke Pavel, the girl E. Yusupova and others are affected by the ability not only to correctly convey the similarity, but also to endow the image with great spirituality.

Rokotov's work flourished in subsequent years, when the artist enriched and complicated the color even more, achieved in his portraits the transfer of an internally significant, elevated image. In later portraits, Rokotov emphasizes the intellectuality and spirituality of his models.

In the portrait of V. I. Maikov (end of 1760-1778), Rokotov appears in all the brilliance and originality of his talent: the artist’s painting becomes especially temperamental here, the brush is free, the color, built on the opposition of red and green, acquires sonority. In the image of the poet, famous for the comic poem "The Ombre Player", the illusion of living life is created not by a petty transfer of appearance, but by the brightness and power of revealing characteristic features.

In the portrait of V. E. Novosiltseva (1780), Rokotov finds the same measure of ideality as in the image of Maikov. In the guise of this young woman, the artist's idea of ​​beauty was personified. No less characteristic, Rokotov's, are the portraits of "Unknown Woman in Pink" (1770s), N. E. Struysky (1772), E. N. Orlova (1779) and E. V. Santi (1785, ill. 67 ). The portrait of V. N. Surovtseva (second half of the 1780s, ill. 66), one of the most expressive canvases of the artist, a charming image of femininity, captivates with artistry and the attractive power of spirituality.

Rokotov usually focuses all his attention on faces. People in his portraits almost always smile a little, often intently, sometimes mysteriously looking at the viewer. They are united by something in common, some kind of deep humanity and spiritual warmth. It is as if the portrayed people are hiding something, hiding something. They seem to be immersed in the mysterious picturesque environment of the background.

The works of the last years of Rokotov's life are almost unknown to us, as well as the fate of the artist in old age.

D. G. Levitsky(1735-1822). When the work of Rokotov flourished, the activity of another major portrait painter Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky began, who created a series of truthful, deep-characterized portraits. The artist was probably born in Kiev and initially studied fine arts with his father, a well-known Ukrainian engraver. There, young Levitsky met with Antropov, who supervised the work on decorating St. Andrew's Church. Levitsky was among the students of Antropov in St. Petersburg, his assistant in the execution of portraits of Catherine II for the triumphal arch in Moscow, erected during the coronation.

In 1770, at an exhibition at the Academy of Arts, Levitsky presented a number of portraits, appearing immediately as a mature and major master. For one of them - the architect A.F. Kokorinov (1769, ill. 65) - he was awarded the title of academician. The artist relies here on the tradition of baroque representational portraiture. Kokorinov is depicted in his office at the table, on which lies the plan of the Academy of Arts. Levitsky subtly and carefully paints the calm, serious face of Kokorinov, a figure complex in movement in a dress caftan and camisole, excellently conveys the plasticity of gesture, various fabrics, sewing, uniting everything with a smoky-lilac tonality of color.

Levitsky most fully and holistically expressed his understanding of the interpretation of the image in the ceremonial portrait in a series of portraits of Smolny women - pupils of the Smolny Institute (1773-1776). The artist depicted each of the pupils of this privileged noble educational institution in a certain plot situation, in a characteristic pose: E. I. Nelidova and N. S. Borshchova are shown dancing, E. N. Khovanskaya and E. N. Khrushchova - playing a pastoral scene, E N. Molchanova with a book in her hands demonstrates experience with an electric machine, G. I. Alymova plays music. Levitsky perfectly conveyed the charm of youth and at the same time characterized the characters in different ways. Portraits are inherently decorative, born from the rich juxtaposition of the colors of clothes, the exquisite beauty of linear contours and silhouettes. The decorative effect is also enhanced by the backstage depicting conditional landscapes or draperies. Levitsky's coloring in this series is clear and cheerful.

The portrait of Catherine II the legislator (1783) is an example of the artist's direct response to the dreams of the noble intelligentsia about an enlightened monarch, a true citizen of his fatherland, who not only issues fair laws, but also obeys them, like all fellow citizens. The plot of this ceremonial portrait Levitsky learned from the circle of G. R. Derzhavin, and it is consonant with Derzhavin's poem "Felitsa".

Chamber portraits of Levitsky during the heyday of his work, which falls on the 1770s - 1780s, represent the pinnacle of the artist's achievements. High intellectuality, spiritual significance is emphasized by the artist in the portrait of the French philosopher Denis Diderot (1773-1774), who visited the Russian capital, depicting him in a dressing gown and without a wig. Filled with grace, femininity M. A. Lvova, nee Dyakova (1778, ill. 68, and 1781), Ursula Mnishek (1782) appears as an empty secular beauty, prudent coquetry is inherent in the prima donna of the Italian comic opera singer A. Davia Bernuzzi (1782).

Levitsky's portraits are very diverse. For the artist, all his models are people with a complex inner life. He did not flatter them, remaining objective in his characteristics. The favorite of Catherine II, the frivolous courtier A. D. Lanskoy (1782), he showed cold and important, doll-like handsome, dressed in an embroidered gold uniform. In a portrait of an old priest (1779) painted broadly, with quick and pasty strokes, he focuses all his attention on the face of a man who obviously lived a long and difficult life. The eyes of the artist's daughter, Agashi (1785), whom he portrayed in a Russian costume, shine with liveliness and intelligence. In the portrait attributed to Levitsky of the writer and publisher N. I. Novikov (beginning of the 1790s, ill. 69), with whom Levitsky was not only familiar, but also friendly, he emphasized seriousness and intellectuality.

Levitsky was a remarkable draftsman and colorist. His portraits are always harmonized in color, golden light envelops the canvases. The artist often resorts to intense rich colors that make up a single and characteristic gamut for him, in which clarity and purity of tonal and color relationships reign.

V. L. Borovikovsky(1757-1825). The third outstanding master of the portrait genre at the end of the 18th century was Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky. He was born in Mirgorod in Ukraine and received his initial professional skills from his father, an artist. In the icons painted by Borovikovsky in his youth, his great talent is felt. In St. Petersburg, Borovikovsky communicated with representatives of the progressively thinking Russian intelligentsia of the circle of G. R. Derzhavin, became close to Levitsky, and possibly studied with him. The portrait of E. N. Arsenyeva, created in 1796 (ill. 70), is a work of high skill. In addition, it outlines a new view of man. The artist depicted the woman being portrayed among nature, in a cozy corner of the garden, against the backdrop of greenery, with an apple in her hand. If Arsenyeva is depicted provocatively smiling, charming in her happy youth, then M. I. Lopukhina (1797) is full of slight sadness and poetic reverie. She captivates with gentle melancholy, amazing softness and inner harmony. In those portrayed, Borovikovsky sang the ability for lofty feelings, heartfelt feelings, and in this respect he is close to the representatives of the Russian literary direction sentimentalism, for example, N. M. Karamzin. This is manifested in the image of Catherine II, depicted against the backdrop of the peaceful nature of Tsarskoye Selo Park (1794), and in the portrait of the Torzhkov peasant woman Khristinya (c. 1795), an ideal image, beautiful in its "simplicity", in a group portrait of the Gagarin sisters (1802). In the latter, the artist included the domestic environment, connected the figures with action, developing a type of paired image, anticipating the search for Russian artists of the first half of XIX century. In female portraits, the artist strove for a special poeticization of the model, for a peculiarly laid-back and at the same time elegant, slightly idealized image of her.

Borovikovsky's male portraits are more diverse and objective in terms of characteristics. Depicted are more restrained in expressing feelings. These are portraits of G. R. Derzhavin (c. 1795), D. P. Troshchinsky (1799), F. A. Borovsky (1799, ill. 71).

A special group consists of ceremonial portraits of the artist, distinguished by their monumentality and solemnity. Among them, the portrait of A. B. Kurakin (c. 1801) is most indicative of the master himself and the general direction of Russian art of the early 19th century. The full-length figure of a lordly, arrogant nobleman effectively stands out against the backdrop of a column and a hanging heavy curtain.

In his work, Borovikovsky affirmed the same lofty humanistic ideal that is inherent in Russian art throughout the 18th century. The portraits made by the artist during the period of rapprochement with sentimentalism and later reflect the characteristic features of the classicism style.

Like most Russian painters of the 18th century, Borovikovsky is stingy and restrained in expressing his personal attitude towards the model in the ceremonial portrait.

Borovikovsky's art is not limited to commissioned portraits of the nobility. The artist captured the images of people from the people. In addition to the above-mentioned portrait of Christinha, he painted an allegorical image of winter in the form of an old peasant warming his hands by the fire.

V last years life Borovikovsky much engaged in religious painting.

Along with the works of Rokotov and Levitsky, the legacy of Borovikovsky completes a rich and meaningful page in the history of the Russian portrait genre, which achieved significant success by the end of the 18th century.

Provincial portrait. The intensive development of Russian culture in the second half of the 18th century led to the widespread use of fine arts, primarily portraiture, in the provinces. The Russian provincial portrait of the 18th century follows the works of metropolitan art, but has a number of features. New Traits Art XVIII centuries penetrated the province belatedly. Provincial portraits were usually created in series, making up family galleries. Their characteristic features are some straightforwardness and unambiguity in the interpretation of the image, a literal external similarity. They are more closely connected with the Old Russian tradition, differ in pattern, local color, and ornamentation.

landscape painting. Landscape painting received a noticeable development in the second half of the 18th century. If in the previous period the landscape was found mainly in decorative painting, murals, engravings, now it is becoming an independent genre. And it reflected the lofty ideals of classicism, as well as the desire of artists to observe nature and the ability to build a complete composition.

A landscape class was created at the Academy of Arts, which a large group of landscape painters graduated from. They captured the beauty of suburban gardens and parks, the originality of the architecture of emerging urban ensembles. Special place in landscape painting The 18th century was occupied by images of St. Petersburg and its suburbs.

Artists of the XVIII century tried to accurately convey the appearance of architectural structures, sought to create a "portrait of the place." Using sketches from nature, they composed their compositions in the workshop. In the foreground, tall trees or part of the building were depicted, which served as a backstage. In the center - the most important thing - a palace or a park pavilion, the prospect of a street or a "ruin". As a rule, the foreground was interpreted in warm brown tones, the second in green, and the distance was painted in cold blue and light blue, which created the illusion of space and depth. Such a coloristic system became a hallmark of academic art for a long time.

Landscape painting of the second half of the 18th century is very diverse. The master of the park landscape was Semyon Fedorovich Shchedrin(1745-1804). He most fully embodied the classic principles of constructing paintings of this genre. In a series of landscapes of Gatchina, Pavlovsk, Peterhof, Shchedrin captured the beauty of these places, the features of park architecture, clearly building his compositions.

The urban landscape became widespread in the 18th century. Its most characteristic representative was Fedor Yakovlevich Alekseev(1753/54-1824). Alekseev became famous as an artist of views of Moscow, Voronezh, Kherson, but above all of strict and slender prospects of St. Petersburg. The embankments of the Neva, grandiose palaces, squares and street life - all this was truly reflected in such works by Alekseev as "View of the Mikhailovsky Castle" (1799-1800) or "View of Palace embankment from the Peter and Paul Fortress "(1794, ill. 72). His paintings are usually an organic combination of plans. Alekseev depicted panoramas of the capital in the silver-gray light of the northern sky.

landscapes Mikhail Matveyevich Ivanov(1748-1823), who worked mainly in watercolor, are most often devoted to images of Ukraine, the Crimea, and the Caucasus. Being assigned to the headquarters of G. A. Potemkin and accompanying him in the Crimean campaign, M. M. Ivanov created works related to the battle genre: "Storm of Ochakov", "Storm of Izmail". They combine documentary accuracy with the general panoramic principle of constructing space.

Another way - the creation of a "heroic", fictional landscape - in Fyodor Mikhailovich Matveev(1758-1826), whose works are distinguished by epic breadth of conception and decorative construction.

Household painting. In the 18th century, the household genre received a certain development. There was a special "class of home exercises" at the Academy of Arts. According to the aesthetics of classicism, with its strict normativity, the Academy of Arts reduced everyday painting to the depiction of insignificant, although not devoid of "pleasant" objects. Paintings of the everyday genre were not numerous and did not constitute a noticeable line in the Russian art of that time, but they testify to the growing democracy of painting. Canvases have come down to us, in which, however, often idealized, peasant holidays, a poor peasant meal, street and domestic scenes are shown.

The painting is considered to be an early work of genre painting. Ivan Firsov"Young painter" (second half of the 1760s, ill. 73). First of all, attention is drawn to the seriousness and interest with which Firsov conveys this plot, insignificant from the point of view of academic aesthetics - a young painter painting a portrait of a girl. Work from nature is felt in everything - in people, in the decor of the room, in the image of an easel and a box of paints, in the transfer of soft airy lighting.

The true initiator of the everyday peasant genre in Russian painting was Mikhail Shibanov(? - after 1789). Very little is known about this artist's life. In the Vladimir province, in the "Suzdal province" he painted two paintings: "Peasant Dinner" (1774) and "The Celebration of the Wedding Pact" (1777, ill. 74). They are distinguished by severely truthful characteristics of people, life, and details. Written in brown, they have a colorful richness, a subtle combination of silver-gray, red, dark green, pinkish-yellow tones. Shibanov introduced into the genre canvases the features of solemnity and monumentality, characteristic of Russian historical painting.

Russian painting of the second half of the 18th century is a completely new phenomenon, independent of Western European trends in painting from classicism to romanticism, it is early Renaissance realism, Renaissance classics, which becomes especially obvious when high classics in painting, architecture, and literature are not slow to appear in the first half of the 19th century.

There is an explanation for all this. Since the artist turned his gaze from the face of the Savior and the Mother of God to the face of man - the most characteristic Renaissance worldview and art, then naturally the leading genre, during the XVIII century, almost the only one, becomes a portrait and the highest artistic achievements are associated with it.

Man in all his quivering vitality - that's what excites and occupies the artist, either as a model of civic virtues, or in itself, a person's personality is valuable in itself, it is worthy of all respect, attention and admiration. This humanity of feelings and self-awareness of the individual comes through already in Matveev's "Self-portrait with his wife" and becomes a hallmark of the Russian portrait in the works of F.S. Rokotov, D.G. Levitsky and V.L. Borovikovsky.

The Renaissance, as it was in the Renaissance in Italy, is an appeal to antiquity and to man as he is, outside of religious reflection.

And such an atmosphere arose in Russia for the first time, perhaps even at the time of Peter's childhood, and his games with the "amusing", his teaching and work were fanned by this presentiment and a sense of a new life. No wonder Peter, having built a ship, launched it, called on artists to capture it on paper, canvas or copper in order to print engravings. So it is with the city as it grows, so it is with the people.

The Renaissance is culture, its creation, the study of nature and human nature through anatomy and the art of portraiture. Until now, the relationship of man to another was mediated by God, the presence of the sacred, now man himself mediates this relationship to the other and the world, which is humanism in its most general and direct form. A person appears before himself - through another, as if looking into a mirror, in our case, an artist. The novelty of this situation is one of the phenomena of the new life, the Renaissance.
And we see this, we feel it, we feel it in the portraits of Rokotov, who, at the same time, masterfully masters the brush and has a unique sense of color. This is a rare master even in the series the greatest artists Renaissance in Italy.

Gorgeous and male portraits of Rokotov. “Portrait of A.M. Rimsky-Korsakov” (Late 1760s.) The artist does not just capture the appearance of the model, his lively appearance is revealed in all the novelty of his impression and life itself, as it happens in spring, while both the hairstyle and a caftan with subtle finishing touches - everything is new too, and novelty creates a feeling of lightness. This is the youth of the model and the amazing skill of the artist, who effortlessly wields the brush of a genius.

"Portrait of Count A.I. Vorontsov." (About 1765.) Here the distinctive feature of Rokotov's portraits comes through even more clearly - this is the artistry inherent in both the artist and his models. With regard to the creations of Raphael, they speak of "grace", it is undoubtedly present in Rokotov. We know about Count AI Vorontsov as Pushkin's godfather in the future. This means that Pushkin as a child could see a portrait of his godfather in his youth and even its author.	"Portrait of V.I. Maikov" (Between 1775 and 1778). It is known that Vasily Ivanovich Maykov served in the Semyonovsky regiment, and a military career was natural for him, as was writing poetry, because Derzhavin also began this way. But the young officer or poet showed "laziness" and retired in 1761. He settled in Moscow, where he probably came from, and, in his words, "with the warmth of my own attraction, I recognized Apollo and became familiar with the Muses." In 1763 he published the heroic-comic poem The Ombre Player. He wrote fables, satires, his tragedies were staged.	"Portrait of N.E. Struysky" (1772). This is another poet from the circle of families in which Rokotov was obviously appreciated. Nikolai Eremeevich served in the Preobrazhensky Regiment; having retired in 1771, he lived in his estate Ruzaevka, Penza province. He started his own printing house to print his poems on expensive paper, and, they say, with the same decisiveness punished the peasants in the hall of arts called "Parnassus", where there were portraits of Rokotov, whom the poet highly revered, addressed him in verse and prose as to friend.

"Portrait of A.P. Struyskaya" (1772). Disharmony in the guise of a husband appears in the guise of his wife as concentrated harmony. You may not know anything about this woman, the artist captured her image with captivating fullness, this is the embodiment of grace and feminine beauty. The muted precious radiance of the dress on the shoulders, as if tiredly lowered. V big eyes with bulging pupils there is no openness, as if the inner veil is lowered, with a veil of tears guessed by the artist.	"Portrait of an unknown man in a cocked hat" (Early 1770s). It hung in the house of the Struyskys. This is a young man or a young woman in a fancy dress, because a female portrait appears in the x-rays, that is updo, earrings, low-cut dress, while the face remains unchanged. Here is a mystery, but most likely just a masquerade game of the artist and his friends.

But the work of Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky (1735-1822) is especially significant in this regard. He was born in Ukraine in the family of a priest, who at the same time was a famous engraver. He studied in St. Petersburg with A.P. Antropov from 1758 to 1762, and in his team he was engaged in decorating the Triumphal Gates, built in Moscow on the occasion of the coronation of Empress Catherine II.

Portrait of the architect Alexander Filippovich Kokorinov (1769) It is very significant that in the first of famous works Levitsky, "Portrait of A.F. Kokorinov" (1769-1770), we see the architect, builder of the building of the Academy of Arts and its rector. “Kokorinov stands at a bronze-trimmed, dark lacquered bureau, on which there are drawings of the building of the Academy of Arts, books, papers,” the researcher writes. “Kokorinov is wearing a light brown uniform, thickly embroidered with gold braid, over it is a silk caftan, lowered with light brown fur ".	Portrait of Prince Alexander Mikhailovich Golitsyn (1772)	Portrait of the aide-de-camp Alexander Dmitrievich Lansky (1782)

"Portrait of P.A. Demidov" (1773), a famous mining worker. He stands at the table on the terrace, leaning his left elbow on the watering can; at the base of the columns, behind which the Orphanage is visible in the distance, pots with plants - their owner, apparently, watered them when he came out in the morning, dressed, but in a dressing gown and a nightcap. Satin clothes, scarlet and silver, sparkle. A large figure, a large face - the energy and strength are only guessed, and the gesture of the hand towards the drawings on the table and the expression of the eyes show hidden fatigue or sadness. AND formal portrait with developed techniques and necessary accessories reveals the personality in all its vital immediacy.	"Portrait of N.A. Sezemov" (1770), "the village of Vyzhigin villager", reads the inscription on the back of the canvas. Bearded, portly, in a long, fur-lined caftan, belted below a protruding belly, a man? This is the serf of Count P.B. Sheremetev, a farmer who has made a huge fortune, that is, a merchant of a new formation. He donated twenty thousand rubles in favor of the Moscow Orphanage, and on this occasion Levitsky was commissioned for his portrait, formal, but with a dark background, without special accessories, only paper on his lowered hand, and the other hand points to it, paper with a plan of the Orphanage , with the image of a baby and with the text from the Holy Scriptures. This is a sign of the times. Two portraits, two heroes - already their neighborhood is unique, but it is characteristic of the Renaissance era.	"Portrait of D. Diderot" (1773). The philosopher, at the urgent invitation of Catherine II, visited Russia in 1773-1774. Head without wig, with remnants of hair at the back of the head, clean sloping forehead; the head is not thrown back, and yet the impression is that Diderot is looking not just to the side, but to the height, that is, apparently, the inner striving of thought into the distance makes itself felt.
Three portraits of everything - and a whole era of transformations of Peter the Great at a new stage of social development rises with one's own eyes.