Russian portrait artists and their paintings. Russian portrait painters. If you see that from the picture, someone is looking at us, Or a prince in an old cloak, or something like a steeplejack, A pilot or a ballerina - a presentation. Early portrait art

Among the many Russian and foreign artists who worked in Russia, the outstanding masters of portraiture in the 18th century can safely be called

A.P. Antropova, I.P. Argunova, F.S. Rokotova, D.G. Levitsky, V.L. Borovikovsky.

On his canvases A.P. Antropov and I.P. Argunov sought to portray a new ideal of a person - open and energetic. Cheerfulness and festivity were emphasized by bright colors. The dignity of those depicted, their corpulence was conveyed with the help of beautiful clothes and solemn static poses.

A.P. Antropov and his paintings

Self-portrait of A.P. Antropov

In the works of A.P. Antropov still has a noticeable connection with icon painting. The master paints the face with continuous strokes, and clothes, accessories, background – freely and broadly. The artist does not “fawn over” the noble heroes of his paintings. He paints them as they really are, no matter what features, positive or negative, they have (portraits of M.A. Rumyantseva, A.K. Vorontsova, Peter III).

Among the most famous works of the painter Antropov are portraits:

• Izmailova;
• A.I. and P.A. Quantitative;
• Elizaveta Petrovna;
• Peter I;
• Catherine II in profile;
• Ataman F. Krasnoshchekov;
• portrait of the prince Trubetskoy

I.P. Argunov - portrait artist of the 18th century

I.P.Argunov “Self-portrait”

Developing the concept of a national portrait, I.P. Argunov quickly and easily mastered the language of European painting and abandoned old Russian traditions. What stands out in his legacy are the ceremonial retrospective portraits that he painted from lifetime images of P.B.’s ancestors. Sheremetev. His work also predicted the painting of the next century. He becomes the creator of a chamber portrait, in which great attention is paid to the high spirituality of the image. This was an intimate portrait, which became more common in the 19th century.

I.P. Argunov “Portrait of an unknown woman in a peasant costume”

The most significant images in his work were:

• Ekaterina Alekseevna;
• P.B. Sheremetev in childhood;
• the Sheremetev couple;
• Catherine II;
• Ekaterina Alexandrovna Lobanova-Rostovskaya;
• unknown woman in peasant costume.

F.S. Rokotov - artist and paintings

A new phase in the development of this art is associated with the name of the Russian portrait artist F.S. Rokotova. He conveys the play of feelings and the variability of human character in his dynamic images. The world seemed spiritual to the painter, and so are his characters: multifaceted, full of lyricism and humanity.

F. Rokotov “Portrait of an unknown man in a cocked hat”

F.S. Rokotov worked in the genre of a semi-ceremonial portrait, when a person was depicted from the waist up against the background of architectural buildings or a landscape. Among his first works are portraits of Peter III and Grigory Orlov, seven-year-old Prince Pavel Petrovich and Princess E.B. Yusupova. They are elegant, decorative, colorful. The images are painted in the Rococo style with its sensuality and emotionality. Thanks to Rokotov's works, you can learn the history of his time. The entire advanced noble elite sought to be captured on the canvases of the great painter.

Rokotov's chamber portraits are characterized by: a bust-length image, a ¾ turn towards the viewer, the creation of volume by complex cut-off modeling, and a harmonious combination of tones. Using these expressive means, the artist creates a certain type of canvas, which depicts the honor, dignity, and spiritual grace of a person (portrait of the “Unknown Man in a Tricorne Hat”).

F.S. Rokotov “Portrait of A.P. Struyskaya”

The artist’s youthful and female images were especially remarkable, and he even developed a certain Rokotov type of woman (portraits of A.P. Struyskaya, E.N. Zinovieva and many others).

In addition to those already mentioned, the following works brought fame to F.S. Rokotov:

• IN AND. Maykova;
• Unknown in pink;
• V.E. Novosiltseva;
• P.N. Lanskoy;
• Surovtseva;
• A.I. and I.I. Vorontsov;
• Catherine II.

D.G.Levitsky

D. G. Levitsky Self-portrait

They said that the portraits of D. G. Levitsky reflected the entire century of Catherine. No matter who Levitsky portrayed, he acted as a subtle psychologist and certainly conveyed sincerity, openness, sadness, as well as the national characteristics of people.

His most outstanding works: portrait of A.F. Kokorinov, a series of portraits “Smolyanka”, portraits of Dyakova and Markerovsky, a portrait of Agasha. Many of Levitsky’s works are considered intermediate between ceremonial and chamber portraits.

D.G. Levitsky “Portrait of A.F. Kokorinov”

Levitsky combined in his work the accuracy and truthfulness of Antropov’s images and Rokotov’s lyrics, as a result of which he became one of the most outstanding masters of the 18th century . His most famous works are:

• E. I. Nelidova
• M. A. Lvovoy
• N. I. Novikova
• A. V. Khrapovitsky
• the Mitrofanovs
• Bakunina

V.L. Borovikovsky - master of sentimental portrait

Portrait of V.L. Borovikovsky, artist. Bugaevsky-Blagodatny

The personality of the domestic master of this genre V.B. Borovikovsky is associated with the creation sentimental portrait. His miniatures and oil portraits depicted people with their experiences, emotions, and conveyed the uniqueness of their inner world (portrait of M.I. Lopukhina). Female images had a certain composition: the woman was depicted against a natural background, waist-deep, leaning on something, holding flowers or fruits in her hands.

V.L. Borovikovsky “Portrait of Paul I in the costume of the Order of Malta”

Over time, the artist’s images become typical for the entire era (portrait of General F.A. Borovsky), and therefore the artist is also called the historiographer of his time. The artist's portraits are from Peru:

• V.A. Zhukovsky;
• “Lisanka and Dashenka”;
• G.R. Derzhavina;
• Paul I;
• A.B. Kurakina;
• "Beardless with daughters."

For the development of Russian painting, the 18th century became a turning point. Portrait becomes the leading genre . Artists adopt painting techniques and basic techniques from their European colleagues. But the focus is on a person with his own experiences and feelings.

Russian portrait painters tried not only to convey similarities, but also to reflect on their canvases the soulfulness and inner world of their models. If Antropov and Argunov sought to overcome conventions and truthfully portray a person, then Rokotov, Levitsky and Borovikovsky went further. Inspired personalities look out from their canvases, whose mood was captured and conveyed by the artists. They all strove for the ideal and sang beauty in their works, but physical beauty was only a reflection of the humanity and spirituality inherent in Russian people.

Introduction

I. Russian portrait painters of the first half of the 19th century

1.1 Orest Adamovich Kiprensky (1782-1836)

1.2 Vasily Andreevich Tropinin (1776-1857)

1.3 Alexey Gavrilovich Venetsianov (1780-1847)

1.4 Karl Pavlovich Bryullov (1799-1852)

II. Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions

Chapter III. Russian portrait painters of the second half of the 19th century

3.1 Nikolai Nikolaevich Ge (1831-1894)

3.2 Vasily Grigorievich Perov (1834-1882)

3.3 Nikolai Alexandrovich Yaroshenko (1846-1898)

3.4 Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy (1837-1887)

3.5 Ilya Efimovich Repin (1844-1930)

3.6 Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov (1865-1911)

Chapter IV. The art of portraiture

Conclusion

Bibliography

Introduction

The purpose of this work is to talk about the importance of the portrait as one of the main genres of art, about its role in the culture and art of that time, to get acquainted with the main works of artists, to learn about Russian portrait painters of the 19th century, about their life and work.

In this work we will look at the art of portraiture in the 19th century:

The greatest masters of Russian art of the 19th century.

Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions.

What is a portrait?

The history of the appearance of the portrait.

First half of the 19th century - the time of the formation of a system of genres in Russian painting. In painting of the second half of the 19th century. the realistic direction prevailed. The character of Russian realism was determined by the young painters who left the Academy of Arts in 1863, who rebelled against the classical style and historical and mythological themes that were being implanted at the academy. These artists organized in 1870

A traveling exhibition partnership whose mission was to provide members of the partnership with the opportunity to exhibit their work. Thanks to his activities, works of art became available to a wider circle of people. Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov (1832–1898) since 1856 collected works by Russian artists, mainly the Peredvizhniki, and in 1892 donated his collection of paintings along with the collection of his brother S.M. Tretyakov to Moscow. In the genre of portraits, the Wanderers created a gallery of images of outstanding cultural figures of their time: a portrait of Fyodor Dostoevsky (1872) by Vasily Perov (1833–1882), a portrait of Nikolai Nekrasov (1877–1878) by Ivan Kramskoy (1837–1887), a portrait of Modest Mussorgsky (1881) , made by Ilya Repin (1844–1930), a portrait of Leo Tolstoy (1884) by Nikolai Ge (1831–1894) and a number of others. Being in opposition to the Academy and its artistic policy, the Wanderers turned to the so-called. “low” topics; images of peasants and workers appear in their works.

The increase and expansion of artistic understanding and needs is reflected in the emergence of many art societies, schools, a number of private galleries (Tretyakov Gallery) and museums not only in capitals, but also in the provinces, in the introduction to school drawing education. All this, in connection with the appearance of a number of brilliant works by Russian artists, shows that art took root on Russian soil and became national. The new Russian national art was sharply different in that it clearly and strongly reflected the main trends of Russian social life.

2. Russian portrait painters of the first half of the 19th century.

1.1 Orest Adamovich Kiprensky (1782-1836)

Born on the Nezhinskaya manor (near Koporye, now in the Leningrad region) on March 13 (24), 1782. He was the illegitimate son of the landowner A.S. Dyakonov, registered in the family of his serf Adam Schwalbe. Having received his freedom, he studied at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (1788–1803) with G.I. Ugryumov and others. He lived in Moscow (1809), Tver (1811), St. Petersburg (from 1812), and in 1816–1822 and from 1828 - in Rome and Naples.

The first portrait - the adoptive father of A.K. Schwalbe (1804, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg) - stands out for its emotional coloring. Over the years, Kiprensky’s skill, manifested in the ability to create not only social and spiritual types (which predominated in Russian art of the Enlightenment), but also unique individual images, has been improved. It is natural that it is customary to begin the history of romanticism in Russian fine art with Kiprensky’s paintings.

The Russian artist, an outstanding master of Russian fine art of romanticism, is known as a wonderful portrait painter. Kiprensky's portraits are imbued with special cordiality, special simplicity, they are filled with his lofty and poetic love for man. In Kiprensky's portraits the features of his era are always noticeable. This is always invariably inherent in each of his portraits - and in the romantic image of young V.A. Zhukovsky, and the wise E.P. Rostopchin (1809), portraits: D.N. Khvostov (1814 Tretyakov Gallery), the boy Chelishchev (1809 Tretyakov Gallery), E.V. Davydov (1809 State Russian Museum).

An invaluable part of Kiprensky’s work are graphic portraits, made mainly in pencil with coloring in pastels, watercolors, and colored pencils. He portrays General E.I. Chaplitsa (Tretyakov Gallery), P.A. Venison (GTG). In these images we see Russia, the Russian intelligentsia from the Patriotic War of 1812 to the December uprising.

Kiprensky's portraits appear before us as complex, thoughtful, and changeable in mood. Discovering various facets of human character and the spiritual world of man, Kiprensky each time used different painting possibilities in his early romantic portraits. His masterpieces, such as one of the best lifetime portraits of Pushkin (1827 Tretyakov Gallery), a portrait of Avdulina (1822 State Russian Museum). The sadness and thoughtfulness of Kiprensky’s characters is sublime and lyrical.

"Favorite of light-winged fashion,

Although not British, not French,

You created again, dear wizard,

Me, the pet of pure muses. –

And I laugh at my grave

Left forever from mortal bonds.

I see myself as in a mirror,

But this mirror flatters me.

It says that I will not humiliate

The passions of important aonides.

So to Rome, Dresden, Paris

From now on my appearance will be known, - 1

Pushkin wrote to Kiprensky in gratitude for his portrait. Pushkin treasured his portrait and this portrait hung in his office.

A special section consists of Kiprensky’s self-portraits (with tassels behind the ear, ca. 1808, Tretyakov Gallery; etc.), imbued with the pathos of creativity. He also owns the soulful images of Russian poets: K.N. Batyushkov (1815, drawing, Museum of the Institute of Russian Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg; V.A. Zhukovsky (1816). The master was also a virtuoso graphic artist; working mainly with an Italian pencil, he created a number of remarkable everyday characters (like the Blind Musician, 1809, Russian Museum). Kiprensky died in Rome on October 17, 1836.

Russian portrait painters appeared in the early 14th century AD. Brush masters of that time had limited resources, so they often resorted to stylized drawings. This could not be called surrealism, but the paintings certainly suffered from insufficient detail. Later, Russian portrait artists and their works were reoriented to the design of churches. Masters of sacred painting painted the walls and ceilings of churches and cathedrals.

Early portrait art

Russian portrait artists and their paintings had their own distinctive features, they were recognizable - each painter had his own style in his work, moreover, he was revered by both priests and parishioners.

The most prominent representative of that time was Andrei Rublev (1370-1428), who left behind imperishable works: “Savior Almighty,” “Archangel Michael,” “Trinity,” and other masterpieces of icon painting.

A contemporary of Rublev was the famous icon painter Theophanes the Greek (1340-1410). They worked together for a long time. In the 90s of the 14th century, artists painted the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Other Russian portrait artists also took part in the work. The amount of work was quite large. The main icons of the Deesis row were painted by the “prophetic” and part of the upper “forefathers” row by Andey Rublev. There is no reliable data confirming that he painted the marks of the large icons of the lower row, but the hand of a talented icon painter is recognizable in these works.

Early Masters of Portraiture

At the beginning of the 14th century, the technique of oil painting improved somewhat with the introduction of finely ground paints.

Russian portrait painters of later times:

• Dionysius (1440-1502), favorite of Tsar Ivan III. The monarch used to commission an artist to paint a temple, and then periodically visit the icon painter and observe the work.
• Alexey Zubov (1682-1750) is the greatest master of Russian engraving art of the era of Peter the Great. He worked together with his father, the outstanding icon painter Fyodor Zubov. Together they painted the Moscow Kremlin Armory.
• Nikitin Ivan (1680-1742) - Russian artist, one of the first Russian masters of portraiture, educated in Europe. He was in a special favor with Peter the Great. The most famous works of the artist are the Polish King Augustus II and the Duke of Mecklenburg.

Russian portrait painters of the 18th century

Masters of the brush of past centuries, as a rule, were engaged in church painting. However, the 18th century was the time of the birth of portrait art in its purest form, when the painter reflects the image of a specific person on canvas. Russian portrait artists of that time adhered to the classical school of fine art, which involved accurate reproduction of the smallest details. In portrait painting, this technique perfectly met the tasks assigned to the artist - to achieve such an image that it bore all the signs of an artistic style and was as reliable as possible. The work seemed quite painstaking and responsible. Nevertheless, famous Russian portrait artists coped with it superbly. There were more than enough orders; all the court nobility, as well as members of merchant guilds, vied with each other to order portraits of themselves and their loved ones.

Wealthy people preferred to invite painters to their homes, because in this case the whole family could observe the process, and this was considered good form. The Russian portrait artist usually lived poorly, so he tried to accept as many orders as possible. If, at the end of the work, the image of the head of the family was liked by all household members, then the painter received the next order in the same house. Thus, the Russian portrait artist was in demand in high society and was not left without work. The most successful craftsmen were invited to the royal chambers to carry out especially important assignments.

The rise of portraiture

When the Renaissance period began in the art of painting, many talented masters appeared in Rus'.

Russian portrait painters of the 18th century:

• Alexey Antropov (1716-1795) - a famous Russian portrait painter, participated in the decoration of the Winter Palace in 1744 and Tsarskoye Selo in 1749. Under his leadership, artists painted St. Andrew's Church in Kyiv. Since 1761, Antropov was introduced into the Orthodox Synod as the chief overseer of icon painting. The artist entered the history of Russian art as a talented portrait painter of the Peter the Great period.
• Borovikovsky Vladimir (1757-1825) was born in Mirgorod. He became famous after meeting Catherine II, who was traveling to Crimea in 1787. The artist painted one of the palaces on the empress’s route and was noticed by her. Catherine expressed her admiration and rewarded Borovikovsky with money, with which he subsequently went to St. Petersburg.
• Alexey Venetsianov (1780-1847) - Russian artist, founder of the genre of everyday life in portrait painting. His work “Portrait of a Mother,” painted in 1801, brought him fame. Studied the art of drawing from
• Kiprensky Orest (1782-1836) - an outstanding artist, made his debut in 1804 with a portrait of A. K. Valbe, which was painted in the manner of Rembrandt. The famous work “E.V. Davydov”, created in 1809, strengthened the artist’s reputation. Many of Kiprensky's paintings are kept in the Tretyakov Gallery.
• Tropinin Vasily (1776-1857) - Russian artist who became famous after he painted a portrait of A.S. Pushkin, commissioned by the poet himself. The painting was intended for S. A. Sobolevsky, a friend of Alexander Sergeevich. The portrait has become a classic image of the great poet for all times.

Portrait art in the 19th century

Russian portrait artists of the 19th century are a whole galaxy of talented painters who turned to the genre of depicting the human face. The most famous of them:

• Neff Timofey (1805-1876) - follower of the academic style in art, historical portrait painter. Studied painting at the Dresden Art School. In 1826 he moved to St. Petersburg, where he immediately gained fame by painting a series of portraits of famous people. In 1837, he went on a long trip around Russia to get acquainted with the folklore hinterland and the life of the common people. After his return, he painted the church of the Winter Palace; these works included the famous “Last Supper”. He received a professorship for painting St. Isaac's Cathedral, and at the same time became the curator of the Hermitage painting gallery.
• Zakharov Peter (1816-1846) - Russian portrait painter with a difficult fate. A three-year-old boy was found in the abandoned Chechen village of Dadi-Yurt. Russian general Ermolov took the child into custody. Noticing his adopted son's ability to draw, he sent little Petya to study with portrait painter Lev Volkov. In 1836, Zakharov completed a course at the Academy of Arts and received the title of free artist.
• (1822-1897) - Russian painter, painted many paintings during his long creative life. The artist’s works, including portraits created by him at different times, are in the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Academy of Arts and exhibition halls throughout Russia. In 1844, Makarov moved to St. Petersburg, where he won recognition from the capital's public.

Portrait painter Tyranov

Russian portrait painter (1808-1859), engaged in icon painting. In 1824, he met the artist Venetsianov, who enrolled the young man in his painting school, and when he completed his studies, he arranged for Tyranov to become a student at the Academy of Arts. The further fate of the young painter was successful: he received a small gold medal from the Academy, and in 1836 he became a student of the venerable Karl Bryullov. For his work "Girl with a Tambourine" he was awarded the title of academician. While in Rome he painted his main paintings: “Girl Squeezing Water Out of Her Hair,” “Angel with an Olive Branch,” “Mother of Moses on the Banks of the Nile.” Then, upon the artist’s return to St. Petersburg, the artist suffered a series of misfortunes, and he turned into a beggar. I found shelter in my brother’s house in the city of Kashin. Tyranov died there at the age of 51.

Unsurpassed portrait technique

Sergei Zaryanko (1818-1870) is a wonderful Russian portrait painter, famous for the indescribable play of light and shadow on his canvases. The artist’s technique is so pronounced that the inner world of the person depicted on the canvas seems to be lost in the richness of shades and halftones. In total, Zaryanko painted about a hundred portraits, most of which are dedicated to the emperor, his family and the highest court nobility.

Master's Apprentice

Zhodeiko Leonid (1827-1879) - Russian portrait painter, student of the Moscow artist Zaryanko and the St. Petersburg master Markov, teacher at the Academy of Arts. He painted mainly female portraits. Received the title of academician for the painting "Girl Washing" He was a regular participant in annual exhibitions held under the auspices of the Academy of Arts of St. Petersburg.

Dramatic artist

Kramskoy Ivan Nikolaevich (1837-1887) - an outstanding master of portrait painting, religious wall paintings, and genre drawing. The author of canvases depicting famous writers, artists, artists, including: L. N. Tolstoy (1883), M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin (1879), I. I. Shishkin (1873) -th), S.P. Botkin (year 1880), P.M. Tretyakov (year 1876).

All his life the artist adhered to the philosophical and dramatic subtext in his works, this is especially noticeable in the portrait paintings: “Unknown”, “N.A. Nekrasov”, “Inconsolable Grief”, which were created in the period from 1877 to 1884. These masterpieces are in the Tretyakov Gallery.

Artistic portraits in the 20th century

The twentieth century was a difficult period for Russia. Political upheavals and two bloody wars left their mark on the development of the country. And yet art was alive; in the post-war years, painting, including portraiture, was revived. There were few artists, but they all went through a good school.

Russian portrait artists of the 20th century:

• Kozlov Engels is a Soviet portrait artist, born in 1926, graduated from the Yaroslavl Art School, then entered the painting course at the Leningrad Repin Institute. In 1956, he presented his thesis “He will live!” to the graduation committee. Member of the Union of Artists since 1957. The main theme of Kozlov’s work is portraits of his contemporaries.
• Lomakin Oleg - portrait painter of the Soviet period, born in 1924. He studied at the Leningrad Art School, then at the All-Russian Academy of Arts. In 1942 he was drafted into the Red Army, fought near Kursk, where he was seriously wounded and expelled from the army. Portraits painted by the artist have been exhibited at exhibitions since 1952.
• Samuil Nevelshtein (1904-1983) - portrait painter, graduated from VKHUTEMAS. The artist has several dozen works to his name. The main theme of Nevelshtein’s work was portraits of his contemporaries. The portrait painter held five personal exhibitions, all of them were held in Leningrad, the first show took place in 1944.
• Oreshnikov Viktor (1904-1987) - Soviet painter and portrait painter. People's Artist of the Soviet Union, laureate of two Stalin Prizes. The works were dominated by subjects dedicated to achievements in the national economy and portraits of contemporaries.
• - Russian portrait painter, born in 1943. Creator of a unique focus. Actively participates in public life, member of the Public Council under the President of Russia.

Famous portrait artists

In the six hundred years that have passed since the advent of painting, more than one generation of artists has changed. In addition to the painters already mentioned, there were quite a lot of other masters.

Who are they - Russian portrait artists? A list of them is presented below.

• Musikiysky Grigory Semenovich, court portrait painter.
• Gsell Georg, a Swiss painter, worked in Russia for a long time.
• Nikitin Ivan Nikitich, court artist.
• Vishnyakov Ivan Yakovlevich, portrait painter for the aristocracy.
• Kolokolnikov Mina Lukich, serf artist.
• Matveevich, court portrait painter.

• Ugryumov Grigory Ivanovich, peasant artist.
• noble portrait painter.
• Orlovsky Alexander Osipovich, noble artist.
• Sokolov Petr Fedorovich, portrait painter for the aristocracy.

Portrait is the art of reproducing the image of a person or group of people with absolute accuracy. As a rule, this is an artistic drawing that follows a certain style. The artist who painted the portrait may belong to one or another school of painting. And his works are recognizable due to the individuality and style that the painter follows.

Past and present

Portrait artists depict real-life people by drawing from life, or reproduce images from the past from memory. In any case, the portrait is based on something and carries information about a specific person. Often such a picture reflects some era, be it modernity or the past. In this case, portrait artists, instead of the usual background, depict several accompanying conventional features, such as the architecture of the time indicated in the background, or other characteristic objects.

Rembrandt

Fine art is diverse, and its individual genres can exist independently of each other, or can be synthesized. Likewise, in a portrait, different subjects are combined into one whole, but the person’s face always dominates. The great portrait painters of the past mastered the art of artistic depiction to perfection. Such masters include the Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), who painted many portraits. And each of them is recognized as a masterpiece of painting. True art is immortal, because the paintings of Rembrandt van Rijn are already more than five hundred years old.

Engraving is a fine art

The great portrait painters of the past are the national treasure of the countries in which they were born, lived and created their paintings. A noticeable mark in the history of painting was left by the German artist Albrecht Durer (1471-1528), who worked in the genre of engraving. His paintings are exhibited in the most prestigious museums in the world. Paintings painted by the artist at different times, such as “Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman”, “Portrait of Emperor Maximilian”, “Portrait of a Young Man” and others, are unsurpassed masterpieces. Great portrait painters differ from all other artists in their high level of self-expression. Their paintings are an example to follow.

Women's theme

Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931), Italian artist, ranks high on the list of "Great Portrait Painters of the World." He is recognized as an unrivaled master of female portraiture. You can look at his paintings for hours, the images are so accurate and picturesque. Rich colors, mostly cool shades, contrasting strokes, play of halftones - everything is collected in his paintings. The artist manages to convey the character of the lady depicted on the canvas, and even her mood.

Famous portrait artists of Russia

There have always been great artists in Rus'. Portrait art originated in the 14th century AD, when talented painters such as Andrei Rublev and Theophanes the Greek appeared. Their work did not fully correspond to the genre of portraiture, since these artists painted icons, but the general principles of creating images coincided.

During the same period, the famous artist Dionysius (1440-1502), a protege of Ivan III, Tsar of Moscow, worked. The monarch commissioned the artist to paint a cathedral or church, and then watched him create his masterpieces. The king liked to participate in such a godly activity.

One of the first masters of Russian portrait art was Ivan Nikitin (1680-1742), who trained in Europe. He enjoyed the favor of Emperor Peter the Great. Nikitin's most famous works are portraits of Augustus II, King of Poland and Duke of Mecklenburg.

Alexey Zubov (1682-1750), an outstanding master of portrait art. He was a favorite of Peter the Great. Together with his father, the famous icon painter Fyodor Zubov, he participated in the design of the Armory Chamber of the Moscow Kremlin.

The great portrait painters of the 18th century in Russia, as a rule, painted to order.

Vasily Tropinin (1776-1857), a famous Russian artist, truly became famous in 1827. He created a half-length portrait of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, the brightest representative of Russian poetry. The order was made by the poet himself. And the painting was intended for Alexander Sergeevich’s friend, Sobolevsky. The portrait became the most famous creation of all that ever depicted Pushkin. Tropinin's painting "Alexander Pushkin" forever became a classic of the genre.

Orest Kiprensky (1782-1836) began writing at the age of 22. The first portrait was created by Kiprensky in the style of Rembrandt; the canvas depicted A. K. Walbe. The artist’s most famous work is considered to be “Portrait of E.V. Davydov,” painted in 1809. Several paintings by Orest Kiprensky are in the Tretyakov Gallery.

Alexey Venetsianov (1780-1847) is a Russian artist who is considered the founder of the narrative style in portrait art. He was a student of the venerable painter Vladimir Borovikovsky. The young artist Venetsianov gained wide fame thanks to the painting “Portrait of a Mother,” created in 1801.

Borovikovsky Vladimir (1757-1825), a native of Mirgorod, became famous and famous after meeting Catherine II, traveling as part of her 1787 tour. The painter created a series of artistic paintings in the palace, which was located on the route of the empress. Catherine was delighted with Borovikovsky’s work and awarded him a large sum of money.

The list of “Great portrait painters of Russia of the 19th century” is headed by Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy (1837-1887), an outstanding painter, master of religious wall paintings. Kramskoy's portrait art allowed him to create a number of images of famous people, including P. M. Tretyakov, S. P. Botkin, I. I. Shishkin, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, L. N. Tolstoy and others.

The most famous portrait painters of modern Russia

Igor Belkovsky (born 1962), corresponding member of the Russian Art Academy, member of the Union of Artists of Russia, laureate of the “For a Bright Future” award, established by the governor of the Chelyabinsk region.

Alexander Shilov (born 1943), People's Artist of the USSR, member of the Presidential Council for Culture and Art. Author of numerous portraits of his contemporaries.