Russian painting is the national wealth of our country. The paintings of V. Surikov, I. Shishkin, And Aivazovsky, In Vasnetsov, And Levitan, K Bryullov and many no less talented Russian artists are still very popular today. The cost of their paintings at world auctions exceeds and overshadows the works of contemporary foreign artists several times. We will tell you about all these famous artists and their works. And today we would like to stop our attention on the most beautiful paintings of the wonderful Russian artist Karl Bryullov.
The path to art
Karl was born into a family of creatively gifted people. His father and brothers and sisters (and there were seven children in the family) were engaged in art. Someone liked sculpture, someone was attracted to prose, and Karla, from a young age, was attracted by painting. Having been a twenty-year-old boy in Rome, Karl was so fascinated by Italy that he even called her his second homeland. Most of Bryullov's paintings are thoroughly saturated with Italian motifs.
Italian Morning, 1823
The canvas depicts a young girl washing herself in a fountain. The picture is filled with morning freshness and lightness. The girl herself is young and sweet as a scarlet rose. The picture turned out to be very natural and caused a storm of delight in Italy. But in St. Petersburg, the public condemned the excessive nudity of the model. Reviews about the picture in Russia were very unflattering.
Italian Midday, 1827
Most of all, the young artist was fascinated by the beauty of Italians. Their curvaceous shapes were perfect for creating masterpieces. And Carla was very interested in the plots of Italian life and everyday life, which was boiling both on the streets of Rome and in the vicinity of the capital.
Italian Noon was a continuation of Italian Morning.
It was this picture that became the most famous and beloved work of the artist. And to this day, the busty Italian Briullova is copied by young artists, needlewomen embroider, and even puzzles with such an image can be found on sale.
The Last Day of Pompeii, 1833
This monumental historical canvas was painted by Karl Bryullov in 1833 after visiting the Italian city of Naples. The ruins of the city of Pompeii after the eruption of Vesuvius made a huge impression on the artist and excited his imagination, soon the master went to Naples again to make sketches for a future masterpiece of art. The classic, historical theme of the death of the ancient city of Pompeii is very popular among painters and Karl Bryullov was no exception. An epic painting with an excellent play of light and shadow is filled with oil, and caused great admiration among the Italians, and the artist himself received a gold medal for this creation in Paris. Currently, the painting is stored in St. Petersburg at the State Russian Museum.
The Horsewoman, 1832
Bryullov painted this magnificent picture at the request of his girlfriend Julia Samoilova in 1832. At first it was assumed that on the canvas in the role of a horsewoman, Mrs. Samoilova herself is depicted, but this is not so. Here are two pupils of Julia Samoilova: Dzhovanina and Amacilia Pacini, her horse and dog. On the dog’s collar, Karl Bryullov wrote the name of the customer of the picture. You can see this wonderful work in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
"At the Bogoroditsky Oak", 1835
This painting was born in 1835, and its difference is that it was not painted in oil, but in watercolor, which distances the artist from academicism, but gives the artist’s creativity a bright drop of optimism. The master of brushes conveyed the play of light brilliantly. It seems as if the rays of the sun penetrate through the foliage and blind the eye with its bright light. The center of the exposition is an old oak tree, at the foot of which people of different social status and class come together and converge, as well as wanderers and pilgrims. So now we see near the old tree a decrepit old man, an elegant woman and a girl with an umbrella, who arrived on a donkey.
Bathsheba, 1832
One of Bryullov's favorite painting themes is the mythology of Ancient Rome. It is in divine legends that the artist draws his inspiration. The most expressive picture of this trend is Bathsheba, written in 1832. This is the story of King David's unrequited love for the young beauty of Bathsheba. The picture remained unfinished. After two years of work and effort, Karl realized that he would not finish it, and without thinking twice sold the masterpiece to one wealthy philanthropist. “Bathsheba,” although it was not finished, (this can be seen from the hands that were not completely drawn up), was the first work where naked nature was used.
"Interrupted date", 1827
The painting "Interrupted date" is painted in genre themes with lyrical overtones. Two lovers secretly meet at the well. But the date was interrupted by the mother of the girl who looked out of the window. Young people are embarrassed and upset, and do not even notice a crowded bucket. This work Bryullov wrote in watercolor. Apparently therefore, the work turned out so eloquent.
“The Dream of Grandmother and Granddaughter”, 1829
Another watercolor work in genre painting is filled with light sarcasm and a fine thread of humor. The plot of the picture is as follows: in a small bedroom on their beds grandmother and granddaughter sleep soundly. And each of them has a dream. The elderly woman is again transported to her youth, where she shyly accepts the courtship of a young dandy, and the terrible dragon chases her granddaughter, she is very scared, this can be seen from the almost fallen blanket. The picture is saturated with irony, but not without philosophical meaning.
"Turkish woman", 1838
Peering into the swarthy, sweet face of a Turkish girl in the portrait of Bryullov, you are surprised at the artist’s skill. How accurately the facial features are depicted, the depth of the eyes is expressed and the girl’s pacified mood is conveyed. But, interesting is the fact that when writing the portrait Bryullov did not use the services of a model. The painting depicts a collective image, recreated from the memory of the artist’s journey to Turkey. But some art historians still think that the portrait was painted from nature, and there is confirmation of this, there is another work by Odalisque, where a very similar girl is written.
And about the most beautiful Turkish women of our time on most-beauty.ru there is an interesting article with many photos of beautiful Turkish girls.
Portrait of M.A. Beck, 1840
Portrait painting by Karl Bryullov raises admiration and admiration, because all the portraits painted by the artist are simply amazing, both in terms of technique and sensuality. The artist always avoided portraying unattractive people, and therefore his models were always pretty and good-natured. The portrait of the secular beauty M. A. Beck confirms this. It is very difficult to look away from a marble face, thin profile and sensitive lips of a woman. Her whole appearance speaks of aristocracy and grace.
The Death of Inessa de Castro, 1841
This work of the master is done in oil, and real historical events are captured on the canvas. The artist depicted a dramatic moment of the execution of the secret wife of the Portuguese king Pedro I - the heir to King Alphonse Four. The king’s son secretly married the late maid of honor of his late wife, Inessa de Castro. But everything secret becomes clear. The king could not allow such a misalliance and decided to execute his beloved son. But, appearing after her, he was discouraged by the pleas of a woman and her young children, he decides to have mercy on her. But in the end, Inessa de Castro was still executed. The dramatic scene that appears in the picture is filled with tragedy and hopelessness.
Conclusion
As you can see, the painting of the great Russian artist Karl Bryullov is very diverse. On his canvases you can see stories from world history, a lot of portraits and everyday scenes, biblical heroes are not alien to the master. We told you only about the most famous works of the artist, and you write to us about those paintings that are not included in the article.