Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy was a remarkable Russian artist, inspirer and organizer of the Wanderers movement. In their works, they called for a move away from dry academism and paint paintings reflecting the pressing problems of society. Kramskoy was an excellent portrait painter, and one of his best works is a portrait of Saltykov-Shchedrin.
Kramskoy portraitist
In portraits of Kramskoy, even custom-made, one can see the same desire for the truth of life as in the genre paintings of the Wanderers. For a long time, the portrayed model was portrayed in full dress, dressed up, powdered, and often the artist also shamelessly flattered her with his brush. Such portraits were called ceremonial. They were hung in the living room to boast in front of the guests, and kept in family galleries for grateful descendants. Later they were replaced by psychological portraits. Here for the artist it was already important not the desire to please the customer, but the opportunity to reflect his inner world. In the works of talented artists, one can read all the movements of the soul of the portrayed, character, attitude to the world. A good painter should not only masterfully master the brush and techniques, but also be an excellent psychologist. It was such an artist that Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy was.
He wrote to our outstanding compatriots: Leo Tolstoy, Pavel Tretyakov, Empress Maria Fedorovna, Emperor Alexander III, Otto Struve, Apollon Maykov, Ivan Shishkin. His brush belongs to the portrait of Saltykov-Shchedrin, a famous Russian writer.
History of creation
Collector Pavel Tretyakov decided to create in his museum a gallery of prominent compatriots who contributed to the development of Russia. The portrait of Saltykov-Shchedrin intended for her was commissioned by Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy. In the winter of 1877, the artist began work on the canvas. It was finished pretty quickly. However, in the first version, Kramskoy depicted only the head of the writer, and Tretyakov wanted to get a half-length portrait where the writer's hands could be seen. To please him, Kramskoy redid the work, and in 1879 the portrait of Saltykov-Shchedrin was accepted by the customer and placed in the gallery.
Artistic analysis of the picture
On canvas we see an outstanding Russian writer. This is a man of age. He twisted his arms and looked at the viewer with a deep thoughtful gaze. You can not call him beautiful, the artist did not flatter his model at all. Sunken cheeks, wrinkles and sunken eyes do not adorn a person. However, it cannot be denied that the writer is disposed to himself, even though he seems closed. On his face we see the constant work of thought, sadness about the difficult fate of his poor homeland. The intertwined fingers emphasize tension. Coloristically, the artist decided to portrait in dark muted colors. Only the serious face of the writer and the dazzling white cuffs of the shirt stand out from the general gamut. He created the portrait of Saltykov-Shchedrin Kramskoy in his usual manner. Simplicity and expressiveness of the composition, clarity of lines are designed to emphasize the psychological characteristics of the model.
The portrait of Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov-Shchedrin rightfully took a worthy place among the faces of prominent Russian people.