For his relatively short creative life, the artist Karl Pavlovich Bryullov created many paintings, among which there are several recognized masterpieces of world painting. Among them, a special place is occupied by "Italian noon." Bryullov painted it in 1827, and it is this painting that is most often mentioned as the best work belonging to his brush.
Author biography: early years
Before proceeding to the description of Karl Pavlovich Bryullov’s painting “Italian Noon”, it is worth devoting some time to the biography and creativity of the author himself. So, Karl Bryullov was born in 1799 in St. Petersburg. From an early age he studied painting and helped his father - academician Pavel Bryullov - fulfill various orders. In particular, it is known that he participated in the painting of the Kronstadt Church. At the age of ten, the boy was enrolled in the Imperial Academy of Arts, which he graduated in 1821. Moreover, it is known that he received a gold medal for his works in the class of historical painting. For brilliantly completed graduation work, Bryullov relied on a trip to Italy at the expense of the treasury, but the President of the Academy, A. Olenin, demanded that the young man postpone his internship for three years. Then Bryullov, who could not find a common language with his new mentor A. Ermolaev, refused the trip and left the Academy.
Italian travel
Despite all the difficulties, a trip abroad still took place. The fact is that at that time in St. Petersburg there was a Society for the Encouragement of Artists, whose members were wealthy patrons. They invited the beginning painter to write several paintings, and in return paid him a trip to Italy, to which he went in 1822 with his brother Alexander Bryullov. On the way, young people visited Riga, several German cities, including Berlin and Dresden, as well as Venice, Verona and Bologna. The final destination of the trip was Rome, where the artist arrived in 1823. There he began work on a custom-made canvas, which was a copy of one of the famous frescoes by Raphael Santi.
Karl Bryullov, “Italian noon”: the story of creation
Once in Rome, among the masterpieces of ancient art and works of masters of the Renaissance, the artist experienced a real creative upsurge. However, he was vividly interested in the life boiling around the Italian capital and its environs, which did not even remotely resemble the measured life of Petersburgers. The artist did not remain indifferent to the southern beauty of the Romans. All these impressions inspired him to create the painting “Italian Morning”. She was a resounding success and was donated by the Society for the Encouragement of Artists to the wife of Nicholas I. Soon, the painter received an order to create another similar canvas from the emperor himself. It became "Italian noon." Bryullov brilliantly coped with this work, creating a real masterpiece. Interestingly, some time after writing the canvas, the artist met with Countess Julia Samoilova, who became his muse, whose appearance somewhat resembled the girl depicted in this picture.
Karl Bryullov, “Italian noon”: description
As already mentioned, this canvas was created as if in a pair to the already painted picture, which also depicts a beautiful southerner. However, this canvas is different from the previous one. “Italian noon” (Bryullov created it at the age of 28) portrays a more mature beauty, while in the picture painted earlier we see a very young girl, almost a teenager, who washes with cool water from a fountain at dawn. To emphasize the fact that the Italian is in its heyday, the artist gave her a lush bunch of grapes, poured with juice, as luxurious as she herself. By the way, if you look closely, you can notice the initials of the master, in the form of the Latin letters “CB” on the shirt, barely covering the snow-white chest of the beauty. It is difficult to say which class the woman Karl Bryullov portrayed belongs to. “Italian noon” is generally full of mysteries. For example, it is not known who the girl posed for the artist. Perhaps it was a peasant woman from the Roman suburbs, but the whiteness of her skin suggests that this person is hardly used to spending days working in the vineyards under the scorching sun.
The fate of the canvas
It is hard to believe, but Bryullov’s painting “Italian Noon”, after it was exhibited in St. Petersburg, caused a wave of indignation and received a lot of unflattering reviews. The fact is that the model seemed to critics too simple and devoid of grace. In addition, art lovers indicated that the appearance of the depicted girl is far from the ancient canons of beauty, which was considered unacceptable in the era of late classicism.
Thus, the public rejected “Italian noon.” Bryullov was upset. Moreover, he had to break his ties with patrons who had supplied him with orders for more than one year. He would have known then that after only a few decades, reproductions and copies of this canvas would adorn the walls of private homes and public institutions around the world.
Where can i see
Today, lovers of painting around the world know that the main masterpiece that Karl Bryullov created is “Italian noon” (the description is presented above). To see this magnificent painting, you need to go to the Russian Museum, which is located in St. Petersburg at 4. Engineering Street. In addition, a small copy of this painting, also owned by the artist, is stored in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.