The master of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky is an artist who is usually ranked among the era of sentimentalism. It was a time when it was fashionable to cry over poetry, be touched by a beautiful flower and birdsong, admire the sunrises and sunsets.
The time when decent girls should faint on time, in every possible way to show the subtlety of feelings and emotional vulnerability, defenselessness, fragility and tenderness of a creature. It was during this period that the painting "Portrait of M. I. Lopukhina" was created. Borovikovsky very subtly managed to remind contemporaries and viewers of subsequent eras about how good it is to be a person.
The work of a famous artist
The works of Vladimir Lukich are quite recognizable. His canvases are easy to distinguish from the heroes of a little earlier time. Even the most formal, solemn and brilliant images are softened and warmed by some subtle inner experience. Slightly sad and excited, listen to something and dream.
The woman of the era of sentimentalism was supposed to be pale and thoughtful, even a little sad. This is what Maria Ivanovna appears at the famous masterpiece created by Borovikovsky. The portrait of Lopukhina conveys the most gentle and subtle features of this woman. And today, this masterpiece can be admired within the walls of the famous Tretyakov Gallery.
The image of the Russian beauty
Maria was the daughter of a retired general Count Tolstoy and sister of the equally famous Fedor Tolstoy. She was not the subject of adoration for her many fans. She did not have time to devote verses to Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin.
But this beauty was an adornment of many secular salons. Many subsequently began to call her the Russian Mona Lisa. The same charm of a mysterious look and a mysterious smile is present in the image of this charming woman.
Not a goddess, but a poetic muse portrayed her by Borovikovsky. The portrait of Lopukhina conveys precisely those features of this Russian beauty that so attracted the men around her. The tenderness, sensitivity and subtlety of the image are skillfully depicted on a well-known canvas.
The tragic fate of Russian beauties
But the fate of the Russian woman was not always cloudless. And an example of this is Maria Ivanovna Lopukhina, who was married to the ranger of the imperial court Stepan Avraamovich and had a very unhappy fate. By that time he had already retired. Due to the imbalance of his character, Lopukhin could not give happiness to his lovely wife.
She, having experienced horror and humiliation of insults, three years after the wedding died of consumption. Thus ended the difficult and tragic life, the fate that Maria Ivanovna Lopukhina experienced. The portrait of Borovikovsky so skillfully and accurately conveyed her bright appearance that caused a lively response in the soul and poetry of the famous Jacob Polonsky, who devoted his lines to her. "... But Borovikovsky saved her beauty. So part of her soul did not fly away from us ..."
The most famous masterpiece of Vladimir Lukich
A lot of paintings were written by the famous and talented artist Vladimir Borovikovsky. The portrait of Lopukhina Maria Ivanovna is not his first or last creation, but it so happened that it was this painting that became the most famous and famous. In front of this canvas absolutely everything freezes. People of any age peer into her image. There is something special about her.
This young and uniquely gentle woman lived only twenty-three years. Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky painted Lopukhina's portrait when she was only eighteen years old. It seems that he almost conjured it with his quivering and skillful brush: stay that way - surprisingly gentle, warm, alive. Do not fade!
Vladimir Borovikovsky. Portrait of Lopukhina. Description of the famous canvas
Maria Ivanovna is depicted in a light and delicate robe, which emphasizes her special grace. Next to Lopukhina’s tender, slightly bent down hand is the bending head of a lush rose, and holding her breath, the viewer feels that this flower will soon begin to drop its petals.
The tender and lively beauty of this woman will also fade away, end, interrupted by inexorable death. And the verses dedicated to this portrait have been sounded and will continue to be sung for many years, singing the imperishable beauty and grace of the Russian beauty. And this amazing property to save beauty is one of the most important and touching features of the work of Vladimir Lukich.
No matter who the person is or no matter how simple he looks, his face is less beautiful than the image that preserved the portrait of Maria Lopukhina. Borovikovsky remembered this, creating each of his masterpieces, and all his paintings retain a piece of his soul and the warmth of his brush.
The unique talent of a famous artist
Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky was able to convey in his portraits something very personal, reverent and poetic. At the time of the creation of the picture, which depicts Maria Ivanovna, he was about forty years old. By that time, he had already established himself as a very talented and popular artist, who even painted the images of the daughters of Emperor Paul the First and Empress Maria Fedorovna.
And in the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety-seven, he receives an order from Lopukhin. The portrait of Borovikovsky was to capture the young beauty of the future wife of Stepan Avraamovich. Mary is only eighteen years old, and the artist could not remain indifferent to this amazing creation. He was able to convey all the tenderness and purity. Sadness in the eyes of this beauty and as if even a premonition of tragedy.