There are few portraits, and even portraying non-august persons, to whom poets even after centuries devoted poetry. Among them is the portrait of Struisky Rokotov, who even today desires a better look at the beauty depicted on him and comprehend the mystery of her black eyes.
A few words about the work of the author of the canvas
F. S. Rokotov is considered the first Russian painter to work, as they would put it today, without receiving remuneration from either the church or the state treasury. Nevertheless, over 60 years (to be precise, for the entire second half of the 18th century and even for the first decade of the 19th), he, according to contemporaries, “rewrote the floor of St. Petersburg”. Despite the fact that Rokotov was not a court painter, he was often ordered portraits by famous nobles and even Catherine II herself. Moreover, he enjoyed such a high confidence of the empress that she trusted him to capture on the canvas her illegitimate son, who later became known as Count Bobrinsky. This work has survived and is considered one of the best children's portraits painted by Russian artists.
Rokotov's biography
Extremely scarce information has been preserved about the life of the painter, and even the appearance of the artist has to be judged by the only canvas of his work, which some researchers consider to be a self-portrait. It is only known for certain that Rokotov came from serfs, but at an early age he managed to attract the attention of I. Shuvalov, who identified a talented young man at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. In addition, there is a version that for some time the future well-known artist studied in the Land Schlechter Corps, since his studies of that time depict mainly cadets. Having reached the rank of captain, Rokotov received the nobility and resigned, devoting himself to painting.
Description
The portrait of Struisky Rokotov depicts a young lady of the nobility. The artist tried to capture it in such a way as to convey all the charm of youth of an eighteen-year-old young woman who is happy and proud of her high position in society. According to contemporaries, many who saw the portrait of Struisky Rokotov immediately felt the urge to get acquainted with this beauty, how lively and attractive she looked on this canvas.
The young woman is depicted with a high haircut, in the fashion of that time, revealing a long neck and forehead, and her outfit with a deep, but at the same time chaste neckline emphasizes the whiteness of her breast.
As for the posture of Struyskaya, it is truly royal and testifies to a well-developed self-esteem. At the same time, this canvas is deprived of the pomp inherent in ceremonial portraits. This is evidenced by the rather modest outfit of the girl, and the lack of jewelry, except for a brooch with a pearl pendant. However, researchers of the artist’s creativity note that such intimacy and even some intimacy are generally inherent in the works of this portrait painter, with the exception of works written by him in recent years.
Discussing the portrait of Struyskaya Rokotova, it is impossible not to mention her eyes, which are the darkest object in the picture. They are almost black and express tenderness, care and bright sadness about the lost days of childhood and adolescence, ending with marriage.
Who was Nikolai Yeremeyevich Struisky
A famous portrait in 1772 was ordered to Rokotov by the spouse of the lady, who is depicted on it. This person was Nikolai Yeremeyevich Struisky. By an unfortunate coincidence, his entire family was destroyed during the Pugachevsky riot and the plague that raged in Moscow in the early 1770s, and at a fairly young age he became the heir to a huge fortune. At the same time, it was a refined nature, fond of literature. In particular, some poetic works belonging to the pen of this landowner have reached us. It is also known that he was the owner of one of the first and best private printing houses in Russia.
Between 1663 and 1771, he served in the Preobrazhensky regiment, but after he retired and settled in his estate Ruzayevka, devoting himself to literature and art.
Even before his retirement, Nikolai Yeremeyevich married the Olympiad Sergeyevna Balbekova, who died in childbirth, giving the wife of twin girls who did not live up to a year. By the way, one of the paintings from the Ruzayevka estate, on which, according to some researchers, O.S. Struyskaya is depicted in a man’s suit and cocked hat, is a portrait of Rokotov, painted by him somewhere around 1768. It is generally known that the artist and Nikolai Yeremeyevich closely communicated for many years and, perhaps, in their youth they were even colleagues.
Who was Alexandra Petrovna Struiskaya
Having burnt up after the death of the first wife for about three years, Nikolai Yeremeyevich embraced A.P. Ozerova, who at that time was barely eighteen. She was incredibly beautiful and at the first meeting she turned her head to a 23-year-old widower. Immediately after the honeymoon, the husband in love took his young wife to Moscow and ordered his friend, who undoubtedly was Rokotov, a portrait of Struyskaya and his own.
Alexandra Petrovna made an indelible impression on the artist and, as he later wrote, was not only pretty and smart, but also “devilishly cunning and polite.” In addition, the girl was almost an ideal model and patiently posed as much as was necessary.
Rokotov. Portrait of Struyskaya: the fate of the canvas
The fate of this canvas, as well as the portrait of N. E. Struysky painted at the same time, is quite interesting. The fact is that almost a hundred years after the artist’s death, they were stored in the Ruzayevka estate, while remaining unknown to the general public. However, in 1903, a lady addressed the Moscow Imperial Historical Museum, stating that she wanted to sell two canvases depicting her ancestors. The surname of the people did not cause much interest in the directorate, but when she said that the author was F. Rokotov, the portrait of A. Struyskaya and the picture depicting her husband were immediately sent for examination. She confirmed the authenticity of the masterpieces, and they were put on public display, to the delight of lovers of Russian painting.
The riddle of the “Russian Mona Lisa”
As already mentioned, A.P. Struiskaya (a portrait of Rokotov, according to contemporaries, quite accurately conveys the features of her face) was special extraordinary. Suffice it to say that the bridegroom did not present the jewelry as a gift to the newlywed, but the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ruzayevka, because he knew that the spiritual side of life, and not jewelry or costumes, was of much greater value to the bride. Despite her beauty, she preferred the balls to the quiet joys of family life and gave birth to 18 children, of whom only 8 survived to adulthood.
Such an unusual choice always surprised contemporaries, since the lady of that time, who still had a huge fortune, in their opinion should not stay away from the splendor of the yard. Rokotov (the portrait of A.P. Struyskaya is considered one of his most famous works) was able to catch the eccentricity of this young woman and reflect her in the look of her blue-black eyes.
Rokotov's painting "Portrait of Struyskaya": where to see
Today, the canvas depicting the “Russian Gioconda” is stored in the fourth hall of the Tretyakov Gallery, at 10 Lavrushinsky Lane, and is considered one of the pearls of the collection of works by Russian artists of the 18th century.