The greatest Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, who was called the conscience of the nation, was painted by several famous artists. The most famous portraits of the classic belong to the brush of I.E. Repin, I.N. Kramskoy, M.V. Nesterova. From domestic painters to the image of L.N. Tolstoy was treated by L.O. Pasternak (father of the writer B.L. Pasternak) and N.N. Ge.
Worldwide recognition
But there is a portrait of Leo Tolstoy, authored by Pablo Picasso (painted in 1956). In addition, the author of the novel “War and Peace” was painted by the famous Polish artist Jan Styka. He has several portraits of the classic and two paintings. One depicts the last departure of the writer with a knapsack over his shoulders from Yasnaya Polyana. The canvas is called "On the road to infinity." The second captures the great Russian writer embracing Jesus Christ.
In a somewhat unusual manner, a portrait of Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich was made by the American graphic artist Mauricio Lazanski. Probably, this canvas also has its fans.
The works of famous masters
Our country is rich in images of the great compatriot. Especially well-known paintings of the brush of the above Russian artists. Some of them have addressed this image more than once. At M.V. Nesterova - two works dated 1907 and 1918. Leonid Pasternak painted a lot of the writer. In 1901, he created a portrait of Leo Tolstoy against a thunderstorm and in the light of a table lamp. And in 1906 he painted a
portrait with charcoal. The work of N.N. 1884 Ge, on which the classic is depicted selflessly writing: he does not pose, he works. The portrait was painted in the classic’s Moscow apartment at the time when Lev Nikolayevich was working on the treatise “What is my faith?”. The canvas is distinguished by laconicism and simplicity, not one iota diminishing its greatness.
Great Kramskoy
Since childhood, every Russian from school textbooks knows the canvas on which the forty-five-year-old Leo Tolstoy is depicted - a portrait of the artist-Wanderer I.N. Kramskoy. Painter-psychologist, a wonderful master of portraiture painted in Yasnaya Polyana one of his best paintings.
The history of creation is as follows. Leo Tolstoy for a long time refused, despite Tretyakov's persuasion, to pose for recommended artists. But Kramskoy managed to convince the writer. This painting is so popular because the artist managed to discover the complex world of genius and analytics of human souls, which was Leo Tolstoy. The portrait captures for centuries the calm look of a unique person, conveying both simplicity and wisdom at the same time. I.N. Kramskoy painted two portraits - for the Tretyakov gallery and the writer's family. The artist was so keen on work that he finished the first canvas in three sessions, the second was completed even faster. This painter was able to notice and capture the hidden movements of the soul and character traits of the person depicted. The artist himself said that a portrait should first of all reflect something in a person, for which all Russia loves him. Repin wrote about this work by Kramskoy that the author was able to "express the essence of the" great Leo "." This wonderful portrait of Leo Tolstoy is in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Ingenious Repin
Ilya Efimovich Repin himself, the great master of the portrait genre, painted the "great Leo" more than once. He has the largest series of portraits of the writer. There is a photograph of Leo Tolstoy posing for Repin. He painted Tolstoy plowing and playing the piano alone and alone with his daughter A. L. Tolstoy. A very popular picture, in which the writer is depicted lying under a tree in the forest and reading a book. There is a canvas where in the working room (the room under the arches) at the table, the writer L. Tolstoy is depicted. The portrait against the background of the pink sofa is also unusually good.
A lot of sketches for all the paintings. The picture of Ilya Efimovich, which depicts Tolstoy, standing barefoot on the grass, is extremely popular. She is always referred to, talking about the simplicity of the count: he walked barefoot, plowed the ground. The last fact of the writer's biography is also captured by the great Repin, the picture is called “Plowman”. By the way, the family did not like all the drawings, especially the barefoot and plowing classic. The wife considered this count behavior to be an intimate, non-publicizing side of life. There is also a family portrait, where the writer is depicted with his wife, there are sketches of the writer and reader in different angles. A lot of work.
Genius in a painting of genius
The most famous is the work of Repin in 1887, which captures the great writer, sitting in an armchair with a book in his hand. The ingenious author of the portrait of Tolstoy portrayed the “master of thought”, calmly leaning back in the dark chair. The clothes of the writer are in the same color scheme. The picture tells about genius very simply. The color scheme is very modest, which does not detract from the grandeur of either the painting or the “man for all time” depicted on it.