Russian portrait painters appeared at the beginning of the 14th century AD. Masters of the brush of that time had limited means, so they often resorted to stylized drawings. This could not be called surrealism, but the paintings, of course, suffered from insufficient elaboration of details. Later, Russian portrait painters and their work were reoriented toward the design of churches. Sacred painting masters painted the walls and ceilings of churches and cathedrals.
Early portraiture
Russian portrait painters and their paintings had their own distinctive signs, they were recognizable - each painter traced his own style of work, moreover, he was revered both by priests and parishioners.
The most striking representative of that time was Andrei Rublev (1370-1428), who left behind imperishable works: "The Almighty Savior", "Archangel Michael", "Trinity", "Apostle Paul" and other masterpieces of icon painting.
Rublev's contemporary was the famous icon painter Feofan Grek (1340-1410). For a long time they worked together. In the 90s of the 14th century, artists painted the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Other Russian portrait painters participated in the work. The volume of work was quite large. The main icons of the deesis series were written by Theophanes the Greek, and the “prophetic” and part of the upper “forefathers” series were painted by Andei Rublev. There is no reliable data confirming that he wrote the stigmas of large icons of the lower row, but the hand of a talented icon painter is recognizable in these works.
Early masters of portraiture
At the beginning of the 14th century, the technique of oil painting improved somewhat due to the appearance of fine-rubbed paints.
Russian portrait painters of a later time:
- Dionysius (1440-1502), favorite of Tsar Ivan III. The monarch used to instruct the artist to paint a temple, and then periodically visited the icon painter and watched the work.
- Alexey Zubov (1682-1750) - the largest master of Russian engraving art of the era of Peter the Great. He worked together with his father, an outstanding icon painter Fedor Zubov. Together they painted the Armory of the Moscow Kremlin.
- Nikitin Ivan (1680-1742) - Russian artist, one of the first Russian masters of portraiture, educated in Europe. It was in a special location with Peter the Great. The most famous works of the artist are portraits of the Polish king Augustus II and the Duke of Mecklenburg.
Russian portrait painters of the 18th century
Masters of the brush of past centuries, as a rule, were engaged in church painting. However, the 18th century was the time of the emergence of portraiture in its purest form, when the painter reflects on the canvas the image of a specific person. Russian portrait painters of that time adhered to the classical school of fine art, which implies the exact reproduction of the smallest details. In portraiture, this technique perfectly suited the tasks set for the performer - to achieve such an image that it bears all the signs of an artistic style and is as reliable as possible. The work seemed quite painstaking and responsible. Nevertheless, famous Russian portrait painters excellently dealt with her. Orders were more than enough, the entire court nobility, as well as members of merchant guilds vied to order portraits for themselves and their loved ones.
Wealthy people preferred to invite painters to their home, because in this case the whole family could observe the process, and this was considered a good form. The Russian portrait painter usually did not live well, so he tried to accept as many orders as possible. If at the end of the work the image of the head of the family was pleasant to all households, then the painter received the next order in the same house. Thus, the Russian portrait painter He was in demand in high society and did not remain without work. The most successful masters were invited to the royal chambers to perform particularly important tasks.
The heyday of portraiture
When the Renaissance began in the art of painting, many talented masters appeared in Russia.
Russian portrait painters of the 18th century:
- Antropov Alexei (1716-1795) - a famous Russian portrait painter, participated in the decoration of the Winter Palace in 1744 and Tsarskoye Selo in 1749. Under his leadership, artists painted St. Andrew's Church in Kiev. Since 1761, Antropov was introduced into the Orthodox Synod as the chief overseer of icon painting. The artist entered the history of Russian art as a talented portrait painter of the Petrine period.
- Borovikovsky Vladimir (1757-1825) was born in Mirgorod. He became famous after a meeting with Catherine II, who traveled to the Crimea in 1787. The artist painted one of the palaces on the path of the Empress and was noticed by her. Catherine expressed her admiration and awarded Borovikovsky with money, which he later went to Petersburg.
- Venetsianov Aleksey (1780-1847) - Russian artist, founder of the plot everyday genre in portraiture. Fame brought him the work "Portrait of a Mother", written in 1801. He studied the art of drawing with the artist Borovikovsky.
- Kiprensky Orestes (1782-1836) - an outstanding artist, made his debut in 1804 with a portrait of A.K. Valbe, which was painted in the manner of Rembrandt. The famous work "E.V. Davydov", created in 1809, strengthened the reputation of the artist. Many paintings by Kiprensky are stored in the Tretyakov Gallery.
- Tropinin Vasily (1776-1857) - Russian artist who became famous after he painted the portrait of A.S. Pushkin commissioned by the poet himself. The picture was intended for S. A. Sobolevsky, a friend of Alexander Sergeevich. The portrait has become a classic image of the great poet at all times.
Portrait art in the 19th century
Russian portrait painters of the 19th century are a galaxy of talented painters who turned to the genre of depicting a human face. The most famous of them:
- Neff Timofei (1805-1876) - a follower of the academic style in art, a historical portrait painter. He studied painting at the Dresden Art School. In 1826 he moved to Petersburg, where he immediately gained fame by writing a series of portraits of famous people. In 1837, he went on a long journey across Russia to get acquainted with the folk outback and the everyday life of ordinary people. After returning, he painted the church of the Winter Palace; these works included the famous "Last Supper". He received a professorship for painting St. Isaac's Cathedral, at the same time became the keeper of the Hermitage's gallery of paintings.
- Zakharov Peter (1816-1846) - Russian portrait painter with a difficult fate. A three-year-old boy was found in the abandoned Chechen village of Dadi-Yurt. Russian General Ermolov took the child up. Noticing the ability of the adopted son to draw, he gave little Petya to study for portrait painter Lev Volkov. In 1836, Zakharov graduated from the course at the Academy of Arts and received the title of free artist.
- Makarov Ivan (1822-1897) - Russian painter, for a long creative life he painted many paintings. The artist's works, including portraits, including those created at different times, are in the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum, the Academy of Arts and exhibition halls throughout Russia. In 1844, Makarov moved to St. Petersburg, where he won the recognition of the metropolitan audience.
Portrait painter Tyranov
Russian portrait painter (1808-1859), was engaged in icon painting. In 1824, he met the artist Venetsianov, who identified the young man in his school of painting, and when he graduated, he arranged Tyranov as a student at the Academy of Arts. The further fate of the young painter was successful, he received a small gold medal from the Academy, in 1836 he became a student of the venerable Karl Bryullov. For his work, "Girl with Tambourine" was awarded the title of academician. While in Rome, he wrote his main paintings: "The Girl Squeezing Water from Her Hair", "The Angel with the Oil Branch", "Mother of Moses on the Bank of the Nile." Then, after the artist returned to St. Petersburg, the artist suffered a series of setbacks, and he turned into a beggar. Shelter found in his brother's house in the city of Kashin. There Tyranov died at the age of 51.
Unrivaled Portrait Technique
Zaryanko Sergey (1818-1870) - a wonderful Russian portrait painter, famous for the indescribable play of light and shadow on his canvases. The artist’s technique is so pronounced that the inner world of the person depicted on the canvas, as it were, is lost in the richness of shades and tones. In total, Zaryanko painted about a hundred portraits, most of which are dedicated to the emperor, his family and the highest court nobility.
Student of the master
Zhodeyko Leonid (1827-1879) - Russian portrait painter, student of the Moscow artist Zaryanko and St. Petersburg master Markov, a teacher at the Academy of Arts. He painted mainly female portraits. Received the title of academician for the painting "Girl washing her face." He was a regular participant in the annual exhibitions held under the auspices of the Academy of Arts of St. Petersburg.
Dramatic style artist
Kramskoy Ivan Nikolaevich (1837-1887) - an outstanding master of portraiture, religious wall paintings, genre drawing. The author of paintings depicting famous writers, artists, artists, among which were: L. N. Tolstoy (year 1883), M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin (year 1879), I. I. Shishkin (year 1873 -th), S.P. Botkin (year 1880), P.M. Tretyakov (year 1876th).
All his life, the artist adhered to a philosophical and dramatic subtext in his works, this is especially noticeable in portrait paintings: "Unknown", "N.A. Nekrasov", "Inconsolable grief", which were created in the period from 1877 to 1884. These masterpieces are in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Artistic portraits in the 20th century
The twentieth century was a difficult period for Russia. Political upheavals, two bloody wars left their mark on the development of the country. Nevertheless, art was alive, in the post-war years, painting was revived, including portraiture. There were few artists, but they all went through a good school.
Russian painters portrait painters of the 20th century:
- Kozlov Engels - Soviet portrait painter, born in 1926, graduated from the Yaroslavl Art College, then enrolled in a painting course at the Repin Leningrad Institute. In 1956 he presented his graduation work "Will live!" To the graduation committee. He is a member of the Union of Artists since 1957. The main themes of Kozlov's work are portraits of contemporaries.
- Oleg Lomakin - portrait painter of the Soviet period, born in 1924. He studied at the Leningrad art school, then - at the All-Russian Academy of Arts. In 1942 he was drafted into the Red Army, fought near Kursk, where he was seriously wounded and was expelled from the army. Portraits painted by the artist have been exhibited at exhibitions since 1952.
- Nevelshtein Samuel (1904-1983) - portrait painter, graduated from VKHUTEMAS. The artist has several dozens of works. The main theme of the work of Nevelshtein was portraits of his contemporaries. The portrait painter held five solo exhibitions, all of them were held in Leningrad, the first show took place in 1944.
- Oreshnikov Victor (1904-1987) - Soviet painter and portrait painter. People's Artist of the Soviet Union, winner of two Stalin Prizes. The work was dominated by plots dedicated to achievements in the national economy, and portraits of contemporaries.
- Shilov Alexander - Russian portrait painter, born in 1943. Creator of unique portraits of a historical orientation. Actively involved in public life, member of the Public Council under the President of Russia.
Famous portrait painters
Over the six hundred years that have passed since the advent of pictorial art, more than one generation of artists has been replaced. In addition to the painters already mentioned, there were quite a few other masters.
Who are Russian portrait painters? A list of them is presented below.
18 century:
- Musikysky Grigory Semenovich, court portrait painter.
- Gzel Georg, a Swiss painter, worked for a long time in Russia.
- Nikitin Ivan Nikitich, a court painter.
- Vishnyakov Ivan Yakovlevich, portraitist for the aristocracy.
- Kolokolnikov Mina Lukich, serf artist.
- Matveev Andrey Matveevich, court portrait painter.
19th century:
- Grigory Ivanovich Ugryumov, a peasant artist.
- Ivanov Andrey Ivanovich, noble portrait painter.
- Orlovsky Alexander Osipovich, noble artist.
- Sokolov Peter Fedorovich, portraitist for the aristocracy.