The Russian artist Orest Kiprensky, whose paintings excited the Russian public throughout the first half of the 19th century, was born on March 24, 1782 in the estate of the poor landowner Oranienbaum district A. Dyakonov. Mother - serf Anna Gavrilova - gave birth to a child out of wedlock. Paternity is attributed to the landowner himself, who did not disdain communication with his serf girls. A year after the birth of the future artist, Dyakonov gave him the name Orestes, and although he did not recognize his son, he took care of the boy in every way, gave him freedom and took care of the future. And so that Orestes had a middle name, the landowner gave his mother to marry his yard man Adam Schwalbe.
The first steps
At the age of six, Orestes, who had shown his abilities early, was sent to training at a school at the Academy of Arts of St. Petersburg. Subsequently, he owed everything to his natural talent. Kiprensky graduated from the Academy in 1803 and continued to study the art of painting under the guidance of the famous Russian artist G.I. Ugryumova.
The next few years, Orest Adamovich Kiprensky spent in difficult conditions, actually lived in the barracks, was humiliated, he was mastered, his freedom was restricted. But strangely enough, deprivation and everyday disorder did not deprive the artist of his desire to engage in art, on the contrary, the difficult fate became an incentive for further creative development. Friends nicknamed the young Kiprensky "extravagant Orestes." The artist constantly carried with him an album with drawings, which he created literally on the go.
Uncertainty
Orest Kiprensky, whose paintings clearly represented a new word in painting, tried not to stand out from the total number of brush masters. He considered his work mediocre enough to flaunt it. However, Kiprensky’s friends gradually managed to convince him of the originality of the canvases that he painted very quickly, which is called in one breath.
Confession
In the end, Kiprensky, whose paintings had already been discussed secretly and clearly in Moscow, decided to demonstrate the paintings "Madonna and Child" and "Portrait of Adam Schwalbe's Father." A little later, the artist receives a large gold medal for the canvas "Prince of Donskoy after the Battle of Kulikovo". After that, Orest Kiprensky, whose paintings were recognized and appreciated, began to participate in the design of the Kazan Cathedral by the architect Voronikhin. However, this type of creativity did not become an opportunity for the artist to fully realize his talent, and he decided to turn to the portrait genre.
Orest Adamovich Kiprensky quickly came to the fore as a comprehensively gifted painter. The portraits painted by him impressed with the novelty and accuracy of the image. In some incomprehensible way, the artist managed to grasp the essence and not to miss it until the end of the work. One of the most significant works of Kiprensky is a portrait on which Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin is depicted. Kiprensky's painting, dedicated to the light of Russian poetry, was painted in 1827. Before the creation of this masterpiece, Orest Adamovich managed to write another 59 portraits, two of which depict Colonel E.V. Davydov and Count D.N. Sheremetev. The rest were written in half-width.
Orest Kiprensky, whose paintings confidently conquered St. Petersburg and Moscow, suddenly becomes an outstanding artist of his time. For several portraits painted in 1811-1813, the painter received the title of academician of painting.
Reputation
However, in the fate of the artist, not everything was so smooth and serene, he was overcome by ambition. Orest Adamovich painted portraits mainly for income, and he considered historical painting his vocation and was constantly trying to create some monumental canvas reflecting great events from the past of the Russian people.
Nevertheless, the artist continued to create in the genre accessible to him and became the first Russian painter to receive an order to create a self-portrait for the Uffizi Gallery, known for its collection of images of the best world-famous artists. Being so famous, the artist Kiprensky, whose paintings as they became a subject of desire for many collectors of the world, suddenly fell into disgrace.
Roman troubles
At that time, Orest Adamovich was in a Russian colony in Rome, where a certain A. Italinsky, who was very far from art and, in general, quite ignorant, was appointed envoy from the Russian state. The governor was disrespectful to the artists, considering them loafers. Someone spread a rumor about Kiprensky’s criminal intentions, about his ties to Italian carbonaries. As a result of libel and knowingly false accusations, Orest Adamovich was forced to leave Italy.
Success in france
Returning to his homeland, Kiprensky did not stay long in St. Petersburg and soon left for Paris, where his work made a splash at the spring exhibition of 1822. Then everyone was hearing a Russian artist Kiprensky. Pictures, the description of which was printed in full detail in special directories, were transported from one French city to another, and everywhere they were a stunning success.
Despite the obvious success of his portraiture, the artist continues to try to create a historical canvas, but the result of these attempts are paintings that resemble a landscape with Vesuvius or an untreated plot of some battle scene from the past. In the end, Kiprensky got tired, and for some time he retired and abandoned the job. The situation was aggravated by the fact that a talented Karl Bryullov appeared, and the attention of the public switched to him.
Financial difficulties
Orest Adamovich already received fewer orders and began to need money. Moreover, just at that time, the artist decided to marry, and this, as you know, is an expensive pleasure. However, soon fate turned to face Kiprensky, he successfully sold several paintings, managed to pay off his creditors, and life for him regained meaning.
Death
In order to marry his beloved, the artist adopted the Catholic faith. The young men quietly married in a small church, and after a while Orest Adamovich Kiprensky caught a cold and died of pneumonia. This happened on October 5, 1836. Four months later, a daughter was born to the widow of Kiprensky, who was named Clotilde. Her trace was lost in time.
The artist’s few friends set up a modest monument on his grave. Not a single newspaper reported the death of the painter, thanks to which Europe learned that in Russia there is great art and great artists.