Painter Bryullov found his true vocation in portrait painting, reaching in his portraits and paintings of the highest pictorial class.
The heroes of Bryullov’s portraits are almost always attractive. This is explained by the fact that most often these are people of extraordinary, bright personalities, and the fact that Bryullov avoided writing portraits of those who did not evoke spiritual sympathy in him.
The author, carried away by the model, talks about his heroes in elevated intonation, sometimes as if reciting, refusing the language of prose in favor of poetry. His attitude to the model, he wants to captivate the viewer.
Experts in the art of Karl Bryullov are more familiar with the portrait of MA Beck with his daughter, written in the same 1940 – a large canvas, which is now stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery.
In this portrait the luxurious furnishing of the drawing-room, painted with the usual colorful brightness of Bryullov, convincing in the transfer of precious velvet, bronze, marble becomes an equal object of spectator attention and interest. The heroine of the portrait in her ideal, languorous beauty and some kind of sluggish static appears in the touching role of the mother. The calculation of the sentimental reaction of the viewer, the awakening in him of a feeling of affection here is obvious.
The painter created dozens of excellent portraits of his contemporaries, amazing with their skill and made honor to many collections of the world.
Bryullov was not attracted by official solemnity and significance. In this, apparently, lies the reason that Bryullov not only did not become a court portraitist, but by all possible, and sometimes risky means, left this role.
Courage with which he escaped the need to write the emperor himself, was remembered by many contemporaries. Bryullov took advantage of Nicholas’s delay in his workshop: “I took my hat and left the yard, ordering to tell the emperor if he would come:” Karl Pavlovitch was waiting for your majesty, but knowing that you are never late, I concluded that you were detained by something and that you postponed the session until another time. “Twenty minutes later, after the appointed time, the Emperor came to Bryullov’s studio, accompanied by Grigorovich, was amazed that he had not found Bryullov at home and, after listening to Goretsky’s explanation of the matter, told Grigorovich:” What an impatient man! ” Of course, there was never more talk about the portrait. “
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