Although the picture was written after the death of Peter I, but it reflects the spirit of the time of Peter the Great, a new understanding of the meaning of the human person. Before us is the first self-portrait in Russian painting. The young, bold, full of life and energetically fashioned face of the artist AM Matveev, a pioneer of new art, convinces us that such a person was able to manage the huge monumental works in the capital growing on the banks of the Neva.
The image of the artist’s wife is different lyricism and softness. There is some artificiality in the composition, but it is redeemed by the immediacy, simplicity and self-esteem of these first representatives of the new Russian intelligentsia. The painting of Matveyev is wide and free, the warm tone of the shadows ensures the consistency of the entire coloristic solution.
The name of the painting by Andrei Matveyev is surprising – “Self-portrait with wife Irina Stepanovna”. Not only love, but also deep respect and admiration are read in his presentation by the name and patronymic of his young wife. Or maybe this is a subtle reproach to his contemporaries, who failed to convey to us not only the majority of the paintings, but also the patronymic of the artist? Sent by the Russian autocrat Peter I in 1716 almost as a child to study art skills abroad, Andrei Matveyev stayed in Holland and Flanders for eleven years, receiving a full Western European education. Returning to Russia after the death of his highest benefactor, A. Matveyev was credited to the staff of the Office of the buildings. Hard work begins for the benefit of Russian art.
The artist participates in the painting of cathedrals, churches and royal palaces, writes wonderful portraits and allegorical paintings. His talent, hard work and, obviously, excellent organizational skills make him the first of Russian artists who in 1730 headed the painting team of the Chancellery of buildings, in charge of all the significant art works in St. Petersburg. In this important post, he worked until his death. And the death of the easily vulnerable and responsible for the work performed by A. Matveyeva came to mystical 37 years. I didn’t finish much, didn’t perform one of the first significant Russian painters.
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