After graduating from the Art Academy in 1827, young promising artist Karl Bryullov went to Italy to study the classical art of the Roman Empire. Who would have thought that this trip would be important not only for the artist himself, but for the whole world painting! Having visited the excavations of the once flourishing city of Pompeii, destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, the artist so penetrates his destiny that he starts creating a masterpiece of world art, a grandiose painting “The Last Day of Pompeii”.
Work on the painting was difficult, for three years Bryullov worked tirelessly, sometimes leading himself to exhaustion. But sooner or later everything ends, and in 1833 the masterpiece is ready. Masterful execution of the association in the picture of the huge looming danger and the different behavior of people at the same time, earned a lot of positive feedback right after the end of the work.
Pliny, pictured in the foreground, tries to persuade his fallen mother to stand up and run away from the impending danger. Nearby, the man raised his hand and tried to somehow protect his family. The woman kneels, surrounded by children, trying to find her protection and help.
Not far from them stands a Christian priest. He is strong in his faith, therefore he is fearless and calm before the oncoming danger. He looks at the verses of a statue of pagan gods destroyed by a huge force. And in the background, a pagan priest is seen trying to save the sacred altar. This Bryullov wanted to show how the Christian faith comes to replace paganism.
A crowd of people are running along the street trying to escape. Among them, the artist depicted himself, rescuing art objects.
Also on the canvas the artist depicted the allegory of changing one time to another – a woman lies on the ground, beside the baby mourns her.
In the grandiose work “The Last Day of Pompeii” by Karl Bryullov, any indifferent spectator finds answers to many questions about the meaning of life and the purpose of man.
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