The model on the background of red drapery by Orestes Kiprensky

The model on the background of red drapery by Orestes Kiprensky

The academic works of Kiprensky, which correspond to the canons of classicism, mostly refer to the time of his studies at the Academy. Already in the first sketches that have come down to us, there is a slight irritation of a young painter who is compelled to create the proposed “words”.

On the one hand, he does not seem to move away from them, but on the other hand, at every opportunity, he adds to the stereotype some unusual overtone, which suddenly makes the usual composition sound. First of all, this is due to the absence of an absolutely smooth line, with its easy “gap”, confusion, with a rich color, which introduces a strange emotionality into the classical composition, with a barely perceptible alarm that “displaces” the proclaimed solemnity of the academic work.

As an example of such sketches, we give the work “Sitter on the background of red drapery,” 1802. Note that these “distortions” can be found, if desired, even in the most orthodox academic painting of Kiprensky Dmitry Donskoy on the Kulikovo Field, awarded the Big Gold Medal.

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