The evolution of the painting system of Rokotov. School encyclopedia

(born in 1735 in the village of Vorontsovo, near Moscow - died in 1808 in Moscow)

1. Study. Becoming an artist.

One of the most authoritative art critics of the early 20th century, N. N. Wrangel, examining Rokotov’s work, wrote that “it is shrouded in an attractive aura of mystery.” The same words can be attributed to his biography. “Important gentleman”, wealthy homeowner, one of the founders of the Moscow English Club for a long time was considered to come from noble family, but then documents were discovered indicating that this was not at all the case.

F. S. Rokotov was born in 1735 into the family of the serf princes Repnin, in the village of Vorontsovo, the estate of his masters near Moscow. Rokotov's artistic talent was probably discovered quite early, and he was transferred to the staff of the Moscow house of Prince P. I. Repnin. In Moscow he began to work as a painter. Did Rokotov have teachers, who and how did he get acquainted with oil painting, brilliant master which he soon became is unknown. Early works the artist also did not survive. The artist’s talent and first successes in Moscow meant that at the age of twenty-something he found himself in St. Petersburg and, moreover, no longer a serf, but a free man.

An important role in the fate of Rokotov was played by I. I. Shuvalov, a nobleman and philanthropist, president of the Academy of Arts. Rokotov's move to the capital coincided with the establishment of the Academy, for which Shuvalov was looking for talented young people. Rokotov, who enjoyed a certain confidence from Shuvalov, began working in his house and soon at the Academy.

When Rokotov entered artistic life Russia, Russian painting itself (which replaced ancient icon painting) was still very young: it barely existed for half a century. There were no sculptures by F. Shubin, no portraits by D. G. Levitsky, no paintings by A. P. Losenko. He entered art at the head of a glorious galaxy of masters of Russian art of the second half of the XVIII century.

Comparing numerous facts, candidate of art history I. G. Romanycheva confidently asserts that “from the mid-1750s, Rokotov was in St. Petersburg and studied, obviously, in a garrison school, and possibly in the cadet corps itself, as a class student or as a private student. .. But, one way or another, he was closely connected with the Gentry Cadet Corps.”

The first work that has come down to us that allows us to guess Rokotov’s unique perception of the human personality is a portrait of an unknown guard officer, completed on March 15, 1757. The portrait makes a dual impression: one can feel the talent of the author, who is passionate about the model and the work, but it is also clear that Rokotov has not yet overcome either the tension of the pose, born of prolonged posing, or a number of technical difficulties. And yet, in the works of older contemporaries one cannot find that charm of life, that poetry that spiritualizes Rokotov’s portrait and testifies to the birth in Russian painting of a new attitude to the image of man.

In the same year or around it, Rokotov painted the painting “The Cabinet of I. I. Shuvalov” (The painting is known from a copy of A. Zyablov, Rokotov’s student. The original painting, unfortunately, has not survived). Interiors, internal views premises were generally extremely rare in painting XVIII century, Rokotov’s plan is completely unusual. The captured office did not look like the magnificent offices of nobles - small hall no furniture, but with a whole collection of paintings. Shuvalov collected them for years, and then donated them to the Academy of Arts. He probably instructed Rokotov to depict his favorite things before parting with them. There is something intimate in the picture. It helps to understand Shuvalov’s personality, his tastes and interests.

Meetings with Shuvalov are evidence of Rokotov’s rapprochement with the advanced circles of young figures in Russian art. But there were other, more significant connections. Since 1757, the young artist has been participating in the work on the mosaic portrait of the Empress under the supervision of M.V. Lomonosov, which indicates that Rokotov not only knew Lomonosov, but also the trust that he already enjoyed at that time. Soon he was commissioned to paint a portrait of the heir, Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich. In the portrait, Rokotov followed the established type of official “representative” images, without introducing any innovations into the composition, but gives the portrait those expressive features, that inner richness that distinguishes it from other images of the heir.

Despite the recognition, Rokotov continues to study and learn the lessons of academic excellence. In 1760, Shuvalov ordered to enroll him in the Academy, and in 1761 Rokotov was already among the “third class of Academicians.” Moreover, contemporaries viewed Rokotov’s stay at the Academy not so much from the perspective of his self-improvement, but rather for the sake of strengthening the authority of the Academy with his achievements. This is the phenomenon of the “Shuvalov” Academy: gifted students were both students and teachers there.

At the same time, Rokotov performed serious tasks outside the Academy. So in 1761 he created one of his beautiful works - a portrait of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, allowing us to see the Grand Duke, a seven-year-old boy, in all his spontaneity. Rokotov highlighted Pavel's face with light, embodying a living inner movement: the features of an inquisitive, quick-witted, spontaneous boy are intertwined in him with the features of a self-confident minion. In its ability to create a characterization of a person, and even in the most complex field of a child’s portrait, this work is already quite “Rokotov’s”. The emotionality and content of the image, the naturalness of instant movement and the expressiveness of the face make the archaism invisible compositional technique. The execution of the portrait should also be noted. You can already feel the hand of a master in it.

Close in time and execution to the portrait of Pavel is the portrait of the girl E. Yusupova, painted in silver-blue tones.

In 1762, Rokotov was appointed adjunct of painting, but Shuvalov, declaring this appointment in his “warrant,” ordered the artist “to make a painting by Peter’s Day, which will be left at the Academy.” It was the composition “Venus and Cupid”, which was a free copy of an engraving. But as evidence from contemporaries shows, this was only a formal requirement, and the title was, in essence, received for the successful execution of a portrait of someone who briefly ascended the throne Peter III, to whom Shuvalov “presented” Rokotov’s work.

On the eve of “Peter’s day” indicated by Shuvalov, there was palace coup, who elevated Catherine II to the throne. The events directly affected the Academy, which was reorganized. Shuvalov went abroad for a long time, and in his place, as president of the Academy, I. I. Betskoy was appointed. The honor of founding the Academy - a secondary one - was attributed to Catherine in 1764.

Everything changed in St. Petersburg. In the atmosphere of excitement that had not yet subsided after the coup and coronation, Rokotov was tasked with immortalizing Grigory Orlov, perhaps the main person in the events of those days and the favorite of Catherine II. Rokotov portrayed him, the recent “lowest officer,” as a triumphant commander. Conventional glorification and gloomy coloring are not common for Rokotov, but he liked the portrait and already copied it in 1763.

Almost immediately, Rokotov was commissioned for an official portrait of Catherine, timed to coincide with her coronation and one of the first to depict her with the attributes of autocratic power. A small sketch has survived, apparently drawn from life. On its back there is an inscription: “Painted in 1763 Mayan 20 Painted by the Academy painter Fyodor Rokotov Thirty rubles were paid for the work.” Among similar works this portrait holds a special place. In contrast to the lifeless, idol-like images created by his contemporaries, Rokotov paints a vitally expressive portrait. Catherine sits in a chair, in profile, as if addressing her interlocutor, her movement is full of naturalness, and the regalia and decoration of the room are not striking. The artist carefully painted the sloping forehead, firmly compressed thin lips, and strong-willed gaze. The heavy double chin is balanced by a high hairstyle of powdered hair, skillfully intertwined with pearl threads, and crowned with a light, elegant crown. Rokotov created ceremonial portrait a new type, using the traits of a real human personality. In the image of the new empress one can see hope for an enlightened monarchy. Indeed, at that time Ekaterina Alekseevna expressed fashion ideas freedom of thought and enlightenment, entered into correspondence with prominent French thinkers and encyclopedists. The author's repetitions and numerous copies indicate the positive reception of this work.

The empress liked portraits by Rokotov. Thus, a portrait of Catherine II with St. George's ribbon was repeated several times by the portrait artist himself, and was also engraved by G. I. Skorodumov in 1777. Perhaps the only Russian artist, F. Rokotov was honored when the Empress herself posed for him. This is confirmed by the testimony of contemporaries. N. A. Struisky wrote on one of the portraits of Catherine II that Rokotov “copied it himself from the empress.” An unprecedented event! The Russian artist, a former serf, was preferred to the famous Swedish portrait painter A. Roslin, invited to St. Petersburg from Paris in 1775. The full-length portrait of the Russian Empress, executed by A. Roslin and accurately conveying her face, did not receive the approval of the customer. She ironically stated that the vaunted foreigner portrayed her with a face “vulgar, like a Swedish cook.” Therefore, when painting portraits of Catherine II, it was indicated to follow Roslin only in the composition as a whole, and to paint the face “according to Rokotov.” Portraits of the “Roslin-Rokotov type” were indeed painted more than once and are found in almost every large collection.

Rokotov received orders one after another. He not only worked hard, but also enthusiastically, without repeating himself. By the mid-sixties Rokotov from playing appearance a person goes deeper and deeper into the embodiment of his inner state.

F.S. Rokotov (1735-1808) Reliable information about the birth and first years of life of Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov has not been preserved.
An “important gentleman,” a wealthy homeowner, one of the founders of the Moscow English Club, was for a long time considered to come from a noble background. Then materials were discovered indicating that Fyodor Stepanovich was born into a family of serfs who belonged to Prince P.I. Repnin.

The fact that a talented boy, thanks to his patrons, quickly “made it into the people” and became a famous artist, in general, did not bother anyone. One circumstance was surprising: where and how did he receive such a broad education and from whom and when did he learn painting?

Research in recent years has revealed the following details: Rokotov was born in the village of Vorontsovo, which, according to the current territorial division, is located within the boundaries of Moscow, and was listed as a freedman, although his brother Nikita and his family were serfs. He was probably an illegitimate “master’s child” and was only assigned to a peasant family, but grew up in a manor’s house.
Then the guardianship over him by the Repnin, Yusupov, and Golitsyn families becomes clear. By the 50s, his portraits were already known in Moscow, although neither the artist’s teachers nor early period his creativity.

In 1755, Count I.I. Shuvalov came to Moscow to recruit gifted young men for the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Catherine's nobleman, educated person of his time, a champion of Russian art school I.I. Shuvalov noticed the young painter and supported him.
He became the main patron of the young man; in his house, Rokotov studied painting under the guidance of Pietro Rotari.

In the State Historical Museum A copy of Rokotov’s painting “The Cabinet of I. I. Shuvalov” (circa 1757) has been preserved. In addition to artistic value, it also has historical value as the first image of Russian portrait gallery, made by a Russian artist.
By the way, this is probably one of the very few, if not the only, works that do not belong to Rokotov’s rich portrait heritage.

Of the portraits of those years, only “Portrait of an Unknown (1757)” has survived, presumably the only self-portrait of the artist, the rest has been lost.

Rokotov was lucky. He found himself a patron in high society. However, his main patrons were talent and great work With youth. Less than five years had passed since Rokotov arrived in St. Petersburg, and they already knew about him at court.

The formation of F.S. Rokotov’s personality was influenced by his acquaintance with M.V. Lomonosov. I think the topic human dignity, which sounds so clearly in Rokotov’s portraits, was determined not without the influence of the brilliant scientist and writer that Lomonosov was. Under the patronage of I. I. Shuvalov and the recommendation of M. V. Lomonosov, in 1757 the artist was entrusted with the execution of a mosaic portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna (from the original by L. Tokke), commissioned for Moscow University.
This work was a success. So by 1760, when “by verbal order” of I. I. Shuvalov, the first president of the Academy of Arts, Rokotov was enrolled within its walls, he was already a trained master, who was known at court.

During these years, two higher educational institutions were opened in Russia - a university in Moscow and the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. Those capable of science and the arts were sought out everywhere: in soldiers' companies and orphanages, in landowners' estates and among stokers. Some were left in Moscow, others were sent to St. Petersburg. Rokotov was among the first students of the academy

There were no teachers yet, they didn’t know how or what they would teach, they hadn’t even started building the academy building yet, but classes were already underway. The house of Prince Meshchersky on the 7th line of Vasilievsky Island was hastily rented for classrooms. The students had different ages and unequal abilities: some, like Rokotov, could already paint pictures, others could barely hold a pencil. While they were waiting for teachers invited from Europe, those who knew how to draw and write taught the beginners. Some of them, without ever becoming students, were appointed teachers.

Two years later, for the portrait of Peter III, who ascended the throne, the artist received the title of adjunct, whose duties included “supervising classes and students, observing order and cleanliness of behavior, and neatness.”

Rokotov's position in the academy was strengthened after his participation in the celebrations of the accession to the throne of Catherine II. While performing the coronation portrait (1763), the artist combined the profile of the Empress, almost heraldic in its precision, with the general pictorial solution of the composition. The work brought Rokotov great success and recognition. The Empress was so flattered by the portrait of Catherine II that she ordered her face to be painted from Rokotov’s originals in the future.

The Empress's favorite G. G. Orlov (1762-1763) posed for the painter. The portrait of this ruddy handsome man in a spectacular ceremonial uniform, not distinguished by rich internal content, is very close to the original. And in the chamber portrait of his brother I. G. Orlov (1st half of the 1760s rr.) the features of an intelligent, calculating man emerge who managed, while remaining in the shadows, to influence state affairs.

Fate continued to favor the artist. The courtiers vied with each other to order portraits from him. Rokotov’s contemporary, academician Y. Shteilin, wrote that already in the early 1760s. the artist had “about 50 portraits at once” in his apartment. But despite the abundance and... urgency of orders, Fedor Stepanovich, according to him in my own words, “he never worked anything from life for more than a month,” especially since his painting style required “drying the paints,” since he painted in many layers. At the end of the work, the painter applied glaze strokes, which made the image “come to life.” The expressive glow of the layers of paint, the mobility and lightness of the brushstroke amazed contemporaries. N. E. Struisky testified that the artist painted “almost playfully,” bringing to perfection the image of the face and the final finishing of minor details made by students.

The artist was barely thirty-two years old. He achieved something that, it seemed, a serf could not even dream of. Rokotov's portraits decorated the salons and living rooms of the St. Petersburg nobility. Pose to the young painter was considered an honor. Life tested him with glory.

But she saved her most serious test for 1765. On June 25 of this year, Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov, already a universally recognized artist, finally received the title of academician, however, for this he had to write a free copy of the mythological painting by Luca Giordano “Cupid, Venus and Satyr” (1763-1765 rr.), since “portraits” were not in honor at the academy.”
In the brilliant official Petersburg, the artist felt stuffy from palace ceremonies, lies, flattery and intrigue. It also became stuffy in the academy. Visiting foreigners were cherished and catered to their whims and caprices.

The Russians were treated with indifference, sometimes with neglect. Those who could, adapted. A year later, Rokotov was passed over for the title of associate professor. Teaching work took a lot of effort and time. In addition, the President of the Academy of Arts I.I. Betskoy forbade artists who taught in classes to engage in their own creative activity, which was unacceptable for Rokotov. A military career turned out to be more reliable for Rokotov: back in 1762 he was enrolled in Cadet Corps with the rank of sergeant and successfully combined service and painting.
(In the early 1780s, having risen to the rank of captain - a rank that gave the right to nobility - he left the army.)
Rokotov could not and did not want to put up with Betsky’s whim. He needed freedom to create. A few months later he left the walls of the Academy of Arts.

Rokotov left St. Petersburg for his native Moscow. (1766-1767)
Here, far from official St. Petersburg, among people imbued with the ideals of the Enlightenment, the artist found understanding, recognition and favorable conditions
for creativity. The ill-wishers wrote that the artist “became arrogantly important because of his fame.” Rokotov, presumably, always remembered: he was not from the nobility - and this determined his sometimes pointedly arrogant behavior, aimed at those who wanted to humiliate him.

In Moscow, intellectual life has been in full swing since the late 1760s. until the early 1790s. became the period of the highest flowering of the artist’s portraiture skills. He wrote “all of Moscow.”

There were many orders. Sometimes he created entire galleries of portraits of representatives of the same family in its various generations. Rokotov so perfectly conveyed the character of those portrayed also because he maintained friendly ties not only with the heads of families, but also with all members of the household.

Rokotov did not strive to emphasize the external advantages of his models - the brightness and beauty of their faces, the splendor of their outfits; on the contrary, he was attracted inner world person, personality and charm of nature, fragility and changeability of hidden feelings and experiences.

The paired portrait of the Struisky spouses is interesting in the combination of characters. Nikolai Eremeevich combined intricate eccentricity, noble impulses, barbaric cruelty towards serfs and a fanatical passion for literary creativity. Of course, most of all he loved himself in poetry and even started his own printing house to print his opuses, and the Parnassus art hall. Struisky admired Rokotov’s talent, collected his works, and his serf A. Zyablov studied in the artist’s workshop. So, “frenzied and wild” in his impulses, with a burning “delight and heat” gaze and a crooked smile, he looks... past the viewer. The figure, face and eyes are turned to different sides, which enhances the feverishness and hysteria of the image.

Portrait. his wife Alexandra Petrovna is built on smooth arched lines and amazes with its restraint and harmony. This is the standard of female portraits - “Rokotov’s haze”, “Rokotov’s expression of slightly squinted eyes”, “Rokotov’s melting facial features”. It is clear that the artist himself was under the spell of Struyskaya’s personality and beauty.

Rokotov also wrote to famous writers of his time - poets V.I. Maykov and A.P. Sumarokov

Portraits of women by Rokotov are mysterious and reverent. In them, “souls of changeable signs” illuminate faces and views from the inside. As if an enchanting magical vision appears from a haze of pearly pink tones, filled with the enduring beauty of V.N. Surovtsev’s youth; from a silver cascade of foam lace, like a foggy dream - P. N. Lanskaya. The elusive facial expressions and the look of elongated dark blue eyes create some kind of alienation between the viewer and portrait image Princess E. N. Orlova.

The mysterious half-smiles of the heroines of Rokotov’s portraits, their mysterious, surprised or slightly narrowed eyes, a light picturesque haze (“sfummato”), merging with the background of the image, from which the unclear outlines of powdered wigs and shoulders wrapped in satin emerge, became distinctive features the artist’s manners, by which his works were recognized by both his contemporaries and the current generation of art lovers. Rokotov's portraits of women are often oval in shape, and this also gives them a special grace and romance.

Among all Rokotov’s female portraits, “Portrait of V.E. Novoseltseva" (1780) most clearly represents the type of woman who "can dare to have her own judgment." With these works, for the first time in Russian art an image appeared, at the same time filled with feminine charm, consciousness of one’s dignity, inner strength and resilience. And it is no coincidence that Rokotov’s work is associated with sentimentalism, which proclaimed the superiority of feelings over reason.

As a subtle psychologist, the artist conveys the sensual, spontaneous world of childhood and is extremely delicate in depicting elderly people.

In the wise, calm gaze of A. Yu. Kvashnina-Samarina one can see a great life path, filled with joys and disappointments, gains and losses.

The artist who first introduced portrait art poetry and lyricism, sang human nobility and spiritual beauty women, lived their lives alone.
He was surrounded by fame, had no end to customers, and lived in complete prosperity. Back in 1776, Rokotov obtained liberation from serfdom for the children of his late brother “Ivan the Great and Ivan the Less”, gave his nephews a good education, which allowed them to make military career, made heirs.

Information about the last years of the artist’s life is very scanty. 1770 – 80s. turned out to be the most fruitful in the life and work of Rokotov. From the second half of the 1790s. he could no longer work, he wrote much less often, and in recent years in his life he did not work at all - he began to see poorly, the demand for his paintings dropped significantly and was very quickly forgotten.
And they replaced him talented artists D. G. Levitsky and V. L. Borovikovsky.

In the last years of his life, Rokotov lived in Moscow without a break.

Rokotov died on December 24, 1808 and was buried by his nephews in the cemetery of the Novo-Spassky Monastery. His death went unnoticed by his contemporaries.
For another four years, the name of the deceased artist was mechanically left in the Academy of Arts in the lists of the living. The Academy of Arts surprisingly easily forgot the man whom it had once elected one of its first members, and did not remember the best portrait painter of the second half of the last century.
It is unlikely that the Academy knew where his numerous portraits were located, which raised Russian painting to the level of European art. Not a single newspaper published an obituary, and the grave was lost over time.
They forgot about Rokotov for a long time...

When the 20th century became interested in the distant 18th century, they remembered Fyodor Rokotov and again realized how great this master was - an artist who was able to masterfully transfer onto canvas not just the image of a person, but also all the diversity of the subtlest feelings and sensations of his soul.

They began to look for and collect his portraits. Many of them have survived, but only a few were signed by the master.

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(1735(?) – 1808)

Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov is one of the amazing Russian portrait painters of the eighteenth century. The artist’s rare gift for conveying “the soul of changeable signs,” his unique sense of color and virtuoso mastery of the brush were noted by his contemporaries and still continue to captivate viewers.

Rokotov’s original, charming creations cannot be confused with the works of other masters. Developing the traditions of Russian portraiture, the artist followed the path of complication and deepening of figurative characteristics. He is one of the first Russian painters to reach the European level of skill.

Rokotov’s intimate portraits capture the unique features of the enlightened people of his time, their inner world, their essence. Rokotov managed to embody the ideal of man that developed in the forefront public environment and attracting with its spiritual content. Opening up new facets of human experiences, Rokotov’s work to some extent anticipated the searches of the masters of the subsequent generation, artists of the romantic movement.

Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov was born presumably in 1735 in the village of Vorontsovo, Moscow province. The artist came from a family of serfs who belonged to the princes Repnin, but was freed early. Information about Rokotov’s first teachers has not survived. His name was first mentioned in 1757 in a letter from M.V. Lomonosov to I.I. Shuvalov with a request to instruct Fedor to copy a portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna for mosaic work. In 1760, on the verbal order of I.I. Shuvalov, he was admitted to the Academy of Arts. His mentors included Rotary and Toke.

In 1763, Rokotov painted ceremonial portraits of Catherine II in connection with her coronation. The artist had his own workshop in St. Petersburg, where, with the help of his students, he executed numerous orders. In 1765 he was awarded the title of academician. Around 1767 he moved to Moscow, worked on private orders, performing individual works and on behalf of the Academy of Arts. Rokotov first rented in Moscow, and in 1785 bought a house on Staraya Basmannaya with a workshop in the outbuilding. Later Rokotov moved to Vorontsovskaya Street, where he died in 1808. He was buried in the cemetery of the Novospassky Monastery. His grave, unfortunately, is lost.

3. Rokotov Fedor “Portrait of Emperor Peter III” Oil on canvas 157x111 Nizhny Novgorod State art museum 4. Rokotov Fedor “Portrait of Emperor Peter III” Oil on canvas 58x47 North Ossetian Republican Art Museum, Vladikavkaz

5. Rokotov Fedor “Portrait of Princess E.B. Yusupova” Late 1750s - early 1760s Oil on canvas 57x44 State Russian Museum 6. Rokotov Fedor “Portrait of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich as a child” 1761 Oil on canvas 58.5x47, 5 State Russian Museum

7. Rokotov Fedor “Portrait of I.L. Golenishchev-Kutuzov” Between 1762 and 1764 Oil on canvas 57x45 State Russian Museum

Biography of Rokotov Fedor Stepanovich. Early life

Fedor Stepanovich Rokotov was born in the Moscow region in the village of Vorontsovo. He was considered a “freeborn”, although he was from a family of serfs: there were rumors that he was the illegitimate child of Prince P.I. Repnin, assigned to a peasant family.

In 1757, F.S. Rokotov was noticed by Count I. Shuvalov - great philanthropist and patron of the arts, one of the founders of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. The young artist leaves for St. Petersburg and with great diligence studies painting at the Academy of Arts under the guidance of French painters. The first most famous painting by F.S. Rokotov in his young years was “Portrait of an Unknown Man in a Guards Uniform” (1757). Then, for his patron, he creates the painting “Shuvalov’s Cabinet,” where, practically for the first time in Russian painting, the interior is painted.

In 1762, Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov painted the painting “Venus”, and then a portrait of Peter III, after which he was appointed an adjunct to the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts.

The young artist is often invited to the court. In 1763, he painted a portrait of the future Emperor Paul I, in which he effectively depicts a seven-year-old restless boy with formal features, in a ceremonial guards uniform, with a blue ribbon of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and in an ermine-trimmed mantle. Then immediately Empress Catherine II orders F.S. Rokotov. your portrait. In Peterhof, F.S. Rokotov painted a portrait from life of the Empress in profile and full length - this is one of the best portraits of Catherine II, written in the midst of an exquisite royal setting.

Despite his young years, Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov was especially popular among the St. Petersburg nobility. Back then it was very prestigious to order a portrait from young artist– there were more and more people wanting to come, and we had to wait longer for our turn.

In the summer of 1765, Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov was elevated to the rank of academician. After this, he leaves the Academy and moves to Moscow.

Biography of Rokotov Fedor Stepanovich. Mature years

A thick veil that hid some circumstances mysterious life And artistic creativity V mature years Rokotov Fedor Stepanovich, only recently began to gradually dissipate. Therefore, it is not easy for us now to explain the lyrical nature of this original and unusual talent.

Unlike his contemporaries, F.S. Rokotov quickly gained fame and even popularity: by the middle of the 18th century in European art he was considered one of the most sophisticated painters and subtle artists.

In the future, all creative life the famous artist was associated with Moscow.

In Moscow, F.S. Rokotov had a private school. Here he created his best works and found full use of his artistic talent.

After studying at the Academy of Arts, F.S. Rokotov changed the style and type of painting portraits. In the years 1770-80 he wrote mainly female images with signs of a rich spiritual inner world. The artist does not express categorical judgments, and in his portraits there is an inexplicable inconsistency of emotional experiences. Therefore, this understatement excites and gives scope to the imagination.

In the last years of his life, F.S. Rokotov worked very little due to deteriorating vision, and in early XIX century the artist did not create a single painting.

The most famous paintings of Rokotov Fedor Stepanovich

One of famous paintings F.S. Rokotov is “Portrait of Maykov”, written in 1765. In this work, the master becomes more specific, focusing all attention on the face: the well-known satirist of that time is shown as a mocking man who loved to live for his own pleasure, with narrowed eyes showing his superiority over others.

F.S. Rokotov reaches true heights of artistic mastery in a number of female portraits. During these years, he painted mainly women of great spiritual wealth. The most famous paintings by Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov in 1770-80 are portraits of A. P. Struyskaya (1772), P. N. Lanskaya (1780), V. E. Novosiltseva (1780s), V. I. Surovtseva (1780s), E. V. Santi (1785). Each of these portraits expresses a feeling embodied in the rich and flexible language of painting.

In “Portrait of A.P. Struyskaya” Rokotov showed the spiritual sublimity of a young woman, her whole figure seems unusually airy and light. Looking at this portrait, it is difficult to imagine that A. Struyskaya was the mother of 18 children and lived a difficult but long life. The portrait is distinguished by the special originality of the painter: it is not without reason that art connoisseurs call this work “Russian Mona Lisa.”

The next of the most famous paintings by Rokotov F.S. is woman portrait“Unknown in pink dress”, which is considered one of his masterpieces. Filled with some kind of lyrical charm, the image of a young woman with a kind smile and a deep gaze is filled with pink tones- sometimes light, sometimes warm, sometimes saturated, sometimes shimmering in the shadows, creating the effect of fluttering the surrounding air environment. All this is in tune with the internal movements of the soul.

IN amazing work“Portrait of Countess Santi” the artist, using a skillful combination of pink and olive tones, conveys the delicate image of the lady, emphasizing her sophistication with a bouquet of wild flowers on her chest.

The paintings of Rokotov Fedor Stepanovich belong to artistic styles

IN early work F.S. Rokotov follows the style of French masters in the spirit of Rococo - the style of ceremonial portrait predominates in his works. The works written by F.S. Rokotov in the 60s of the 18th century show the veracity of the creations portrait images. They differ sharply from modern ones in some original way of interpretation. internal features human personality.

The belonging of Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov’s paintings to the artistic styles of portraiture is whole story in faces. Thanks to his works, we now have the opportunity to present life pictures of the past XVIII era century.

The type of portrait created by Rokotov - a chamber intimate portrait - constitutes an entire era in Russian portraiture. He had a very rare gift that allowed him to convey the inner, spiritual world of a person with the help of canvas, paints and brushes, revealing his warmth and reverence. The paintings of this artist are rich color combinations, the sophistication of muted shades and tones that create an atmosphere of intimacy. There is nothing ostentatious in the portraits of F.S. Rokotov. Masters are attracted only inner beauty man and heartfelt tenderness, as one of his contemporaries said about him.

Museums and galleries are places for exhibitions of paintings by Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov

One of them early paintings F.S. Rokotov - a ceremonial portrait of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, later Emperor Peter III, is exhibited in the Russian Museum, a repetition is in Tretyakov Gallery. In the Tretyakov Gallery there are portraits of I.G. Orlov in armor, Catherine II during the coronation and other works of spectacular composition.

Most of the intimate portraits of the later Moscow period of F.S. Rokotov’s work are also located in the Tretyakov Gallery. Portrait of E.V.Santi presented in the Russian Museum .

View all paintings by artist F.S. Rokotov Can

Coming from serfdom on the estate of the princes Repnin, he became famous early on the largest philanthropist, founder of Moscow University, Count Shuvalov. By his order, Rokotov was admitted to the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts in 1760. The artist’s early portraits could not be called successful; he paid a lot of attention to external accessories and clothing. Later, his portraits increasingly acquired features of intimacy and sincerity.

At that time, Maikov was already famous; representatives of Moscow artistic circles grouped around him. However, it was not an arrogant newly minted nobleman who posed for Rokotov, but a talented and friendly person. Maikov probably conducted conversations during the sessions. The portrait captures one of the most relaxed and lively images in Russian painting XVIII century. The cheerful, red-cheeked Maikov seems to pierce the viewer with his gaze, joking and mocking Rokotov, looking with a shiny, wet eye, savoring his wit.

A pretty girl with delicate, almost childlike features is captured here. The pastel range of pink and silver-white tones gives the image a chaste purity. The expression on the girl’s face is unforgettable - a half-smile sliding across her lips, a mysterious look from her shaded almond-shaped eyes. There is gullibility here, and some kind of reticence, perhaps a secret of the heart.

Rokotov was commissioned for paired portraits of Struisky and his future wife before the wedding. The gentle, charming face of a beautiful young woman softly emerges from a vague, smoky background. The artist pays almost no attention to the details of clothing. He writes generally and easily, creating a lovely range of pearl-gray, mother-of-pearl tones. The look of the almond-shaped dark eyes is mysterious and vague, as if rushing past you and at the same time into itself. There is a barely noticeable half-smile on the lips. Her spiritual world is rich and complex. The fate of Struyskaya was not very successful. She amazed everyone with her beauty, but having married the rich tyrant Struisky early, she was unhappy in her marriage, although she lived a long life.

Do you remember how, out of the darkness of the past, barely wrapped in satin,
Was Struyskaya looking at us again from Rokotov’s portrait?
Her eyes are like two fogs: half a smile, half a cry, her eyes are like two deceptions,
Failures covered in darkness...
A combination of two riddles, half delight, half fear,
A fit of insane tenderness, an anticipation of mortal pain.
When darkness falls and a storm approaches,
From the bottom of my soul her beautiful eyes twinkle.
(Nikolai Zabolotsky)

This is the second portrait from couple portrait the Struisky couple - the wife of Nikolai Struisky. The couple was unhappy in their marriage, perhaps because Struisky was very extraordinary, interesting, but also quarrelsome at times. strange man. He was a serf-owner and fanatically loved poetry and art; he was a graphomaniac and even set up a printing house on his estate.
The artist acutely makes one feel the eccentricity of Struisky’s nature. Dark eyes seem to glow in contrast to the muted pale pink and sometimes ashy tones of the face; lips curl in a strange half-smile.
The shimmering, subtle halftone painting gives the image some understatement, even mystery. The portrait is poorly preserved, the paint layer has partially washed away, but this gives the portrait even more mystery.

At first glance, Novosiltseva’s face is reserved, cold and arrogant. But once you overcome this chill of alienation and take a closer look at the woman’s face, you immediately begin to feel how rich and meaningful her inner world is, how much genuine nobility she has! Her narrow eyes sparkle with intelligence; in their lively gaze there shines the slightly mocking smile of a person who sees a lot and understands a lot. The shimmer of light, transparent, slightly cool colors gives the portrait a special charm.
If we look closely at Rokotov’s portraits, we will see that a mysterious half-smile, a mysterious look from almond-shaped eyes pass from portrait to portrait. Rokotov is not a psychologist, he does not seek to reveal to us the soul and feelings of nature, but he is a poet and, endowing his models with spirituality, grace, mystery, he invites us to try to unravel the hidden nature in a person.

A portrait was kept in the Struisky house young man with pleasant, feminine features, a frill and a cape that draped her figure. The image of an unknown person in a cocked hat is full of the charm of carefree youth. The face of a young man with lively dark eyes, a friendly smile, a gentle, fresh blush is fraught with some kind of understatement, like all of Rokotov’s portraits.
The agraf (clip) of the cocked hat sparkles with diamonds, the golden caftan shines through the black, transparent masquerade domino, and a light foam of lace jabot falls onto the chest.
For a long time they could not determine who this was. noble youth? On the back of the portrait there was a mysterious encrypted inscription. For some time it was believed that the young man was the son of Catherine II and Count Grigory Orlov. But with the help of research it was possible to find out that under the portrait there was the first painting - a young woman with Tatar features faces, and on top of it is written “Unknown in a cocked hat.” It was also possible to find out that both the first and second portraits are an image of Nikolai Struisky’s first wife, Olympias, who died during childbirth. Most likely, Struisky, wanting to remarry, did not want to arouse the jealousy of his young wife and ordered him to be rewritten as a man's.

In Rokotov’s work, a special place is occupied by a whole gallery of portraits of the Vorontsov family, close to him, in three generations.
Praskovya Artemyevna Vorontsova (1786-1842) - countess, youngest daughter of Count A.I. Vorontsov and Praskovya Fedorovna, nee Kvashnina - Samarina. Graduated Smolny Institute with the code of Catherine II. In 1813, she married a Tambov nobleman, landowner A.U. Timofeev, the son of a wealthy tax farmer.

Catherine is presented in this painting by Rokotov in the prime of her years and power. She is depicted in profile, with all the regalia of imperial power. This is the apogee of her greatness and glory... The wigs of foreign ambassadors bowing before the throne almost touched the precious parquet floors with their curls. She was more Russian than many other Russians. In admiration, she called Russia the Universe.

The portrait shows Varvara Nikolaevna Surovtseva, née Pashkova. She is not a beauty, but she attracts with her spirituality and subtle sincerity of her image. The artist gives the viewer the idea that spiritual beauty is full of high dignity and depth of feeling.
The artist creates an amazing noble harmony of silver and ash tones of transparent fabric, soft pink blossoming flower, pistachio shade of ribbons, warm tone of powdered hair and the face of a young woman.
The portrait creates a mood of slight thoughtfulness and dreaminess.

Evdokia Nikolaevna Orlova-Chesmenskaya, née Lopukhina. At the age of 21 she married 48-year-old Count Orlov-Chesmensky. The wedding took place on the Ostrov estate in the Moscow province. Almost all of Moscow witnessed the celebration, which lasted several days. Catherine II herself blessed this marriage.
But the couple lived in marriage for only three years. During this period, Evdokia gave birth to a daughter, and at the age of 24 she gave birth to a son and died on the same day. The son died a year later.
The young Countess Evdokia Orlova was a quiet and modest woman, distinguished by her beauty and pleasant appearance. At the same time, she had a good character and was pious. She didn't like clothes and never wore jewelry.