The rise of silhouette art. Educational and methodological material on fine arts (FINE) on the topic: Silhouette graphics

Erich Hollerbach

silhouette art

That is why silhouette art is full of peculiar charm and innumerable possibilities. The work speaks eloquently about this. contemporary artists paying attention to the silhouette. Before turning to their works, I will touch briefly on the history of the silhouette. The birthplace of silhouette art is China, where monochrome black images, the so-called Chinese shadows, have existed for a long time. From there they entered Western Europe, especially in France, where mid-eighteenth century, the fashion for silhouette portraits has spread widely. The very term "silhouette" comes from the name of Etienne Silhouettet (1709-1767), who in 1759 was Minister of State. Silhouettet was known for his frugality and narrow-mindedness, which made him a target for witticisms. Parisian society. Everything cheap and trifling began to be named after him, including portraits in black paint or black paper, "portraits a la Silhouette". Compared to real picturesque portraits, the silhouettes seemed boring and miserable to many. However, this art found its masters and admirers, and not only in France, but also in other countries. In Germany, for example, in early XIX Duttenhofer (who depicted a number of German writers and artists), K. Schmidt, Mühlbach, and others were famous for their silhouettes for centuries. In Russia, interest in the silhouette arose in the era of Catherine II, when the Parisian silhouette painter Sido appeared in St. Petersburg, whose works are still preserved in some houses . Sido portrayed Catherine II, members of her family and many representatives of the St. Petersburg nobility. He drew his silhouettes in ink, sometimes engraved on copper, but most often he cut them out of black paper and pasted them into engraved frames. A whole collection of these silhouettes, consisting of 183 sheets, belonged to the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and was published in 1899 in phototype photographs ("Courtyard of Empress Catherine II, her employees and associates"). The fascination with the silhouette was reflected in applied arts, - porcelain snuff boxes with silhouettes, cups, embroideries, inlays, etc. appeared. Approximately at the same time as Sido, the German draftsman Anting (1753-1803) worked in St. Petersburg, who released the album "Collection de cent silhouettes" in 1791. IN mid-nineteenth century interest in silhouette art almost disappeared and the carving of silhouettes turned into a profession of itinerant artists, who, by this occupation, earned a meager piece of bread at public festivities and fairs. People of the secular circle have cooled to this art. The gradually forgotten drawing of silhouettes was revived at the end of the last century by a talented by German artist A. Konevka, who painted in the form of silhouettes not only profile portraits, but also figures in different poses, genre scenes, etc. The success of Konevka caused imitation. In Russia, the art of the silhouette was done by a painter of scenes for children and folk life Elizabeth Bem. But great skill is revealed by the numerous silhouettes of E.S. Kruglikova, cutting them out of paper. The artist usually sketches the outline of the silhouette on the white side of a black sheet of paper and then works with scissors, achieving amazing virtuosity in complex compositions that require careful consideration of perspective cuts. Kruglikova created a whole gallery of silhouettes of writers, artists, actors and musicians.

Remarkable among the works of E.S. Kruglikova silhouettes of Alexander N. Benois, V.E. Meyerhold, Emil Cooper at the conductor's stand, Grechaninov at the piano, and a number of "home scenes" (concert, etc.). In the same manner as the silhouettes, ie. from black paper, the artist performs portraits en face (modeled on the drawings and engravings of Vallotton), as well as landscapes, architectural motifs, sometimes capturing various moments of city life, with its street hustle and bustle. In 1917, the Moscow artist N.Ya. Simonovich-Efimova, who worked before (like Kruglikova) in the field of engraving. Simonovich also has large portrait canvases, in which a sharp, strong characterization of the figures is remarkable. This ability to accurately capture poses, mannerisms, and movements was reflected in Simonovich's silhouettes, which are distinguished by classical simplicity and technical consistency. Kruglikova and Simonovich are, so to speak, professional silhouetters. But even in the work of our graphs, the silhouette plays an important role. The "World of Art", which marked the beginning of the renewal of Russian graphics, revived, among other things, the art of the silhouette. The incomparable "restorers" of antiquity - K. Somov, Alexander Benois and M. Dobuzhinsky - resurrected the former spirit of the silhouette. We often meet silhouettes in the works of G. Narbut. The family silhouette of the artist, the auto-silhouette, the silhouettes of V. Zamirailo, Charleman, M. Zenkevich, Chambers, D. Mitrokhin and a number of small silhouettes in various decorative compositions testify to Narbut's great predilection for this kind of art. The elegance of the silhouette portrait also captivated S. Chekhonin, the best portrait miniaturist of our time. He executed several extremely successful silhouettes (including the profiles of V. Lenin and G. Zinoviev) for the publishing house of the Comintern. Perhaps there is not a single major graphic artist who would not pay tribute to this intimate, graceful art: V.N. Levitsky, D.I. Mitrokhina, V.D. Zamirailo. We don't give here detailed characteristics of these works, because in the work of these artists the silhouette plays a subordinate, auxiliary role, it is one of the side elements of the graphic composition, which does not have a prevailing value. But the silhouettes reproduced here convincingly speak of how much expression can be invested in "stingy" black spots. October 1922 The original is here-

The origins of silhouette art in Russia

Kokorina Elena Yuryevna, teacher of fine arts, Slavninskaya school, Tver region, Torzhoksky district.

Purpose: The origins of silhouette art take us back to ancient times. With the advent of the first silhouette images ancient legends connected with the birth of painting. This article will be of interest to teachers of fine arts, educators, educators additional education, and to all who like the art of the silhouette.

Age: children from 10 years old

N.V. Ilyin. Illustration. 1949.

Silhouette- a display of something limited by a contour, a one-color contour image of something against a background of a different color, a vague outline of something in the dark, a contour, an outline of a figure without details. The term is also used as a synonym for "profile", however, unlike the profile, it can depict a person from any angle.
Silhouette- variety graphic technique when the image is given against the background as a flat spot with a characteristic, expressive outline.

M.V. Dobuzhinsky. Madrigal. 1908.

Dry and strict, at first glance monotonous and lifeless, the art of the silhouette captivates us with its mysterious reticence and subtle grace. The closer you look at it, the more you realize that mastering the art of silhouette is not at all as easy as it seems. The firmness of the drawing, the observance of perspective and proportionality are necessary here no less than in any picture.
Despite the fact that the silhouette lies in two dimensions, and not in three, oddly enough, the laws of three dimensions apply to it: a talented silhouette artist is able to convey movement, relief, and even facial expression in monotonous black spots.

E.S. Kruglikova. Portrait of Marina Tsvetaeva. 1920.

Let's take a look at how the art of the silhouette was born.
IN Ancient Greece as early as the 6th century BC profile figures were used in vase painting: first black on a red background, and then red on black.

Amphora, 6th century BC.

Amphora painting

IN Ancient China famous Chinese silhouettes emerged.
However, the art of the silhouette in its present form was truly born in France in the first half of the 18th century. It spread very quickly throughout Europe.
It was in France that the name “silhouette” itself was established - by the name of the royal controller of finances, Etienne Silhouette (1709 - 1767), who was fond of cutting out small figures from black paper at his leisure.

In Russia, the silhouette appeared in the middle of the 18th century. These were small portraits of the associates of Peter I and Catherine's nobles.
One of the first silhouette images belongs to the largest Russian sculptor F.I.Shubin (1740 - 1805). This is a portrait of an unknown young woman, done in black ink on a gold background.

F.I. Shubin. Portrait of an unknown. 2nd half of the 18th century

In the second half of the 18th century, two famous masters silhouette art, who won European fame - F. Sido and F. Anting. french artist F. G. Sido cut out about 200 silhouette portraits of the courtiers of Catherine II from paper, and the court silhouette portrait painter Johann Friedrich Anting worked with pen and ink. Paper-cut silhouettes were pasted into engraved ornamental frames.

F. Sido. Portrait of Empress Catherine II

F. Sido. Portrait of Prince Potemkin. 2nd half of the 18th century

The technique of silhouettes was very different: they were drawn in ink, cut out of paper, sometimes engraved on wood, and from the beginning of the 20th century on linoleum. The classic silhouette, drawn in ink, was distinguished by a strict and clear outline, thick black fill. For the most part silhouettes were cut out of black paper with small scissors and pasted onto a board, glass or colored paper.

N.V. Ilyin. Illustration. 1949.

Silhouette images come into fashion at the beginning of the 19th century. They are created not only professional artists but also numerous fans. At this time, the subject of silhouette art expanded: silhouettes on historical, everyday and battle themes began to appear.
Today I would like to dwell on the works of Count F.P. Tolstoy, one of the largest and most unique silhouette masters in Russia in the first half of the 19th century.

F.P. Tolstoy. Battle. 1816-1820s

F.P. Tolstoy. Attack. 1816-1820s

Sculptor, medalist, draftsman and painter, he brought a fresh stream to the art of the silhouette. Basically, artists who previously worked in the silhouette technique were engaged in portraiture. Fedor Petrovich, on the other hand, mainly worked with battle episodes and scenes from folk life. These were usually complex multi-figured compositions.

F.P. Tolstoy. Peasant yard. 1816-1820s

F.P. Tolstoy. Street provincial town. 1816-1820s

Tolstoy turns to the silhouette after the war of 1812, when the era of classicism and its final chord - Empire, gradually give way to a new style - romanticism. In his lively, masterfully carved silhouettes, the hand of the sculptor is tangible: each composition is integral and diverse at the same time. The expressiveness of the works allows memorizing them literally from the first second, but the viewer gets great pleasure when looking at it for a long time. These are whole stories, similar to the unfolding theatrical performance.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the art of the silhouette, despite the limited means of expression, is infinitely diverse, and its scope is extremely wide. Thanks to the work of contemporary artists and amateur silhouette artists, new cultural discoveries await us, viewers, in the 21st century.

References: E.V. Kuznetsova "The Art of the Silhouette", 1969

1) IN general sense- an outline of something, a generalized contour, an outline of an object.

2) In the visual arts, this is a type of figure or object in which their shape is perceived without a pronounced three-dimensionality or even looks completely flat (a solid spot on a dark or light background). Thus, the silhouette becomes a figure placed against the light. A silhouette is also called a type of graphics. The silhouette phenomenon can also occur in the process of perception of three-dimensional forms, depending on the lighting. The silhouette is like the shadow of an object. The quality of silhouette is used by artists in all art forms.

In the silhouette, figures or objects are usually drawn with a solid black spot on a light background or white on dark background(ink or white). In such a drawing, the external outlines of the object should be very expressive, without unnecessary details. Portraits in the silhouette technique are usually made in profile. Silhouettes are not only drawn, but also cut out with scissors.

The birthplace of silhouette art is China, where monochromatic black images, the so-called Chinese shadows, have existed for a long time. From there they penetrated into Western Europe, primarily into France, where in the middle of the 18th century the fashion for silhouette portraits became widespread. The term "silhouette" itself comes from the name of Etienne Silhouettet (1709-1767), who was minister of state in 1759. Silhouettet was known for his frugality and narrow-mindedness, which made him a target for the witticisms of Parisian society. Everything cheap and trifling began to be called his name, including portraits in black paint or black paper.

Compared to real pictorial portraits, the silhouettes seemed boring and miserable to many. However, this art found its masters and admirers, and not only in France, but also in other countries. In Germany, for example, at the beginning of the 19th century, Duttenhofer (who depicted a number of German writers and artists), K. Schmidt, Mühlbach and others were famous for their silhouettes. In Russia, interest in the silhouette arose in the era of Catherine II, when the Parisian silhouette painter Sido appeared in St. Petersburg, whose works have been preserved to this day in some houses. Approximately at the same time as Sido, the German draftsman Anting (1753-1803) worked in St. Petersburg.

In the middle of the 19th century, interest in silhouette art almost disappeared, and carving of silhouettes turned into a profession of itinerant artists who, by doing this, earned a meager piece of bread at public festivities and fairs. People of the secular circle have cooled to this art.

The gradually forgotten drawing of silhouettes was revived at the end of the last century by the talented German artist A. Konevka, who painted in the form of silhouettes not only profile portraits, but also figures in various poses, genre scenes, etc. Great skill is revealed by the numerous silhouettes of E.S. Kruglikova, who cut them out of paper. The artist usually outlined the silhouette on the white side of a black sheet of paper and then worked with scissors, achieving amazing virtuosity in complex compositions that require careful consideration of perspective cuts. Kruglikova created a whole gallery of silhouettes of writers, artists, artists and musicians. Remarkable among the works of E.S. Kruglikova silhouettes of Alexander N. Benois, V.E. Meyerhold, Emil Cooper at the conductor's stand, Grechaninov at the piano, and a number of "home scenes" (concert, etc.).

In 1917, the Moscow artist N.Ya. Simonovich-Efimova, who worked before (like Kruglikova) in the field of engraving. Simonovich also has large portrait canvases, in which a sharp, strong characterization of the figures is remarkable. This ability to accurately fix postures, mannerisms, movements was reflected in the silhouettes of Simonovich, which are distinguished by classical simplicity and technical consistency.

The incomparable "restorers" of antiquity - K. Somov, Alexander Benois and M. Dobuzhinsky - resurrected the former spirit of the silhouette. We often meet silhouettes in the works of G. Narbut. The artist's family silhouette, auto-silhouette, silhouettes of V. Zamirailo, Charleman, M. Zenkevich, Chambers, D. Mitrokhin and a number of small silhouettes in various decorative compositions testify to Narbut's great predilection for this kind of art.

3) In literature - a genre that originated in Russian literary criticism impressionistic direction. classic pattern The genre was “Silhouettes of Russian Writers” by Y. Aikhenwald. Center critical analysis in silhouette is the writer, his inner, spiritual life.

Yu. Aikhenwald defined his method as “immanent”, that is, “when the researcher organically participates in an artistic creation and always keeps inside, and not outside of it.” The starting point for the critic was the idea of the irrational nature of talent, which, in principle, is not amenable to logical analysis.

The silhouette is more sketchy than literary portrait, less independent in purpose. The main means of implementation artistic idea the author is the language. The main element of the narrative in the silhouette is a generalized description, the text is replete with epithets, nouns and adjectives without verbs are often used, because only an indication of the image is important. This style can be called impressionistic.

4) In the history of fashion, it is, as it were, a descriptive plan of a form of clothing, its geometric prototype. In popular articles about fashion, it is used as a term that allows you to convey the main outlines of a particular type of clothing. The silhouettes of a straight line, resembling a rectangular, trapezoidal, oval, differ. In addition, some clarifications are usually given about the extent to which the clothes fit the figure - a fitted silhouette, semi-adjacent, etc.

The silhouette of a person walking or standing is seen by everyone every day. This green man at the traffic light shows when you can cross the road. Where did this word come from?

Origin of the word

Silhouette - translated from French "outline, contour" (silhouette). This word has interesting story. The concept of a contour has existed for a long time, but it was the “silhouette” that a painted contour began to be called in France under Louis XV.

Count Étienne de Silhouette, who was then Minister of Finance, became known for his economy and extreme frugality. The fashion for costumes reacted immediately: pockets, snuffbox decorations disappeared, the style as a whole became much simpler. They called it the silhouette. Then one of the Seychelles also gets the name Silhouette.

At this time, the art of the Chinese shadow comes to France. Fashion quirks elevate him to the pinnacle of popularity. The portrait was executed within a few minutes, since there was no need to draw facial features. A contour was drawn, usually in profile, then filled with ink. Sometimes two or three lines were drawn in thin lines with white paint.

Created by Etienne de Silhouette Joint-Stock Company Panic quickly set in over the delay in paying dividends. General discontent spread throughout all sections of society, and the minister resigned from his post.

Apparently, it coincided that the caricature that appeared on the minister was made in the genre of new Chinese technology. A minimum of funds for its creation and determined its name. She was dubbed the "silhouette", just like a new style clothes.

Cloth

Maybe this will make you smile, but clothes also have their own silhouette - these are its contours that the fashion designer sketches on a piece of paper. Conventionally, it is customary to divide four types of modern silhouettes: straight (rectangular), oval, adjacent (fitted) and trapezoidal (or A-silhouette).

In the cut of clothes there is the concept of "silhouette lines". These are the parts of the pattern that form the outline. Skillfully using modeling and design, you can favorably emphasize the dignity of the figure and carefully hide the flaws.

The silhouette in clothes has to be taken into account when depicting a person. The drawings of fashion designers are called " fashion sketch”, there are other proportions of the body.

Drawings by Christian Dior from Figaro magazine - bright to that confirmation. If in academic drawing the head relates to the body as 1:8, then in the sketches of fashion designers - 1:12. This provides an advantageous representation of the model.

Man silhouette

Meanwhile, the art of the silhouette spread beyond France and into late XVIII century in St. Petersburg it became fashionable to order a portrait from famous master from Paris Sido (Sideau). He created the silhouettes of members of the royal house and many courtiers.

Sido worked with pen and Chinese ink, engraved on copper, cut out black paper. His competitor was Fr. Anting. But soon the nobility got tired of the fun, and carving portraits became the craft of itinerant artists. They were constantly met at fairs and the works of home-grown "artists" did not differ in quality and good taste.

It seemed that with the departure of the French school, art died. But Paul Konewka, the German maestro of this style, appears. In his performance, the silhouette is no longer a profile portrait. Entire compositions united by one theme, complex and cute, delight the audience.

The Russian artist Elizaveta Merkuryevna Bem was also famous for her silhouette work. Her illustrations for children's magazines were highly appreciated by I. Repin.

Paintings with hidden silhouettes

There are paintings where the silhouette of a human figure is hidden - a tree branch in the foreground passes into bushes and mountains in the distance. It turns out a girl. For the first time, paintings with "disguised silhouettes" depicted flowers, usually lilies, and the profiles of royal persons were recognizable in the interweaving of lines.

Now there is such a direction in painting, surrealism, in which some kind of subtext is hidden in an ordinary, it would seem, landscape. The master of such an embodiment is the Mexican artist Octavio Ocampo. His painting "Kiss of the Sea" depicts seascape, which hides 6 portraits.

A silhouette is an outline, and anything outside of it can be anything. This is the principle of O. Ocampo. A seagull that soars above the water, as it were, unites lovers.

Shadow play

Perhaps the most striking embodiment of the contour is used in shadow theater. Actors play behind the scenes, a screen is stretched in front of them. There is a strong searchlight in the depths, casting shadows. The advantage is that the shadows can portray something that no makeup can achieve.

A homemade mini-theater of homemade figurines can be arranged using a table lamp. Any fabric will act as a screen, the main thing is to pull it tighter on the stretcher. Wires are attached to the black figures to move them. This can not be done with your hands, as they will create extra shadows.

Try to make such a theater with the guys and get unforgettable moments of magic when a ray of light brings the characters of fairy tales to life. Or maybe it will become your hobby.

Dry and strict, at first glance monotonous and lifeless, art captivates us with its intimacy, mysterious reticence and subtle grace. The closer you look at him, the more you disbelieve in his "poverty" and "naivety". Mastering the art of silhouette is not as easy as it seems.

The firmness of the drawing, the observance of perspective and proportionality are necessary here no less than in any picture. Despite the fact that the silhouette lies in two dimensions, and not in three, oddly enough, the laws of three dimensions apply to it: a talented silhouette artist is able to convey movement, relief, and even facial expression in monotonous black spots. The plane and the line that closes it acquire exceptional significance in the art of the silhouette. The outline, contour, outline of the subject enslave the attention of the silhouetter, limit him in means, but at the same time force him to special ingenuity. There are silhouettes in which “sculpture”, the finest “modelling”, even “colorfulness” is positively felt. Mathematical laconicism, noble abstractness of the silhouette teach to refine observation and vigilance. Silhouette - like formula and- simultaneously - hint of the invisible, a barely perceptible story about something, a phrase started and unfinished. But even outside its completeness, this phrase sometimes becomes a revelation, an aphorism, a symbol.
The birthplace of silhouette art is China, where monochrome black images, the so-called Chinese shadows, have existed for a long time. From there they penetrated into Western Europe, primarily into France, where in the middle of the 18th century the fashion for silhouette portraits became widespread. The very term "silhouette" comes from the name of Etienne Silhouettet (1709-1767), who in 1759 was Minister of State. Silhouettet was known for his frugality and narrow-mindedness, which made him a target for the witticisms of Parisian society. Everything cheap and trifling began to be called his name, including portraits in black paint or black paper, “portraits a la Silhouette”. Compared to real pictorial portraits, the silhouettes seemed boring and miserable to many. However, this art found its masters and admirers, and not only in France, but also in other countries. In Germany, for example, at the beginning of the 19th century, Duttenhofer (who depicted a number of German writers and artists), K. Schmidt, Mühlbach, and others were famous for their silhouettes. In Russia, interest in the silhouette arose in the era of Catherine II, when the Parisian silhouette painter Sido appeared in St. Petersburg , whose works are still preserved in some houses. Sido portrayed Catherine II, members of her family and many representatives of the St. Petersburg nobility. He drew his silhouettes in ink, sometimes engraved on copper, but most often he cut them out of black paper and pasted them into engraved frames. A whole collection of these silhouettes, consisting of 183 sheets, belonged to the Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and was published in 1899 in phototype photographs (“Courtyard of Empress Catherine II, her employees and associates”). Passion for the silhouette was also reflected in applied art - porcelain snuff boxes with silhouettes, cups, embroideries, inlays, etc. appeared. Approximately at the same time as Sido, the German draftsman Anting (1753-1803) worked in St. Petersburg, who released the album “Collection de cent silhouettes” in 1791. In the middle of the 19th century, interest in silhouette art almost disappeared and carving of silhouettes turned into a profession of itinerant artists who, by doing this, earned a meager piece of bread at public festivities and fairs. People of the secular circle have cooled to this art.
Gradually forgotten, silhouette drawing was revived in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Artists began to draw in the form of silhouettes not only profile portraits, but also figures in various poses, genre scenes, etc. Perhaps there is not a single major graphic artist who would not pay tribute to this intimate, graceful art. And not in vain - it's so a lot of expression can be invested in "stingy" black spots.

Based on an article by Erich Hollerbach

October 1922

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