Karl Bryullov biography in English. Artist Karl Bryullov: biography, personal life, creativity

Karl Pavlovich Bryullov was born on December 12 (23), 1799, in St. Petersburg, in the family of a Russified German, Bryullo. My father was a skilled sculptor-carver and painted interesting miniatures.

Carl's love for drawing manifested itself in childhood. It often seemed to adults that the pencil was a natural extension of the “Karlusha” hand.

When the boy was ten years old, he was admitted to the Moscow Art Academy. Bryullov Karl Pavlovich spent twelve years within its walls.

The beginning of the creative path

Having completed his studies with excellent marks, the young artist demonstrated his independence. He refused to stay within the walls of the academy and in 1819 settled in the workshop of his older brother, who was an active participant in the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral.

At this time, Karl Pavlovich painted portraits to order. Its main customers were patrons A. Dmitriev-Mamonov and P. Kikin. At their request, Bryullov painted such paintings as “Oedipus and Antigone” and “Repentance of Polyneices”.

These paintings were a huge success. For them, the young artist was awarded a four-year retirement trip to Italy. The trip took place in the summer of 1822, and lasted 12 years - until 1834.

in Italy

In Italian museums, Bryullov studied the painting of outstanding artists of the past. Most of all he was struck by Raphael's "Athenian School". For 4 years, Bryullov worked on a copy of it. The final result struck not only "colleagues in the brush", but also critics.

The artist's work during these years was quite fruitful. In 1827, the painting “Italian Noon” was created, in 1832 - “Bathsheba”.

Being an outstanding painter, Bryullov created many secular portraits. One of the most striking portrait works is the Horsewoman.

Bryullov was recognized during his lifetime. He returned to his homeland already being a living classic.

last years of life

In 1843, Bryullov received an order for painting in St. Isaac's Cathedral. In addition, the artist continued to paint portraits. In 1851, Bryullov painted several portraits of the Tittoni family.

Karl Pavlovich from a young age was quite painful. In 1847 he "caught" a severe cold. The disease gave a complication of the heart. At the same time suffering from rheumatism, the artist spent 7 years in bed.

In the spring of 1849, at the insistence of doctors, Bryullov left Russia forever and went to about. Madeira. But treatment abroad did not bring relief.

In May 1852 the artist moved to Mantsiana. Bryullov passed away on June 11 (23), 1852. He was buried in the Roman cemetery for foreign persons who are not adherents of the Catholic faith.

Other biography options

• Studying a brief biography of Karl Bryullov, you should know that, being a recognized historical painter, he did not write a single large-scale painting based on Russian history.
• Having spent most of his time abroad, the painter had little understanding of Russian characters and hardly knew the Russian people.
• All his life the great painter suffered from deafness. According to some reports, deafness was acquired. As a child, Karl was brought up in strictness. One day, a very dissatisfied father hit the boy hard. As a result of this blow, he was deaf in his left ear.
• Bryullov liked to work on his canvases under monotonous reading aloud. He didn't care what they read, whether it was a tabloid novel or a newspaper summary.
• The artist made a personal petition for release from serfdom

Karl Bryullov, whose works have been known to us since childhood, is usually associated in the minds of art connoisseurs with the historical painting “The Last Day of Pompeii” and his most famous portraits. The main merit of the artist is that he made Russian painting a global phenomenon.

What are the origins of his skill?

This man harmoniously mixed several national elements (distant ancestors - French Huguenots, relatives - Germanized French, nearest - Russified Germans). To all this we must add the non-blood spiritual relationship of the artist with the world of Italy. He surprised his contemporaries with the sincere joy and excitement of his paintings, the special intonation and unique mood of the subjects.

There were times when Bryullov's work was interpreted as a departure from reality, a betrayal of the truth. Undoubtedly, the painter was little interested in politics and "social" truth, since he served until the very end of his life one idea - beauty.

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Karl Pavlovich Bryullov was born in St. Petersburg in 1799. His father, a miniature painter, Pavel Ivanovich Brullo, was a descendant of one of the French Huguenots who fled France during the period of persecution of Protestants after the decree on the repeal of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV.

The fate of K. P. Bryullov was predetermined by the fact of his birth in the artist's family. He, like all his four brothers, studied at the Academy of Arts, where his father taught. Until the age of seven, Karl was often sick and practically lay in bed. The father, a convinced Freemason who does not recognize idleness, was engaged in the upbringing of children with a special predilection. Little Karl was forced to draw a certain number of drawings every day. For failure to complete the task, the son was left without food. Once, for a petty offense, a blow from the father's hand on the boy's head caused deafness in one ear.

In 1809 Karl and his brother Alexander entered the Academy of Arts. Carl's rare abilities surprised the mentors. In 1821 he successfully graduated from the Academy and became the first pensioner of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. In 1822, Karl and Alexander went to Italy as pensioners of the OPH. Before leaving, with the permission of Emperor Alexander I, the brothers add the letter “v” to the surname (thus the surname “Brullo” was “Russified”).

For about a year the brothers travel all over Europe, visiting Riga, Koenigsberg, Berlin, Munich, Dresden, Padua, Venice, Bologna, Verona, Mantua.

Italy was the ultimate destination of the great journey. Bryullov spends more than 12 years in Rome. These years become a stage in the formation of the original artist. In connection with the high-profile and tragic events in European and Russian life, there is a desperate struggle between classicism and romanticism in art. Bryullov's participation in this struggle was indirect. The main "battles" took place in Paris (the attack of David and his student Ingres by young painters under the direction of Delacroix). After the revolution of 1789, Russian artists were not allowed into Paris, so they had to settle in Rome.

Fascinated by Renaissance painting, he leaves behind academic subjects. His new works "Italian morning", "Girl picking grapes in the vicinity of Naples", "Horsewoman", "Italian noon", which put the author on a par with the most famous European painters, caused misunderstanding in the Society for the Encouragement of Artists, paying for Bryullov's stay in Italy. In 1829, Bryullov renounced his retirement and officially broke off relations with the OPH.

The reason for the gap was not only the sharp nature of the artist, but also his passion for the tragic history of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. Shortly before that, in 1827, he received an order from patron A. Demidov to create the painting "The Last Day of Pompeii." This work took six years. It was in it that the artist found answers to questions that worried the painters of that time. In 1834, a painting shown at the Paris Salon along with Delacroix's Women of Algiers and the Martyrdom of St. Symphorion" Ingres, receives the Big Gold Medal. With the exhibition of the painting at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, a real pilgrimage began.

At that glorious time, the artist was summoned to Russia by Emperor Nicholas I. The relationship between the emperor and Bryullov did not go well because of the artist’s love of freedom. Bryullov has some fears that were not in vain. Nicholas I, dissatisfied with European sentiments, "tightened the screws", making the concept of "public life" meaningless.

In 1835, A. S. Pushkin wrote to his wife:

"Bryullov goes to St. Petersburg, reluctantly, afraid of the climate and captivity."

The fact remains: the master always cunningly refused offers to paint a portrait of the king.

Meanwhile, in Russia, Bryullov is greeted with jubilation. In honor of the master, magnificent receptions are held in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Odessa. The arrival in Russia served to bring the artist closer to the figures of Russian culture - A. S. Pushkin, V. A. Zhukovsky, E. A. Baratynsky, M. S. Shchepkin, V. A. Tropinin, N. V. Kukolnik ... A special warm friendship artist in those years tied with the composer M. I. Glinka. Their acquaintance took place in Italy.

Bryullov constantly strived for great form. In 1837, after a terrible fire in the Winter Palace, he asked for permission to paint the walls of the palace with scenes from the history of Russia, but Tsar Nicholas I answered the request with a decisive refusal.

He painted the central altarpieces for the Peter and Paul Church (designed by the architect A.P. Bryullov, the artist's brother), the Trinity Cathedral in Strelna, the Kazan Cathedral in St. Petersburg. He proposed sketches for painting the plafond of the Pulkovo Observatory, designed the painting of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, and participated in painting frescoes for St. Isaac's Cathedral.

"Chamber" painting seemed to Bryullov a secondary thing, he felt cramped in it. However, contemporaries, paying tribute to the painting "The Last Day of Pompeii", first of all, appreciated the artist as a great portrait painter.

In his largest historical painting, the artist reconciled classicism and romanticism, creating a kind of harmonious whole out of them, while in portraiture he consistently moved from classicism to romanticism, and in his last works - to realism.

Since 1840, the artist was plagued by a sick heart.

The painter devoted four years of his life from 1843 to 1847 to the painting of St. Isaac's Cathedral. He got the most important areas: the dome, the figures of the four evangelists in sails, the twelve apostles in the drum, several large compositions on the attic. This work affected the health of the artist.

In 1849, he went abroad for treatment, to the island of Madeira. A year later, Bryullov returned to Rome, where he became close to the family of Angelo Tittoni, an associate of Garibaldi.

In 1852, a message came to St. Petersburg from Rome about the death of K. P. Bryullov. The artist was buried in the Roman cemetery of Monte Testaccio.

Portrait painting

There are suggestions about the opposition of the artist to the classicists. He argued with the classicists during his apprenticeship at the Academy of Arts, retirement at the OPH. In those days, he needed to meet the tastes and demands of customers. In the 1830s, Bryullov practically did not write to order. The "natural" painter in his mature age was little occupied with the disputes of the classicists and romantics. He believed in his own soul and all his grandiose achievements since then have been expressed in the field of portraiture.

Belinsky wrote:

“To be able to write off a portrait correctly is already a kind of talent, but everything does not end there ... Let Bryullov take a portrait from him, and it will seem to you that the mirror does not repeat the image of your friend as faithfully as this portrait, because it will not only be a portrait , but also a work of art in which not only external resemblance is captured, but the whole soul of the original.

Bryullov became interested in portraiture after graduating from the Academy of Arts. He remained faithful to this genre until the end of his life. He painted about two hundred portraits: among them, about 120 fall on the Italian period of his life, about eighty were painted during his stay in St. Petersburg.

Having become close to the Italian Tittoni family, the painter created portraits of all its members.

He loved to paint those who he liked, while striving, according to the artist, "to keep the best in the face and convey it on the canvas."

"Italian Noon" ("Italian Woman Picking Grapes)" (1827)

The painting was painted for the emperor at the request of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. A few years ago, the OPH presented the wife of Nicholas I, Alexandra Fedorovna, with the "Italian Morning" and the emperor wished to receive a pair of paintings for the "Italian Morning". The request was fulfilled.

The model of the picture was a simple Italian woman, who attracted the artist with her cheerfulness and wonderful sparkle of happy eyes.

Bryullov painted a picture in a garden lit by the sun. A ripe bunch of grapes echoes the image of a beautiful Italian woman, with her mature beauty. She slightly tilted the vine with a juicy bunch towards her and admires its radiance fascinated. Women's natural beauty is shown in an uncomplicated pose, in a half-smile, in a blush on the cheeks, in a gentle look ...

In this work, Bryullov shows himself from a new position, he no longer follows the academic tradition (women were not supposed to pose for the artists). He was interested in the transmission of the female figure in the effects of early morning lighting or bright noon. The artist presented a scene filled with the spirit of sweet sensuality.

OPH didn't like the picture:

“Your model would be more pleasant than graceful proportions, and although the subject of the picture did not require too strict choice, it would not be superfluous, since the goal of art in general should be the chosen nature in the most elegant form, and graceful proportions are not the destiny of people known class.

Here is how N.V. Gogol characterized Bryullov's Italian women:

“A woman sparkling, blazing with all the luxury of passion. With all the power of beauty."

"Rider" (1832)

The ceremonial portrait was commissioned by Yulia Pavlovna Samoilova, for whom the artist had the most tender feelings during his years in Italy. The self-willed and charming beauty was famous for her love adventures, shocking Nicholas I, which ended with her departure from Russia.

Yu. P. Samoilova was immensely rich (she inherited a huge fortune from Count Yu. Litt, the second husband of her grandmother, Countess Skavronskaya), acquired palaces and villas, decorated them with paintings.

The portrait depicts the pupils of the Countess, whom she took in for education, Giovannina and Amacilia Pacini.

In this work, the author succeeded in combining a traditional equestrian portrait with a plot action. A beautiful rider returns from a walk in anticipation of an approaching thunderstorm. Little Amacilia, having heard the sound of the horse's hooves, ran out to meet her beloved sister on the loggia. Another moment and the fast horse is right at her feet. The girl's eyes sparkle with delight and joy. Amacilia stands at the very edge of the balcony. In anticipation of meeting with her sister, she completely forgot about her fear, stretching out her hand and taking a step forward. The dog, sticking his head out into the street, looks excitedly and jealously at his little mistress.

Even after a swift ride, Jovanina's face remains beautiful and imperturbable. The work uses a well-known method of romanticism: the clash of nature and the human spirit.

A dog returning from a walk is spinning under the horse's feet. Her widely spaced legs, frequent breathing add even more dynamics to the composition.

"Horsewoman" is an elegant enchanting spectacle, a hymn to the beauty of life.

The portrait showed the fruits of the author's diligent studies with the great masters Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Velasquez, Rubens. The Horsewoman was enthusiastically received in Italy.

In one of the Italian newspapers it was noticed:

“An excellent painter appeared this year with a large oil painting and exceeded all expectations. The manner in which the portrait is executed brings to mind the wonderful works of Van Dyck and Rubens.”

Portrait of the writer N. V. Kukolnik (1836)

Nestor Kukolnik was one of Bryullov's close friends during those years when the artist lived in Russia by order of the tsar.

In the 1830s, the playwright's tragedies enjoyed great success.

Starting work on the portrait of a young writer, Bryullov decides to make a generalized image of the "hero of our time." According to Belinsky,

“on the face of the writer one can read that painful daydreaming that was characteristic of the Russian people of that time” and it was explained by the critic “an excess of vital forces” that could not be applied.

The writer's slightly forward leaning posture is somewhat temporary. He poses without any desire and pleasure. It seems that the hero can not wait to leave this unpleasant occupation as soon as possible. His gaze is serious and full of sadness and expectation. Clenched fingers reflect the inner doubts of the hero. Even the choice of background makes a certain sense in understanding its character. A wall with peeling plaster, exposing a brick, according to many art historians, symbolizes the emotional wound of the person being portrayed. Part of the background is occupied by an evening landscape. This suggests the romantic nature of the young man. However, there is a feeling of uncertainty, ambiguity, uncertainty, tension, mental struggle in this image.

The portrait of N. V. Kukolnik is considered the first psychological portrait in Russian painting.

Self portrait (1848)

Until the autumn of 1847, the artist painted the dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral. The difficult working conditions caused the master "rheumatism", with which he fell ill for a long 7 months. In April 1848, the artist was allowed to get up, and he asked for cardboard. On this day, lines were drawn with quick movements, outlining the outline of the artist's figure. The next day, Bryullov painted his self-portrait in two hours.

The artist depicts himself sitting in a Voltaire chair. The inflamed eyes on the emaciated face seem to ask the viewer about something. A weakened arm with swollen veins lies limply on the arm of the chair. This gesture sounds tired disbelief in the future.

In the portrait, one feels the internal opposition of the motionless, frozen pose of the master and the hard work of the mind.

The self-portrait is a “confession of the son of the century”, who made sense of his life. “Fatigue and loneliness” is the mood conveyed by the author at the end of his life.

Bryullov's favorite bravura red color in the portrait only emphasizes the tragedy of overwhelming thoughts.

Here is what Bryullov wrote about his life:

“My life can be likened to a candle that was burned at both ends and held in the middle with red-hot tongs.”

"The Last Day of Pompeii" (1830-1833)

The idea for the painting arose in the summer of 1827, spent by the artist in Naples, where he went with Countess Yu. P. Samoilova, who charmed him. A visit to the excavations of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, which died in the 1st century from a volcanic eruption, shocked Bryullov.

At the heart of the plot, the artist used descriptions of the historian Pliny the Younger, a witness to the catastrophe. The main theme of the picture is "the people seized with fear" before the power of all-conquering fate.

The people move diagonally from the depths of the picture to the viewer. In the center of the composition lies the body of a beautiful woman. A small child is trying to wake her up. Art historians believe that this woman symbolizes the death of the entire ancient world, its culture, aesthetics and ideology.

Before us are separate groups of people, united by one spiritual impulse.

On the left, in the crowd, the artist depicted himself with a sketchbook on his head. Nearby in a woman with a jug, Countess Samoilova is recognized.

The artist made Yu. P. Samoilova another heroine of the picture - a mother hugging her children. This group of heroes is depicted in the poses in which the skeletons of those who died in the lava were found. The artist thoroughly and carefully got acquainted with the details of the materials of archaeological excavations.

A young mother, holding a tiny baby in one hand, hides the second child under her from the fiery rain, looking back at the terrible sky with horror. The father of the family shields people close to him with his chest.

On the right are scenes of selfless nobility that elevate human nature. Two young men are trying to save their elderly father.

An adult son says goodbye to his old mother, pressing her hand to his heart. They realize that they are seeing each other for the last time. Next to them we see a young man carrying the lifeless body of his beloved…

The picture also shows human vice: a pagan priest cowardly runs away from lava with an altar under his arm. He is opposed by another image: a courageous Christian ascetic, going towards people who are in trouble.

Work on the canvas lasted for 6 years. In his painting, the artist made an attempt to reconcile two aesthetics - classicism with its unshakable rules and romanticism, which proclaimed the freedom of expression of the creator.

The picture was a huge success in Europe and in Russia. Bryullov was elected a member of the Milan, Bologna and Florence Academies.

Walter Scott called the work "a whole poem in colors." At home, the artist was recognized as a genius. N.V. Gogol in one of his articles called this canvas "a complete, worldwide edition."

The poet Baratynsky wrote in his poem:

"You brought peaceful trophies
With you in the father's canopy.
And there was "The Last Day of Pompeii"
For the Russian brush, the first day!

The success of the picture haunted Bryullov. Later, turning to various historical subjects, he planned to write new canvases about the defense of Pskov from the Poles, about the invasion of Genserikh on Rome, about the Patriotic War of 1812 ... but these ideas were not implemented.

"Portrait of Countess Yu. P. Samoilova, leaving the ball with her adopted daughter Amazilia Pacini" (1839-1840)

The portrait was painted in St. Petersburg, where Yu. P. Samoilova arrived on inheritance matters. At that time, the artist was very worried about the consequences of an unsuccessful marriage, and the countess surrounded him with tender care.

The artist presented the Countess together with her adopted daughter Amacilia Pacini, who, with her fragility, complements the luxurious beauty of the beautiful Countess.

The movement of the beauty's figure is balanced by a powerful turn of heavy red velvet, which, as it were, emphasizes her dazzlingly luxurious dress.

In this portrait, one can feel the enthusiastic fire of the author - a consequence of a special attachment to the model.

This ceremonial portrait has another name "Masquerade". Once Bryullov admitted that in this work he showed the "masquerade of life."

The artist's contemporaries claimed that in no city in the world Bryullov "felt so much at home as in Rome." In Italy, the young artist tirelessly painted Italian genre scenes filled with a festive atmosphere.

His teachers were great masters, distinguished by the breadth of their views on art. Here is what the artist wrote to his brother Fyodor about the most important lesson in Italy:

“The first thing I acquired on the voyage is that I became convinced of the uselessness of the manner. Manner is a coquette or almost the same.

The concept of "manners" included a system of rigid artistic canons (the system of classicism was implied).

Bryullov was close to Raphael, whose “School of Athens” he copied for four years in a row (reproduction of the master’s works was one of the conditions for retirement).

Then Stendhal sang the Bryullov copy to the skies in his Walks in Rome, Notes of the Fatherland wrote:

“Bryullov not only retained all the colors of the original, but found, or, rather, unraveled what time had stolen.”

Bryullov was an excellent draftsman. He knew no equal in the possession of a graphite pencil. Virtuosity and skill in this area are evidenced by such works as "Portrait of the Singer Viardo Garcia" (1844), "Flying Angel Mourning the Victims of the Inquisition" (1849-1850).

While working at the Academy of Arts, he drew a lot and convinced his students of the importance of drawing:

“Do with a pencil what real artists do with a bow, with a voice - only then can you become a complete artist ...”

In Russia, most of the works of Karl Bryullov are concentrated in the St. Petersburg Russian Museum and the Moscow Tretyakov Gallery. Due to the "international" nature of his work, some of the paintings are kept in museums in Germany and Italy.

Children of primary and secondary school age can see Bryullov's paintings in the artist's fabulous art gallery.

Bryullov was always at the forefront of the artistic tasks of his time, which brought him worldwide fame. It is difficult to pronounce his name impartially. He became a great master thanks to his innate talent and endless diligence. The paintings of K. P. Bryullov attract viewers of all ages with their impeccable purity and perfect beauty.

Dear reader! What works of Bryullov are close to you and why?

Biography

Last years

Addresses in St. Petersburg

Addresses in St. Petersburg

Karl Pavlovich Bryullov(December 12 (23), 1799, St. Petersburg - June 11 (23), 1852, Manziana, Italy) - a great Russian artist, painter, muralist, watercolorist, draftsman, representative of academicism, Member of the Milan and Parma academies, the Academy of St. Luke in Rome , Professor of the St. Petersburg and Florence Academies of Arts, honorary free accomplice of the Paris Academy of Arts. Brother of Alexander Bryullov, architect, representative of the Romanticism style.

Biography

Karl Bryullov was born on December 12 (23), 1799 in St. Petersburg, in the family of academician, woodcarver and engraver Pavel Ivanovich Brullo (Brulleau, 1760-1833). From 1809 to 1821 he studied painting at the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, was a student of Andrei Ivanovich Ivanov. A brilliant student, he received a gold medal in the class of historical painting. By 1820, his first known work, Narcissus, dates back.

In 1822, Bryullov was seconded to Italy at the expense of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. He visited Dresden, Munich; settled in Rome. Genre paintings: "Italian morning" (1823) and "Italian noon" (1827). After copying from Raphael's fresco The School of Athens, Bryullov began work on a large painting with a historical plot - The Last Day of Pompeii (1827-33), commissioned by Anatoly Nikolayevich Demidov. The idea of ​​“The Last Day…” is connected with the fashion for archeology that arose at that time and with relevance: in 1828, there was a mini-eruption of Vesuvius. Bryullov was in Pompeii and made a number of sketches on the spot: a landscape, ruins, petrified figures.

By this time, he met Yulia Samoilova, an aristocrat from the Skavronsky family, that is, relatives of Catherine I. Portraits: “Yu. Samoilova, with a pupil and a black child”, “Horsewoman” (1832), as well as the painting “Bathsheba” (1832) are associated with this stage of Bryullov’s life.

In 1836, after traveling through Greece and Turkey, Bryullov returned to Russia - through Odessa to Moscow and a few months later - to St. Petersburg. In Moscow, he met A. S. Pushkin; paints portraits of the poet and playwright A. K. Tolstoy and A. A. Perovsky (writer Anthony Pogorelsky). In St. Petersburg, a solemn reception awaits him at the Academy of Arts and the triumph of "The Last Day of Pompeii"; the picture managed to visit Paris (Louvre, 1834), where it was coldly received by Parisian critics: it was (already!) the era of Delacroix and French romanticism. The painting was presented by Demidov to Nicholas I, who placed it in the Imperial Hermitage, and then donated it to the Academy of Arts; it is currently in the Russian Museum.

Until 1849, Bryullov lives and works in St. Petersburg. He is a professor at the Academy of Arts, a fashionable portrait painter; paints the Lutheran church on Nevsky Prospekt, St. Isaac's Cathedral (1843-47), paints a large picture "The Siege of Pskov" (1839-43; not finished).

Numerous portraits: Nestor Kukolnik (1836), V. A. Zhukovsky (1837-38), I. A. Krylov (1839); Yu. P. Samoilova with a pupil (1839); "Self-portrait", (1848).

Last years

In St. Petersburg, Bryullov's health deteriorated greatly. In 1849, he leaves Russia and travels to the island of Madeira for treatment. The artist travels to Spain.

In 1850 Bryullov returned to Italy. The most important works of this period are portraits of members of the Tittoni family and the Portrait of Michelangelo Lanci.

Bryullov died on June 11 (23 according to a new style) of June 1852 in the town of Mantsiana near Rome. He was buried in the Testaccio Protestant Cemetery in Rome.

Addresses in St. Petersburg

Ratings

Bryullov was a contemporary of Delacroix and Ingres; "The Raft of the Medusa" by Géricault was written in 1819; “Massacre at Chioss” - in 1824, and “Freedom at the Barricades” - in 1830. Thus, thematically, Bryullov’s work was not new - it fits perfectly into the academic system in which Bryullov was constantly cooked. In Bryullov's portraits there is a certain impulsiveness and elusive movement, they are pleasant and not dark in color. The melancholy that permeates his later portraits brings Bryullov closer to the romantics.

The attitude towards the artist's heritage in the cultural environment is ambiguous. Thus, Turgenev condemned decorativeness and abstract romanticism in Bryullov's work. According to the definition of I. S. Turgenev, Bryullov wrote “ crackling pictures with effects, but without poetry and without content ..."(I. S. Turgenev. Collected Works. T. 10. - M. 1949. - S. 258).

Influence

Bryullov, unlike Pushkin and his friend Glinka, did not have such a significant influence on Russian painting, as they did on literature and music, respectively. However, the psychological trend of Bryullov's portraits can be traced in all Russian masters of this genre: from Kramskoy and Perov to Serov and Vrubel.

Addresses in St. Petersburg

• 12/23/1799 - 10.1809 - House of P. I. Bryullov - Sredny Avenue, 17;
• 10.1809 - Autumn 1821 - Academy of Arts - University embankment, 17;
• autumn 1821 - 08.1822 - Temporary wooden workshop on Cathedral Square (not preserved);
• 23.05. - the beginning of 08.1836 - the apartment of S. A. Sobolevsky in Tal's house - Nevsky Prospekt, 6;
• beginning 08.1836 - 04.1849 - the building of the Academy of Arts - Universitetskaya embankment, 17.

Artist Karl Bryullov one of those masters who became famous for one, but a great creation - the well-known painting “The Death of Pompeii”.

Karl Pavlovich Bryullov was born on December 23, 1799 in St. Petersburg, in the family of an academician. Russified Germans were in the artist's pedigree.

In early childhood, Karl was seriously ill, and until the age of 5 he was bedridden. Karl's father, an outstanding and talented person, Pavel Ivanovich Bryullov, worked at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts as a wood carving master. The demanding father, despite the sickness of the boy, early began to accustom his son to industriousness and taught him the profession of an artist, at the same time attracting help in his work. The father played a big role in the development of Karl as a person in the future.

In 1809, Karl entered the Academy of Arts, which he successfully graduated with a gold medal, after which he went to continue his education in Italy. During his stay in Italy, he creates works filled with ancient images. Inspired by Italian nature, he paints the paintings “Italian Morning”, and “Girl Picking Grapes in the Outskirts of Naples”. The paintings are permeated with the joyful mood of this sunny country.

Portraits of the artist, created by him in his younger years, are distinguished by accuracy and conciseness. Among them are "Self-portrait", as well as a portrait of his brother, and others. In 1832, K. Bryullov paints his famous portrait "Horsewoman", which was enthusiastically received by Italian critics. One of the best portraits is that of his friend, Countess Yu.P. Samoilova together with a servant and her pupil.

The painting "The death of Pompeii"

The artist brought his famous work “The Fall of Pompeii” to life after 6 years of preparation and reflection. Having visited the excavations of the city, the artist was amazed. Bryullov managed to embody the whole range of emotions very talentedly and in a peculiar way, choosing the sparkle of lightning as an artistic device. Uneven light emphasizes the tragedy of the situation and conveys the feelings and emotions of the characters in the picture. Working on the picture, the artist put all his strength into it, practically without resting. As it turned out, it was not in vain that so much effort and effort was put in; the picture made an indelible impression at the exposition in Rome and Milan.

K. Bryullov returned to Russia in 1835 and began working at the Academy of Arts. The title of professor was awarded to him a year later. The artist combines teaching with painting, and writes the historical work "The Siege of Pskov". However, the work remained unfinished. Karl Bryullov devotes a lot of time to working on portraits. Among them are portraits of V.A. Zhukovsky, I.A. Krylova and others, distinguished by the skill of the artist to convey the uniqueness and versatility of a person's personality. Due to deteriorating health in 1849, Bryullov leaves for about. Madeira and then to Italy.

Separation from his homeland finally broke the artist. Shortly before his death, Bryullov paints his self-portrait, in which he depicts himself as full of immense fatigue, and at the same time, with a gleam in his eyes, in anticipation of new creative achievements. But they were not destined to come true. Bryullov died in Italy in the town of Marsciano on June 23, 1852.

Bryullov was born in St. Petersburg in 1799 and left the world near the city of Lazio and Rome in the commune of Manziana in 1852. He was the third son in the family of a teacher at the Academy of Arts. Karl practically did not know his mother, who left this world early, was a sickly boy who did not get out of bed until almost 8 years old, by the way, Bryullov ended his earthly path very painfully.

Strict paternal upbringing allowed Bryullov to enter the Academy of Arts at the age of 10 and become a recognized master there. He was adored by both fellow students and professors, he created recognizable works of art that were distinguished by talent.

In 1822, he graduated from the Academy with a huge number of medals and, thanks to a grant, went to Italy, where he stayed until 1834. This period is marked by the most interesting works, many of which have become classics of art. Bryullov is filled with the mood of romanticism, he writes a lot outside the canon of the Academy of Arts, but at the same time he creates something incredibly valuable and original.

In 1833, he creates the Last Day of Pompeii - a picture that created a real sensation in the art world. In 1836 he returned to St. Petersburg, where he lived until 1849.

Petersburg became a space for the continuation of the artist's fame, which only strengthened. Bryullov's talent became more diverse and interesting, he became famous as a portrait painter, and communicated a lot with the creative elite of the city. At the same time, Karl Pavlovich himself once said: “I can’t write a second Pompeii” and the prediction came true in many respects.

Charlemagne - as his friends and admirers called him, really wanted to create historical canvases, as befits graduates of the Academy of Arts, but he painted portraits and other "salon" works. He created for the most part paintings on the theme of happiness and joy, because he himself was very sick, according to the sad diagnosis of doctors.

Since 1850, he completely moved to the territory of Italy, where he painted his own self-portrait, which became the most famous. He lives in the house of A. Tittoni, where he paints interesting watercolors that remain in the collection of this family. Bryullov's final work was Michelangelo Lanci's portrait of his friend, an archaeologist.

Detailed biography and creativity

A small article will tell about the creative path of the great painter Karl Bryullov.

Youth years

Bryullov Karl Pavlovich was born in St. Petersburg on February 12, 1799. His father was German, in the city and he was known as a skilled sculptor. Especially beautifully he managed to create small miniatures of wood. The boy from early childhood began to get involved in drawing. Carlossy, as his close relatives and family friends called him, had a pencil as an extension of his hands. At the age of 10, he was admitted to the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, where he lived for about 12 years.

The beginning of creativity

No one doubted that the young man would graduate from the Academy with excellent marks. In 1819, he left its territory and began to develop his own individual style of painting. Bryullov's elder brother at that time was engaged in the construction of St. Isaac's Cathedral and took it under his "roof".

At first, Karl preferred to paint portraits. He was often approached by the first persons of St. Petersburg - P. Kikin and A. Dmitriev-Mamonov. At the request of the men, Karl painted such famous paintings as "The Repentance of Polynices" and "Oedipus and Antigone". Due to the popularity of these paintings, Bryullov received a high award for those times - a trip to Italy for 4 years. There he lived not for the period allotted to him, but much longer - 12 years, from 1822 to 1834.

Life and work in Italy

Bryullov often visited the museums of Italy, where he carefully studied the work and paintings of the most famous artists of the past. Raphael's painting entitled "The School of Athens" attracted his particular attention. Karl decides to create an exact copy of it and spends about 4 years on it. As a result, the picture made a splash not only for his fellow artists, but also for those who were initially skeptical of him. During his stay in Italy, Bryullov painted such outstanding paintings as "Italian Noon" (1827) and Bathsheba (1832).

Karl Bryullov became a famous painter. Another picture that gave him even greater popularity and recognition is a secular portrait of a “horsewoman”. In the end, the artist again returned to his homeland, but already known and recognized during his lifetime as a great classic.

Last period of life

The year 1843 was also significant in his life. Bryullov created a painting for St. Isaac's Cathedral. But he did not refuse to paint portraits and was actively engaged in his favorite work. For the Tittoni family, he also painted several portraits.

From a young age, Karl Bryullov was often sick and was a weak child. In 1847, he suffered a cold, which gave a complication to the heart. Rheumatism forced the artist to spend almost seven long years in bed.

Doctors urged Bryullov to change the climate of Russia to a warmer tropical one. He settled on the island of Madeira. But even a change in the surrounding atmosphere did not improve his condition. He left the island and moved to Manziana in May 1852. There he spent the rest of his days and died a month later in June of the same year (1852).