Anton Pavlovich Losenko was born in the family of a Ukrainian Cossack. Orphaned early and as a seven-year-old child was sent to St. Petersburg to the court singing choir. If the voice of the young Ukrainian boy had not broken, perhaps there would not have been one of the founders of Russian historical painting, Anton Pavlovich Losenko. In 1753, as "sleeping from the voice", but showing the ability to art, the young A. Losenko was transferred from the choir to the student of the famous painter I. P. Argunov.
Five and a half years spent in the artist's studio became a good school for A. Losenko, which soon showed itself when, a year after the formation of the Academy of Arts, he became her pupil (1758). The preparation of A. Losenko was so thorough that he became an assistant to academic teachers and received the position of an apprentice. Having appreciated the talent of the young painter, in 1760 A. Losenko was sent to France to improve his skills.
wonderful catch
In September 1760, A.P. Losenko, together with the architect V.K. Bazhenov, was sent on a pensioner's trip to Paris. There he improved his skills in the studio of J. Retoux (1692-1768), one of the last representatives of French high historical painting.
In the first year of studies, Losenko started painting with a complex multi-figure composition "Wonderful Catch". The work of the young artist is a modified copy of the painting of the same name by J. Jouvenet (1705; Louvre, Paris). The canvas was completed no later than November 20, 1762, when Losenko left Paris for St. Petersburg. The canvas "Wonderful Catch" was highly appreciated by the Council of the Academy. However, subsequently the attitude towards this work was ambiguous.
The miraculous catch of fish is told in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 5:1-11). Christ entered Simon Peter's fishing boat to preach to the assembled people, and then told Peter and his companions to let down their nets. And the nets were so full of fish that James and John, who were in the other boat, had to come to their aid. They were all shocked and frightened.
The scene on Losenko's canvas depicts the shore of the Sea of Galilee, on which the people gathered to see the miracle of the Lord. Peter fell on one knee before Jesus Christ. Andrew, along with James and John, the sons of Zebedee, are dragging nets.
Presumably, The Miraculous Catch made an impression on Catherine II, as she ordered to purchase a painting for the Imperial Hermitage
Abraham's sacrifice
Enrolled as a student at the Academy of Arts (1758), Losenko very soon became an assistant to academic teachers and received the position of apprentice. Appreciating the talent of the young painter, in 1760 he was sent to Paris to improve his knowledge and skills
The result of studying in Paris with J. M. Vienne (1763-1765) was the painting "The Sacrifice of Abraham." The plot is borrowed from the Old Testament (Genesis 22:2-12), which was often used by artists as an opportunity to show the clash of conflicting passions.
According to legend, God offered Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac, but, seeing his readiness, prevented the murder. The sent angel pointed out to Abraham a lamb entangled in the bushes.
Losenko exactly follows what was said in the Bible: the composition of the picture is full of expression. The most expressive figure is Abraham, both dynamic and monumental. The painting received the first gold medal of the Paris Academy of Arts. In it, Losenko sought to avoid excessive decorativeness and demonstrated the basic principles of his pictorial credo: the transfer of the "beauty of nature" and the construction of an emotionally rich composition.
Through Prince D. A. Golitsyn, the painting was sent to St. Petersburg and arrived at the Academy of Arts shortly before the public exhibition, where it was exhibited in 1766 as a reporting pensioner's work. At the exhibition at the Academy it was shown as one of the best achievements of the national school. In this work, the young artist appears as an established master.
Tobias with an angel
The adventures of Tobias and his companion and guardian - the archangel Raphael - are told in the book of Tobit (apocryphal Old Testament).
The story begins in Nineveh during the exile of the Jews to Assyria in the 8th century. BC where Tobit, a devout Jew, lived with his wife Anna and their son. He cared for his fellow tribesmen who were in need, and cared for the proper burial of those who met their death at the hands of the king. For this, he was severely persecuted, his property was confiscated, he and his family were about to flee.
Once, when he lay down to rest in the yard (that is, outside the house, because, according to Jewish law, he was "unclean", since on that day he buried one dead), sparrow droppings fell on his eyes, from which he formed an eyesore and he is blind. Feeling that death was near, Tobit ordered his son Tobiah to go to Media in order to get some money there (at one time he deposited 10 talents of silver with the Israelite Gabael, who lived in the Median Gars).
Tobias first of all began to look for a companion for his journey and met the archangel Raphael, who agreed to accompany him. (Tobias mistook the angel for an ordinary mortal. The distinguishing feature of an angel - wings - was a late Christian convention borrowed from the ancient Roman image of the winged goddess of Victory). Having received the blessing of the blind Tobit, the couple set off on their journey, mourned by Anna, the mother of Tobias. The young man's dog followed close behind them. Having reached the Tigris River, Tobias went down to the water to wash himself, when suddenly a large fish rushed at him from the water, wanting to devour him. At Raphael's direction, he grabbed her and disembowelled her, separating her heart, liver, and bile. The archangel explained that the incense made from her fried heart and liver drove out demons, and the bile of this fish cured the walleye.
Upon arriving at their destination, Tobias collected the money; then, on the advice of an angel, they went to a relative whose daughter, Sarah, became the bride of Tobias. But Sarah, unfortunately, was bewitched by a demon, which had already caused the death of seven of her previous husbands. Nevertheless, the wedding of Tobias and Sarah took place, although not without misgivings. The demon was successfully exorcised with the help of the liver and heart of the caught fish, which were placed in a censer and smoked. Then the couple in their bedroom offered up a prayer of thanksgiving.
When they returned to Nineveh, Tobiah used gall to restore his father's sight. The archangel, when Tobias offered him a reward for all that he had done for him, revealed himself, and father and son fell on their knees before him. Although this story, in the form in which it has come down to us, dates from the 2nd century BC. BC e., it includes elements of distant folklore - Assyrian and Persian. Among the folk tales of Europe there are also those that resemble it, for example, Andersen's "Road Comrade". Artists illustrated most of the episodes, especially "Tobiah and the Angel" - both dressed as wanderers, they are accompanied by a dog.
The "big fish" was thought to be a crocodile whose liver and heart were used in ancient magic as a talisman to ward off demons. When Tobias is shown pulling out a fish, it is depicted as no larger than a trout. The cure of Tobit's blindness is usually presented as a kind of anointing, although Rembrandt and other northern artists who painted after him depict cataract surgery. This is due to the use of this word in the Dutch Bible for "whiteness" in the eyes of Tobit.
The concept of a guardian angel was common in Renaissance Italy, and the Tobiah story was used by the family to record the son's journey; in this case, Tobias is portrayed as similar to the son of a family.
The cure of Tobit's blindness was the subject of paintings commissioned by the victims of this disease, who hoped that their sight would be restored to them.
Andrew the First-Called
Losenko's reporting pensioner work was exhibited at a public exhibition of the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1766.
Andrew the First-Called is one of the twelve apostles, brother of Peter. Named First-Called because he was the first person Jesus called to ministry.
Acquired in 1923 from the Museum of the Academy of Arts.
Death of Adonis
Studying under the guidance of J. Retou, Losenko created a large historical painting based on the gospel story “The Miraculous Catch” (1762). In it, he managed to combine the requirements of classicism with a softened human interpretation of the image of Christ.
In 1766-69. the artist lived in Italy, where he studied antiquity, copied the works of Raphael. During this period, he paid much attention to pictorial studies of the naked body; as a result, the famous canvases "Abel" and "Cain" (both 1768) appeared. They reflected not only the ability to accurately convey the anatomical features of the human body, but also the ability to communicate to them the richness of the picturesque shades inherent in living nature.
Cain
As a true representative of classicism, Losenko portrayed Cain like a sketch of a naked model. This reporting pensioner's work by Losenko was exhibited at a public exhibition of the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1770. Judging by the reports of A.P. Losenko, it was written in Rome, from March to September 1768.
The name "Cain" was already in the XIX century. The second painting, called "Abel", is in the Kharkov Museum of Fine Arts.
Cain and Abel are the sons of Adam and Eve. According to the biblical myth, the elder, Cain, cultivated the land, the younger, Abel, shepherded the flocks. Abel's bloody gift was pleasing to God, Cain's sacrifice was rejected. Jealous of his brother, Cain killed him.
Abel
In 1769, Losenko returned to St. Petersburg, where he was asked to paint a picture for the title of academician of historical painting. The artist creates a work on a theme from Russian history - "Vladimir and Rogneda" (1770).
Vladimir and Rogneda
According to an ancient chronicle, Prince Vladimir of Novgorod asked for the hand of the daughter of the Polotsk prince Rogvold, but, having been refused, attacked Polotsk, killed Rogneda's father and brothers, and took her by force as his wife. The picture shows the culmination moment of Rogneda's "pitiful fate", when Vladimir invaded her chambers and "unwittingly combined" with her. However, Losenko portrayed Vladimir not as a treacherous conqueror, but as a man who repented of his actions - this expressed the high ideals of morality and humanism of the Age of Enlightenment.
The content was also new: the national past became the subject of a historical picture, being equated with generally accepted ancient and biblical subjects in terms of the status of the genre hierarchy.
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The success of the painting brought its creator not only the title of academician, but also the appointment of an associate professor (since 1770), and soon a professor and director of the Academy of Arts (since 1772). Until the end of his life, Losenko remained in this post. In addition, he conducted practical classes and created an educational and theoretical course "Explanation of the short proportion of a person ...", which became a guide for several generations of artists.
He fully devotes himself to multifaceted activities. In 1773, Losenko began, but did not have time to finish his second historical painting - “Farewell of Hector to Andromache”; this partly explains some sketchiness in the pictorial interpretation of images. An ancient plot from Homer's Iliad sang of the heroes, their patriotic feelings, their willingness to sacrifice themselves to serve their homeland. These ideals of enlightenment classicism, to which the artist was faithful throughout his entire creative life, were vividly expressed in “Hector's Farewell” (as the painting was called by contemporaries).
Hector's farewell to Andromache
The action takes place at the city gates. The hero of Troy, the son of the Trojan king Priam, Hector says goodbye, before the single combat with Achilles, with his faithful wife Andromache, holding a baby in her arms. Anticipating his death, he asks for the protection of the gods and prays that his son will grow up wise, brave and glorious. A sense of civic duty in Hector's soul wins over personal feelings of attachment to the family.
The image of Hector is endowed with the heroic features of an ideal hero - he is a courageous and steadfast warrior, noble in his thoughts. A premonition of a tragic outcome permeates the pathetic scene presented by the artist. However, only the main character, Hector, is truly pathetic; in the images of the rest of the characters, Losenko combines a restrained majestic and naturally harsh beginning, harmoniously organizing the composition and the hot coloring of the picture.
The picture is strictly arranged, proportionate in its parts. Majestic architecture enhances its heroic sound. Despite the well-known conventionality and theatricality inherent in the historical painting of the classicist style, Losenko's work is full of dramatic action and imbued with high civic pathos.
Like all painters of the 18th century, Losenko did not pass by the portrait, however, the circle of persons chosen by him for this purpose is closely connected with art: these are the founder and curator of the Academy of Arts I. I. Shuvalov, the actors Ya. D. Shumsky and F. G. Volkov. Spirituality and human warmth permeate the images of the portrayed.
Portrait of the actor Ya. D. Shumsky
Portrait of the actor F. G. Volkov
The personality of Fyodor Grigoryevich Volkov, the founder of the theater in Yaroslavl and a remarkable tragic actor, was interesting and significant. The portrait of Volkov was painted by Losenko in 1763 in Moscow. This is the only pictorial representation of the famous actor. Volkov is presented with theatrical attributes: in a raincoat, with a sword and a mask in his hands. The face attracts with directness, intelligence and activity. His posture seems like a moment's pause during the game. In this, Losenko acts as a predecessor of Rokotov with his deep interest in a specific living person, his spiritual movements.
Portrait of I. I. Shuvalov
The portrait of Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov (1727 - 1797) was painted by the artist shortly before leaving for Paris. Shuvalov came from a poor and humble noble family. Becoming a favorite of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, he took a prominent position at court. Having a huge fortune, a real privy councilor, chief chamberlain (1778), lieutenant general, he contributed to the development of science and art in Russia.
The founder and first curator of Moscow University (1755), the first president of the Imperial Academy of Arts, based on his project, a patron of the arts, Shuvalov was a friend and patron of M. V. Lomonosov. From 1763 to 1777 he traveled in Western Europe. Was familiar with D. Diderot, F. Voltaire.
Depicted with the orders of the White Eagle (ribbon and star) and St. Anna (cross with diamonds).
Portrait of the poet and playwright A. P. Sumarokov
In the ceremonial portrait presented by Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov to the Academy of Arts in 1762, the poet is depicted in a velvet mantle. Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov (1717-1777) - poet and playwright, author of the tragedies "Khorev" (1747), "Sinav and Truvor" (1750), comedies, fables, lyrical songs.
Portrait of Emperor Paul I as a child
Pavel Petrovich (175-1801) - Emperor of All Russia, son of Emperor Peter III and Empress Catherine II.
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The position of director of the Academy of Arts, which was assigned to an artist of great talent, a professor who taught for many hours every day in classes, was burdensome for Losenko and involuntarily involved him in a tangle of academic and court intrigues, which were alien to him by nature. No wonder the sculptor E. M. Falcone, standing up for him, wrote to Catherine II:
“Haunted, tired, saddened, tormented by the darkness of academic trifles, Losenko is unable to touch the brush; it will surely be destroyed. He is the first skillful artist of the nation, they remain insensitive to this, they sacrifice him ... ".
The empress promised to transfer Losenko from the Academy of Arts to the Hermitage, but did not do so. The artist's strength was undermined, he could not cope with a serious illness that had befallen him. At the age of thirty-six, A.P. Losenko dies.
(* AH - St. Petersburg Academy of Arts)
Kornilova A. V. (St. Petersburg) - "Famous Russian Artists" - 2000
Soviet postcard collection - 1964-1990
Among Russian painters XVIII century, Anton Pavlovich Losenko is known as the founder of the historical genre, moreover, before him there were almost no paintings on the topics of national history. Lomonosov was one of the first to develop a list of plots from the national Russian history. “The first position of those who practice these tricks (in art) is to portray the history of their fatherland and the faces of great people in it, monarchs, winners and others,” the poet and playwright Sumarokov said at the opening of the Academy of Arts in 1757. One of the first significant works in Russian historical painting is Losenko's painting "Vladimir and Rogneda".
Anton Losenko was born into a Cossack family in the city of Glukhov in Ukraine in 1737. Glukhov - an ancient city, the residence of the hetmans and the Little Russian Collegium - is famous for its ancient fortress, temples, "premature" chambers, shopping arcades. The most beautiful places. If travelers are to be believed, then Glukhov could well compete with Kiev and surpass it with the beauty of architecture. In 1738, a singing school was opened in Glukhov, which trained singers for the court chapel and Little Russian choirs. Here began the years of apprenticeship of a boy with a silver voice, Anton Losenko. Fate was such that he was orphaned early. Father, Pavel Yakovlevich, engaged in trade, undertook to supply the Russian army with "red goods", but in 1744 he went bankrupt, drank himself and died. This is all that is known about the father of the future artist. Seven-year-old Anton, abandoned to the mercy of fate by relatives, survived thanks to his voice and excellent hearing. Arranged in a local singing school, he was soon taken to the capital's court chapel. So a short, dark-haired, swarthy, sickly boy ended up in St. Petersburg, but Fate a few years later prepared a new surprise for the young orphan. Having reached the age of sixteen, when his voice breaks, the young man lost it. However, a new passion took possession of the soul of an impressionable, talented teenager. Probably, he had been painting for several years, fascinated by the beauty of the majestic architecture of St. Petersburg and the creations of artists. And again he was lucky. Three choristers who had lost their voices - Anton Losenko, Ivan Sablukov and Kirill Golovachevsky were given painting lessons to the serf Count Sheremetev Ivan Petrovich Argunov. All three subsequently became academicians and teachers of the Academy of Arts.
The significance of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts in the history of Russian art is extremely great. It was founded in 1757 by the efforts of Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov, an enlightened nobleman, a favorite of Elizabeth Petrovna. The Shuvalov Academy was taught mainly by French professors. The first students were the young pupils of Argunov, as well as the children of soldiers and peasants. Anton Losenko, having stayed at the Academy for only two years, was sent to continue his studies in Paris. There he entered, on the recommendation, in the workshop of the painter Georges Rétou, in whose work, academic principles were intertwined with rococo. Diligent and conscientious, Losenko assimilates Parisian science, studying from morning to evening. Twice a day he draws from nature, the gaps are filled by writing sketches and writing pictures on a historical theme based on them. This is how the large-scale canvas “A Miraculous Catch of Fish” is born. The picture is based on the gospel story, performed in the form of a gallant scene, with the participation of a fashionable Parisian, located at the feet of Christ. The work of the young artist is quite consistent with the level of French academic painting of the 18th century.
A. Losenko. Great catch of fish
The teacher was pleased with the student. Losenko gave Ryota 120 rubles and went to St. Petersburg in his own carriage.
Initially, one painting class was created at the Academy, but soon their number increased, there was a clear specialization of classes: painting, historical, battle, home exercises, birds and animals, fruits and flowers, landscapes and others. Losenko began teaching in a natural class. Teaching was based, of course, on the principles of classicism. The students were instilled with the idea of the need to rely on the experience of the past, the value of traditions, especially ancient ones. It was believed that art should strive for an ideal, which, alas, almost does not correspond to the surrounding life. However, the artist must keep in mind that ideal patterns are laid down in life. A good artist should be able to identify them and depict nature on the canvas corrected, as it should be. With such principles, it is not surprising that the historical genre, which also included biblical, mythological, legendary subjects, was put in the first place in painting. The blossoming talent of Anton Losenko came in handy.
However, soon Losenko again went to Paris, this time to the workshop of the famous Joseph Marie Vien, whose work is already almost free from rocaille moods. Vien's student was also Jacques Louis David, the future great French artist, creator of ascetic and heroic art. Losenko carefully studies Parisian museums, private collections, carefully recording observations in his journal. “Venus of Good Lidwei, sculptor Falconette. An angel calls Joseph to go to Egypt, Titian. Painting of colors, expressions of Vestma are natural. The village old man reads the Bible to the children of Croesus. The oysters and wine on the table are very natural, Shardina.” At this time, he writes "Andrew the First-Called" - a sketch of a half-naked old man. The saggy wrinkled skin, painful senile thinness, knotty fingers, gray hair and watery eyes are shown naturally. All this speaks of careful observation of nature. The plot is indicated only by a prayerful look turned to the sky and a faintly luminous halo.
A. Losenko. Andrew the First-Called
A. Losenko. Abraham's sacrifice |
Later, when Losenko mastered the language of classical theater - a speaking gesture, the unity of time, place and action, he would create a more rigorous classical composition based on the ancient plot of Zeus and Thetis, on the plot from Homer's Iliad. The sea goddess Thetis, the mother of Achilles, who gave birth to him from a mortal man, King Peleus, asks Zeus to save her son, to avert him from further participation in the Trojan War. In accordance with the plot, the heroes of the picture are ideal, created on the model of ancient sculpture.
A. Losenko. Zeus and Thetis
Returning again to St. Petersburg, Losenko received the post of adjunct professor at the Academy, that is, an assistant. But the second period of Losenko's teaching activity was short-lived. The artist goes to improve his skills in Italy. He comes to Rome, where he works independently: copies Raphael, paints sitters, studies the art of the Italian Renaissance. Here he writes his best in plastic terms, the paintings "Cain" and "Abel". Subsequently, for many years they served as models for copying and imitation at the Academy of Arts. Actually, these are one-figure studies of a nude model. Names were given to them already in the 19th century. They depict powerful, strongly built young Italian sitters. The plasticity of the figures is made according to the torso of Apollo Belvedere. The golden surface of the body is beautifully combined with the deep red color of the drapery, which speaks of Losenko's coloristic gift. Silver-gray tone emphasizes the warm color of the body.
A. Losenko. Abel
After the presentation of these paintings, Losenko soon became a professor, head of the class of historical painting, and then the director of the Academy of Arts.Now it is appropriate to talk a little about Losenko's pedagogical activity. Teaching at the Academy began with copying "originals" - specially prepared samples of drawing and painting. Losenko personally creates more than fifty such originals, which were used in the academic school for almost a century, until the middle of the 19th century. From the "originals" they moved to the "antiques" - drawing from ancient sculpture. Then they drew and painted live sitters, among which only well-built men were accepted, enrolled as employees of the academy, even having apartments in the academic building. After that, they were taken for sketches of compositions on historical subjects and created finished paintings from them. Teaching in the natural class was conducted by two professors on duty. One of the rules for the work of students, the other, together with them, performed the task, showing what and how to write, by personal example. Losenko often worked together with his students, as evidenced by the educational work he created in the period of late creativity. By the age of eighteen, the student could already work independently. The best students went on a retirement trip, on a state pension, to Europe - France, and then Italy.
The flourishing of Russian classicism in the second half of the 18th - early 19th century became possible thanks to the system of academic education, regulated by I.I. Betsky. The composition of teachers gradually changed, giving way to domestic professors, such as Anton Pavlovich Losenko. He wrote a textbook "A Brief Explanation of Human Proportion" - an introduction to plastic anatomy. He also zealously performed directorial duties, which took precious time from his work. Such hard work could not but affect his health adversely. Fragile and mentally vulnerable, Losenko with difficulty resisted worldly storms and labors. That is why he broke down early and died out in the thirty-seventh year of his life, in a blaze of glory. In the last three years of his life, working as a professor and director, he painted his most significant paintings.
"Vladimir and Rogneda"
1770. Elegant ladies and gentlemen, walking through the halls of the exhibition opened at the Academy of Arts, lingered for a long time in front of the painting “Vladimir and Rogneda”. The ladies sighed and brought handkerchiefs to their eyes. The gentlemen looked for the modest figure of Anton Pavlovich Losenko with their eyes and hurried to express their admiration for his new work. But so far no one guessed that he was on a kind of birthday of the national historical picture. No one imagined that the artistic features of the canvas, which depicts a touching scene from their distant 10th century, are the concentration of searches and discoveries of a whole generation of artists.
But everyone knew that Empress Catherine II , graciously visiting the exhibition, deigned to honor Mr. Losenko with praise, "encouraging him with her royal oral explanation for the best successes." Who would have dared to miss the exhibition after that or not to praise the picture? However, all the advanced art connoisseurs of the era thought the same way: before them is an outstanding work written by a mature master. Losenko was distinguished by artistic susceptibility, sensitivity to the most important moral problems of his time. This is what helped him to stand on a par with the best thinking people and was clearly manifested in the content of the picture, which is fundamentally new in relation to previous canvases on a historical theme.
The plot of the picture was approved by the council of professors of the Academy of Arts. “Vladimir, having established himself in Novgorod possession, sends to the Polotsk prince Rogvold to give him his daughter Rogneda in marriage; Annoyed by the proud answer of Rogneda, Vladimir moved all his forces, took the capital city of Polotsk by force, depriving Rogvold and his two sons of his life, combined with the high-minded Rogneda with captivity. Losenko showed "Vladimir's first meeting with Rogneda, in which Vladimir is presented as the winner, and proud Rogneda as a prisoner."
A. Losenko. Vladimir and Rogneda
And the plot, and the composition, and the types of characters - a serious reason for reflection. Chronicles report that Vladimir, the “baptizer of Rus'”, the eldest son of Svyatoslav and the grandson of Olga, was born outside the law. Even in his youth, before his marriage, the stern warrior Svyatoslav liked his mother's maid, the housekeeper Malusha - a simple "robe". Vladimir from childhood bore the nickname "Robichicha", but was not forgotten or abandoned. In mind, talents and beauty, he far surpassed the legitimate sons of Svyatoslav - Yaropolk and Oleg. His father and grandmother did not have a soul in him, but they could not transfer the throne of Kiev to an illegitimate offspring, and they put him on the reign of Novgorod. After the death of his father, Vladimir decides to marry and sends matchmakers to Rogneda. In response, he hears an arrogant answer: “I don’t want to undress the son of a slave, but I want Yaropolk.” Imagine the anger of an offended handsome man. Of course, "the zealous leapt up"! Our ancestors did not know any other way to resolve conflicts, except for war. The siege of Polotsk and forced marriage to a scoundrel and a pushover were commonplace in those days.
But morals are changing, the 18th century is enlightened, and Vladimir must have seemed to Losenko's contemporaries a barbarian, a cruel monster, a voluptuary. But the artist argues precisely as a humane person and alien to arbitrariness, which owned the heart of the supposedly voluptuous prince. He is looking for reasons in the actions of Prince Vladimir that, if not justified, then forced to treat him with sympathy. “Vladimir married Rogneda against her will,” the artist reasoned, “when he married her, it should be that he loved her. Why did I present him as a lover who, seeing his bride dishonored and deprived of everything, had to caress her and apologize to her, and not as others conclude that he himself dishonored her and then married her, which I it seems very unnatural, but if it was, then my picture represents as soon as the very first date.
The artist had a genuine interest in the experiences of his hero. Prince Vladimir, the baptizer of Rus', was depicted in ancient Russian art as a saint. In Losenko's interpretation, he became a man whose actions must be explained based on the laws of the human heart. None of Losenko's predecessors, who worked on historical battle compositions, set themselves such psychological tasks. In addition, there is a special, "Losenkov's" approach to the historical theme - the desire of the author of the picture to ennoble, raise above the world of low passions, whitewash the image of Vladimir. On the canvas, the young prince occupies a central place. The rest of the characters, even Rogneda, are arranged as if framing his figure - two of his warriors and two servants of Rogneda.
The Polotsk princess, pale, tearful, is in a state of semi-fainting. She, too, according to the plot of the picture, is her heroine, but passive, of the second plan, yielding the leading role to the prince. The maids - Rogneda's camp - froze in tears. The senior warrior, presumably, is Vladimir's maternal uncle, and his wui, that is, educator, remains calm. The younger warrior looks with lively curious eyes as his prince pours out his feelings before the maiden.
The emotionality of Vladimir and the grief of Rogneda are supported by color. The prince flared up with excitement. The princess is deathly pale. Next to the ruddy face of Vladimir, the face of the maiden is white-gray, completely lifeless. Also contrasting in color are their hands. And the color of the clothes. Red and orange, hotter in tone, prevails in Vladimir's costume. He wears a bright red cloak trimmed with ermine fur. His attire under his cloak is of golden-orange brocade embroidered with green patterns. From a combination with pale green, golden becomes warmer. The same colors in Rogneda's attire look dead. The princess's cloak, almost the same as Vladimir's, but in a cold shade, is trimmed with sable fur. Green color - stones on her belt and kokoshnik - some kind of mournful tone. The bright tones found in the costumes of warriors and maids also fade against the background of Vladimir's clothes.
The heroes of Losenko are not dressed up in some kind of Greco-Roman clothes that were used in the paintings of other historical painters and himself in previous works. However, in his quest to find a national costume, he encountered almost insurmountable difficulties - the lack of historical materials. He could rely only on scattered and random information, and on theatrical props. The latter was generally quite fantastic, but it was he who served as the source for the prince's headdress: an incredible mixture of a crown with teeth, a cap trimmed with ermine and ostrich feathers. True, Rogneda's dress, Vladimir's boots and long shirt, especially the sleeves and collar embroidered with precious stones, are reminiscent of ancient Russian robes. The clothes of one of the servants and warriors are close to the folk costume. Yet, despite the anti-historical costumes, the artist did everything he could. Summing up his work, he writes: “As for the attire and customs of that time, due to the darkness of Russian history, I could not do better.” And further: "If I could get everything in nature that needs to be done in my picture, then I would ... prefer the natural to the ideal."
The magnificently found center of the composition has become a true knot, which seems to pull all the participants together into a single whole. Here the hands of Vladimir and Rogneda met. The strong and gentle hand of the prince supports the pale hand of the princess, with fingers flailing in despair. The right hand of Vladimir echoes the word of the woeful movement of the hands of the virgin and prays for forgiveness. Such a peculiar conversation of hands, which largely determines the content that the artist wanted to put into the picture. It is revealed mainly through the image of Vladimir, which means that his tenderness, plea for forgiveness, humanity, oddly enough from the point of view of his act, dominates the picture.
Probably, to the audience of the next and century, and even ours, accustomed to greater restraint, the manifestation of the feelings of Prince Vladimir and Princess Rogneda seemed and seems too sentimental and theatrical. Indeed, Losenko was attracted by the contemporary theater, with its pretentious poses and monologues. As a sitter who posed for Vladimir, he invited the famous actor Ivan Dmitrevsky. The heroes on the canvas are located, as if at the forefront. Without a doubt, Losenko's painting is associated with the traditions of the baroque style, which has not yet been outlived in the middle of the 18th century, with its inherent pathos and drama. However, it already feels the desire for classical clarity, balance and rationality. The action takes place in a narrow space of the foreground. Farther on, a blank wall with antique pilasters forms the backdrop. All this is from classicism, a new artistic style that conquers Europe in the 70s of the 18th century. In Russia, the first who contributed to his penetration into painting was Anton Pavlovich Losenko.
For the painting "Vladimir in front of Rogneda" Losenko received the title of academician. He was thirty-three years old. Five days later, at a general meeting at the Academy, he was promoted to professor. A conscientious person, one might even say, scrupulously honest, he puts all his strength on the altar of the education of youth. Let's add here the administrative affairs of the Academy, the lack of funds for the construction of a new building designed by J. B. Delamotte and A.F. Kokorinov, the very one we are now admiring in St. Petersburg, endless troubles, intrigues, embezzlement. President of the Academy I.I. Betskoy shifts such delicate matters onto the shoulders of the young "Professor Losenkov" and adjunct rector Gillet. Therefore, the artist's own creative plans are being implemented slowly. Moreover, the Empress herself gives him an order for paintings, which he sorely lacks time to complete. In this difficult time, another remarkable master, the author of The Bronze Horseman, E.-M. Falcone, using his business connections with the Empress.
“... For a long time I have been suffering, not knowing who to turn to,” he writes to Catherine, “I, however, spoke, but to no avail. We are talking about Losenkov, skillful, honest and unhappy. (…) You think that he paints your pictures. Oh, not at all! Stunned, exhausted, distressed, burdened by the darkness of academic trifles, which do not concern a professor in any Academy of the world, Losenko cannot touch the brush. He will be destroyed for sure. He is the first skillful artist of the nation, they are insensitive to this, they sacrifice him. Falcone turned to the Empress with a request to have a “strong” talk with Betsky, but how could she upset her old favorite? Of course, she promised to talk to Betsky and take Losnenko to her adored Hermitage, where he could take care of the affairs of the art gallery. However, things did not move forward. And yet, in the last year of his life, the artist returned to creativity. The result of his work was the unfinished picture, inspired by Homer's Iliad.
"Hector's Farewell to Andromache"
The majestic canvas, conceived by the artist, sings of service to the Motherland. It was created by order of the Empress, but the idea, which undoubtedly gave strength to the artist himself, supported his spirit and gave new strength to overcome adversity. The Trojan prince Hector, leaving to fight with the invincible Achilles, says goodbye to his wife and son. He foresees his death under the walls of his native city, but does not bow before fate. His wife begs him to stay, but Hector says in response:
Let them once say about him, seeing from the battle going:
He surpasses his father! And let him with bloody greed
Hector's appeal to the gods and his passionate plea that his son become the successor of his work and become "famous among the citizens", Losenko chooses the plot for his picture. Perhaps the empress wanted to give this painting as a warning to her son Paul, the future emperor. But Losenko expands the plot, filling it with ideas of public duty, citizenship and patriotism, following Hector's oath: "to put the cup of freedom in the cloisters of our free, after the expulsion of the copper-armored Achaeans from Troy."
The composition of the picture is strict. It is deployed in the form of a frieze, verified and balanced. The architecture of the city - giant towers and a colonnade - closes the space in the background. Hector is in the center of the composition. He is distinguished by a bright red cape. Andromache rushes to her husband with a baby in her arms. She is overwhelmed with grief and foreboding. The rest of the characters in the foreground address the married couple with excited gestures and glances. A maid is crying, probably a nurse. Companions of Hector swear to protect his wife and child to the last drop of blood. The eyes of a young man with a lion's skin thrown over his head blaze with admiration. The page boy, to whom Hector entrusted his helmet, is fascinated by the golden shield. This is the shield of Achilles himself, which, like the armor, Hector obtained in the previous battle, removing Patroclus from the one he killed. When the Trojan army approached the Achaean ships, and Hector set fire to one of them, Achilles allowed his best friend Patroclus, dressed in his armor, to join the battle and drive the Trojans away. Now that Patroclus has died at the hands of Hector, it is time for the showdown. As if anticipating the death of his commander, a black-bearded warrior with a spear looks sadly at Hector. All the heroes seem to have descended from ancient reliefs. Losenko resolutely refuted the criticism of connoisseurs of elegance, who contemptuously asserted that in the paintings of Russian painters, ancient warriors resemble ordinary peasants dressed in ancient Greek chitons and chlamys. But weren't these warriors defending their hometown plowmen? Didn't simple peasants have natural dignity and high soul? Is the civic position of the artist in tune with the civic quests of the progressive writers of the 18th century, the author of the tragedies Sumarokov and others?
The coloring of the picture is sustained in the classical style. The range of colors is strict and concise. Harmony is built on the contrast of red, brown, silvery yellow and gray tones.
A huge canvas, painted with enthusiasm, but never waiting for the last stroke of a brilliant innovator, completed the life of Anton Losenko. It stood in the studio when the artist was dying of "water sickness". Losenko died on November 23, 1773. The artist was buried at the Smolensk cemetery, at the Church of the Annunciation. After him, there were students who were shocked by their loss, but successfully continued the path of the teacher who laid the foundation for the Russian school of historical painting.
Anton Pavlovich Losenko (1737-1773) was born into the family of a Ukrainian Cossack. Orphaned early and as a seven-year-old child was sent to St. Petersburg to the court singing choir. If the voice of the young Ukrainian boy had not broken, perhaps there would not have been one of the founders of Russian historical painting, Anton Pavlovich Losenko. In 1753, as "sleeping from the voice", but showing the ability to art, the young A. Losenko was transferred from the choir to the pupils of the famous painter I.P. Argunov.
Five and a half years spent in the artist's studio became a good school for A. Losenko, which soon showed itself when, a year after the formation of the Academy of Arts, he became her pupil (1758). The preparation of A. Losenko was so thorough that he became an assistant to academic teachers and received the position of an apprentice. Having appreciated the talent of the young painter, in 1760 A. Losenko was sent to France to improve his skills.
Studying under the guidance of J. Retou, Losenko created a large historical picture based on the gospel story “The Miraculous Catch” (1762). In it, he managed to combine the requirements of classicism with a softened human interpretation of the image of Christ.
In 1766-69. the artist lived in Italy, where he studied antiquity, copied the works of Raphael. During this period, he paid much attention to pictorial studies of the naked body; as a result, the famous canvases "Abel" and "Cain" (both 1768) appeared. They reflected not only the ability to accurately convey the anatomical features of the human body, but also the ability to communicate to them the richness of the picturesque shades inherent in living nature.
In 1769, Losenko returned to St. Petersburg, where he was asked to paint a picture for the title of academician of historical painting. The artist creates a work on a theme from Russian history - "Vladimir and Rogneda" (1770).
The success of the painting brought its creator not only the title of academician, but also the appointment of an associate professor (since 1770), and soon a professor and director of the Academy of Arts (since 1772). Until the end of his life, Losenko remained in this post. In addition, he conducted practical classes and created an educational and theoretical course "Explanation of the short proportion of a person ...", which became a guide for several generations of artists.
He fully devotes himself to multifaceted activities.
In 1773, Losenko began, but did not have time to finish his second historical painting - “Farewell of Hector to Andromache”; this partly explains some sketchiness in the pictorial interpretation of images. An ancient plot from Homer's Iliad sang of the heroes, their patriotic feelings, their willingness to sacrifice themselves to serve their homeland. These ideals of enlightenment classicism, to which the artist was faithful throughout his entire creative life, were vividly expressed in “Hector's Farewell” (as the painting was called by contemporaries).
Like all painters of the 18th century, Losenko did not pass by the portrait, however, the circle of persons chosen by him for this purpose is closely connected with art: these are the founder and curator of the Academy of Arts I. I. Shuvalov, the actors Ya. D. Shumsky and F. G. Volkov. Spirituality and human warmth permeate the images of the portrayed.
The position of director of the Academy of Arts, which was assigned to an artist of great talent, a professor who taught for many hours every day in classes, was burdensome for Losenko and involuntarily involved him in a tangle of academic and court intrigues, which were alien to him by nature. No wonder the sculptor E.M. Falcone, standing up for him, wrote to Catherine II:
“Haunted, tired, saddened, tormented by the darkness of academic trifles, Losenko is unable to touch the brush; it will surely be destroyed. He is the first skillful artist of the nation, they remain insensitive to this, they sacrifice him ... "
The empress promised to transfer Losenko from the Academy of Arts to the Hermitage, but did not do so. The artist's strength was undermined, he could not cope with a serious illness that had befallen him. At the age of thirty-six, A.P. Losenko dies.
(* AH - St. Petersburg Academy of Arts)
Anton Pavlovich Losenko(1737-1773) was born into a Cossack family in the town of Glukhov, the ancient capital of the Left-bank Ukraine on the picturesque banks of the Usman, the residence of the hetmans and the Little Russian Collegium. At the beginning of the 18th century, Glukhov surpassed Kyiv in the beauty of architecture and landscaping. In 1738, a famous singing school was opened there, preparing singers for the needs of the Little Russian choirs and the court singing chapel. Losenko was sent to the same school. In 1744, he was selected for the court chapel and sent to. At the court of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, the seven-year-old chorister sang ancient cants and new concertos, and in the chapel received a serious musical education, played the flute. But, snatching hours away from singing and musical studies, Losenko studied drawing at his own expense from the painter Olkhovsky. In 1753, Losenko, who lost his voice, was apprenticed to the famous painter Ivan Argunov, and the very next year, Losenko's drawings (copies from prints) were shown to Empress Elizabeth. The subsequent education of Losenko and two of his friends was paid for by the state treasury. Five and a half years later, in the autumn of 1758, Argunov graduated his students with a certificate. Together with the recall, the works of Argunov's pupils were also sent to the Empress. Among them are three portraits and a painting on a biblical theme by Losenko. The portraits remained in the palace, and their trace was lost, and the painting "Tobias with an Angel", returned to Argunov, is still in the State Tretyakov Gallery. By this time, the Academy of Arts opened in St. Petersburg. It was administratively connected with the Moscow University and was officially called "Moskovskaya", as it was assumed that it would go to Moscow, and the old Academy of Arts, which had been formed in previous decades under the Academy of Sciences, would expand in St. Petersburg. But in the coming years it became clear that the new art school is more viable.
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Tobius with an angel (1759)
Losenko was appointed as an apprentice to the "Moscow" Academy in December 1758 and for some time worked together with French professors invited to St. Petersburg by Shuvalov Ivan Ivanovich. At the end of 1760, Shuvalov sent the first pensioners of the Academy, Anton Losenko and architect Vasily Bazhenov, to Paris. But even before leaving, the young artist painted several portraits, establishing himself as a talented portrait painter. These were images of people close to Losenko, connected with him by a common love for art - the poet A.P. Sumarokov, the actor Ya.D. Shumsky and I.I. Shuvalov. In a gilded camisole and a dark green uniform, in orders, lace and ribbons, with a letter in his hand, Shuvalov sits at the table, benevolently and distractedly looking at the interlocutor invisible to us, as if suspending the words addressed to him with a kind gesture. The appearance of the nobleman is very impressive and full of dignity. The artist treats his model with deep respect. Yes, this is the same legendary uncrowned ruler of Russia, a favorite of Empress Elizabeth, a philanthropist, a lover of the arts and sciences, a friend of artists and the great Lomonosov.
Portrait of the President of the Academy of Arts I.I. Shuvalov (1760)
No less interesting is the portrait of Sumarokov. A renowned poet and recently adjutant of Count A.G. Razumovsky, Sumarokov during these years was the director of the Russian Theater established in 1756. Losenko creates an image of a completely different sound. A pale, tired man in a dark blue elegant cloak directs a sharp, penetrating look at us from the portrait. Calmly high forehead, but suffering is hidden in the break of the eyebrows, and irony and bitterness in the crease of the mouth. The portrait was painted after the ban on the journal Hardworking Bee, which was published by Sumarokov in 1759. Losenko's subtle psychological portrait reveals the poet's drama, emphasizes the vulnerability and insecurity of his sincere nature.
Portrait of the poet and playwright Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov (1760)
The portrait of the actor Yakov Danilovich Shumsky is less complex in concept, perhaps because the actor is written in a role from the comedy "Players". The bright individuality of the appearance of the famous comedian made the task of the painter easier. In a fur hat and a velvet robe trimmed with fur, holding a thick book in his hand, he slyly looks at us. And one cannot forget those raised sable eyebrows, a restrained smile and a mocking look from under heavy eyelids. The image of Shumsky, as it were, embodies the thirst for enlightenment and the bitterness of knowledge, freethinking and deep skepticism that distinguish the eighteenth century.
Portrait of the actor Y.D. Shumsky (1760)
All three portraits are similar in artistic techniques and painting style. Against a dark, deaf background, faces glow softly, lightly modeled with greyish-blue shadows. The dim scale of painting gravitates towards cold, dark tones. The shape is softly and gently molded with a brush. The difference is in their artistic and spectator contact with the model. Shumsky and Sumarokov appeal to us from time immemorial, as if giving us their doubts and thoughts. Shuvalov, on the other hand, is aloof and withdrawn. His portrait contains only the simplest description.
Anton Losenko left Russia not as a student, but as a master who found his own system of images, his own pictorial language, individual worldview and sharpness of vision, but Losenko was now looking for other knowledge. Russia did not yet have a national historical school of painting; he had to lay the first stone of a great building.
At the end of the 1750s. The avant-garde of the French academic school was represented by a group of young painters and sculptors, heralds of the emerging neoclassicism. These were the recent pensioners of the French Academy in Rome: Vienne, Chall, Le Lorrain and Gillet. The last two accepted the invitation of the "Moscow" Academy to work in St. Petersburg. Upon arrival in Paris, Losenko was assigned to the studio of the director of the Royal Academy, Jean Retoux, one of the last successors of Lebrun's baroque art. The religious compositions of Retu, who was supposed to teach the secrets of historical painting to a Russian student, struck his contemporaries as an anachronism. But his portraits were of unconditional value. Communication with Reto-portrait was beneficial for Losenko and affected his work in subsequent years. But Retu could not improve the Russian pensioner in academic drawing, so necessary for a historical painter, because he himself was not a good draftsman. The mythological composition "Neptune on the Waters", depicting the god of the seas on a chariot, belongs to the period of Losenko's training with Retu. Executed in charcoal and chalk in a soft, painterly manner, the composition is emphatically dynamic and somewhat overloaded. All this testifies to the fact that Losenko, while working on the idea, was at the mercy of the aesthetic norms of baroque art, which he adopted from Rétou. Antikysis tendencies entered French art far from painlessly. The middle of the century was marked by a tense struggle between the principles of baroque art and the emerging neoclassicism. This led to the complexity of the work of the masters of the transitional period.
Neptune on the waters
The largest work of Losenko, made in the workshop of Retu, was the painting "Wonderful Catch". The gospel story about how the apostles and fishermen caught a great many fish by the will of Christ was repeatedly used by European artists as a plot for their paintings. The old masters resorted to borrowing other people's plots to activate creative energy and assimilate traditions. Losenko's interpretation of the gospel story is soft and lyrical. Christ with a calming gesture addresses the apostles. Losenko reveals the essence of the gospel parable more deeply and more humanely. The idea of appeasement is emphasized by the soft tonality of the picture, the lively glow of pink, orange and blue on a brownish-olive background.
Miraculous Catch (1762)
The first significant work of the pensioner was received in St. Petersburg very approvingly. The academic meeting, recognizing the merits of the drawing, composition and coloring of the picture, as well as the talent of its author, petitioned for the possibility of extending Losenko's studies in foreign academies. By that time, a coup d'etat had taken place in Russia, as a result of which Catherine II ascended the throne in June 1762. I.I. Shuvalov was soon sent into unofficial exile abroad. Academic pensioners are ordered to return to Russia to review their progress and decide their future fate. Arriving in St. Petersburg at the end of December 1762, Losenko presented to the council the painting “The Miraculous Catch” he had painted in Paris. His success was commended. After living for several days in the capital, Losenko went with a report on his labors to Moscow, where the court was then located in connection with the festivities of the coronation of Catherine II. Shuvalov presented the paintings and drawings of his pensioner to the Empress. The “Wonderful Catch” was liked and was purchased for the Hermitage, and Losenko was given permission to continue his studies in Paris.
In Moscow, the artist painted a portrait of Fyodor Grigoryevich Volkov, creating one of the best works of Russian portraiture in the mid-eighteenth century. F. G. Volkov - the founder of the Russian national theater - was not only a wonderful tragic actor, but also an outstanding painter, talented musician and poet. Retu's classes were not in vain. Compared with the works of 1760, Volkov's portrait captivates with its plasticity, minted forms, the active contrast of the light green silk of the dress with the red velvet of the cloak, and especially the sincere openness, the trusting contact of the model with the artist. The calm tenderness of an intelligent look, the dignity and clarity of a pure soul constitute the main charm of the image of a great actor.
Portrait of the actor Fyodor Grigorievich Volkov (1763)
Portrait of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich as a child (1763)
On July 29, 1763, Losenko left St. Petersburg, again heading to Paris. This time he was in no hurry, carefully examining the sights of German cities, and after a two-month journey he entered the capital of France only on October 6th. Shortly after his arrival, Losenko painted a portrait of L. Genninger, secretary of the Russian embassy in Paris. Ceremonial, sustained in the traditions of the whimsical Rococo style, masterfully painted canvas is one of Losenko's masterpieces. In a luxuriously decorated living room, against the backdrop of lush draperies, paintings and statues, a young man sits, looking at the viewer with an haughty smile. With his left hand, he holds books laid out on an elegant table with gilded legs, in his right he holds a golden snuffbox. The shimmer of gilding, the brilliance of the light silk of the dressing gown and the yellow camisole, the pink pantaloons and the deep blue tone of the velvet curtain - everything merges into an exquisite and elegant color scheme. Knowing nothing about what is depicted, we believe that before us is an enlightened person, for he is surrounded by the attributes of the sciences and arts. This ceremonial portrait, which has no parallel in Losenko's work, essentially closes the portrait heritage of the artist. Prompted by the new president of the academy I.I. Betsky, Losenko came to Paris to become a historical painter.
Portrait of L. Genninger (sketch) (1760s)
By this time, his former teacher Retu was blind, and the artistic movement that cultivated the traditions of baroque art died out with him. In December 1763, Losenko began studying with Joseph Vien, a renowned artist and teacher, a remarkable draftsman, one of the founders of a new trend in French art, later called neoclassicism and arising under the influence of ideas that developed on the eve of the French bourgeois revolution. The emergence of interest in antiquity in France in the 1750s connected with the first excavations of Herculaneum and Pompeii‚ with the archaeological research of Count Keilius, who first put archeology on a scientific basis. Vienne became the creator of a new type of art school, from which came the masters who made up the glory of the French school. He argued that the essence of art lies in the imitation of nature. And, in an effort to accustom young artists to the study of nature, he introduced into his workshop the work with a nude model for three days a week. In 1764-1765, systematically drawing from life in Vienne's workshop, Losenko created a huge number of drawings, in which the influence of new aesthetic views was clearly manifested. It was during this period that a turning point took place in the work of Losenko the draftsman, marked by a change in the usual stylistic devices, a different, rationalistic approach to nature and, no less important, the use of new techniques, the use of new material. At this time, sheets appeared, executed in a technique so characteristic of later works: graphite pencil on gray and blue primed paper.
The most perfect sheets in this group of drawings include the image of a kneeling model. This is the first natural depiction of a nude female model in Russian art. With extremely stingy expressive means of graphics, Losenko embodies the living trembling of the body and, it seems, conveys the very color of the skin, the sheen of golden hair, the curve of lush lips and the meek radiance of the gaze. The shadows are delicately outlined with light and thin shading, and the impeccable honed contour line is so expressive that this contour alone allows you to feel the living volume and earthly weight of a harmonically beautiful body. The drawing is portrait. The features of the face are so individualized, so uniquely peculiar that one can find this model in other works. In Losenko's famous drawing "At the Cradle" we see the same model - a blond woman with a slightly large nose, thinly outlined, almost straight eyebrows, a characteristic curve of the lips, a rounded chin, with the same infinitely soft and gentle facial expression and meek look.
Model (1764-1765)
At the cradle (1764-1765)
During the years of retirement in Paris, Losenko received silver medals from the Royal Academy three times. In 1761, while still a student of Rétou, he was awarded for the composition "Death of Socrates". In 1763, while working in Vienne's workshop, he received a second silver medal for a drawing on a theme from Roman history "Cleobis and Beaton are taking their mother to the temple of Juno." In 1765, Losenko was awarded the first silver medal for the sketch “Tullius drives his chariot over the body of his father, Tsar Servius Tullius”. The sketches remained in France and were lost in the archives of the academy, possibly having lost their authorship. In 1764, Losenko even tried to take part in the competition for the Grand Prize, which gives the right to retire in Italy. He presented a sketch, but as a foreigner, he did not get into the number of competitors. It was "The Death of Adonis" - a picture depicting the mournful goddess of love, bending over her lover killed in the hunt, surrounded by weeping cupids. In the same year, Losenko painted several oil studies from nature, demonstrating an excellent knowledge of the structure of the human body and the perfection of its plastic modeling, as well as a small canvas "Andrew the First-Called", which is, in essence, a study from nature.
Death of Adonis (1764)
Andrew the First-Called
Sitter sitting on a rock
The final work of Losenko in Vien's workshop was the painting "The Sacrifice of Abraham", written in 1765. The Bible tells how Abraham was ordered to sacrifice his son Isaac as proof of true faith and devotion. God did not allow the sacrifice, and at the last minute the angel removed Abraham's hand, which had already been raised above the boy. Losenko interpreted this dramatic plot with amazing expression and professional perfection. The picture is masterfully arranged. The majestic biblical patriarch, draped in pale green and bluish fabrics falling in plastic folds, looks away in horror from his humble victim - the pale body of Isaac, sprawled on a woodpile prepared for a sacrificial fire. Above them, as if from the firmament of heaven, an angel appeared. The duel of gestures and glances over the fragile youth is expressive: amazement, which has not yet erased the mournful determination, is on Abraham's face, the horror of surprise is in the tense gesture of his left hand, and the stern gaze of the herald of heaven, the inflexibility of his behavior. The lack of will of Isaac, his fragile body and a drooping strand of white curls, as if life frozen in him, only emphasize the tension of what is happening above him. The drawing and anatomical fidelity of the figures are impeccable, the details are perfected, even the folds of the fabrics are expressive and embossed in a new way, the faces are molded confidently and plastically. The color scheme is based on light cold tones - golden-olive and bluish-green. There is only one bright detail in it - the discarded clothes of Isaac. The painting reflects the opposing tendencies of the art of the transitional period: echoes of the outgoing baroque style in increased expression and new trends of classicism - the simplicity and truth of the embodiment of nature.
Abraham's Sacrifice (1765)
In September 1765, the “Sacrifice of Abraham” was sent to St. Petersburg, and even earlier another creative report was sent to the Academy - “The Journal of the Noble Works of Painting and Sculpture I Noticed When I Was in Paris” (after Losenko, all Russian pensioners abroad began to compile such reports ). Losenko listed in detail all the wonderful works kept in the churches and monasteries of Paris, in palaces and private mansions, in the Academy, libraries and suburban palaces. In the notes, the artist's own attitude to the works of the masters involuntarily slips through, although Losenko tries to be impartial in his tour of the collections of paintings and statues. But in some cases he only names the name of the author, in others he repeats monotonous epithets, and in still others he finds bright professional characteristics of the merits of the works. And if you try to distribute the painters on this scale, it turns out that Losenko did not appreciate, for example, the work of his teacher Vien. Particular attention Losenko attracted the work of Rubens, Rembrandt, Lebrun. Raphael and the Bolognese academicians (the Carracci brothers), who would so capture him in Rome, had not yet captivated the young artist.
December 1, 1765 Losenko leaves Paris, heading for Rome. But before leaving Paris, he respectfully asked the St. Petersburg Academy for permission to extend his stay in Italy. The National Academy responded to the request of its pensioner and allowed him to stay in Italy for three years. Surrounded in France by the atmosphere of emerging classicism, upon arrival in Rome, Losenko turned to the study of ancient art and the heritage of the masters who canonized the traditions of the Renaissance. The creative comprehension of antiquity and the active perception of new aesthetic ideas led to the formation of classicist tendencies in Losenko's works of the Roman period. His work in Paris was based on a specific program proposed by his leaders. In Rome, he became an independent pensioner. It was during the Roman period of creativity that the best works of Losenko, the founder of Russian classicism, appeared.
In Italy, the artist met old acquaintances and made new friends. Losenko's old acquaintance I.I. Shuvalov by that time had settled in Rome for a long time. Business and friendly contacts were maintained between them until Losenko's departure for Russia. Shuvalov handed over his works to be sent to the St. Petersburg Academy, and Shuvalov also provided the artist with the amount necessary to return to his fatherland, when the Academy hesitated to send money. However, for all this attention, Losenko generously repaid Shuvalov, offering him an idea that brought him recognition from his descendants and contemporaneous art lovers. Shuvalov, while in Rome, decided to supply the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts with casts from famous ancient statues. To do this, he asked Pope Pius VI for permission to remove forms from the best statues of Rome, Florence and Naples. On behalf of the Russian court, he managed to achieve what had previously been denied to one of the European monarchs. Shuvalov sent cast molds from antiquities to St. Petersburg, thus enriching the Academy greatly. Indeed, ancient casts to this day not only serve as a tool for drawing. But this wonderful idea did not belong to Shuvalov. Who, if not Losenko, was to know about the most necessary manuals for improving the skills of artists. Indeed, for the first year and a half of his stay in Rome, the artist was mainly engaged in drawing from ancient statues, and the next year (until the spring of 1768) he painted from famous paintings to improve the skill of composition, study the expression of passions, the expression of faces and figures, the variety of poses and the beauty of draperies. Losenko brings his excellent knowledge of living nature into the interpretation of ancient statues, which is why antiques in his drawings acquire amazing vitality. He sees in antiques not an ideal example, but nature captured by an ancient artist. Drawing from the paintings of the Bolognese masters, Losenko not only comprehended the professional skills of these artists, but sought to understand their principles for translating nature into artistic images. Losenko's educational work was done with sanguine. The artist's graphic language, while retaining its former softness, freedom and confidence, acquires in them a special breadth of range and virtuosity. The best sheets of the Italian period include two drawings of an equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. They are made in a clear contour manner, chased and precise line. There were several drawings from this ancient monument. It is known that the artist later presented some of them to E.-M. Falcone.
In Rome, the artist was surrounded by fellow artists who had come here from different countries. Losenko and his friend, the architect I.E. Starov, entered a close circle of international youth of artists from the German states, Denmark and England. Artists copied Raphael, along with other pensioners, painted from antiques, on holidays they all traveled around the outskirts of the "eternal city". These memories can be illustrated with the picture Travelers. Several young people, gathered among the Roman ruins, listen to the reading of the guidebook, considering the antiquities around them. The drawing embodies the artist's classicistic aspirations: the calm rhythms of the composition, its balance, clear contours and smooth lines, and most importantly, the calmness and majestic simplicity of the plot.
Travelers in Rome (The Travelers) (1767)
Losenko meticulously carried out the program of classes planned for himself. And in March 1768 he informed the Academy that he had begun to paint academic figures in oils in human height. These works were preceded by such a serious and deep natural school that perfect works could be expected. And so it happened: two canvases with images of the sitter are by no means educational works. And it is not for nothing that these paintings acquired names that were not provided by the artist. They were called "Cain" and "Abel", combining both canvases into one. Indeed, was not the Biblical tragedy unfolding on them? A man who fell on his back, with a face distorted by flour, pressing his hand to his head, is it not Abel, innocently killed by his brother? And the other, recoiling in horror and confusion, pushing away the ghost of retribution - is it not Cain, the fratricide? The vivid expression of the heads and the plastic expressiveness of the figures - a mighty bronze body, barely covered by a green cloak, and another, no less beautiful, but already pale, stretched out on a red cloth, symbolizing shed blood - turned the unknown sitters into the sons of Adam.
Abel (1768)
Cain (1768)
The works amazed compatriots with unprecedented skill. Losenko's academic canvases, with their impeccable drawing, anatomical accuracy and spirituality of the embodiment of man, perceived through the prism of knowledge of antiquity and sensual perception of nature, have long remained an unsurpassed model in Russian art. Losenko also owns the beginning of the creation of a national fund of exemplary copies from the famous masterpieces of the Renaissance. Raphael's "Justice" copied by him brought him great fame.
Having sent his works to St. Petersburg through I.I. Shuvalov, Losenko in 1768 set about painting “Zeus and Thetis”, asking the Academy for permission to stay in Rome until spring. In seven months he completed one of his finest paintings. Homer's Iliad tells how the sea goddess Thetis ascended Mount Olympus and crouched at the knees of Zeus, the lord of the immortals, praying to take revenge on King Agamemnon for insulting her son Achilles. Losenko's poetic composition was embodied in lyrical images and sang love and tenderness. The majestic and beautiful ruler of heaven, with participation, bows to the goddess and with boundless love looks at the one who did not become his wife only because the son of Thetis had to surpass his father in power (and then the frightened Zeus gave his chosen one as wife to King Peleus). But even now the thunderer is full of unprecedented tenderness and his gesture says that he is ready to throw all the kingdoms of the earth at the feet of Thetis. And the lovely face of the goddess glows with touching trust and hope. And the touch of her hands is light and tremulous. The lyrical duet captivates with the melody of the lines, their flexibility, precision and melodiousness. The harmony of the pale pink and olive yellow clothes of Thetis and the fiery cloak of Zeus enhances the sound of the theme. The greenish haze of the background is cleared up by a golden radiance spilled around the head of the ruler of Olympus, and a pinkish glow of lightning clamped by the eagle's claws. Losenko's creation, summarizing his retirement quest, heralded the birth of Russian classicism, one of the offshoots of the advanced direction of European art of the 18th century.
Zeus and Thetis (1769)
The painting "Zeus and Thetis" is in no way inferior to the best creations of the heralds of the new style. In 1769 Losenko went to Russia. The four-month voyage from Italy to Russia was made along the route: Rome - Naples - Florence - Bologna - Venice, because Losenko believed that Rome and the famous Roman masters of the High Renaissance could only teach drawing, composition and expression. The naturalness and harmony of color, as well as the mastery of chiaroscuro, should have been learned from the Venetians. The lessons of the Venetians will be especially reflected in the painting, painted in St. Petersburg and completing the artist's career.
The Academy of the Three Most Noble Arts (as it began to be called during Losenko's absence) met its first pensioner in the highest degree favorably. The main reason for the goodwill was the artist's paintings "Cain", "Abel" and "Justice" (from Raphael), already exhibited in the halls and deserving the admiration of connoisseurs and the general public. It was the same pensioner's baggage that the artist brought to St. Petersburg in 1769. Soon after his arrival, Losenko was recognized as "appointed" to the academicians. But in order to receive this title, according to the charter, it was required to paint a picture according to the program set by the academic council. The Academy proposed a theme borrowed from Lomonosov's Ancient Russian History. It tells how Prince Vladimir, having established himself on the throne of Novgorod, sent messengers to the Polotsk prince Rogvold so that he would give him his daughter Rogneda in marriage. But Rogneda refused to become Vladimir's wife. Irritated by the proud answer, Vladimir captured Polotsk, killed Rogvold and his two sons, and forced Rogneda to marry by force. Losenko was not satisfied with such a detailed program, but turned to the Nestor Chronicle to find out the details of the plot and its further development. Extracts from the annals, made by Losenko's hand, have been preserved, as well as an explanation of the plot, compiled by the artist himself. Losenko interprets the program as an image of Vladimir's first meeting with Rogneda, the first meeting of the winner with the captive. Love and repentance of Vladimir became the core of the interpretation of the plot. With participation and a plea for forgiveness, the young prince bows before the deathly pale Rogneda, seized with hopeless despair. The tension of the moment is emphasized by the indifference of the soldiers who came with the prince to the tower of Rogneda, and the sorrow of the princess's servants. The pathos of love and suffering embodies the color scheme of the picture, the contrast of red and gold, olive and brown tones. The concentration of emotions, the insolubility of the moral conflict are expressed by the tightness of the enclosed space allotted to the characters of the picture, their emphasized compact grouping and the heavy mass of two pilasters hanging over Vladimir.
Vladimir before Rogneda (1770)
To some extent, in this picture, the artist moved away from the classicist conquests. The noble simplicity and calm grandeur of Zeus and Thetis were replaced by the stormy dynamics and tension so characteristic of Baroque art. And yet, “Vladimir before Rogneda” is not a repetition of the past. The archaism of the artistic form is a well-known concession to the tastes that prevailed in Russia at that time. This picture was the beginning of the Russian school of historical painting. And let the ancient Russian costumes and decoration of the tower be conditional: even contemporaries reproached Losenko for theatricality. Indeed, the artist used theatrical costumes borrowed from productions of the court theater. The famous actor I.A. Dmitrievsky served as a model for Vladimir, his portrait features are communicated to the appearance of the prince. The lack of historical information about Russian antiquities was keenly felt by Losenko himself. And yet, the costume of Rogneda and especially the servant in the foreground are designed in Russian motifs, as well as the clothes of a bearded warrior and a peasant in a three-piece, depicted in the depth on the right.
The surviving sketches of female heads for the painting echo his own drawings from the paintings of the Bolognese masters. This determines their ideal abstraction. The images of a warrior and a peasant are interpreted differently. For their heads, Losenko made several full-scale studies, using simple peasants as a model. Among the sheets drawn in pencil on tinted gray paper in 1769-1770, studies of the heads of warriors and peasants look like genuine masterpieces of the European class. They synthesized the highest achievements of Losenko the draftsman: a thin and light stroke, expressiveness of the contour, soft modeling with slightly rubbed strokes and a deep spirituality of the image. It is extremely significant that the type of a warrior in a helmet and a peasant in a fur hat is more penetrating and subtler, even more lyrical in the drawings than in the picture. In the drawings, a complex and multifaceted portrait, comprehension of the national identity and spiritual qualities of the model, subtly conveyed the nobility and sublimity of feelings, not yet seen by the artist's contemporaries. In the picture, the characteristics of the peasant and the warrior are somewhat impoverished, limited by cold and indifferent attention to what is happening.
Head of a Peasant (1770)
For the painting "Vladimir in front of Rogneda" Losenko received the title of academician, and five days later he was promoted from adjunct professor to professor. And the thirty-three-year-old artist in the prime of his talent and strength, a man of the highest degree noble, conscientious and scrupulously honest, Losenko abandoned his own creative plans, put aside urgent ideas and devoted himself without a trace to the education of youth. The baton of skill, received from the old masters and gleaned from samples of ancient art, he hastened to pass on to his students. Working with them in the plaster classroom, he leads them along his path. He compiled a short manual for the study of anatomy called "An explanation of the short proportion of man." It consisted of three engraved sheets: a text (in Russian and French) and two exemplary images of a male head and a figure in front and profile, with indications of proportional ratios. Under Losenko's supervision, the professor's drawings were engraved by his student Gavriil Skorodumov. Even the weakest of the academicians, who adopted Losenko's traditions at the end of the 18th century, shine with excellent drawing. Losenko's great talent was not denied by his contemporaries either. But the pedagogical and administrative duties assigned to him almost completely distracted him from creativity and hastened his death.
By 1771, the administrative and artistic affairs of the Academy came to a standstill - the blatant negligence of the president, I.I. Betsky, who left the academic economy without control, had an effect. Associate rector Gillet and Professor Losenkov were appointed to the director's position. With his usual conscientiousness, Losenkov delved into the consideration of neglected academic cases and compiled a detailed list of shortcomings, omissions and deviations from the charter. Among other things, he raised the issue of streamlining the academic collection of paintings, restoring works and compiling a catalog of the museum. An avalanche of worries and troubles fell upon Losenko (Gillet, who did not know the Russian language, could not help him perceptibly). Meanwhile, the Empress gave the artist an order for paintings, which he could not fulfill. During this difficult time for Losenko, he found a defender who did everything possible to help the wonderful master free himself from overwork and return to creativity. And it's not his fault that help was late. It was E.M. Falcone. Using his business contacts, he turned to Catherine II. The sculptor was in vain deceived by the kindness of Catherine. The matter was limited to conversations.
The artist could not stand the cruel struggle, endless worries, intrigues that fell upon him, slander and humiliation. But nevertheless, in the last year of his life, he found the strength to return to creativity, and in 1773 the most majestic of his creations arose, inspired by Homer's Iliad - "Hector's Farewell to Andromache." The main idea of the chosen plot most of all corresponded to the mindset of the artist. The picture, which glorified service to the fatherland and readiness for self-sacrifice for the glory of the motherland, was supposed to support the weakening spirit of its creator, infuse new strength into him to continue the struggle of life and overcome adversity. The Trojan prince Hector says goodbye to his wife and son, anticipating his death on the battlefield, under the walls of his native city, but not bowing to fate. In response to Andromache's entreaties to stay in Troy, not to leave her little son, Hector answers her about winning a good reputation in a brave battle for his father and himself. Then Hector approached his son, but the infant Scamandrios, frightened by his father's battle dress, recoiled from him. Then the hero gave his helmet to the boy-squire and, touching his son with his hand, appealed to the gods so that the son would continue his work and become "famous among the citizens." Losenko made this moment the plot of his last painting, commissioned by the Empress. The plot itself (possibly chosen by Catherine as a warning to her son, the future Paul I) expands, as it were, saturated with ideas of citizenship and patriotism, ideas of public duty.
Hector's farewell to Andromache (1773)
"Hector's Farewell to Andromache" is the first example of Russian classicism painting, which has remained unsurpassed for a long time. Unfolded in the form of a frieze, Losenkov's composition is strict, mathematically verified and balanced. The hero is placed in the center of it and is highlighted with a bright red cloak. Giant towers and a colonnade close the space, allowing you to feel its depth. The characters in the foreground are directed towards the center with gestures and gazes. With hidden excitement and longing, Andromache rushes to Hector with the baby Scamandrius. The maid is crying. The hero's comrades-in-arms vividly feel the solemnity of the moment. The eyes of a young man with a lion's skin thrown over his head shine with delight. The face of a boy with a helmet, enchanted by the sparkling of a golden shield, is thoughtful and soulful. A black-bearded warrior with a spear looks at Hector with concentration and sadness.
The surviving sketches and sketches reveal the direction of the author's searches while working on the painting. Judging by the pencil sketches, the compositional scheme has not undergone any changes, but was determined immediately. Only the central group was turned in a mirror image, the boys with armor were absent in the foreground, and the charioteer with horses was brought closer to the foreground (in the picture he hardly holds the Hector horse, rushing to the city gates). The black-bearded warrior in the study is again softer and more spiritual than in the picture, as well as the weeping nurse. The central characters have undergone the greatest transformation. In the graphic heritage of Losenko there is a sketch of the sitter in the pose of Hector. It expressed the early search for the image of the hero. The emotional content is already outlined here, although the defining features of the image of Hector - heroism and pathos - are absent. Comparison of the painting with the oil sketch makes it possible to verify the change in the image of Andromache. In the sketch, her appearance is pretty graceful, the pose and draperies are Baroque graceful. In the picture, she seems to have descended from an ancient relief, she has the beautiful face of Aphrodite de Milo, and the folds of her clothes fall strictly and solemnly. The strengthening of the classic beginning also affected the coloring of the picture. The sketch, excellent in painting, recalls the “hot colors” of the Venetians with soft gradations of color and expressive molding. The range of colors is stricter and more concise. Her harmony is built on the contrasts of silver-yellow and red, brown and gray tones.
“Farewell of Hector to Andromache”, which stood in the artist’s studio on an easel until the last days of his life (and in some particulars remained unfinished), was written with great enthusiasm, with a genuine pictorial scope. The heroic pathos of Losenko's work, which glorified self-sacrifice in the name of the freedom of the motherland, predetermined the further development of civic ideas in the work of the classicists.
Portrait of the actor Yakov Shumsky (1780)
Losenko died on November 23, 1773 from "water sickness". He was buried at the Smolensk cemetery, at the Church of the Annunciation. The merits of Anton Pavlovich Losenko in founding the Russian school of historical painting are indisputable. His innovation in the formation of the foundations of the art of classicism in Russia is obvious. He was the first to achieve European recognition, glorifying Russian art. He laid the foundations of pedagogical skill, leaving a cohort of students and followers.
- depiction of past events. But this is not always a realistic image. Sometimes an event is deliberately glorified or glorified.
The plots of historical painting are very diverse: from really real events to mythological ones.
Anton Pavlovich Losenko (1737-1773)
Portrait of a man. Unknown artist. This portrait is considered to be a self-portrait of Anton Losenko
Anton Pavlovich Losenko is a Russian painter of Ukrainian origin. He worked in the style of classicism.
Born in the city of Glukhov (now the Sumy region of Ukraine) in 1737. He was orphaned early. He survived thanks to his voice and excellent hearing: he was sent to St. Petersburg, where in 1744-1753. he studied the art of singing, served in the court chapel. But at the age of 16, his voice began to break, and then disappeared altogether. And here his artistic abilities were manifested. He was assigned to the painting workshop of I.P. Argunov. From 1758 he studied at the Academy of Arts. From the Academy, A. Losenko was sent to Paris (1760-1765) to continue his studies, where he visited the workshops of J. Retou and J.-M. Viena, then studied art in Rome (1766-1769). Here he copies Raphael, paints sitters, studies the art of the Italian Renaissance. Here he writes his best pictures in terms of plastic "Cain" and "Abel".
A. Losenko "Abel" (1768)
The murder of Abel by Cain is a biblical story mentioned in the 4th chapter of Genesis: the first son of Adam and Eve (Cain) killed his own brother Abel because the sacrifice made by Abel turned out to be pleasing to God, unlike the sacrifice of Cain.
During this period, the artist painted the paintings "A Miraculous Catch of Fish" (1762) and "Zeus and Thetis" (1769), which were created at the junction of baroque and classicism.
A. Losenko "Wonderful Catch" (1762). State Russian Museum (Petersburg)
The picture is written on a biblical story: " During it, when the people crowded to Him to hear the word of God, and He stood by the lake of Gennesaret, He saw two boats standing on the lake; and the fishermen, coming out of them, washed out the nets. Entering one boat, which was Simonov, he asked him to sail a little from the shore and, sitting down, taught the people from the boat. When he had ceased to teach, he said to Simon, Set sail into the deep, and let down your nets for fishing. Simon said to Him in answer: Master! we toiled all night and caught nothing, but at your word I will cast down the net. Having done this, they caught a great number of fish, and even their net broke. And they gave a sign to the comrades who were on the other boat to come to help them; and they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink».
In 1770, having already returned to St. Petersburg, the artist created the canvas “Vladimir and Rogneda”, receiving the title of academician of historical painting for him.
A. Losenko "Vladimir in front of Rogneda" (1770)
Rogneda- Princess of Polotsk, daughter of Prince Rogvolod of Polotsk. The events associated with Rogneda are described in detail in the Laurentian Chronicle. Rogneda was declared the bride of Yaropolk Svyatoslavich, the Grand Duke of Kyiv. Yaropolk's brother Vladimir, at that time the prince of Novgorod, was greatly humiliated by Rogneda, as he also wooed her, but received a humiliating refusal: the princess considered it unacceptable to marry the son of a concubine. Rogneda's answer testified to the political choice of her father Rogvolod in favor of Kyiv, which led to a war with Novgorod.
Offended by the refusal, Vladimir and his army came under the walls of Polotsk, when Rogneda was about to be taken to Yaropolk. Rogvolod came out against him, but was defeated in the battle and closed in the city. In the spring of 978 the city was taken. In retaliation for the insult, Prince Vladimir decided to humiliate and dishonor the Rogneda family and, on the advice of his uncle and mentor Dobrynya, outraged Rogneda in front of her parents, and then killed them. He forcibly took Rogneda as his wife (this moment is depicted in the picture). At the same time, according to legend, she received the name Gorislava.
Losenko's painting is quite psychological: in the center of it, the confrontation between the two heroes of the picture is depicted. Rogneda in the chair tries to push Vladimir away with one hand, and with the other holds on to a random fabric. Vladimir is currently a rapist and a pagan, but in his face there are completely different feelings, even something like horror and compassion. With one hand, he holds her repulsive hand, and presses the other hand to his chest, trying to assure the girl of the sincerity of his feelings. To the left, behind Rogneda's chair, an old nurse with a humble and mournful face is crying. Behind Vladimir is his squad, for each of them this scene evokes different feelings.
For this picture, Losenko received the title of academician and the position of adjutant professor, and soon a professor.
Since 1772 A. Losenko became the director of the Academy of Arts. In 1773 he began work on the painting Hector's Farewell to Andromache.
A. Losenko "Farewell of Hector to Andromache" (1773). State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow)
The plot of this picture is taken from Homer's Iliad. It was written in the spirit of classicism on the topic of civic duty. But the picture is not finished - death prevented the artist from completing the work.
A.P. Losenko died in 1773 and was buried at the Smolensk cemetery in St. Petersburg.
Portrait Gallery of A. Losenko
The artist's brush belongs to a number of expressive classic portraits, among which the portrait of the actor F.G. Volkov.
A. Losenko. Portrait of the actor F. Volkov (1763). State Russian Museum (Petersburg). The second version of the painting is in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow
Fedor Grigorievich Volkov(1729-1763) - Russian actor and theatrical figure. Created the first permanent Russian theater. Considered the founder of the Russian theater.
The main distinguishing feature of Losenko's portraits is an interest in a particular living person, in his spiritual world. We see in the portrait a young man full of joyful hopes, open to people and ready to share with everyone the generosity of his soul.
A. Losenko created a number of portraits of figures of Russian culture: I.I. Shuvalova, A.P. Sumarokov, Ya. Shuisky and others.
A. Losenko. Portrait of the President of the Academy of Arts I.I. Shuvalova
A. Losenko. Portrait of Paul I as a child
A. Losenko lived a short life (only 35 years old), but already during his lifetime he was rated as one of the best European artists. Compiled an "Explanation of the Short Proportion of Man", which taught many generations of Russian artists.
