The famous painting by Karl Bryullov "The Last Day of Pompeii" was painted in 1830-1833. On this epic canvas, the painter captured the death of the city of Pompeii due to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
In search of authenticity, Bryullov visited the excavations of the deceased city. The figures and faces of people were created by the painter from nature, from the inhabitants of Rome. Almost all the items depicted in the picture, the artist wrote from genuine things stored in the Neapolitan Museum.
Bryullov depicts a truly infernal picture. In the distance, a volcano is burning, from the depths of which streams of fiery lava are spreading in all directions. The reflections of the flame from the burning lava illuminate the back of the canvas with a reddish glow. A flash of lightning, cutting through a cloud of ash and burning, illuminates the front of the picture.
In his painting, Bryullov uses a bold color scheme for his time. The painter pays close attention to the aerial perspective - he manages to create a feeling of deep space.
Before us is a whole sea of human suffering. In the hour of real tragedy, human souls are exposed. Here is a man protecting his loved ones, desperately raising his hand, as if trying to stop the elements. The mother, passionately embracing her children, looks at the sky with a plea for mercy. Here are the sons on their shoulders trying to carry the weak old father away from danger. A young boy persuades his fallen mother to gather strength and run away. In the center of the picture is a dead woman and a baby reaching for the lifeless body of her mother.
The painting “The Last Day of Pompeii” reminds the viewer that the main value of the world is a person. The artist contrasts his physical beauty and spiritual greatness with the destructive forces of nature. The picture caused an explosion of admiration and admiration, both in Italy and in Russia. The work was enthusiastically welcomed by A.S. Pushkin and N.V. Gogol.
In addition to the description of the painting by K. P. Bryullov “The Last Day of Pompeii”, our website has collected many other descriptions of paintings by various artists, which can be used both in preparation for writing an essay on a painting, and simply for a more complete acquaintance with the work of famous masters of the past .
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Description of the painting by Bryullov “The Last Day of Pompeii”
One of Bryullov's famous paintings, which he began to paint in 1830 and finished in 1833.
This picture shows the volcano Vesuvius, or rather its eruption on the city of Pompeii.
Bryullov describes the events of 79 AD.
To create his masterpiece, he had to visit the excavations of the collapsed city.
The objects that the artist depicted on his canvas, he could see by visiting the Neapolitan Museum.
The picture of the artist is painted with bright colors.
A bright flash of lightning is striking, which illuminates the people.
A volcano spewing lava can be seen in the background.
It is the bright red colors that depict the volcano and the blackening cloud of smoke that give the picture a frightening look.
In my opinion, the artist depicted the tragedy and death of the people.
Much suffering and fear can be seen in the eyes of people.
Some look to the sky, as if they are begging for mercy.
A mother hugs her children, covering them from a flash of lightning, two guys carry an old man on their shoulders, a young guy persuades the woman to get up and run for cover.
The deceased woman, depicted in the center of the picture, where the baby is trying to reach out to her lifeless body, was especially touched.
And no one except the people themselves can help themselves, only they can run in an incomprehensible direction from burning lava flows.
In my opinion, "The Last Day of Pompeii" shows us the spiritual beauty of a person who is opposed to nature.
It shows that, no matter what, a person still remains a person with a soul, understanding and compassion.
When you look at the picture, it seems that now people will come to life, and we will hear their pleas for help, the cries of the wounded and the groans of the dead.
The picture makes an indelible impression and makes you think about serious things, about whose relatives I could once offend with a word or deed.
Among the masters of Russian romanticism, Karl Bryullov is an outstanding figure. His monumental canvases, portraits of contemporaries, constitute the golden fund of Russian painting. History has preserved the epithets received by the artist from acquaintances: "Brilliant", "Magnificent". It was Karl Bryullov's painting "The Last Day of Pompeii" that caused such a high appraisal, honoring the creator with the title of the great Russian romantic artist. Italian motifs, the classical themes of the Renaissance are reflected in the work of Bryullov, making the picture the most important canvas of the artist's creative path.
"The Last Day of Pompeii": the history of the creation of the painting
79 AD. Volcanic eruption destroys the ancient city of the Roman Empire. During the disaster, more than two thousand inhabitants die, some are buried alive under lava flows. The Pompeii theme is very popular for the work of the early 19th century. The period between 1748 (the discovery of the ruins of Pompeii due to archaeological excavations) and 1835 is marked by many works of painting, music, theatrical art, and literature about this event.
1827. Karl Bryullov personally gets acquainted with the history of the lost city. He visits the excavations. The young artist was unaware of the fatality of the trip. Then the master will write that he experienced a new sensation, forgetting about everything except the terrible fate that hit the city. The author of the painting "The Last Day of Pompeii" was deeply impressed. For several years, Bryullov has been working on sources: historical data, literary evidence. The artist studies the history of the region in detail, feeling more and more the theme of the lost city. It is known that the artist communicated with people who carried out archaeological excavations, read a lot of works on the topic.
Karl Pavlovich repeatedly visits the ancient city, taking all the details of the future canvas from nature. Sketches, the picture very accurately convey the look of Pompeii. Bryullov chose the intersection known as the "street of the tombs" as the scene of action. Here the ancient Pompeians buried the ashes of their deceased ancestors in marble mausoleums. The choice is intentional, filled with deep symbolism.
The artist considered the key point to be the need to illuminate Vesuvius. The volcano, which caused the tragedy, occupies the background of the work, creates a depressing impression, enhancing the monumentalism of the work. Bryullov painted from nature of local residents. Many Italians living in the vicinity of Vesuvius are descendants of the indigenous inhabitants of the deceased city. Having made a sketch of the composition, roughly seeing what the picture would be, the artist began work on the greatest work of his own creative path.
1830-33. Work on the work, which brought world fame, was in full swing. The canvas was filled with life, the spirit of inevitable death. The picture differs slightly from the original sketch. The point of view has shifted slightly, there are more actors. The plan of action, the idea, the stylistic composition, executed in the spirit of the works of the era of classicism - everything remains. "The Last Day of Pompeii" is a truly monumental work (4.65x6.5 meters).
The picture brought Bryullov world fame. The canvas is sent directly to Rome almost immediately after writing. The reviews from critics were overwhelming. The Italians were delighted, seeing how deeply the Russian artist felt the historical tragedy, with what painstaking, involvement he wrote out the smallest details of the work. "The Last Day of Pompeii" the Italians called the "triumphant" picture. Few Russian artists have received such high marks abroad. The end of the first third of the 19th century was a turbulent time for Italy, foreshadowing strong historical upheavals. Bryullov's painting, in modern terms, has become really trendy. Historical memory is an important concept of a country that fought for freedom from Austrian rule. The interest of a foreign artist in the heroic past of the original Italy only spurred the revolutionary mood of the country.
The painting was later sent to Paris. The Louvre was visited by many of the great contemporaries of Bryullov, who wanted to see the magnificent canvas with their own eyes. Among those who appreciated the work was the writer Walter Scott, who called the picture extraordinary. In his opinion, the genre of the painting "The Last Day of Pompeii" is a real pictorial epic. The artist did not expect such success. Bryullov became a triumph along with the picture.
In the artist's homeland, St. Petersburg, "The Last Day of Pompeii" went in 1834, where it is located to this day.
Description of the artwork «The last day of Pompeii»
The composition of the canvas is made according to the strict canons of classicism, but the work of Bryullov is a transitional stage on the path to romanticism. Hence the pronounced theme of the tragedy is not a man, but the people. Appeal to real historical events is another characteristic romantic feature.
The foreground of the left corner of the picture is a married couple covering their children with their bodies. It depicts a woman hugging her daughters and a Christian priest. He expresses calmness, humility, accepting what happened as God's will. The antipode image of other characters in the canvas, his eyes do not carry horror. Bryullov laid deep symbolism, the opposition of Christian and Roman, pagan religion. In the middle of the canvas, the priest, saving the temple valuables, runs away from inevitable death. So the author marked the historical death of the pagan religion after the advent of Christianity. On the steps of the tomb on the left we see a woman whose gaze is full of primal horror. Despair, a silent plea for help is noticeable to everyone. The woman is the only character who looks straight, addressing the viewer.
The right side of the picture is the side of the volcano. A rolling lightning strike destroys the statues. The sky blazes with a fiery glow, foreshadowing death. Through sharp, dark strokes, the artist metaphorically shows "falling skies". Ashes fly. A young man carries a lifeless girl (a marriage crown flaunts on his head). The elements prevented the marriage. A similar pose is taken by sons carrying an old father. The rearing horse throws the rider. The young man helps his mother to get up, persuading her to run away.
In the center is the main element of the composition. A dead woman lies on the ground, a baby is on her chest. The element carries the main idea of Bryullov's painting "The Last Day of Pompeii": the death of the old world, the birth of a new era, the opposition of life and death. Very romantic symbolism.
Contrasting the hot scarlet flame of the background of the canvas with the cold, "dead" light of the foreground. Bryullov enthusiastically plays with chiaroscuro, creating volume, immersing the viewer in what is happening. Russian art criticism rightly considered Karl Pavlovich an innovator who opened a new era of Russian painting.
Interesting facts about the painting "The Last Day of Pompeii"
Bryullov's work is fraught with many hidden meanings and mysteries. It is important for an erudite person not only to know who painted the painting “The Last Day of Pompeii”, but also what secrets the canvas holds:
- The artist standing on the steps is a self-portrait of the author. With this element, Bryullov showed how deeply he experiences the tragedy of the eruption of Vesuvius, sympathizing with the heroes of the canvas;
- Countess Samoilova, the closest friend, the muse of the artist - the model of four characters in the picture at once (a dead woman, a woman with horror in her eyes, a mother covering her children with a cloak);
- The name of the canvas has actually become winged for the Russian language. "Pompeia" is used in the feminine form of the singular, but according to the rules the word is plural;
- Bryullov's painting was repeatedly mentioned directly in the works of classical Russian literature by Lermontov, Pushkin, Turgenev, Gogol;
- Among the surviving victims of Pompeii is Pliny the Younger, an ancient historian. The artist depicted him as a young man helping his fallen mother to rise.
Where is The Last Day of Pompeii located?
Images are no way to convey the amazing monumentalism of the famous work of art, so be sure to come to St. Petersburg! 1895 - the canvas becomes part of the permanent exhibition of the Russian Museum. Here you can safely enjoy the magnificent masterpiece of the famous painter.
CategoryWe have long known the picture Karla Bryullova THE LAST DAY OF POMPEI, but we did not consider it in detail. I wanted to know its history and examine the canvas in detail.
K. Bryullov. The last day of Pompeii. 1830-1833
BACKGROUND OF THE PICTURE.
In 1827, the young Russian artist Karl Bryullov arrived in Pompeii. He did not know that this trip would lead him to the pinnacle of creativity. The sight of Pompeii stunned him. He walked all the nooks and crannies of the city, touched the walls, rough from boiling lava, and, perhaps, he had the idea to paint a picture of the last day of Pompeii.
From the idea of the picture to its completion will take a long six years. Bryullov begins with the study of historical sources. He reads the letters of Pliny the Younger, an eyewitness to the events, to the Roman historian Tacitus.
In search of authenticity, the artist also turns to the materials of archaeological excavations, he depicts some figures in those poses in which the skeletons of the victims of Vesuvius were found in hardened lava.
Almost all items were painted by Bryullov from authentic items stored in the Neapolitan Museum. The surviving drawings, sketches and sketches show how persistently the artist was looking for the most expressive composition. And even when the sketch of the future canvas was ready, Bryullov regroups the scene about a dozen times, changes gestures, movements, poses.
In 1830 the artist began work on a large canvas. He wrote at such a limit of spiritual tension that it happened that he was literally taken out of the studio in his arms. Finally, by the middle of 1833, the canvas was ready.
Eruption of Vesuvius.
Let's make a small digression to get acquainted with the historical details of the event that we will see in the picture.
The eruption of Vesuvius began on the afternoon of August 24, 79 and lasted about a day, as evidenced by some of the surviving manuscripts of the "Letters" of Pliny the Younger. It led to the death of three cities - Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabia and several small villages and villas.
Vesuvius wakes up and brings down all kinds of products of volcanic activity on the surrounding space. Tremors, ash flakes, stones falling from the sky - all this took the inhabitants of Pompeii by surprise.
People tried to hide in houses, but died from suffocation or under the ruins. Someone overtook death in public places - in theaters, markets, forums, temples, someone - on the streets of the city, someone - already beyond its borders. However, the vast majority of residents still managed to leave the city.
During the excavations, it turned out that everything in the cities was preserved as it was before the eruption. Streets, houses with full furnishings, the remains of people and animals that did not have time to escape were found under many meters of ash. The force of the eruption was such that the ashes from it flew even to Egypt and Syria.
Of the 20,000 inhabitants of Pompeii, about 2,000 died in the buildings and on the streets. Most of the inhabitants left the city before the disaster, but the remains of the dead are found outside the city. Therefore, the exact number of deaths cannot be estimated.
Among those who died from the eruption was Pliny the Elder, out of scientific interest and out of a desire to help people suffering from the eruption, who tried to approach Vesuvius on a ship and ended up in one of the centers of the disaster - at Stabia.
Pliny the Younger describes what happened on the 25th at Miseno. In the morning, a black cloud of ash began to approach the city. Residents fled in horror from the city to the seashore (probably, the inhabitants of the dead cities also tried to do the same). The crowd running along the road soon found itself in complete darkness, screams and cries of children were heard.
Those who fell were trampled down by those who followed. I had to shake off the ashes all the time, otherwise the person instantly fell asleep, and there was no way for those who sat down to rest to rise. This went on for several hours, but in the afternoon the ash cloud began to dissipate.
Pliny returned to Miseno, although the earthquakes continued. By evening, the eruption began to subside, and by the evening of the 26th everything had subsided. Pliny the Younger was lucky, but his uncle - an outstanding scientist, author of natural history Pliny the Elder - died during an eruption in Pompeii.
They say that he was let down by the curiosity of a naturalist, he stayed in the city for observations. The sun over the dead cities - Pompeii, Stabia, Herculaneum and Octavianum - appeared only on August 27th. Vesuvius has erupted to this day at least eight more times. Moreover, in 1631, in 1794 and 1944 the eruption was quite strong.
DESCRIPTION.
Black darkness hung over the earth. A blood-red glow paints the sky near the horizon, and a blinding flash of lightning momentarily breaks the darkness. In the face of death, the essence of the human soul is exposed.
Here the young Pliny persuades his mother, who has fallen to the ground, to gather the remnants of her strength and try to escape.
Here are the sons carrying the old man on their shoulders, trying to quickly deliver the precious burden to a safe place.
Raising his hand towards the crumbling skies, the man is ready to protect his loved ones with his chest.
Nearby is a kneeling mother with children. With what inexpressible tenderness they huddle together!
Above them is a Christian shepherd with a cross around his neck, with a torch and a censer in his hands. With calm fearlessness, he looks at the flaming skies and the crumbling statues of the former gods.
And in the depths of the canvas, he is opposed by a pagan priest, running in fear with an altar under his arm. Such a somewhat naive allegory proclaims the advantages of the Christian religion over the outgoing pagan one.
A man who raised his hand to heaven is trying to protect his family. Next to him is a kneeling mother with children who seek protection and help from her.
On the left in the background is a crowd of fugitives on the steps of the tomb of Skaurus. In it, we notice an artist saving the most precious thing - a box with brushes and paints. This is a self-portrait of Karl Bryullov.
But in his eyes it is not so much the horror of death as the close attention of the artist, exacerbated by the terrible spectacle. He carries on his head the most precious thing - a box with paints and other painting accessories. It seems that he slowed down his steps and tries to remember the picture that unfolded before him. Yu.P. Samoilova served as a model for a girl with a jug.
We can see it in other images. This and a woman smashed to death, sprawled on the pavement, where next to her is a living child - in the center of the canvas; and a mother attracting her daughters to her, in the left corner of the picture.
The young man holds his beloved, in his eyes there is despair and hopelessness.
Many art historians consider the frightened child lying near the dead mother to be the central characters on the canvas. Here we see grief, despair, hope, the death of the old world, and perhaps the birth of a new one. This is a confrontation between life and death.
A noble woman tried to escape on a fast chariot, but no one can escape Kara, everyone must be punished for their sins. On the other hand, we see a frightened child who against all odds, he survived to revive the fallen race. But, what is his further fate, of course, we do not know, and we can only hope for a happy outcome.
The baby mourning her is an allegory of the new world, a symbol of the inexhaustible power of life.
How much pain, fear and despair in the eyes of people.
"The Last Day of Pompeii" convinces that the main value in the world is a person. Bryullov contrasts the destructive forces of nature with the spiritual greatness and beauty of man.
Brought up on the aesthetics of classicism, the artist strives to give his heroes ideal features and plastic perfection, although it is known that residents of Rome posed for many of them.
Seeing this work for the first time, any viewer admires its colossal scale: on a canvas with an area of more than thirty square meters, the artist tells the story of many lives united by a catastrophe. It seems that not a city is depicted on the plane of the canvas, but the whole world, which is experiencing death.
HISTORY OF THE PICTURE
In the autumn of 1833, the painting appeared at an exhibition in Milan and caused an explosion of delight and admiration. An even greater triumph awaited Bryullov at home. Exhibited in the Hermitage and then at the Academy of Arts, the painting became a subject of patriotic pride. She was enthusiastically welcomed by A.S. Pushkin:
Vesuvius zev opened - smoke gushed in a club - flame
Widely developed like a battle banner.
The earth worries - from staggering columns
Idols are falling! A people driven by fear
Crowds, old and young, under inflamed ashes,
Under the stone rain runs out of the hail.
Indeed, the worldwide fame of Bryullov's painting forever destroyed the disparaging attitude towards Russian artists that existed even in Russia itself. In the eyes of contemporaries, the work of Karl Bryullov was proof of the originality of the national artistic genius.
Bryullov was compared with the great Italian masters. Poets dedicated poems to him. He was greeted with applause in the street and in the theater. A year later, the French Academy of Arts awarded the artist a gold medal for the painting after her participation in the Paris Salon.
In 1834, the painting "The Last Day of Pompeii" was sent to St. Petersburg. Alexander Ivanovich Turgenev said that this picture was the glory of Russia and Italy. E. A. Baratynsky composed a famous aphorism on this occasion: “The last day of Pompeii became the first day for the Russian brush!”.
Nicholas I honored the artist with a personal audience and awarded Charles with a laurel wreath, after which the artist was called "Charlemagne".
Anatoly Demidov presented the painting to Nicholas I, who exhibited it at the Academy of Arts as a guide for beginner painters. After the opening of the Russian Museum in 1895, the canvas moved there, and the general public gained access to it.
“In Russia then there was only one painter who was widely known, Bryullov” - Herzen A.I. about art.
In the first century AD, there was a series of eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, which were accompanied by an earthquake. They destroyed several flourishing cities that were located near the foot of the mountain. The city of Pompeii was gone in just two days - in August 79, it was completely covered with volcanic ash. He was buried under a seven-meter thickness of ash. It seemed that the city disappeared from the face of the earth. However, in 1748, archaeologists were able to unearth it, opening the veil of a terrible tragedy. The painting of the Russian artist Karl Bryullov was dedicated to the last day of the ancient city.
The Last Day of Pompeii is the most famous painting by Karl Bryullov. The masterpiece was created for six long years - from the idea and the first sketch to a full-fledged canvas. Not a single Russian artist had such success in Europe as the young 34-year-old Bryullov, who very quickly got a symbolic nickname - "The Great Karl", which corresponded to the scale of his six-year-old long-suffering offspring - the size of the canvas reached 30 square meters (!). It is noteworthy that the canvas itself was painted in just 11 months, the rest of the time was spent on preparatory work.
"Italian morning", 1823; Kunsthalle, Kiel, Germany
Western colleagues in the craft believed in the success of a promising and talented artist with difficulty. The arrogant Italians, extolling Italian painting above the whole world, considered the young and promising Russian painter incapable of something more, something large and large-scale. And this is despite the fact that Bryullov's paintings were already known to a certain extent long before Pompeii. For example, the famous painting “Italian Morning”, written by Bryullov after his arrival in Italy in 1823. The picture brought fame to Bryullov, having received flattering reviews, first from the Italian public, then from members of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. The OPH presented the painting "Italian Morning" to Alexandra Feodorovna, the wife of Nicholas I. The emperor wanted to get a painting paired with "Morning", which was the beginning of Bryullov's painting "Italian Noon" (1827).
A girl picking grapes in the vicinity of Naples. 1827; State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg And the painting “Girl picking grapes in the vicinity of Naples” (1827), glorifying the cheerful and cheerful character of Italian girls from the people. And the noisily celebrated copy of the fresco by Raphael - "The School of Athens" (1824-1828) - now it adorns the hall of copies in the building of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Bryullov was independent and famous in Italy and Europe, he had many orders - almost everyone traveling to Rome strives to bring back a portrait of Bryullov's work ...
And yet, they did not particularly believe in the artist, and sometimes even ridiculed. The already aged cavalier Camuccini, who at that time was considered the first Italian painter, especially tried. Considering the sketches of Bryullov's future masterpiece, he concludes that “the theme requires a huge canvas, but the good that is in the sketches will disappear on the huge canvas; Carl thinks in small canvases... Little Russian paints little pictures... A colossal work on the shoulder of someone bigger! Bryullov was not offended, he only smiled - it would be absurd to be angry and angry at the old man. In addition, the words of the Italian master further spurred the young and ambitious Russian genius in an effort to conquer Europe once and for all, and especially the self-satisfied Italians.
With his characteristic fanaticism, he continues to develop the plot of his main picture, which, he believes, will undoubtedly glorify his name.
There are at least two versions of how the idea of writing Pompeii was born. The unofficial version - Bryullov, amazed by the performance in Rome of the enchanting opera by Giovanni Pacini "The Last Day of Pompeii", having come home, immediately sketched a sketch of the future picture.
According to another version, the idea to restore the plot of "death" came from the excavations of archaeologists who discovered a city buried and littered with volcanic ash, stone fragments and lava in 79. For almost 18 centuries, the city lay under the ashes of Vesuvius. And when it was unearthed, houses, statues, fountains, streets of Pompeii appeared before the eyes of the astonished Italians ...
The elder brother of Karl Bryullov, Alexander, who had studied the ruins of the ancient city since 1824, also took part in the excavations. For the project of restoration of the Pompeian Baths he drew up, he received the title of architect of His Majesty, corresponding member of the French Institute, member of the Royal Institute of Architects in England and the title of member of the academies of arts in Milan and St. Petersburg ...
Alexander Pavlovich Bryullov, self-portrait 1830 By the way, in mid-March 1828, when the artist was in Rome, Vesuvius suddenly began to smoke more than usual, five days later he threw out a tall column of ash and smoke, dark red lava flows, splashing out of the crater, flowed down the slopes, a menacing rumble was heard, in the houses of Naples, window panes trembled. Rumors of an eruption immediately flew to Rome, everyone who could rushed to Naples - to look at the outlandish spectacle. Karl, not without difficulty, got a seat in the carriage, where, besides him, there were five more passengers, and he could consider himself lucky. But while the carriage traveled a long 240 km from Rome to Naples, Vesuvius stopped smoking and dozed off ... This fact upset the artist very much, because he could witness a similar catastrophe, see the horror and brutality of the angry Vesuvius with his own eyes.
Work and triumph
So, having decided on the plot, meticulous Bryullov began to collect historical material. Striving for the greatest reliability of the image, Bryullov studied the excavation materials and historical documents. He said that all the things depicted by him were taken from the museum, that he follows archaeologists - "current antiquarians", that until the last stroke he took care to be "closer to the authenticity of the incident."
The remains of the people of the city of Pompeii, our days. He also showed the scene of action on the canvas quite accurately: “I took this scenery all from life, without retreating at all and without adding”; in the place that got into the picture, during the excavations, bracelets, rings, earrings, necklaces and charred remains of a chariot were found. But the thought of the picture is much higher and much deeper than the desire to reconstruct an event that happened seventeen and a half centuries ago. The steps of the tomb of Scaurus, the skeleton of a mother and daughters who hugged each other before their death, a burnt cart wheel, a stool, a vase, a lamp, a bracelet - all this was the limit of certainty ...
As soon as the canvas was completed, the Roman workshop of Karl Bryullov was subjected to a real siege. “... I experienced wonderful moments while painting this picture! And now I see the venerable old man Camuccini standing in front of her. A few days later, after all Rome flocked to see my painting, he came to my studio in Via San Claudio and, after standing for several minutes in front of the painting, hugged me and said: “Hug me, Colossus!”
The painting was exhibited in Rome, then in Milan, and everywhere enthusiastic Italians tremble before the "Great Charles".
The name of Karl Bryullov immediately became known throughout the Italian peninsula - from one end to the other. When meeting in the streets, everyone took off his hat to him; when he appeared in the theaters, everyone stood up; at the door of the house where he lived, or the restaurant where he dined, there were always many people gathered to greet him.
Italian newspapers and magazines glorified Karl Bryullov as a genius, equal to the greatest painters of all time, poets sang him in verse, entire treatises were written about his new painting. Since the Renaissance, not a single artist in Italy has been the object of such universal worship as Karl Bryullov.
Bryullov Karl Pavlovich, 1836 - Vasily Tropinin The painting "The Last Day of Pompeii" introduced Europe to the mighty Russian brush and Russian nature, which is capable of reaching almost unattainable heights in every field of art.
It is hard to imagine the enthusiasm and patriotic upsurge with which the picture was received in St. Petersburg: thanks to Bryullov, Russian painting ceased to be a diligent student of the great Italians and created a work that delighted Europe!
The painting was donated by the philanthropist Demidov to Nicholas I, who briefly placed it in the Imperial Hermitage, and then donated it to the Academy of Arts. According to the memoirs of a contemporary, "crowds of visitors, one might say, burst into the halls of the Academy to look at Pompeii." They talked about the masterpiece in the salons, shared opinions in private correspondence, made notes in diaries. The honorary nickname "Charlemagne" was established for Bryullov.
Impressed by the picture, Pushkin wrote a six-line:
Vesuvius zev opened - smoke gushed in a club - flame
Widely developed like a battle banner.
The earth worries - from staggering columns
Idols are falling! A people driven by fear
Under the stone rain, under the inflamed ashes,
Crowds, old and young, run out of the city.
Gogol devoted a remarkably profound article to The Last Day of Pompeii, and the poet Yevgeny Baratynsky expressed the general jubilation in a well-known impromptu:
"You brought peaceful trophies
With you in the paternal shadow,
And became "The Last Day of Pompeii"
For the Russian brush, the first day!
Facts, secrets and mysteries of the painting "The Last Day of Pompeii"
Place of the painting
Pompeii was discovered in 1748. Since then, month after month, continuously ongoing excavations have opened the city. Pompeii left an indelible mark on Karl Bryullov's soul during his first visit to the city in 1827.
“The sight of these ruins involuntarily made me go back to a time when these walls were still inhabited ... You cannot go through these ruins without feeling some completely new feeling in yourself that makes you forget everything, except for the terrible incident with this city.”
“I took this scenery all from nature, without retreating at all and without adding, standing with my back to the city gates in order to see part of Vesuvius as the main reason,” Bryullov shared in one of his letters.
"Street of the Tombs" Pompeii We are talking about the Herculanean Gates of Pompeii (Porto di Ercolano), behind which, already outside the city, the "Street of the Tombs" (Via dei Sepolcri) began - a cemetery with magnificent tombs and temples. This part of Pompeii was in the 1820s. already well cleared, which allowed the painter to reconstruct architecture on canvas with maximum accuracy.
And here is the place itself, which was exactly compared with the painting by Karl Bryullov.
photo Painting details
Recreating the picture of the eruption, Bryullov followed the famous messages of Pliny the Younger to Tacitus.
The young Pliny survived the eruption in the seaport of Miseno, north of Pompeii, and described in detail what he saw: houses that seemed to have moved from their places, flames spread widely along the cone of the volcano, hot pieces of pumice falling from the sky, heavy rain of ash, black impenetrable darkness , fiery zigzags, similar to giant lightning ... And all this Bryullov transferred to the canvas.
Seismologists are amazed at how convincingly he portrayed the earthquake: looking at collapsing houses, you can determine the direction and strength of the earthquake (8 points). Volcanologists note that the eruption of Vesuvius was written with all possible accuracy for that time. Historians argue that Bryullov's painting can be used to study ancient Roman culture.
The method of restoring the dying poses of the dead by pouring gypsum into the voids formed from the bodies was invented only in 1870, but even during the creation of the picture, the skeletons found in the petrified ashes testified to the last convulsions and gestures of the victims.
Mother hugging two daughters; a young woman who was crushed to death when she fell from a chariot that ran into a cobblestone, turned out of the pavement by an earthquake; people on the steps of the tomb of Skaurus, protecting their heads from rockfall with stools and dishes - all this is not a figment of the painter's fantasy, but an artistically recreated reality.
self-portrait in painting
On the canvas, we see characters endowed with portrait features of the author himself and his beloved, Countess Yulia Samoilova. Bryullov portrayed himself as an artist carrying a box of brushes and paints on his head.
Self-portrait, as well as a girl with a vessel on her head - Julia The beautiful features of Julia are recognized four times in the picture: a mother hugging her daughters, a woman clutching a baby to her chest, a girl with a vessel on her head, a noble pompeian who fell from a broken chariot.
A self-portrait and portraits of a girlfriend are a conscious “presence effect”, making the viewer seem to be a participant in what is happening.
"Just a Picture"
It is known that among the students of Karl Bryullov, his canvas “The Last Day of Pompeii” had a rather simple name - simply “Picture”. This means that for all the disciples, this canvas was just a picture with a capital letter, a picture of pictures. An example can be given: as the Bible is the book of all books, the word Bible seems to mean the word Book.
Walter Scott: "This is epic!"
Walter Scott appeared in Rome, whose fame was so great that at times he seemed to be a mythical creature. The novelist was tall and had a strong build. His ruddy-cheeked peasant face with sparse blond hair combed over his forehead seemed to be the epitome of health, but everyone knew that Sir Walter Scott never recovered from an apoplexy and came to Italy on the advice of doctors. A sober man, he understood that the days were numbered, and spent time only on what he considered especially important. In Rome, he asked to be taken to only one ancient castle, which he needed for some reason, to Thorvaldsen and Bryullov. Walter Scott sat in front of the picture for several hours, almost motionless, was silent for a long time, and Bryullov, no longer teasing to hear his voice, took a brush so as not to waste time, and began to touch the canvas here and there. Finally, Walter Scott got up, crouching slightly on his right leg, went up to Bryullov, caught both of his hands in his huge palm and squeezed them tightly:
I expected to see a historical novel. But you have created much more. This is an epic...
bible story
Tragic scenes were often depicted in various manifestations of classical art. For example, the destruction of Sodom or the Egyptian executions. But in such biblical stories it was implied that the execution comes from above, here one could see the manifestation of God's providence. As if biblical history knew no senseless fate, but only the wrath of God. In the paintings of Karl Bryullov, people were at the mercy of a blind natural element, rock. There can be no reasoning about guilt and punishment here.. In the picture you will not be able to find the main character. It's just not there. Before us appears only the crowd, the people who were seized with fear.
The perception of Pompeii as a vicious city mired in sins, and its destruction as Divine punishment could be based on some finds that appeared as a result of excavations - these are erotic frescoes in ancient Roman houses, as well as similar sculptures, phallic amulets, pendants, and so on. The publication of these artefacts in the Antichita di Ercolano, published by the Italian Academy and republished in other countries between 1771 and 1780, caused a reaction of culture shock - against the backdrop of Winckelmann's postulate of the "noble simplicity and calm grandeur" of ancient art. That is why the public of the early 19th century could associate the eruption of Vesuvius with the biblical judgment that fell on the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Accurate calculations
Vesuvius eruption Having decided to paint a large canvas, K. Bryullov chose one of the most difficult ways of his compositional construction, namely, light-shadow and spatial. This required the artist to accurately calculate the effect of the painting at a distance and mathematically determine the incidence of light. Also, to create the impression of deep space, he had to pay the most serious attention to the aerial perspective.
Blazing and distant Vesuvius, from the bowels of which rivers of fiery lava flow in all directions. The light from them is so strong that the buildings closest to the volcano seem to be on fire. One French newspaper noted this pictorial effect, which the artist wanted to achieve, and pointed out: “An ordinary artist, of course, would not fail to take advantage of the eruption of Vesuvius to illuminate his picture; but Mr. Bryullov neglected this remedy. Genius inspired him with a bold idea, as happy as it was inimitable: to illuminate the entire front of the picture with a quick, minute and whitish brilliance of lightning, cutting through a thick cloud of ash that enveloped the city, while the light from the eruption, with difficulty breaking through the deep darkness, casts in the background a reddish penumbra.
At the limit
He wrote at such a limit of spiritual tension that it happened that he was literally taken out of the studio in his arms. However, even shaken health does not stop his work.
Newlyweds
Newlyweds According to the ancient Roman tradition, the heads of the newlyweds were decorated with wreaths of flowers. Flammey fell from the girl's head - the traditional cover of the ancient Roman bride from a thin yellow-orange fabric.
Fall of Rome
In the center of the picture, a young woman lies on the pavement, and her unnecessary jewelry scattered over the stones. Next to her, a small child is crying in fear. A beautiful, beautiful woman, the classical beauty of draperies and gold seem to symbolize the refined culture of Ancient Rome, which is dying before our eyes. The artist acts not only as an artist, a master of composition and color, but also as a philosopher, speaking in visible images about the death of a great culture.
woman with daughters
According to Bryullov, he saw one female and two children's skeletons, covered in these positions with volcanic ash, at excavations. The artist could associate a mother with two daughters with Yulia Samoilova, who, having no children of her own, took up two girls, relatives of friends, to raise. By the way, the father of the youngest of them, the composer Giovanni Pacini, wrote the opera The Last Day of Pompeii in 1825, and the fashionable production became one of the sources of inspiration for Bryullov.
Christian priest
In the first century of Christianity, a minister of the new faith could have been in Pompeii; in the picture he is easily recognizable by the cross, liturgical utensils - a censer and a chalice - and a scroll with a sacred text. The wearing of pectoral and pectoral crosses in the 1st century has not been confirmed archaeologically. The artist’s amazing technique is the courageous figure of a Christian priest, who knows no doubts and fear, is opposed to a pagan priest fleeing in fear in the depths of the canvas.
Priest
The status of the character is indicated by cult objects in his hands and a headband - infula. Bryullov's contemporaries reproached him for not bringing to the fore the opposition of Christianity to paganism, but the artist did not have such a goal.
Contrary to the canons
Bryullov wrote almost everything wrong. Every great artist breaks the existing rules. In those days, they tried to imitate the creations of the old masters, who knew how to show the ideal beauty of a person. It's called "CLASSICISM". Therefore, Bryullov does not have distorted faces, crush or confusion. It doesn't have the same crowd as on the street. There is nothing random here, and the characters are divided into groups so that everyone can be considered. And here's what's interesting - the faces in the picture are similar, but the poses are different. The main thing for Bryullov, as well as for the ancient sculptors, is to convey a human feeling with movement. This difficult art is called "PLASTIC". Bryullov did not want to disfigure people's faces, their bodies with neither wounds nor dirt. Such a technique in art is called "CONVENTION": the artist refuses external credibility in the name of a lofty goal: man is the most beautiful creature on earth.
Pushkin and Bryullov
A great event in the life of the artist was his meeting and friendship with Pushkin. They hit it off immediately and fell in love with each other. In a letter to his wife dated May 4, 1836, the poet writes:
“... I really want to bring Bryullov to St. Petersburg. And he is a real artist, a kind fellow, and ready for anything. Here Perovsky filled him up, moved him to his place, locked him up and forced him to work. Bryullov ran away from him by force.
“Bryullov is now from me. Goes to St. Petersburg reluctantly, afraid of the climate and captivity. I try to comfort and encourage him; meanwhile, my soul goes to the heels, as soon as I remember that I am a journalist.
Not even a month had passed since Pushkin sent a letter about Bryullov's departure to St. Petersburg, when on June 11, 1836, a dinner was given in honor of the famous painter in the premises of the Academy of Arts. Maybe it was not worth celebrating this unremarkable date, June 11! But the fact is that, by a strange coincidence, it is on June 11, in fourteen years, that Bryullov will come, in essence, to die in Rome ... Sick, aged.
The triumph of Russia
Karl Pavlovich Bryullov. Artist Zavyalov F.S. At the Louvre exhibition in 1834, where “The Last Day of Pompeii” was shown, next to the painting by Bryullov, paintings by Ingres and Delacroix, adherents of the “notorious ancient beauty”, hung. Critics unanimously scolded Bryullov. For some, his painting was twenty years late, others found in it an excessive boldness of the imagination, destroying the unity of style. But there were still others - spectators: the Parisians crowded for hours in front of the "Last Day of Pompeii" and admired it as unanimously as the Romans. A rare case - the general opinion defeated the judgments of the "note critics" (as newspapers and magazines called them): the jury did not dare to please the "note" - Bryullov received a gold medal of the first denomination. Russia triumphed.
"Professor Out of Line"
The Council of the Academy, noting that Bryullov's painting has undeniably the greatest merits, placing it among the most unusual artistic creations in Europe at the present time, asked His Majesty's permission to raise the illustrious painter to a professorship out of turn. Two months later, the minister of the imperial court informed the president of the academy that the sovereign had not given his permission and had ordered that the charter be followed. At the same time, wishing to express a new sign of all-merciful attention to the talents of this artist, His Majesty granted Bryullov a Knight of the Order of St. Anna 3rd degree.
Canvas dimensions
