Rogneda on canvas you images,
With Vladimir, in his pitiful fate,
Not so much struck by the death of her father,
How much it seems to lament for you...
... Everything is alive that your hand depicted,
And everything will live as long as the light lasts.
You alone were struck down by death in your youth,
You alone, Losenko, are not with us!
Vasily Maykov
Anton Pavlovich Losenko was born in the summer of 1737 in the Ukrainian city of Glukhovo, into a peasant family. At the age of seven, having good voice And ear for music, little Anton Losenko was taken to the court choir of the city of St. Petersburg as a singer. In 1753, he and his friends Ivan Semyonovich Sablukov and Kirill Ivanovich Golovachevsky had to give up a happy career because of their sleeping voices. In the same year, he falls under the wing and patronage of the artist Ivan Petrovich Argunov.
Visiting Argunov's painting class, Losenko with friends stood out significantly from the rest of the students of the Academy, and in 1759 Ivan Petrovich presented the work of young students to the royal court with the recommendation: "... these singers can both draw and paint with paints, make copies of portraits and historical paintings, and draw from life They showed diligent diligence and honesty in their actions." As confirmation, Argunov showed successful work young artist "Tobias with an angel"(1759), as well as portrait painting from nature court musician V. Stepanov.
It was decided to continue his studies at the Academy of the Three Most Noble Arts, which included the departments of painting, architecture and sculpture. The Academy was founded in St. Petersburg in 1757 on the initiative of M.V. Lomonosov and philanthropist Count I.I. Shuvalov, who became the head of the Academy, and also invited highly qualified teachers from abroad. It was Losenko who became one of the first students of the prestigious Academy. In 1760 Losenko writes portrait of Count Shuvalov, then followed portraits of the poet and playwright Alexander Sumarokov(1760) and talented actor Yakov Shumsky (1760).
The work on the portrait of Shumsky is especially noteworthy. Characteristic appearance focused and concentrated on complex and poignant manner models. The artist achieved the image of the great Lent directly by illuminating the face and hands, thereby making them stand out on dark background. Golden - brown shades are harmonious and muted; The movement of the artist's brush is clearly palpable, especially where he brings out the texture of the face and hands.
Count Shuvalov, first director Russian Academy arts, was aware of the need to create a national art school with well qualified Russian artists. This increased the confidence of young students. In September 1760, especially talented students Academy - A.P. Losenko, and in the future famous architect Vasily Bazhenov, were sent to study abroad. In Paris, A.P. Losenko studied with Jean Retoux, a representative of late French academicism. The first fruit of his research was a multi-figure canvas " Great catch of fish" (1762).
The Academy of Arts noted the merits and demerits of the painting: "everything that we find signs of correct reasoning and diligence ... and a talent that promises exceptional results if given the opportunity to practice." Upon returning from Paris to the Academy, A.P. Losenko was sent to Moscow, where he wrote the famous portrait of the first Russian actor- creator national theater, a brilliant performer and teacher of many other actors - Fyodor Volkov(1763). Losenko not only achieved an exact resemblance to Volkov, but also showed a work that was quite complex and comprehended deep knowledge for its time.
He revealed the vocations and spiritual riches of the actor, who, according to Novikov, was "a man of penetrating mind, with a thorough, reasonable decision and a rare talent."
In the summer of 1763, Losenko returned to Paris, where his drawings on themes from ancient mythology were awarded gold medals. At this time, the artist paid much attention artistic genre NYU, and in 1764 he sent three works to St. Petersburg: " Venus and Adonis" or " Death of Adonis" (1764), "Andrew the First-Called"(1764) and study" Exile from the temple(1764) (the location of the study is unknown).
In 1765 Losenko goes to Petersburg with a painting " Abraham sacrifices his son Isaac"(1765), where the colors are more expressive in color than in the picture" Great catch of fish" (1762).
In December of the same year, the artist moved to Rome, where he lived for more than three years, studying the classics, improving his drawing skills by copying drawings from the paintings of Raphael. A high level of drawing technique and compositional literacy was the result of the artist's subsequent works " Abel"(1768) and" Cain"(1768). Deprived of any context (the names were just an excuse to depict the splendor of the models), these two famous canvases became an important step in creative development For Losenko.
In short pictures" Cain" And " Abel"The artist skillfully wraps the depicted human figure with loose fabrics. Nude models are emphasized by the soft flowing folds of the drapery. The clear organization of the canvas space is striking. In " Cain"Greenish hues are in harmony. In two paintings, the bodies of the models are skillfully drawn, especially the neck and shoulders. It is obvious here that when working with nature, the artist has no difficulty in depicting the space, color and tonal state of the depicted object on the plane.
"Cain"is one of the clear and concise works of the artist. " Zeus and Thetis(1769), commissioned by Count Shuvalov for Count Razumovsky, completed a cycle of paintings on the theme of Greco-Roman antiquity.
In the spring of 1769 Losenko returns to Russia. His best works" Cain", "Abel", "Justice"(based on the painting by Raphael) were awarded the highest praise. And in the fall of 1769, Losenko paints a picture" Vladimir and Rogneda(1770). Subject history painting was proposed by the academy, leaving the artist the right to clarify the details of the plot. reflecting national character characters, Losenko dresses them, as was customary, in conditional clothes.
This painting was indeed the first work ever written on a theme from Russian history. The Novgorod prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich, having been refused by the Polotsk princess Rogneda, captured Polotsk, killed her father Rogvold and brothers, and unwillingly combined with the high-minded Rogneda.
In his painting, Losenko captured the moment where Vladimir speaks to Rogneda about the atrocities in Polotsk and insists on marriage. But, unlike historical facts, here Vladimir is depicted in the form of complete repentance, which is conveyed in his gestures, his facial expression and his eyes directed towards Rogneda. The artist proves that humanity triumphs over tyranny.
With a vivid imagination Losenko paints pictures that captivate with the immediacy of the depicted scenes, as if seen by the artist with his own eyes. In figurative painting, the main characters Vladimir and Rogneda are modeled with light. The artist emphasizes emotionality, gestures and postures, which contrast with the stately female figure and Vladimir burdensomeness of the warriors.
Work " Vladimir and Rogneda"laid the foundation of a national historical theme in Russian art, to which M.V. Lomonosov and A.P. Sumarokov always called for the academy. In addition, this precedent for interpreting historical events from a moral position corresponded to the most progressive views in Russian society which condemned tyranny and violence.
The presented picture caused a lively response from contemporaries. The Council of the Academy recognized Losenko as an artist with outstanding talent, elected him an academician and bestowed the title of professor. As a professor, and later the director of the academy, A.P. Losenko did a lot for his students. He prepared the first textbook of Russian art: "Explanations of a brief proportion of a person, based on reliable research different proportions of ancient statues, by the efforts of the Imperial Academy of Arts, Professor of Painting, Mr. Losenko, published for the benefit of young people practicing drawing. "Losenko's exposition and drawings were used for a long time at the Academy, and then at the Moscow School of Painting and Sculpture.
The last painting of the artist - " Hector's farewell to Andromache"(1773). He takes the theme of the work from the ancient Greek epic of Homer about the Trojan War "Iliad".
The painting was also awarded an academic certificate, which stated that "the true and noble purpose of art is to make virtue palpable, to perpetuate the glory of great men who deserve gratitude for their country, and to awaken a fire in hearts and minds for research."
Being at the young age of 36, Anton Losenko died of dropsy on December 4, 1773. His funeral was attended by artists and artists, writers and poets. Losenko's paintings have always been accepted and are accepted with enthusiasm. They are highly valued by contemporaries. They were invariably surrounded and surrounded by crowds of admiring spectators.
Biography of the artist, creative way. Gallery of pictures.
Losenko Anton Pavlovich
Losenko Anton
(1737 - 1773)
Anton Pavlovich Losenko (1737, Glukhoye, Chernihiv province - 1773, St. Petersburg) was born into the family of a Ukrainian Cossack, a wealthy merchant of "red goods". The child was orphaned early and at the age of seven was sent to St. Petersburg to the court singing choir at the imperial court of Elizabeth Petrovna. However, in 1753, as "sleeping from his voice", he was sent to study with the artist I.P. Argunov. The boy showed great talent for painting, and the five and a half years spent in Argunov's workshop served as a very thorough school for him.
I. I. Shuvalov, president of the newly opened Academy of the Three Most Noble Arts, drew attention to the talent of the young artist, and in 1758 Losenko was credited as her pupil. Later, he will paint a portrait of his high patron (Portrait of I. I. Shuvalov. 1760. Russian Museum).
Established in 1757, the Academy of Arts was called upon to educate future Russian artists in the spirit of lofty ideas about the purpose of art. The historical genre occupied a leading place in the hierarchy of academic genres, and it is no coincidence that Losenko devoted his work to historical painting. At the Academy, he apparently studied under the guidance of its first masters Le Lorrain and De Vella. Very soon he became an assistant to his teachers and received a position as an apprentice.
In 1760, the artist paints portraits of the poet A. P. Sumarokov and the actor Ya. D. Shumsky (both in the State Russian Museum). Authorship latest work remains in doubt. Apparently, it belongs to the same time famous portrait F. G. Volkov (1760 (?) RM), the founder of the first Russian public theater. IN early work Losenko is still felt as a recent student of Argunov, but at the same time it is known that the artist’s talent was noticed in circles that included famous figures national culture. In Losenkov's portraits, the color scheme is devoid of both full-sounding and exquisitely restrained decorativeism, characteristic of the painters of this time. The color saturation of his portrait works is subject to volumetric-plastic tasks, which predetermines the economical use of chiaroscuro.
In September 1760, Losenko, together with the future famous architect Vasily Bazhenov, was sent on a pensioner's trip to Paris to deepen his knowledge and improve his skills. He studied under the guidance of J. Retou. In his workshop, Losenko studies the works of the teacher himself, as well as the works of French academics. He pays much attention to drawing from nature, the comprehension of beauty human body. As a result, Losenko creates big picture on the gospel story - "The Miraculous Catch of Fish" (1762. RM). The work cannot be called completely independent, since it is a variation on the theme of the painting by Jouvenet. In it, the Russian student, in accordance with the requirements of classicism, conveys the splendor of nature through the movement and poses of the characters. The work was approved by the Academy Council.
In the autumn of 1762, Losenko was summoned by Shuvalov to Russia, apparently in connection with the change of reign and the accession to the throne of Catherine II. During this period of his brief stay in his homeland, he painted a portrait of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich (1763. Gatchina Museum-Reserve). The following year, he was again sent by the Academy of Arts to Paris, where he entered the studio of J. M. Vien. The Russian artist made clear progress abroad: his drawings and compositions were awarded three medals by the Paris Academy of Arts. Losenko's creative interests were directed to subjects related to ancient mythology and biblical history. It is no coincidence that he wrote in Paris "The Death of Adonis" (1764. Museum of the Republic of Belarus) and "St. Andrew the First-Called" (1764. Russian Museum). A kind of graduation work in Vienne's workshop was the painting "The Sacrifice of Abraham" (1765. Russian Museum), for which the Russian artist was awarded the first gold medal of the Paris Academy.
In 1766-1769, Losenko trained in Italy, where he studied antiquity and copied the works of Raphael. There he creates another picture on the mythological plot - "Zeus and Thetis" (1769. RM). The work was created in the winter of 1768-1769 by order of Shuvalov, who was then removed from state affairs by Catherine II and lived as a private person in Rome. At the same time, the picture was painted secretly from the Academy of Arts and was intended for Count K. G. Razumovsky. The canvas “Zeus and Thetis” testifies that Losenko has already fully developed as a true “representative of classicism”, professing local color, anatomical alignment of figures and the predominance of linear-plastic modeling.
In the Italian period, the artist paid much attention to pictorial sketches of the naked body; as a result, the canvases "Abel" appeared (1768. Kharkov Art Museum) and "Cain" (1768. RM). They showed the ability to accurately convey the anatomy of the human body, masterfully reproduce the color and shadow shades inherent in living nature, and also showed a confident mastery of drawing, which distinguished Losenko from other Russian artists already in the early 1760s.
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 large canvas dedicated to Russian history - "Vladimir and Rogneda" (1770. RM). According to the picturesque plot, Vladimir asks for forgiveness from the captive Rogneda for having gone to war on the Polotsk land, killed her father and brothers, and forcibly took her as his wife. The artist faced a very difficult task - not to compromise the role of the murderer and rapist of the holy prince Vladimir, the baptist of Rus'. Losenko, in the spirit of patriotism of his era, is trying to whitewash the prince, showing his repentance. He even wrote a special “Explanation to the Picture”, in which he frankly assured that his hero, “seeing his bride, dishonored and deprived of everything, had to caress her and apologize to her” (Quoted by: Kaganovich A.L. Anton Losenko And Russian art mid-eighteenth century. - M., 196Z. S. 152.).
The ideological idea of the canvas - the image of the tragedy of the willful arbitrariness of the autocrat - was in the field of advanced views of Russian enlighteners who opposed despotism, in defense of the rights and dignity of man. The painting "Vladimir and Rogneda" became the first major work of the historical genre in Russian art. The success of the picture brought its creator true fame, the title of academician and the appointment of an associate professor.
Since 1772, Losenko became a professor and director of the Academy of Arts, sharing this position with N. Gillet. He will remain in this position for the rest of his life. The rapid career of the painter is due to his thorough professional training. But too rapid promotion ruined him: court intrigues and denunciations of envious people completely upset the health of the master.
At the Academy, Losenko leads practical lessons and writes an educational and theoretical manual "Explanation of a short proportion of a person, based on a reliable study of different proportions of ancient statues, by the efforts of the Imperial Academy of Arts, Professor of Painting Mr. Losenok, for the benefit of youth practicing drawing, published", which remained a practical textbook for Russian artists mid-nineteenth century. But the painter has less and less time for creativity.
The position of director and professor of the Academy burdened the artist: he had to teach for many hours a day in classes, he also involuntarily became involved in a tangle of academic and court intrigues that were alien to him. No wonder the sculptor E. F. Falcone 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 to the Hermitage, but she hesitated. The artist's strength was undermined, and he could not cope with a serious illness that had befallen him.
In 1773, Losenko began, but did not have time to finish his second big historical picture- "Farewell of Hector to Andromache" (1773. Tretyakov Gallery). It consistently carried out the classic principles both in content and in artistic organization all of her visual arts. The ancient plot from Homer's Iliad, taken by Losenko for his work, sang patriotic feelings, the readiness of heroes to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the fatherland. These were the ideals of enlightenment classicism, to which the artist remained true throughout his life.
In 1773, at the age of 37, Anton Pavlovich Losenko died of "water sickness" and was solemnly buried at the Smolensk cemetery in St. Petersburg.
Pelevin Yu.A.
Alenov M.A., Evangulova O.S., Livshits L.I. Russian art of the 11th - early 20th centuries. - M.: Art, 1989; Vereshchagina A. G. Artist. Time. History: Essays on Russian historical painting of the XVIII - early. 20th century - L .: Art, 1973; Voronikhina L., Mikhailova T. Russian painting of the 18th century. - M., 1989; Gavrilova E.I. Anton Pavlovich Losenko. - L., 1977; State Tretyakov Gallery. Collection directory. Painting XVIII century. - M.: Red Square, 1998; State Russian Museum. Painting. XVIII century. Catalog. T. 1. - St. Petersburg, 1998; Zhidkov G. V. Russian art XVIII century. - M. 1951; Jakob Stehlin's notes on fine arts in Russia / Comp., translated from German, enter. Art. K.V. Malinovsky. In 2 volumes - M., 1990; Ilyina T.V. Russian art of the 18th century. - M.: graduate School, 1999; History of Russian Art / Ed. I.E. Grabar. T. 5. - M .: Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1960; Kaganovich A.G. Anton Losenko and Russian Art of the Middle of the 18th Century. - M., 1963.
"Hector's Farewell to Andromache"
Anton Pavlovich Losenko is called the founder of Russian historical painting. This is not entirely accurate - the first Russian paintings on the themes of history appeared long before Losenko. Apparently, around 1730, the "Battle of Kulikovo" arose, attributed with a high degree of probability to I. Nikitin. In 1761-1764, M. V. Lomonosov and a group of students worked on the mosaic painting “The Battle of Poltava”, in which, almost a hundred years before A. A. Ivanov and K. P. Bryullov, an attempt was made to realistically recreate the past.
But Nikitin's painting stands alone in Russian art of the first half of the 18th century. Neither Nikitin himself nor his immediate successors continued to work on the historical theme. And the wonderful mosaic of Lomonosov, not understood and not appreciated by his contemporaries, was literally stolen from the history of Russian art. For almost a century and a half, she remained unknown to anyone and therefore did not have any influence on the development of historical painting in Russia.
The role of the founder, therefore, should really be recognized for Losenko. It begins a persistent and uninterrupted tradition of the "historical genre", which immediately took root in the system of academic art and on long years predetermined the development of Russian historical painting.
At the origins of this tradition are the last two paintings by Losenko - Vladimir and Rogneda (1770) and Hector's Farewell to Andromache (1773).
The ideological concept of both paintings was formed on the basis of those socio-political and moral "representations that developed in Russian culture of the 1750s-1770s under the influence of the ideas of enlightenment philosophy and most vividly embodied in the poetry and dramaturgy of A. Sumarokov and writers of his circle.
The ideas of patriotism and citizenship, duty to the motherland, service to the state, self-sacrifice for the public good constitute the main content of the advanced Russian literature of this time. Sumarokov calls on poets to "preach virtue" and teach "imitation of great deeds." He clearly formulated the tasks of historical painting: “The first position of those practicing these tricks is to depict the history of their fatherland and the faces of great people in it. Such views multiply the heroic fire and love for the fatherland.
The plot of the picture, which tells about the forced marriage of Vladimir and Rogneda, directly responds to the problem of despotism and its disastrous consequences posed in Sumarokov's plays. But the first experience of solving historical theme turned out to be not very successful. The picture "Vladimir and Rogneda" in terms of the power of images and expressiveness of characters is undoubtedly inferior to the historical dramaturgy of its time.
Much more significant and artistically perfect is Losenko's last painting, painted in the year of the artist's death and left somewhat unfinished, Hector's Farewell to Andromache.
Its plot is taken from the VI book of the Iliad. Hector, the leader and defender of the city of Troy besieged by the Achaeans, goes to battle and says goodbye to his wife and young son.
Hector quickly left the house ...
He was already approaching, flowing through the vast Troy,
To the Skeisky gate (through them there was an exit from the city to the field);
There Andromache's wife, running, appeared to meet ...
The wife appeared there, followed by one of the maids
She held a son with Perseus, a completely dumb baby,
Their fruit is one, lovely, like a radiant star.
The father smiled softly, silently looking at his son.
Andromache stood beside him, shedding tears;
She shook his hand and said these words:
“An amazing husband, your courage is ruining you! No son
You do not regret the baby, nor the poor mother; soon
Will I be a widow, unhappy? soon you Argives,
If they attack together, they will kill! and abandoned by you, Hector,
It is better for me to descend into the earth: there will be no consolation for me,
If, comprehended by fate, you leave me. . .
The famous Hector, sparkling with a helmet, answered her:
“Everything and that, wife, worries me no less; but terrible
Shame on me before every Trojan and long-clothed Trojan.
If, as timid, I stay here, moving away from the battle.
My heart forbids me; I learned to be fearless
It is always brave, among the first Trojans, to fight in battles.
Good glory to the father and to himself getting!
But, yes, I will perish and I will be covered with the dust of the earth
Before I see your captivity and hear your plaintive cry!
The quote is deliberately given in excerpts - Losenko did not illustrate Homer, but only took advantage of individual motifs of the great poem, putting into them completely different content that is revealed in the ancient Greek epic.
Losenko's idea is based on the idea of duty to the motherland and heroic self-sacrifice in the name of the fatherland. The whole solution of the picture is subordinated to this idea. Therefore, much that is essential for the Iliad simply did not interest the artist. Everything intimate, personal, deeply human that characterizes Homeric heroes - like, for example, the famous scene between Hector and his young son Astyanax - did not find a place in the picture. In comparison with the heroes of the Iliad, the images created by Losenko seem more abstract and sublime, they lose their vitality and versatility and become spokesmen for one idea, one feeling.
In the compositional solution of the picture, the influence of the theater clearly affects. The urban architectural landscape, against which the action unfolds, is built like a backstage, clearly delimiting the stage. In the background it is closed by a semicircular building with columns; behind it are the round towers of the outer city wall. The same form of a semicircle is repeated in the placement of minor figures surrounding the main characters.
Both main figures - Hector and Andromache - are pushed forward and placed in the very center of the composition; they perform in front of the audience, as if on a stage. On the left is a group of warriors with a banner, on the right are squires holding a helmet, a spear and a shield of Hector. But secondary figures do not take any part in the action. They are given the role of silent extras. It is not even clear whether they sympathize with the tragic scene taking place before their eyes. The warriors in Losenko's painting make up the "crowd", impersonal and passive, which the "heroes" are opposed to.
Only the maid, the nurse of little Astyanax, is crying, wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. Separation actors to the "crowd" and "heroes" represents salient feature historical painting, established at the Academy of Arts. Here, official ideas about history are clearly expressed, as about the deeds of kings and heroes, deeds in which populace, the "crowd", cannot and should not take any part. This explains the indifference of the artist to the characteristics of the soldiers. Their role is reduced only to providing a background for the main characters. Losenko did not give the soldiers, in fact, any characterization: before us are bearded academic sitters with typical Russian faces, dressed in antique armor. All the artist's attention is focused on the images of Andromache and Hector.
The idea of the picture is embodied only by the main characters. The influence of the classical theater is no less evident in the solution of the main images than in the composition. Losenko does not seek to give his characters an in-depth psychological description; carriers of expression are only posture and gesture. Hector, like a reciting actor, in a pathetic pose, with his hand outstretched, raising his eyes to the sky, vows to give his life for the freedom of Troy.
But, for all its artificiality and deliberateness, the image of Hector has a genuine power of artistic expression. It is persuasive because in its conventionality it is consistent and purposeful. Tragic pathos not only the pose and gesture of the hero are noted, but also his whole appearance, noble and courageous, in which the classical ideal of male beauty is embodied. The image of Andromache is also characterized by a deep inner dignity. She doesn't complain or shed tears like Homer does. It seems that she is captured by the same patriotic feeling that animates Hector. Andromache in Losenko's painting does not hold back her husband, but inspires him to a feat.
The action is deployed in the city square, “at the Skeisky gate, before going out into the field,” but Losenko only follows the instructions of the Iliad in this. And if in the figurative structure of the picture, in its content and characterization of the characters, the artist has departed far from his original source, then in certain particulars, in external and everyday details, he stands even further from Homeric descriptions.
It is characteristic that in Losenko's picture, Hector, as a European monarch, is surrounded by squires and pages, which are not mentioned in the poem. The historicism of the picture is conditional and fantastic. Losenko did not even try to convey the historical flavor of the Iliad. True, the archeology of the 18th century did not have any data on Homeric times. But the forms of architecture, the nature of clothing and weapons in Losenko's picture are not even reproduced by ancient Greek, but by random, mostly late Roman samples, and are replete with the most unexpected anachronisms. It is quite obvious that the question of the archaeological authenticity of the image did not concern the artist at all.
All this is explained, however, not only by the lack of factual knowledge about the past, and not even by the fact that people of the 18th century saw in the Iliad only a poetic legend, behind which there is no historical reality. The same characteristic non-historicity appears in "Vladimir and Rogneda". A decisive role was played by a principled attitude that excluded genuine historicism. The painters of the 18th century did not seek historical truth, because their goal was not to recreate the past, but only to embody this or that abstract idea. History became, as it were, a means of allegory.
Losenko's painting, with its high patriotic mood and pathos of citizenship, is a direct response to the questions posed by the leading public thought 1750-1770s.
But this does not exhaust the meaning of the painting "Farewell of Hector to Andromache."
It was in this canvas that those artistic principles, which later formed the basis of all historical painting at the Academy of Arts of the XVIII-first third of the XIX century. The direct influence of Losenko's creative system continued to be felt until, already in the thirties and forties of the 19th century, Karl Bryullov and Alexander Ivanov led historical painting onto new paths.
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 choir. If the voice of a 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, young A. Losenko was transferred from the choir to the students of 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 creative life, received a vivid expression in "Hector's Farewell" (as contemporaries called the picture).
As everybody painters XVIII 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 the artist 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 that 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)