Best Portraitist of the First half of XIX century. A whole Moscow chronicle of that era came out from under his brush.

Tropinin was born into a family of serfs, Count A.S. Minikha. It so happened historically that society has a negative attitude towards serfdom. However, even here there was a hierarchy, and the Tropinin family occupied a high place in it. The father of a Russian artist received personal freedom for his service as a manager, although his family remained a serf. For four years the boy studied at the Novgorod "folk school".

In the 1790s, Tropinin was handed over to a new owner, Count I. Morkov, who married Minich's daughter, Natalya Antonovna. Rejecting the requests of Father Tropinin to teach the boy painting, Count Morkov sends the young man to study in St. Petersburg as a confectioner in 1793.

Despite this, later, the count made Tropinin his confidant and appreciated his work. At that time, many nobles lived by the labor of serfs, because this was dictated by the era of serfdom, even liberal ones. Otherwise, they did not know how to live.

In St. Petersburg, having settled with Count Zavadovsky, overwhelmed by a passion for painting, the young artist takes lessons from professional artist. For which he was punished. The confectioner's wife brought Tropinin from painting lessons by the ears and gave instructions to flog the student.

Despite the fact that Troninin had a gentle character, he was persistent and firmly moved towards his goal. In 1798, Tropinin secretly began attending free classes at the Academy of Arts. In 1799 he became an "outsider student" of the Academy. He was respected by the best students: Kiprensky, Varnek, Skotnikov. The professors also noted the success of the student - Tropinin received two medals. Tropinin received the basics of artistic skill from the famous portrait painter S. Shchukin. In 1804, Count Morkov recalled Tropinin from St. Petersburg to Ukraine, to the village of Kukavka, Podolsk province, refusing to petition to release Tropinin (which even the president of the Academy asked for). Until 1812, Tropinin served as a footman, confectioner and serf painter. In the church painted by him, in 1807 Tropinin was married to Anna Ivanovna Katina. The war with Napoleon began, Count Morkov, as the head of the Moscow militia, with his two sons, goes to war. Carrot convoy with property, headed by Tropinin, goes after him. After the fire in Moscow, the house of Morkov also burned down. This house had to be restored by Tropinin.

At this time, Tropinin no longer serves, but is increasingly engaged in painting. In 1821 he and the count's family returned to Moscow. The fame of the portrait painter grew, famous people petitioned Morkov to release Tropinin, to give him freedom. In 1823, Tropinin became a free man, and his wife and son were in serfdom for another five years. In the same year, for the paintings “The Lacemaker”, “Portrait of the Artist O. Skotnikov” and “The Beggar Old Man”, he was approved as an “appointed” academician (that is, a candidate for academician). A year later, for the painting “Portrait of the medalist K.A. Leberecht", Tropinin received the title of academician. Having given up his professorship, the Russian artist returns to Moscow.

Since 1824, for thirty years, Tropinin has been living in Pisareva's house on Leninka near the Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge. Tropinin painted portraits famous people, became a well-known and generally recognized artist, he had many orders. The Russian artist became close friends with another no less famous artist- Bryullov.

In 1856, the Russian artist lost his wife, with whom he lived in perfect harmony. Tropinin moves to his house in Zamoskvorechye. Son Arseny created a good atmosphere in the house in order to somehow smooth out the grief of his father.

Ah, don’t say that… My old woman is dead, and there are no doors…”

Tropinin V.A.

The artist is referring to the doors on Leninka, on which visitors left autographs without finding the artist at home. “There was Bryullov”, “There was Vitali”, “Bryullov was again”.

Famous works of Tropinin Vasily Andreevich

The painting "Portrait of Arseny Tropinin, the artist's son" was painted around 1818, it can be seen in the State Tretyakov Gallery, in Moscow. In the portrait, the boy is about ten years old. The portrait belongs to a series of "children's" portraits of the Russian artist. Early work Tropinin are written in accordance with the "pre-romantic" style. But already here, as in other "children's" works, the style of the Enlightenment is visible. The ideology is such that every child is a “blank sheet of paper”, unspoiled by civilization and improper upbringing.

In his paintings, Tropinin is true to "nature", but the artist depicts only the good. Here and here - soft curls, "rounded" facial features, "sensitivity". A thoughtful and at the same time restless look to the side reflects a dream. The artist also pays great attention to garments, depicting home, everyday clothes, he carefully writes out the details. Favorite golden-ocher tones, according to history, were borrowed from the teacher S. Schukin.

The painting "Portrait of Bulakhov" was painted in 1823, it is stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery, in Moscow. Famous Opera singer Pyotr Aleksandrovich Bulakhov was good friend Tropinin. His "golden" tenor delighted listeners. He was the first to perform Alyabyev's Nightingale. With this work, romantic notes appear in Tropinin's work. In this portrait there is no static character characteristic of Tropinin's works. Here everything is in motion, life is in full swing, and the palette, before buying up, flares up with a variety of bright colors.

The protagonist of the portrait has just looked up from reading a book that symbolizes not "officialdom", but breadth of interests and artistry. The person being portrayed smiles a little.

Some people accuse me of almost all my portraits smiling. Why, I don’t invent, I don’t compose these smiles - I write them from nature.

Tropinin V.A.

The favorite technique of the Russian artist is the image of the person being portrayed in a dressing gown, in a free, not forced pose. Thus, Tropinin tries to emphasize the naturalness of the image.

“Portrait of A.S. Pushkin" (1827). All-Russian Museum of A.S. Pushkin, St. Petersburg.

In 1827, two portraits dedicated to the poet were created, they seem to be opposed to each other. In the portrait of Kiprensky, Pushkin is depicted in a secular guise, with a symbolic context indicating the craft of the hero of the portrait. In the portrait of Tropinin A.S. Pushkin is written quite at home, his image is endowed with warmth. Pushkin ordered this portrait for his friend S. Sobolevsky. It is known from the history of the painting that when it was sent abroad to Sobolevsky, it was replaced with a copy, and the original wandered around the back streets of Moscow for a long time until it was acquired by Prince M. Obolensky. The painting was badly damaged. Its authenticity was confirmed by Tropinin. In 1909, the painting was bought by the Tretyakov Gallery. When was the museum organized by A.S. Pushkin in Leningrad (1937), it was transferred to the museum.

Pushkin's gaze is directed into the distance with inspiration. Despite the home image, Pushkin remains here as a romantic poet, focused on his vocation. The robe is written solemnly, reminiscent of an antique toga, falls from the shoulders, emphasizing the proud posture of the great poet. A neckerchief is casually tied around the poet's neck, from under which the collar of a loose shirt protrudes. As conceived by the artist, clothing should bring the hero of the portrait closer to the viewer. On the right hand of the poet, lying on the papers, two rings are visible. One of which is a gift from E.K. Vorontsova. Pushkin always treated this ring as a talisman.

The painting “Self-portrait with brushes against the backdrop of the Moscow Kremlin was executed in 1844, is stored in the Museum of V.A. Tropinin and Moscow artists of his time, in Moscow. This portrait is the most famous of Tropinin's self-portraits. Both in self-portraits and in portraits, the main task of the artist is the desire to preserve the image of a person for the memory of people close to him. In this portrait we see the vocation of the artist, the freedom of creativity.

After all, I was under the command, but again I have to obey ... No to Moscow

Tropinin V.A.

Moscow has always been opposed to uniformed St. Petersburg as a place where, with some success, one could live according to one's will. And leaving, the artist made a conscious ideological choice.

The kind, open, intelligent face of the artist, in which it is difficult to find traces of serfdom. By the 1840s, Tropinin practically “rewrote” the whole of Moscow, for which he became almost a landmark of the second Russian capital. This inseparable connection is emphasized by the “window” landscape. Tropinin loved the dressing gown, met guests in it.

I learned this dress, it is freer to work in it ...

Tropinin V.A.

With his left hand, Tropinin tightly grips the palette and brushes - such an "imperious" gesture seems not even entirely organic for a person whose kindness was legendary.

Tropinin's masterpiece V.A. - painting "Lacemaker"

The painting was painted in 1823, is in the State Tretyakov Gallery, in Moscow. Thanks to this picture and two more works, Tropinin got into the Academy of Arts. In the composition and registration of the image of the heroine, the academic style of writing appeared, which did not affect the artistic value of the work. This is the most successful image from Tropinin's series of paintings "working girls". The idealized image of "lace" is associated with the image of " Poor Lisa» Karamzin, which appeared in 1792. Tropinin was very fond of the "genre portrait". It is believed that when creating such paintings, Tropinin followed in the footsteps of two artists - the Frenchman Jean Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805), who became famous for his genre compositions from the life of the third estate, and female "heads", and the Italian Petro Rotari (1707-1762). The genre portrait is distinguished by its peculiar storyline, thanks to which it is possible to express the human type more clearly.

Everything froze for a moment when the girl looked at the newcomer, even the pin in her hand. By short-cut nails, you can determine the girl's belonging to the profession. During the era of syntementalism, people learned to love the human soul. So the poetic image of the "lace" cleared of everyday difficulties, hardships and worries is sympathetic. The still life is wonderfully executed, clarifying the production background of the portrait. The coloring is made in close tones. The gray background enlivens - in contrast - the lilac fabric of the kerchief draped over the shoulders of the lace maker. The girl holds whooping cough in her hand. Bobbin - a chiseled stick, with a thickening at one end and a neck with a button on the other, for winding threads and weaving belts and lace. Picturesquely broken fabric, masterfully painted by the artist, allows him to emphasize the spectacular lighting. Below is a fragment of thin lace.

Creativity of Vasily Andreevich Tropinin

(1776-1857) Vasily Andreevich Tropinin belonged to the generation that brought forward the first Russian romantics. Tropinin was until the age of 45 a serf artist on the Ukrainian estate of Count Morkov, and combined with painting classes the duties of a confectioner and senior footman. At the whim of a landowner, he was unable to complete his education at the Academy of Arts. Tropinin's years of youth were spent on self-taught, in spite of obstacles, to master technical skills and achieve professional excellence. Count Carrot, who decided to have a painter in his house, in 1799 considered it profitable for himself to appoint a capable serf as an "outsider student" of the Academy of Arts. It was here that Tropinin studied portrait art with S.S. Schukin. At an academic exhibition in 1804, Tropinin's work "A Boy Yearning for a Dead Bird" attracted the attention of the Empress herself. Tropinin studied brilliantly and soon received silver and gold medals. President of the Academy S. Stroganov began to fuss about the release of a talented young man, but did not have time: the serf Tropinin received an order from the owner to move from St. Petersburg to the new estate of Morkov - Podolia, in Ukraine. There Tropinin was reminded that he was a serf, appointed to the post of confectioner and lackey, and also made copies of paintings by Western European and Russian artists, who later decorated the count's house, as well as paint the local church, paint icons for it. Tropinin was also instructed to make picturesque portraits of the hosts. Gentle and kind by nature, Tropinin humbly endured the vicissitudes of fate, did not become hardened, did not become depressed from the consciousness of the discrepancy between his own talent and the position that he occupied, on the contrary, he perceived his stay in Ukraine as a continuation of his studies, a kind of internship. “I studied little at the Academy, but I learned in Little Russia: I painted from life there without rest, and these works of mine seem to be the best of all that I have written so far,” he later recalled. The color of these works is soft, muted - grayish, ocher, green tones predominate.

"Portrait of the son of Arseny". The artist worked on this portrait with a special enthusiasm. He pours out his soul. With intimate intimacy, he reveals his faith in the bright destiny of man, in the value of the human personality. Before the viewer appears the world of a young dream, illuminated by a particularly poignant and poignant confidence. The master seems to reveal to us his secret, a precious secret that the artist carefully keeps.. Illuminated by a quivering light, the boy's face appears. Just now he was busy with children's games and amusements, so the collar of his shirt was unbuttoned, his hair was slightly tossed, but now something attracted his attention, and he is unusually serious. . The head is turned to the left. The gaze of wide-open, focused eyes is also directed there. How much grace and nobility, inner beauty, in the appearance of this child! Everything is harmonious in this canvas: slightly raised anxious eyebrows, an affectionate but restless look, a chaste, softly contoured mouth, a rounded chin. Everything, everything to the smallest line in the canvas is filled with the artist's love for his offspring, his hope /. In 1821 Tropinin said goodbye to Kukavka forever. The return to Moscow was joyful for him. Having gained respect and popularity in Moscow, the artist, nevertheless, remained a serf, which caused surprise and discontent in the circles of the enlightened nobility. Tropinin A.A. was especially bothered. Tuchkov - general, hero of 1812 and collector, P.P. Svinin, N.A. Maikov. However, Count Carrot was in no hurry to give freedom to his serf painter, whose talent and human qualities he greatly appreciated. This happened only in 1823. Tropinin's wife and son Arseniy remained in serfdom for another five years.

"Lacemaker"(1823) - one of the most popular works Tropinin. A pretty girl weaving lace is depicted at the moment when she briefly looked up from work and turned her gaze to the viewer, who thus becomes involved in the space of the picture. .

Laces, bobbins, a box for needlework are carefully and lovingly painted. The feeling of peace and comfort created by Tropinin convinces of the value of every moment of everyday human existence. Similar paintings Tropinin wrote a lot. Usually they depict young women at needlework - gold embroiderers, embroiderers, spinners. Their faces are similar, they clearly show the features of the artist's female ideal - a delicate oval, dark almond-shaped eyes, a friendly smile, a coquettish look. For this and other works in 1823 V.A. Tropinin was awarded the title of "appointed to academician".

The long-awaited freedom came only in 1823, when Tropinin was already forty-seven years old; the heyday of his talent belongs to this time. It was during this period that his own, independent artistic system arose, which in a peculiar way processed the legacy of classicism and painting techniques of the 18th century, and the genre of intimate everyday portrait created by Tropinin finally took shape.

At the beginning of 1827, Pushkin commissioned Tropinin to present a portrait to his friend Sobolevsky. this somewhat naive statement contains, in essence, a whole program that characterizes Tropinin's tasks and his attitude to reality. In Tropinin's portraits, the intimate, "homely" appearance of the people of his era is conveyed; Tropinin's characters do not "pose" in front of the artist and the viewer, but are captured as they were in private life, around the family hearth. He wanted to keep the image of the poet as he is, as he used to be more often, and he asked Tropinin, one of the best portrait painters of that time in Moscow, if not Russia, to draw him Pushkin in a dressing gown, disheveled, with a cherished ring on his finger, ”says , according to Tropinin himself, one of his contemporary memoirists. This, apparently, was the original idea of ​​​​the portrait. The artist's task was only to capture the image of Pushkin with all possible accuracy and truthfulness, without asking himself the complex tasks of psychological analysis and revealing the inner content of the image. In a sketch drawn directly from life, Tropinin came closest to realizing Sobolevsky's wishes. He gave an unpretentious, but, undoubtedly, quite accurate and similar image of Pushkin - "in a dressing gown and tattered," as Sobolevsky asked. But in the very appearance of the poet there was something that so distinguished him from ordinary Muscovites, the usual models of Tropinin, that the solution of the image could not enter the already established, familiar Tropinin system. Working on the portrait, Tropinin, in fact, moved very far from his original intention. This does not mean, of course, that he has departed from the truthful reproduction of nature. There is no doubt that Pushkin posed not only for a sketch, but also for a portrait, and the reconstruction of the living image of the poet was still Tropinin's main task. The similarities in the portrait are no less than in the sketch, but the very understanding of the image has become different. From the original idea, only the external attributes of “homeliness” remained - a dressing gown, an unbuttoned shirt collar, disheveled hair, but all these details were given completely new meaning: they are perceived not as evidence of the intimate ease of the posing, but rather as a sign of that "poetic disorder" with which romantic art so often associated the idea of ​​\u200b\u200binspiration. Tropinin did not paint the “private man Pushkin,” as Sobolevsky asked him to do, but an inspired poet, catching in his appearance an expression of deep inner significance and creative tension. In its figurative structure, the portrait of Pushkin echoes the works of contemporary romantic painting by Tropinin, but at the same time Tropinin managed to create a romantic image without sacrificing realistic accuracy and truthfulness of the image. Pushkin is depicted sitting, in a natural and relaxed pose. Right hand, on which two rings are visible, is placed on a table with an open book. Apart from this book, the portrait does not contain any accessories associated with Pushkin's literary profession. He is dressed in a spacious dressing gown with blue lapels, and a long blue scarf is tied around his neck. The background and clothes are united by a common golden-brown tone, on which the face stands out, shaded by the whiteness of the lapel of the shirt - the most intense colorful spot in the picture is at the same time her compositional center. The artist did not seek to "embellish" Pushkin's face and soften the irregularity of his features; but, conscientiously following nature, he managed to recreate and capture his high spirituality. Contemporaries unanimously recognized in Tropinin's portrait an irreproachable resemblance to Pushkin. In Pushkin's gaze, tense and intent, the content of the portrait characteristic is expressed with the greatest force. Genuine inspiration shines in the wide-open blue eyes of the poet. In accordance with the romantic plan, Tropinin sought to give his gaze the expression that he took in moments of creativity. In comparison with the famous portrait of Pushkin by Kiprensky, Tropininsky's portrait seems more modest and, perhaps, intimate, but is not inferior to him either in expressiveness or in terms of pictorial power. The portrait of Pushkin, undoubtedly, belongs to one of the first places both in the iconography of the poet and in the work of Tropinin. In this portrait, the artist most clearly expressed his ideal free man. He painted Pushkin in a dressing gown, with his shirt collar unbuttoned and a tie-scarf carelessly tied. Tropininsky Pushkin is not at all mundane - he is so regally majestic that it seems impossible to disturb his thoughts. A special impressiveness, almost monumentality, is imparted to the image of the poet by a proud posture and a steady posture, thanks to which his dressing gown is similar to an antique toga.

H and the 1830s-1840s account for the largest number of portraits painted by Tropinin. They said about the artist that he rewrote "literally the whole of Moscow." He paints portraits of the first persons of the city, statesmen, nobles, merchants, actors, writers, artists.

" Self-portrait" Tropinin was painted by the artist in the later years of his life. Before us is an elderly master, calmly looking ahead. Tropinin, as it were, sums up the life he has lived, showing himself as a calm, despite the experienced thunderstorms, a person who has reached a strong position, stable fame, which differs significantly from the loud and fleeting success of the St. Petersburg masters. The master depicts himself at the window of the workshop with a marvelous view of the ancient Kremlin. He calmly leans on the mastbel - an ancient painter's tool, so convenient in working on a picture that requires accuracy of drawing and smooth surface painting. In the hands of Vasily Andreevich, a palette and brushes, he stands against the backdrop of his beloved view with the signs of his profession - this is how he will forever remain in the memory of his descendants, to whom his calm and affectionate gaze of a good-natured and hospitable Moscow resident is directed. Tropinin conveys the cold coloring of the armchair and his suit in the interior of the studio, immersed in the evening dusk, as if eternity enters the room. Outside the window, the warm light of a gentle pink sunset spreads - a Moscow evening comes, when the bells fill the city with crimson ringing and black rooks circle in flocks among the clear sky.

Vasily Andreevich Tropinin lived a long creative life. His art was in intense interaction with the aesthetic ideals of the era. He died on May 3, 1857, and was buried at the Vagankovsky cemetery.

VASILY ANDREEVICH TROPININ (1776-1857),
great Russian painter, portrait master

Vasily Andreevich was born in the village of Karpovka, Novgorod Region, into a serf family. He showed his ability to draw as a boy, when he studied at the Novgorod city school. At the age of nine, Tropinin was appointed to the pupils of the Imperial Academy of Arts.

Tropinin entered the portrait painting workshop, headed by Stepan Semyonovich Shchukin (the best portrait painter of the Academy of Arts). Tropinin lived in the teacher's house. To pay young artist there was nothing for accommodation and food, so Tropinin tried to be useful to the teacher who sheltered him: he prepared paints for him, stretched and primed canvases. Vasily Andreevich studied brilliantly and received silver and gold medals.

"Family Portrait of the Carrots"

The portrait of Natalia Morkova is one of the most inspired works of the artist:

In 1823, one of Tropinin's most popular works, The Lacemaker, appeared. A pretty girl weaving lace is depicted at the moment when she looked up from work for a moment and turned her gaze to the viewer. The artist also pays attention to details, we see lace, a box for needlework.

Similar paintings Tropinin wrote a lot. Usually they depict young women at needlework - gold embroiderers, embroiderers, spinners.

"Zolotoshveyka"

At the beginning of 1827, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin commissioned a portrait from Tropinin for a gift to his friend. He painted Pushkin in a dressing gown, with his shirt collar unbuttoned and a tie-scarf carelessly tied. A proud posture and a stable posture give the poet's image a special impressiveness. This portrait had a strange fate. Several copies were made from it, and the original itself disappeared and appeared only many years later. It was bought by M. A. Obolensky. The artist was asked to confirm the authenticity of the portrait and renovate it, as it was badly damaged. But Tropinin refused, saying "that he does not dare to touch the features laid down from nature and, moreover, by a young hand," and only cleaned him up.

“Portrait of A.S. Pushkin"

Vasily Alekseevich Tropinin wrote about 300 works during his life. They said about the artist that he rewrote "literally the whole of Moscow."

Portraits of S. S. Kushnikov, former military governor of Moscow and S. M. Golitsyn, trustee of the Moscow educational district.

"Portrait of D. P. Voeikov with his daughter and governess Miss Forty."

Already a recognized artist, Vasily Tropinin remained the serf of Count Morkov. In the Ukrainian estate of the Morkovs great artist Tropinin acted as a house painter and footman.

For one of the greatest Russian painters of his time, a middle-aged man burdened by a family, the position of a serf became more and more bitter and humiliating. Dreams of creative freedom, of a way of life independent of the whims of an autocratic nobleman, did not leave the artist. And latently they affected this non-commissioned home portrait, filling it with an amazing feeling of emotional looseness and purity.

“A portrait of a person is painted for the memory of people close to him, people who love him” - these words of Vasily Andreevich Tropinin are remembered when you look at the portrait of his son, Arseny.

"Portrait of a son" ... How much grace and nobility, inner beauty in the appearance of this child!
Painted in warm, golden tones, the portrait of Arseny Tropinin remains one of the best children's portraits in world painting today.

The artist Vasily Tropinin received freedom only at the age of 47, and his son Arseny remained a serf, and this was a great grief for the artist.

Vasily Andreevich Tropinin (March 19, 1776, Karpovo village, Novgorod province - May 3, 1857, Moscow) - Russian painter, master of romantic and realistic portraits.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST

Vasily Tropinin was born on March 19, 1776 in the village of Karpovo, Novgorod province) into the family of a serf, Andrei Ivanovich, who belonged to Count Anton Sergeevich Minikh. The count gave AI Tropinin freedom, and all members of his family remained serfs and were transferred to Count Morkov as a dowry for their eldest daughter, Natalya; Andrei Ivanovich was forced to enter the service of a new owner, who made him a steward.

Around 1798, Vasily was sent to train as a confectioner, however, the cousin of Count Morkov persuaded him to send the young man, who had a natural talent and a penchant for drawing, as a volunteer to the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Here he studied with S. S. Schukin. During his studies at the Academy, Tropinin acquired the friendly disposition and respect of the best students: Kiprensky, Varnek, Skotnikov. At the academic exhibition of 1804, his painting “A Boy Yearning for His Dead Bird” was presented, which was noted by the Empress.

In 1804, he was recalled to the new estate of Count Morkov - to the Podolsk village of Kukavka in Ukraine - and became the manager of the estate instead of his deceased father. Here until 1812 he married; he had a son - Arseny. Until 1821 he lived mainly in Ukraine, where he painted a lot from life, then moved to Moscow with the Carrot family.

In 1823, at the age of 47, the artist finally got his freedom.

In September 1823, he presented the paintings The Lacemaker, The Beggar Old Man and Portrait of the Artist E. O. Skotnikov to the Council of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts and received the title of appointed artist. In 1824, for the "Portrait of K. A. Leberecht" he was awarded the title of academician. Since 1833, Tropinin has been working on a voluntary basis with students of the public school that opened in Moscow. art class(later the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture).

In 1843 he was elected an honorary member of the Moscow Art Society. In total, Tropinin created more than three thousand portraits.

In 1969, the "Museum of V. A. Tropinin and Moscow artists of his time" was opened in Moscow.

CREATION

Tropinin's early works are restrained in color and classically static in composition. The artist's works are attributed to romanticism. During this period, the master also creates expressive local, Little Russian images-types.

While in St. Petersburg, he was among the townspeople, small and medium-sized landowners, from whom he later began to paint portraits, which led him to realism. The author, unlike romantic portrait painters, tried to emphasize the typicality of the characters. But at the same time, he sympathized with them, which resulted in the image of internal attractiveness. For the same purpose, Tropinin tried not to show the obvious social affiliation of people. Such works of the artist as "Lacemaker", "Guitarist" and others belong to the "portrait-type". Tropinin portrayed a specific person, and through him he tried to show everything typical for a given circle of people.

They seem to reflect some moments of higher insight, when the artist, with a unique and already unique ease and freedom, seems to sing a song given to him by nature.

In them - freshness, unspent spiritual strength, integrity and inviolability of his inner peace, love for people, stock of goodness.

In these canvases, the properties of his nature are manifested, broad, true to his calling, supportive of someone else's misfortune, forgiving many hardships. worldly prose. Tropinin left people a trace of his humane and, perhaps, somewhat ingenuous view of the world.

Over time, in his canvases, starting with the reverently sincere Portrait of his son (c. 1818, ibid.), a purely romantic feeling of the moving elements of life is affirmed. Such is the invisibly-visibly immersed in the creative element, as if listening to the muse of A.S. Pushkin in famous portrait 1823 (All-Russian Pushkin Museum, Pushkin). Tropinin continues the line of typical portraiture, in particular in the famous Lacemaker (1823, ibid.), captivating with her sentimental and poetic appearance. Turning to the genre, "nameless" image (Guitarist, 1823, ibid; and many others), he usually, consolidating his success, repeats the composition in several versions. He also varies his self-portraits many times.

Over the years, the role of the spiritual atmosphere, the "aura" of the image - expressed by the background, significant details - only increases. The best example is the Self-Portrait with Brushes and Palette 1846 (ibid.), where the artist imagined himself in front of a window with a spectacular view of the Kremlin. Tropinin dedicates a number of works to fellow artists depicted in work or in contemplation (I.P. Vitali, c. 1833; K.P. Bryullov, 1836; both portraits in the Tretyakov Gallery; and others). At the same time, a specifically intimate, homely flavor is invariably inherent in Tropinin's style. Such, for example, are “robe portraits”, with models emphatically dressed, like Ravich, in an informal dress. In the popular Woman in the Window (based on M.Yu. Lermontov's poem The Treasurer, 1841, ibid.), this laid-back sincerity takes on an erotic flavor. Later, it became a tradition to contrast the "domestic" poetics of Tropinin's paintings - as a special feature of the Moscow romantic school as a whole - with the "primness" of St. Petersburg.

Artist Vasily Andreevich Tropinin biography. The artist was born into a peasant family on March 30, 1776, on the estate of Count Anton Sergeevich Minikh, which was located in the village of Korpovo in the vicinity of the Novgorod province. As often happened in those days, being the property of the count, Tropinin's father received freedom from slavery for his services in the service, and his serf family, consisting of the young artist Tropinin, was transferred to the ownership of Count Morkov I.I. .

In the Morkov estate, Vasily Tropinin was entrusted with the management of the household. Then Morkov sent him to learn the craft of a confectioner. Everything would be fine, of course, but the count’s brother noticed the boy’s not a dozen talents for drawing and, having persuaded his brother to agree, he began to persistently petition for Tropinin’s enrollment in the Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg in 1798.

Having studied at the academy under the guidance of academician Stepan Semenovich Shchukin until 1804, he achieved a silver and gold medal for his merits, at that time his notable work was the portrait "A boy yearning for a dead bird", the picture was exhibited at the academy and was liked by everyone, that even touched the empress herself, which prompted the idea in the leadership of the academy about giving freedom to a serf artist. But by chance, this was not destined to come true, in connection with the death of Tropinin's father, at the request of his master, Count Morkov, he was forced to move to the new estate of the Count, who settled in Ukraine in a village with interesting name Kukavka.

In the estate, Tropinin was appointed manager of the count's estate. In absentia, the artist drew a lot, performed paintings entrusted by Morkov. prone to portrait painting, he painted portraits of people from his environment, simultaneously studying close images of the serfs. He married in 1807, Katina A.N. became his chosen one, soon they had a son named Arseny.

In 1809, "Portrait of Anna's Wife" was painted. In 1810, a picture was painted with romantic accents Boy with a pipe Portrait of I. Morkov, in the same year he painted a portrait of his son Portrait of Arseny. In general, the artist loves to draw children and often creates compositions with images of children along with various pets.

As we all know, in 1812, for well-known reasons, there was a fire in Moscow in this fire, and Morkov's house was damaged, in particular, the artist's paintings stored in this house also burned down along with other property. Tropinin was appointed count to leave for Moscow to restore art gallery with pictures of the count's family and household after the fire.

After 1821, the couple of Count Carkov moved to Moscow along with their subjects. Having lived a little in a more democratic Moscow, under the pressure of his contemporaries, the count decides to give freedom no longer young artist Tropinin, but in the dawn of creative forces and abilities. To celebrate, the artist works with rapture, improving his abilities in the free field and in 1823 exhibits to the audience new paintings at an academic exhibition revealing new style portraiture of that time, among which, a pleasant picture of the Lacemaker, reflecting the comfort of life and the beautiful image of the beauty of a girl, slyly peering at the viewer. The work received a lot of forest reviews from contemporaries.

Also at the exhibition were exhibited paintings: "The beggar old man", "Portrait of the artist Skotnikov E.O.. For these works Vasily Tropinin is awarded the title of appointed artist. with the ingenuity of the artist paints a portrait of Leberecht Karl Alexandrovich.The painting is exhibited at the academy in 1824 and Vasily Andreevich Tropinin is awarded the honorary title of academician.In 1826, the creation of a portrait of "Golden Stitcher" In 1827, the artist creates a portrait of the famous poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

830 years - the greatest dawn of Vasily Tropinin's work, he receives many orders from the nobility, paints portraits of governors, officials of various ranks, famous actors and actresses of that time, a huge mass of merchants invited him to participate in various communities, he studied at the Moscow School of Painting, in 1843 he was elected an honorary member of the Moscow Art Union.

For my creative history the artist created just a huge number of portraits, according to art researchers, there are more than three thousand. It is safe to say Vasily Andreevich Tropinin lived a difficult but happy life as a sought-after artist, he died in 1857 in the spring of May 15, the artist was buried in Moscow at the Vagankovsky cemetery.

Tropinin's work is still being studied by many contemporaries, his paintings can be seen in various museums, and more recently in the 20th century in 1869, the Tropinin Museum was opened in Moscow in Shchetininsky lane, house 10, building. 1, founded by the Moscow collector Vishnevsky Felix Evgenievich