For the 225th anniversary of the birth of Karl Bryullov
By Vyacheslav Katamidze
Visitors to St Isaac’s Cathedral in St Petersburg, as a rule, pay special attention to the paintings of the main ceiling of the dome. On the ceiling, called The Mother of God surrounded by saints, there are two dozen amazingly painted figures, and in the centre of the ceiling there is a snow–white dove – a symbol of Divinity, purity and peace.
The cathedral’s ceiling is one of the largest in Europe, with an area of 800 square metres. Tourists wonder: “Who painted it?” And they are answered: “Karl Bryullov.” Yes, most of this titanic masterpiece was done by one person – the brilliant genius of late Russian classicism Karl Bryullov.
He was called “the pride of Russian painting” and “the first artist of the nation”. A painter and a draughtsman, he was the author of paintings on historical subjects, beautiful watercolours and sepia drawings, portraits and genre paintings. His talent was recognised not only in Russia, where he graduated from the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg with honours and eventually became its professor, but also in Italy: There he was a member of the Accademia di San Luca in Rome, the Accademia di Brera in Milan and the Accademia di Belle Arti in Parma.
Karl Bryullov was born on 23 December 1799 in St Petersburg to the family of the sculptor of French origin Pavel Ivanovich Brulleau. His first drawing and painting lessons were given to him by his father who was sometimes very strict with him: the boy was not allowed to the dining table until he had painted a certain number of figures of people and animals. But his father’s lessons played a role: at the age of ten Karl was enrolled in the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts without exams and was the best student there.
For his extraordinary achievements the Academy teachers had allowed him to do his own paintings long before they allowed other students to do so. At the age of twenty he did his first painting, Narcissus Gazing at His Reflection in the Water. For it the artist was awarded a Small Gold Medal. As his graduation work in 1821 Bryullov painted The Appearance of Three Angels to Abraham at the Oak of Mamre, for which he was awarded a Large Gold medal and the first-degree certificate. And the patrons of the Society for the Promotion of Artists gave him a scholarship for a trip to Italy.
In 1822 Karl Bryullov travelled to Rome with his brother Alexander. On the way they stopped in different cities, studying European painting and culture. As a result, the journey was extended to a whole year – the brothers arrived in Rome in May 1823.
In Italy Bryullov immediately set about gaining knowledge of artistic techniques: he spent hours looking at paintings by Italian artists of past centuries and his contemporaries alike. He noted that painting technique in Europe was in advance of that in Russia, and the quality of paints, brushes and canvases played a significant role in this. Bryullov was one of the first Russian artists who thoroughly studied the market of art and auxiliary materials used by his colleagues in Italy.
And, of course, in Italy not only did Bryullov study and acquire the professional knowledge required for an artist, but also worked a lot in many genres and in different techniques: he painted in watercolour, oil, in the techniques of drawing and sepia. Bryullov sent one of his paintings, Italian Morning, to Russia. The patrons of the Society for the Promotion of Artists liked the painting, and they presented it to Alexandra Feodorovna, Nicholas I’s wife. The Emperor presented Bryullov with a diamond ring and commissioned him to paint a pair to this painting. This is how the second composition appeared: Italian Midday.
It is said that a man of genius, whatever sphere of culture he works in, cannot do without his Muse. He needs it; it becomes not only a source of his continuous creative inspiration, but also his patron and salvation from adversity, as it were. In Italy the Russian noblewoman Yulia Samoylova became such a Muse for Bryullov. The blood of the noble and wealthy families of Italy and Russia – the Skavronskys, the Palens, the Littos and the Viscontis – flowed in her veins. Her position allowed her to be a patron of the arts. She was a sponsor of not only Italian, but also Russian artists and sculptors. From the moment she met Bryullov, she gave him all her support, and no wonder that for many years they had a romantic relationship.
Samoylova, who had access to the houses of the nobility in Italy, acquainted local nobles with the unique mastery of the young Russian artist. Eventually people began to commission his ceremonial portraits, which he did brilliantly. And portraits of this kind were very expensive.
For Samoylova Bryullov painted a wonderful masterpiece, Horsewoman. Yulia’s stepdaughters posed for it.
The longer Bryullov lived in Italy (he lived there for twelve years in all) the more he was interested in the history, art, and nature of this country. During that period he did about 120 portraits of Italian intellectuals, artists, sculptors, writers, along with members of the Imperial Family and the Russian nobility holidaying in Italy. He painted several self-portraits for the Uffizi Gallery in Florence as well.
But most of all he was attracted by the ancient history of Italy. This passion resulted in him doing drawings related to the distant past of Italy, and in 1827 he even decided to do a large painting: The Last Day of Pompeii. It was commissioned by Anatole Demidov, a Russian and French philanthropist, a full state councillor and a diplomat.
Bryullov started his work by visiting the ruins of the city of Pompeii, which was destroyed during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 BC. He carefully examined the excavations and made many sketches. Working on the details, the artist did over 200 sketches. It took about six years to complete the 456.5 x 651 cm painting.
In 1833 the painting, The Last Day of Pompeii, was exhibited in the artist’s studio in Rome. Judging by the critics’ appraisals and the number of articles dedicated to it, the painting created a real sensation in Europe, and then in Russia. Many celebrities came from abroad to see it. The Academy of Arts in Florence conferred on the artist the title of a first-degree professor for it. The painting was exhibited at the Paris Salon in the Louvre, after which it was sent to St Petersburg.
For Russian painting this work became innovative, and first of all because this canvas on a historical subject did not depict historical figures, but a large group of people who had suffered a devastating natural disaster. Interestingly, in this painting the artist depicted his Muse, Yulia Samoylova, several times: in the image of two mothers and a young lady in a pink tunic, to the left of whom he painted his own portrait.
On seeing the painting, Emperor Nicholas I ordered the artist to return to his homeland to get the position of professor at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts.
Bryullov dared not disobey the Emperor, but he decided to accept Count V. Davydov’s invitation to travel with him and his companions to Asia Minor, Greece and the Ionian Islands before returning to St Petersburg. It was a great mistake. In Athens Bryullov contracted yellow fever, which seriously affected his health.
Bryullov returned to St Petersburg via Odessa and Moscow in 1836. His stay in Moscow lasted several months: there he was greeted as a hero, and grand receptions were held in his honour. During one of them he was introduced to A. S. Pushkin, during another – to the famous Moscow portrait painter and former serf V. A. Tropinin, about whom he had heard a lot. Their acquaintance grew into a strong friendship. Tropinin was the author of one of the best portraits of Bryullov.
Meanwhile, Bryullov did not waste precious time and continued to paint portraits of Moscow celebrities.
In St Petersburg not just a solemn, but literally a triumphal reception awaited Bryullov. It began with honouring the artist at the Academy of Fine Arts. Demidov presented the painting, The Last Day of Pompeii, to Nicholas I, who placed it at the Imperial Hermitage Museum, and then gave it to the Academy of Arts. Now it is kept at the Russian Museum. It should be noted that by the decision of the Emperor people from different walks of life, including merchants, prominent artisans, and top craftsmen, were invited to the public viewing.
In 1836 Bryullov was elevated to the rank of junior professor at the Academy of Fine Arts. He headed the historical painting class at the Academy. Among his pupils were renowned artists, such as Pavel Fedotov, Pavel Chistyakov and Taras Shevchenko.
By the way, Bryullov played a huge role in the liberation of the writer Taras Shevchenko from serfdom. In 1837 the poet Vasily Zhukovsky asked Bryullov to paint his portrait for the Imperial Family in order to use the proceeds to buy Shevchenko out of serfdom. Bryullov agreed, and Zhukovsky’s portrait was raffled in a court lottery, which brought 2,500 roubles needed for Shevchenko’s freedom. On 22 April 1838 he became free and entered the Academy of Fine Arts. Over time he became one of Bryullov’s favourite pupils.
Bryullov’s fame as a virtuoso portraitist grew in St Petersburg. Many considered it an honour to be depicted by this renowned man of genius. Not only did he paint portraits of nobles, but also of prominent people of his time.
In 1843 Bryullov, one of the best painters of the academic school, was invited to take part in the painting of St Isaac’s Cathedral, and the artist immediately set about working on sketches. By 1848 they had been completed and Bryullov began painting. But it was extremely hard to work. The plaster was still damp, the primer seemed unsuitable, and the paint was flaking off. Some images had to be redrawn. The interior was humid, cool, and draughty. In addition, marble and granite were being carved inside the church, and there was plenty of fine dust in the air.
Bryullov fell seriously ill and had to ask to be relieved from work. Using Bryullov’s sketches, the painting of the dome was completed by the artist Pyotr Basin. By that time Bryullov had already painted almost all the main figures of the ceiling, so Basin had only to finish the background and do several paintings for the decoration of the central space of the church based on Bryullov’s designs.
In April 1849 Karl Bryullov went abroad for treatment – to the island of Madeira, but soon returned to Italy. He died on 11 [23] June 1852, aged only fifty-two, in the village of Manziana near Rome, where he had been treated with mineral water.
Alexandre Benois wrote about Bryullov: “He left us a legacy that already in the early nineteenth century told Europe: our talents are innumerable and powerful, like nowhere else in the world.”
