March 24, 1872
В St. Petersburg was born Orest Kiprensky — a cult artist of the early 19th century. He painted the most successful portrait of Pushkin.
Happiness and well-being are as different as marble and clay
According to documents, his parents were serfs, but in fact, Kiprensky was the illegitimate son of a landowner.
At the age of six, he received his freedom and was enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts, where he demonstrated exceptional success. During his senior year, he painted a portrait of his stepfather, which in Italy was mistaken for a Rembrandt.
After graduating from the academy, he enjoyed great success with the St. Petersburg public: he painted portraits of wealthy merchants and officials. Among his clients were poets. Vasily Zhukovsky и Konstantin Batyushkov, fabulist Ivan Krylov and an architect Giacomo Quarenghi.
In May 1816, he fulfilled his long-held dream and went to Italy, where he studied the technique of ancient painting for several years.
Seeing the creations of geniuses gives birth to courage, which in an instant replaces several years of experience.
The years of his Italian assignment became the stage of Kiprensky's greatest fame: he received rave reviews from colleagues, became a legend in Russia, and was inundated with orders.
It all ended after a dead model was discovered in his studio. Although the police soon found the real killer, the artist's name began to circulate in rumors. He tried to escape the scandal, first in Paris, then in his native St. Petersburg. However, the doors of noble houses and art salons were already closed to him.
It is better to sell cold stones cheaply than to freeze in your dear homeland.
The orders appeared after the artist was supported by a famous patron of the arts - Count SheremetevIn 1827, Kiprensky painted a portrait PushkinThe poet, who had always been ironic about his appearance and disliked posing, praised the painting highly and even dedicated a poem to it.
I see myself as if in a mirror, But this mirror flatters me
In 1828, Kiprensky returned to Italy, where he continued painting. He died in 1836 of pneumonia.
