Portrait in painting. Female images

A portrait in painting is a genre of fine art, in which artists achieve not so much an outward similarity as they try to reflect the inner nature of the person depicted. The portrait can be individual and collective, the master-artist creates an image typical for a certain era.

History of the genre

As a genre a portrait emerged in the times of ancient art. On the island of Crete, during excavations, many frescoes with images of women were found. Other monuments of art belong to Egypt, they found wooden boards with portraits depicted in them in the encaustic technique (these are wax-based paints). During the Middle Ages, the portrait in painting existed only for the image of donors and was part of a general artistic composition on religious themes.

The heyday of the genre of portrait painting fell on the Renaissance. Renaissance artists preached humanistic ideas and took as a basis the world of an individual, the landscapes and the interior were given a modest background role. The masterpiece of the time was "La Gioconda", and its author Leonardo da Vinci became famous for centuries.

Tician made a huge contribution to the development of the genre, he created a whole gallery of portraits of his contemporaries. Self-portraits of artists such as Jan van Eyck and Albrecht Durer are examples for many portrait painters.

Portrait of a Woman in Painting

The eternal theme of art is the image of the woman's image. Each era painted its ideal woman, and her character attracted the special attention of many artists. Looking at a portrait of those times, we can see how various events of public life, art, literature, fashion influence the exterior and inner world .

The art of Russia in general, and a portrait in painting in particular, show how for centuries the ideal of female beauty has changed. This is due to a change in the worldview, habits, customs, with the change of systems of government, generations.

Images of women

By the end of the 18th century, the Russian portrait in painting reached its peak. And one of the most important and popular themes is the image of female charm. On the canvases we are presented by women who are flirtatious and seductive. And in portraits of foreign artists Russian ladies and young ladies look like dolls, they are jealous and playfully smile, and this one is like the other.

Russian artists I.P. Argunov, D. G. Levitsky, F.S. Rokotov, V.L. Borovikovsky sees a woman in a different way. They contribute to the psychological revival, the specificity of the character in the female portrait. In painting they try To convey a living and real picture of the customs, tastes and fashion of the era of female omnipotence. We see the whole spectrum of female characters: arrogant cold beauty and gentle soft dreaminess, coquetry and modesty, spiritual charisma and stern secrecy with closedness. But to dominate in the hearts of men is the main thing.

New ideals

The epoch of romanticism of the 19th century is designed to show in the woman a special sensitivity and subtle movements of the soul. Creativity Karamzin, Zhukovsky had a huge impact on artists of the beginning of the century, for example, OA. Kiprensky. Their paintings reflected all the features of romanticism in the genre portrait. In the paintings and music, as well as poetry of this time, the motives of personal lyrical experiences, the mysterious colorfulness of native antiquity are in high demand (especially the romantic opera of A.Verstovsky "Askold's grave" in 1835).

But by the middle of the century, the elevation and dreaminess of female images is disappearing without a trace. According to the paintings of this period, one can study fashion trends. Carefully written out feathers on hats, jewelry, lace, carried away by details, artists often forget about the character. In the images of secular beauties, arrogance reigns, and there is already no heartiness and simplicity.

But some artists of the beginning of the century, in particular, Venetsianov and Tropinin, in their search for "living" images appeal to the common people. There was a movement of the "common" female portrait, an idealized image of a working woman is created.

KS pictures. Petrov-Vodkin

The new century is characterized by the search for new forms in the genre portrait. In painting (the 6th form of the school in the lessons of the Fine Arts studies in detail the theme "Female images"), artists turn to the past and the future in search of a female ideal. The theme of motherhood and femininity occupies a large place in the work of the artist of the 20th century V. Petrov-Vodkin. In the work "Mother" the artist achieved complete disclosure of the topic. His painting is a hymn to family happiness and holiness of love. In the image of the mother, we feel the moral strength, purity and sublimity, pressing the child to her, she reminds the Madonna.

Painting "Our Lady. The Tenderness of Evil Hearts "was written by him during the First World War, she is a spiritual response of the artist to the bloody events of those times. He created a sublime and quivering image, which in depth of impact is one of the strongest in his work.

The image of a woman changed from era to era, but retained the main enduring features: beauty, tenderness, motherhood.