Self-portrait of Lermontov: the history of one canvas

Any painting performed by the artist - whether it be an autumn landscape, a raging sea or a portrait of a young woman - carries in itself the indelible features of the creator himself, his impression of the depicted object. In this sense, all painting is subjective and impressionistic. As for self-portraits, then at their creation the share of subjectivity is maximal. Unconsciously or intentionally the artist brings to the canvas what for outsiders remains a mystery behind seven seals. That is why self-portraits first of all attract the attention of art historians as a valuable artifact, which has a complete resemblance to the original on the external (pictorial) and internal emotional plans.

Lermontov the landscape painter

The fact that Lermontov painted pictures is not known to everyone. According to the encyclopedia devoted to the poet's work, his love of drawing was manifested in him from an early age. The image of Lermontov in the form of a boy of two years shows that even then he was trying to draw something on scrolls. However, this gift was most fully manifested during the first exile to the Caucasus. Focusing on the Rembrandt system, Lermontov created canvases on a military theme, portraits and, of course, landscapes. The last genre is most represented in the poet's picturesque legacy.

It is not difficult to guess that the wonderful nature of the Caucasus served as a material for the landscapes . Take at least the canvas of "The Neighborhood of the Village of Karaagach." In it, all the features of Lermontov's artistic manner are noticeable, beginning with the bright color and the specificity of the arrangement of figures and ending with a special perception of nature reflected in the picture. The latter feature is subtle and appeals rather to intuitive than to rational perception.

Lermontov-portraitist

Compared with the sketches of nature, the portrait heritage of the poet has fewer works. Among them - Lermontov's self-portrait in a burka, images of Vera Lopukhina, SA Raevsky, AI Odoevsky, made in watercolors (the list of pictures is incomplete). The poet also left several oil paintings and many sketches. Researchers note that many portraits differ in psychological accuracy, which foreshadows the beginning of a new direction in art - realism.

Life circumstances

Scientists date Lermontov's self-portrait in 1837. The canvas was created during the first stay of the poet in the Caucasus, where he was sent for the poem "The Death of a Poet". M. Lermontov intended a self-portrait of Varvara Lopukhina, to whom he had tender feelings. The second cousin of the poet, Akim Pavlovich Shan-Girey, testified that the love affair with Lopukhin did not leave Lermontov until the end of his life.

The transfer of the canvas took place in June 1838 - before the departure of Varvara to Germany. Already from there she sent a self-portrait of Lermontov to AM Vereshchagin, who always encouraged any of his creative endeavors - picturesque, musical and poetic. On this the history of the canvas is broken: during the next 80 years it was considered lost irrevocably, so for a long time it was necessary to focus on a copy that O. A. Kochetova performed in 1880.

Description of the picture

Lermontov's self-portrait of 1837 captures a young man dressed in the uniform of the Nizhny Novgorod regiment. On his shoulders, a burka is thrown, on the chest there are gas bubbles, and in his hand the poet holds a saber. The background is the Caucasus Mountains, which left a tangible mark in Mikhail Yuryevich's memory, despite the fact that Lermontov could only enjoy their appearance for several months.

On the reverse side of the picture there is an inscription in German, which calls the creator of the picture. Of course, ideal, from the point of view of artistic performance, Lermontov's self-portrait can not be called. Art critics scrupulously seek out in it shortcomings like badly traced hands. But is it important, when we have before us an important document demonstrating what Lermontov was experiencing at that time? An innocent, kind, somewhat childish face with a sullen, sad, even tragic expression of the eyes is a kind of lyrical diary of the poet. And the inscription, designed for a beloved woman, now looks like a contrast, compared to the banal and museum: "Lermontov" Self-Portrait "(watercolor, 1837)".

Further history of the canvas

The twentieth century set all the points above i in the history of the poet's self-portrait. Finally, the desired canvas was found: in 1955 it was acquired by the German professor Winkler. Self-portrait Lermontov began to pass from hand to hand, until 7 years after his discovery, he did not get from the then FRG to his homeland, to the greatest joy of fans of his work.

The poet on the canvases of various artists

Of course, Lermontov's self-portrait, the description of which was presented above, is by no means the only image of the poet. The earliest painting depicting Mikhail Yuryevich is considered to be the drawing of an unknown artist, perhaps a serf who transferred the outlines of a four-year-old child onto paper. The second portrait also captures the poet as a child. The author of the painting depicted a smartly dressed little boy with combed hair. Some art critics question the authenticity of the picture, but its similarity with the first image of Lermontov and the memory of the poet's brother testify to the opposite.

Pictures, which would have captured Lermontov during his studies in Moscow, no. Only in 1834, when he was transferred to cornet, my grandmother ordered a portrait of her grandson. There is a desire of the artist to somewhat embellish the image of the poet. At the same time, the portrait inspires confidence not only due to a good external resemblance to the original, but also the correctly noted mood of Lermontov, the expression of his eyes.

The image of the poet, made by his teacher of painting Zabolotsky, became widely known. The artist was not a great master, however, the completed portrait shows a good knowledge of the nature of Lermontov. The same can be said about other images of the poet, which perfectly complement our idea of him.