Any painting done by an artist - whether it'sautumn landscape, raging sea or a portrait of a young woman - bears in itself the indelible features of the creator, 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 painter 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
О том, что Лермонтов писал картины, известно not all. 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 paintings on the military theme, portraits and, of course, landscapes. The last genre is most represented in the poet's picturesque legacy.
As you might guess, the material for landscapesserved as a wonderful nature of the Caucasus. 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 sketches of nature, portraitThe poet’s legacy has fewer works. Among them - a self-portrait of Lermontov in a burka, images of Vera Lopukhina, S. A. Rajewski, A. I. Odoyevsky, made in watercolor (the list of paintings is incomplete). The poet also left a few oil paintings and a lot of sketches. Researchers note that many portraits are distinguished by psychological accuracy, as if heralding 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 Poet's Death." M. Yu. Lermontov intended a self-portrait to Varvara Lopukhina, for whom he had tender feelings. The poet's second cousin, Akim Pavlovich Shan-Giray, testified that the love attraction for Lopukhina did not leave Lermontov until the end of his life.
The transfer of the canvas took place in June 1838 -before leaving the Barbara to Germany. Already from there, she sent a self-portrait of Lermontov, A. M. Vereshchagina, who always encouraged any of his creative endeavors - pictorial, musical, and poetic. The history of the canvas ends here: for the next 80 years, it was considered to be lost forever, so for a long time it was necessary to focus on a copy that was executed by O. A. Kochetova in 1880.
Description of the picture
Self-portrait of Lermontov in 1837 capturesa young man dressed in the uniform of the Nizhny Novgorod regiment. A burka is thrown over his shoulders, gas tanks are placed on his chest, and the poet holds a sword in his hand. The background is the Caucasus Mountains, which left a tangible trace in the memory of Mikhail Yuryevich, despite the fact that Lermontov could only enjoy their view for a few months.
On the back of the picture there is an inscription onGerman, which calls the creator of the picture. Of course, the ideal, from the point of view of artistic performance, cannot be called Lermontov's self-portrait. Art critics scrupulously search for flaws in it like poorly traced hands. However, is this important when we have an important document that demonstrates 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 poet of the poet. And the inscription, intended for the woman he loves, now looks in contrast, compared with the banal-museum: "Lermontov" Self-portrait "(watercolor, 1837)."
Further history of the canvas
The twentieth century dotted i in historyself-portrait of the poet. Finally, the desired canvas was found: in 1955 it was acquired by German professor Winkler. Self-portrait of Lermontov began to pass from hand to hand, until 7 years after his discovery he did not get home from the then Federal Republic of Germany, to the greatest joy of the admirers of his work.
Poet on the canvases of various artists
Of course, the self-portrait of Lermontov, descriptionwhich was presented above, is not the only image of the poet. The earliest painting, depicting Mikhail Yuryevich, is considered to be a drawing by an unknown artist, possibly a serf, who transferred the outlines of a four-year-old child to paper. The second portrait also captures the poet as a child. The author of the canvas depicted a smartly dressed little boy with combed hair. Some art critics cast doubt on the authenticity of the painting, but its similarity with the first depiction of Lermontov and the memories of the brother of the poet testify to the exact opposite.
The pictures, which would have been captured Lermontov inwhile studying in Moscow, no. Only in 1834, when he was transferred to the cornets, the grandmother ordered a portrait of his grandson. The desire of the artist is somewhat to embellish the poet's appearance. At the same time, the portrait inspires confidence not only due to the good external resemblance to the original, but also to the correctly noticed mood of Lermontov, the expression of his eyes.
The image of the poet became widely known.made by his painting teacher Zabolotsky. The artist was not a great master, but the portrait made indicates a good knowledge of Lermontov’s nature. The same can be said about other images of the poet, which perfectly complement our understanding of it.
