Portraits in Russian art: ceremonial and chamber. Ceremonial portrait (using the example of Nikitin and Antropov)
Until the beginning of the 18th century, predominantly icon painting traditions developed in Russian painting.
According to the memoirs of contemporaries, in Russia at that time any images were mistaken for icons: often, when they came to a stranger’s house, Russians, according to custom, bowed to the first picture that caught their eye. However, in the 18th century. painting gradually began to acquire European features: artists mastered linear perspective, which allowed them to convey the depth of space, sought to correctly depict the volume of objects using chiaroscuro, and studied anatomy in order to accurately reproduce the human body. The technique of oil painting spread, and new genres emerged.
A special place in Russian painting of the 18th century. took the portrait. The earliest works of this genre are close to the parsuna of the 17th century. The characters are solemn and static. Ivanov A. B. Stories about Russian artists - M. Enlightenment 1988
At the beginning of the 18th century. Foreign painters worked in Russia, in particular I.G. Tannauer and L. Caravaque.
The Academy of Arts, founded in 1757, determined the path of Russian art in the second half of the 18th century. The pensionership revived by the Academy was no longer a simple apprenticeship, as at the beginning of the century, it became an artistic collaboration that brought European recognition to Russian artists. The leading direction of academic painting was classicism, the basic principles of which were most consistently united in the historical genre, which interpreted ancient, biblical and national-patriotic subjects in accordance with the civil and patriotic ideals of the Enlightenment. Frolova A.R. Fyodor Rokotov had a hand // Panorama of Arts 9. M., 1989. Founder historical genre in Russia there was A.P. Losenko (1737 - 73). Orphaned early peasant son, he spent his childhood in Ukraine. Then, by chance, he ended up in St. Petersburg, where he first sang in the court choir. Then, having received the first lessons from I.P. Argunov, was one of the first to graduate from the Academy of Arts and spent his retirement in Paris and Rome. Features of classicism appeared in his work, in which in the 2nd half of the 18th century. realistic tendencies are strong (“Vladimir and Rogneda”, 1770, State Russian Museum; “Hector’s Farewell to Andromache”, 1773, Tretyakov Gallery). With true skill, Losenko also painted portraits of his contemporaries, mostly prominent figures of Russian culture (portraits of F. Volkov. Tretyakov Gallery and the State Russian Museum; A.P. Sumarokov. I.I. Shuvalov, actor Ya. D. Shumsky, all in the State Russian Museum) . At the turn of the XVIII - XIX centuries. An outstanding master of historical painting was G. I. Ugryumov (1764 - 1823), whose works showed an increase in public interest in Russian history (“The ceremonial entry into Pskov of Alexander Nevsky after the victory over the German knights”, 1793-94; “The calling of Mikhail Fedorovich to kingdom", ca. 1800, both in the State Russian Museum, etc.). Savinov A. N. [Introduction. Art.] // Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov and artists of his circle: Exhibition catalogue. M., 1960.
The leading genre in Russian painting of the second half of the 18th century. there was a portrait. The development of the portrait genre in the era of Peter the Great was determined by the influence of Western painting, but at the same time it was based on the tradition of the previous century (parsun). The development of portraiture was associated with the work of I.I. Nikitin and A.M. Matveeva. Lomonosov M.V. Complete works. T. 8. M.; L., 1959
Engraving became a new phenomenon in art. Most famous master was A.F. Zubov. rokotov ceremonial portrait
Artists of the second half of the 18th century began to become more interested in the personal merits of a person, his moral qualities, his inner world. They see art as a means of education and therefore strive to make it reasonable, clear, and logical. Other genres of painting are also developing. A system of genres is emerging (portrait, monumental and decorative painting, landscape, history painting). The most significant authors of the historical genre were A.P. Losenko and G.I. Ugryumov. Two trends emerged in the development of the portrait: an increase in the artistic level and realism of the image and the flourishing of the ceremonial portrait. In the works of A.P. Antropov's traditional traits of parsuna were especially strong. He became one of the creators of the genre of chamber portraiture (portrait of Izmailova). Portraits of F.S. Rokotov is distinguished by intimacy, subtlety and psychologism (portrait of A.P. Struyskaya). D.G. Levitsky worked a lot in the genre of ceremonial portraiture. Creativity V.L. Borovikovsky (the turn of the 18th - 19th centuries) is associated with the ideas of sentimentalism. He was the first to introduce landscape backgrounds into portraits. Balakina T.I. History of Russian culture - textbook. M Publishing Center 1996
At the end of the 18th century. canvases with scenes from peasant life appeared (M. Shibanov, I.P. Argunov, I.A. Ermenev), interest in landscape landscapes arose (S.F. Shchedrin), and urban architectural landscape arose (F.Ya. Alekseev).
The main difference between a ceremonial portrait and historical portraits of other styles and movements is its striking expressiveness and solemnity. Ceremonial portraits were created mainly for persons of high class and rank, having high status and authority in society. A historical portrait in a ceremonial military uniform is still relevant today; many influential people want to capture themselves just like their ancestors from the noble class of the century before last. Romanycheva I. G. To the biography of F.S. Rokotova // Cultural Monuments. Yearbook. 1989. M., 1990.
A ceremonial portrait in the 18th century is a bright, figuratively expressed print of a noble person, created by an artist who has his own exceptional set of means to describe a ceremonial portrait, his own tonal coloring and historical clarity, in which a bright costumed image plays a large role.
A military uniform indicates belonging to a certain military status; orders reflect special services to the fatherland. The 18th century uniform existed until the beginning of October revolution 1917, and was the most coveted award for senior bureaucratic leadership.
A ceremonial portrait in a naval uniform, in terms of beauty of perception, occupies a special place in portrait art and was often created by artists after glorious military victories and victorious naval battles of the Russian fleet.
Nowadays it has also become fashionable to depict modern man in military uniforms of the 18th-19th centuries, military portraits of those times, hung with various awards, beautiful and bright orders, add to the ceremonial portrait that most unusual in our time, the pomp of perception.
Historical portraits of military men in a beautiful uniform are always solemn and create an uplifting mood among its owners.
A historical portrait in a ceremonial military uniform of the 18th-19th centuries is a glorious continuation of the traditions of our ancestors.
In the years when Antropov was still creating his portraits - precise, somewhat dry and rather heavy in painting - a whole galaxy of young masters of the second half of the 18th century had already come out, decisively affirming a new understanding of the image of a person and the pictorial means of its embodiment. In a short time, these masters put Russian portraiture on a par with the best works of contemporary Western European art. . Savinov A. N. [Introduction. Art.] // Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov and artists of his circle: Exhibition catalogue. M., 1960.
At the head of this galaxy were Rokotov and Levitsky.
Fyodor Stepanovich Rokotov (1735/36--1808/09) is one of the most remarkable masters of Russian portraiture of the 18th century. The originality of his work was already fully felt in the 60s, marked by the appearance of a number of Antropov’s best works. However, comparison even early works Rokotova with mature works Antropova clearly testifies to the onset of a new period in the development of Russian art, a new stage in ideas about human personality. Rokotov's portraits are distinguished by such humanity and lyrical depth that were not previously characteristic of Russian portraiture. Voronina N. Brilliant portrait painter of the 18th century. - Artist 1972 No. 5
Ceremonial portrait
A ceremonial portrait is a type of historical portrait of a certain social orientation. Such portraits became most widespread at court. The main objective of this direction was the glorification of high-ranking and noble persons, royalty and their entourage. The task was to focus attention on the merits and achievements of the customer, exaltation, sometimes close to deification.
The social order determined the manner of artistic execution of the ceremonial portrait. The pictures were often large sizes, and the man was depicted in full height, standing or sitting. The atmosphere suggested solemnity, the interior was lush. The ideological orientation dictated some stiffness of poses and artificiality of the plot. The artist sought to emphasize the significance of the character, the heroes of the paintings are dressed in lush, ceremonial costumes, the presence of regalia and insignia, symbols of power and might was obligatory.
The tasks of displaying the visual similarity of a model to the original and internal state the person fades into the background in a ceremonial portrait, where the main thing is the social status of the customer. However, outstanding artists even in this narrow genre managed to depict a person’s individuality, his character and way of life. Famous Russian portrait painters who depicted high-ranking persons on their canvases were Ivan Nikitin, Alexey Antropov, Fyodor Rokotov, Dmitry Levitsky.
Ivan Nikitich Nikitin - “Master of Persons”, the favorite artist of Peter I, the subject of his patriotic pride in front of foreigners, “so that they know that there are also from our people good masters" And Peter was not mistaken: “the painter Ivan” was the first Russian portrait painter of the European level and in the European sense of the word.
I.N. Nikitin came from a family of Moscow clergy. Initial art education probably received at the Moscow Armory and its engraving workshop under the direction of the Dutch engraver A. Schonebeek. In 1711, together with the engraving workshop, it was transferred to St. Petersburg. Apparently, he learned to paint portraits on his own, studying and copying the works of foreign masters available in Russia. Thanks to his talent (and perhaps to his relatives who served in the court churches), Nikitin quickly took a strong position at court. Peter the Great noticed his abilities and apprenticed him to I.G. Dangauer
In the artist’s early (before 1716) works there is a noticeable connection with parsuns - Russian portraits of the late 15th century, with their harsh and fractional writing, dull dark backgrounds, flatness of the image, lack of spatial depth and conventionality in the distribution of light and shadows. At the same time, they also have undoubted compositional skill, and the ability to effectively drape a figure, convey the texture of various materials, and harmoniously coordinate rich color spots. But the main thing is that these portraits leave a feeling of some special realistic persuasiveness and psychological authenticity. Nikitin is completely alien to flattery, which is common in ceremonial portraits.
In 1716-20 I.N. Nikitin, together with his younger brother Roman, also a painter, is in Italy. They visited Florence, where they studied under the guidance of Tommaso Redi, Venice and Rome. Roman Nikitin, moreover, worked in Paris, with N. Largillière. I.N. Nikitin actually returned from Italy as a master. He got rid of the shortcomings of drawing and conventions of early works, but retained his main features: the general realism of painting and the directness of psychological characteristics, a rather dark and rich coloring, in which warm shades predominate. Unfortunately, this can be judged from very few works that have come down to us.
He painted portraits of the emperor himself (several times), his wife, the Grand Duchesses Anna, Elizabeth and Natalia and many other high-ranking officials. The artist was familiar with the techniques of the dominant style of the era - Rococo, light and playful, but used them only when it really corresponded to the character of the model, as in the portrait of the young Baron S.G. Stroganov (1726). But perhaps Nikitin’s best work in terms of the beauty of painting, the depth and complexity of psychological characteristics is “Portrait of a Floor Hetman” (1720s).
In 1725 Nikitin last time writes from the life of the king. “Peter 1 on his deathbed” (in the Museum of the Academy of Arts) is essentially a large sketch, executed freely, but integral, thoughtful and monumental.
During the reign of Catherine I, he settled in Moscow, where his brother, who returned from abroad a little later, was engaged mainly in church painting.
In 1732, Ivan Nikitin, together with the brothers Roman and Herodion (archpriest of the Archangel Cathedral in Moscow), was arrested on charges of spreading libels against the vice-president of the Holy Synod, Feofan Prokopovich, by the way, also a promoter and associate of Peter. Perhaps this was indirectly facilitated by the artist’s unsuccessful marriage and subsequent divorce: relatives ex-wife tried in every possible way to harm Nikitin. Yes, many people didn’t like him anyway because of his direct and independent character. After five years of dungeons in the Peter and Paul Fortress, interrogations and torture, the brothers were sent into exile. Ivan and Roman ended up in Tobolsk. They waited for rehabilitation after the death of Empress Anna Ioannovna in 1741. But the elderly and sick artist never returned to his native Moscow. He probably died somewhere on the way to her. Roman Nikitin died at the end of 1753 or at the beginning of 1754.
I.N. Nikitin
Portrait of Chancellor G.I. Golovkin
1720g, oil on canvas, 90.9 x 73.4 cm.
The portrait of Golovkin is considered to be one of the first works completed by the artist upon his return from Italy. Count Gavrila Ivanovich Golovkin, vice-chancellor, associate of Peter I, was especially successful in the diplomatic field thanks to his characteristic dexterity and cunning. The inscription on the back of the portrait proudly states that “during the continuation of his chancellorship, he concluded 72 treaties with different governments.”
Golovkin’s face attracts attention with its intelligent, penetrating gaze and a firm, strong-willed line of lips; framed by a silver wig, it protrudes from the black space of the background.
Nikitin managed to express in this portrait the ideal image of an energetic statesman - a man of the era of Peter. There is no pompousness in his posture, but there is a sense of self-esteem. The majestic restraint of the pose, St. Andrew's ribbon and star, the Polish Order of the White Eagle in the form of a cross on a blue bow add solemnity and significance.
I.N. Nikitin
Portrait of Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter 1
Before 1716, oil on canvas, 65 x 53 cm.
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
In 1716, the painter Ivan Nikitich Nikitin was sent abroad by Peter 1 to Italy. But it can hardly be said that he was sent there as a simple student. In a letter to Catherine in Berlin dated April 19, 1716, Peter wrote: “... ask the king to order him (Nikitin) to write off his person... so that they know that there are good masters among our people.” And in Italy, Nikitin, as a recognized master, received much more from the treasury for maintenance than other royal pensioners.
The portrait of Anna Petrovna, the eldest daughter of Peter and Ekaterina Alekseevna, executed by Nikitin even before his trip abroad, really gave the Russian Tsar every reason to be proud of his artist. Nikitin captured Princess Anna at the age of 6-7. According to fashion and according to the rules of portrait art of that time, the girl is depicted as an adult: in a flirtatious pose, with a high hairstyle and long black hair scattered over her shoulders, in a low-cut blue dress with large gold patterns and a bright red robe, lined with ermine, indicating her ownership child to the royal family.
In this portrait (and in Nikitin’s style in general) the color is amazing - everywhere unusually intense, material, glowing from within, leaving no room for gray shadows. The artist achieves this impression by building up the layer of paint in the illuminated areas with increasingly bright and thick strokes, while the shadows remain light, transparent, and the most delicate shades - this is how Anna’s face and open chest are painted. The feeling of a blaze of color on the mantle is created by rapid orange and scarlet strokes thrown on top of the red tone. The artist does not depict the feelings or character of the model, but with the power of the glow of colors, the restless movement of lines, he seems to create it anew, reviving the matter before our eyes.
Anna Petrovna, Tsesarevna and Duchess of Holstein, daughter of Peter the Great and Catherine I. According to contemporaries, Anna was very similar in appearance to her father, she was smart and beautiful, educated, spoke excellent French, German, Italian and Swedish Peter I loved her very much.
Anna's future husband, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, Friedrich Karl, came to Russia in 1721 in the hope, with the help of Peter the Great, to return Schleswig from Denmark and again acquire the right to the Swedish throne. The Peace of Nystad (1721) disappointed the Duke's expectations, since Russia pledged not to interfere in the internal affairs of Sweden.
On November 22, 1724, the long-desired marriage contract for the Duke was signed, according to which, by the way, Anna and the Duke renounced for themselves and for their descendants all rights and claims to the crown Russian Empire; but at the same time, Peter granted himself the right, at his discretion, to call for the succession of the crown and the All-Russian Empire one of the princes born from this marriage, and the duke obliged to fulfill the will of the emperor without any conditions.
She died on March 4, 1728, in Holstein, having barely reached the age of twenty, having been delivered of her son, Karl Peter Ulrich (later Emperor Peter III).
A.P.Antropov
Portrait of State Lady A.M. Izmailova
1759g, oil on canvas, 57.2 x 44.8 cm
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
In 1758, after a long absence associated with work in Kyiv and Moscow, Alexey Petrovich Antropov returned to St. Petersburg. At this time he was already over forty and enjoyed respect and fame.
However, he was rightly not listed among the first-rank masters. Returning to St. Petersburg, Antropov decided to improve his art and took private lessons for two years from the famous Italian portrait painter P. Rotari. The result was truly wonderful: a talented artisan turned into an outstanding and, what is especially remarkable, a most original Russian artist.
The first and best fruit of this training was the portrait of State Lady A.M. Izmailova, née Naryshkina, a distant relative of Empress Elizabeth on her father’s side and her favorite.
The closest friend of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, Izmailova was known as a beauty in her youth, but by the time the portrait was created she was already an aging, prim person who enjoyed considerable influence at court. The artist conveyed the heavy figure without embellishment, full face with thickly penciled eyebrows according to the fashion of that time and a bright blush on his cheeks. The lively gaze of brown eyes turned towards the viewer and sarcastically pursed lips betray Izmailova’s quick-witted mind and imperious character.
The peculiarities of Anthropov's style lie in the coloring of the portrait. The artist resorts to colors of almost popular print brightness and presents them in juxtapositions so contrasting that it seems conceivable only in flat images.
The cheeks of an elderly, plump lady glow like poppies, her head is framed by a lace cap, decorated on the sides with red bows and tied with pink ribbons. Over a white jacket is worn a bluish-blue dress, which is decorated with an order studded with diamonds with a portrait of the Empress and a pale rose with green leaves.
The massive figure of Izmailova is placed against a background of a very dark color with a green tint. Using such a palette, Antropov, however, gives each tone luminosity and depth, builds a three-dimensional form, which, thanks to the sharp contrasts of rich colors, looks exceptionally dynamic, as if charged with internal energy, durable and weighty. And these qualities of form give the image a strong-willed, bold, unusually lively and colorful character, which is what distinguished Elizabeth’s charming and intelligent confidante, who was famous for her beauty in her youth.
This work of the artist earned the praise of Rotary and brought Antropov fame as one of the best Russian portrait painters, an increase in salary and the rank of second lieutenant.
A.P.Antropov
Portrait of Princess Tatiana Alekseevna Trubetskoy
1761g, oil on canvas, 54 x 42cm
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Princess Tatyana Alekseevna - daughter of the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod
Prince A.S. Kozlovsky, wife of Prince N.I. Trubetskoy
Ceremonial portrait, representative portrait- a subtype of portrait characteristic of court culture. Received special development during the period of developed absolutism. Its main task is not only to convey visual similarity, but also to exalt the customer, to liken the depicted person to a deity (in the case of portrait of a monarch) or a monarch (in the case of portrait of an aristocrat).
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Characteristic
As a rule, it involves showing a person in full growth (on a horse, standing or sitting). In a formal portrait, the figure is usually shown against an architectural or landscape background; greater elaboration makes it close to a narrative picture, which implies not only impressive dimensions, but also an individual figurative structure.
The artist depicts the model, focusing the viewer’s attention on the social role of the person depicted. Since the main role of the ceremonial portrait was ideological, this caused a certain one-dimensional characterization: an emphasized theatricality of the pose and a rather lush surroundings (columns, draperies, in the portrait of the monarch - regalia, symbols of power), which relegated the spiritual properties of the model to the background. Still in best works genre, the model appears in a distinctly specified version, which turns out to be very expressive.
The ceremonial portrait is characterized by frank demonstrativeness and the desire to “historicize” the person depicted. This affects the color scheme, which is invariably elegant, decorative and meets the coloristic features of the interior (although it changes depending on the style of the era, becoming local and bright in Baroque, softened and full of halftones in Rococo, restrained in Classicism).
Subtypes
Depending on the attributes, a ceremonial portrait can be:
- Coronation (less common throne)
- Equestrian
- In the image of a commander (military)
- The hunting portrait is adjacent to the front one, but can also be intimate.
- Semi-ceremonial - has the same concept as a ceremonial portrait, but usually has a waist-length or knee-length cut and fairly developed accessories
Coronation Portrait
Coronation portrait - a solemn image of the monarch “on the day of his coronation,” accession to the throne, in coronation regalia (crown, mantle, with a scepter and orb), usually in full height (sometimes a seated throne portrait is found).
“The imperial portrait was conceived as an imprint for centuries of the most important state idea at the moment. Significant role in the demonstration lasting value present, sustainability state power etc. played unchangeable forms. In this sense, the so-called “Coronation portrait”, which presupposes the image of a ruler with the attributes of power and claims the same sacred constancy as the coronation ceremony itself. Indeed, from the time of Peter the Great, when Catherine I was first crowned according to the new rules, to the era of Catherine II, this type of portrait underwent only slight variations. The empresses - Anna Ioannovna, Elizaveta Petrovna, Catherine II - majestically rise above the world, resembling an unshakable pyramid in silhouette. The regal immobility is also emphasized by the heavy coronation robe with a mantle, the iconic weight of which is equivalent to the crown, scepter and orb that invariably accompanied the image of the autocrat.”
Permanent attributes:
- columns designed to emphasize the stability of government
- draperies, likened to a theater curtain that has just opened, revealing a miraculous phenomenon to the audience
In painting - one of the most fruitful. The image of a person, the subtlest and most spiritual reproduction of his features on canvas touched people of different classes and incomes. These images were half-length and full-length, in the landscape and in the interior. Greatest Artists they sought to capture not only individual traits, but also to convey the mood and inner world of their model.
Court genre
Portraits can be genre, allegorical, etc. What is a ceremonial portrait? It is a type of historical. This genre arose at court during the reign of monarchs. The meaning and goal of the authors of the ceremonial portrait was not just the ability to convey as accurately as possible, but to write in such a way as to glorify and exalt a person. Masters of this genre almost always received wide fame, and their work was generously paid for by customers, because usually ceremonial portraits were ordered by noble persons - kings and their high-ranking associates. And if the painter identified the monarch himself with a deity, then he likened his dignitaries to a reigning person.
Distinctive features
A majestic figure in all the splendor of regalia and symbols of power, placed in a magnificent landscape, against the backdrop of slender figures or in a lush interior - this is what a ceremonial portrait is. Comes to the fore social status hero of the canvas. Such works were created in order to capture a person as historical figure. Often a person appears in an image in a somewhat pretentious, theatrical pose, designed to emphasize her importance. Mental structure and inner life were not the subject of the image. Here on the faces of the aristocrats we will see nothing but a frozen, solemn and majestic expression.
Era and style
What is a ceremonial portrait in terms of the style of the era? This is an attempt to “historicize” reality in the persons of significant figures, fitting them into an environment and setting that was noticeable for the time. The general coloring of such paintings was elegant and pompous; it turned out to be decorative and refined during the Rococo era, and acquired solemn restraint and clarity during classicism.
Varieties of ceremonial portrait
Ceremonial can be divided into several types: coronation, in the image of a commander, equestrian, hunting, semi-ceremonial.
The most important, from an ideological point of view, was the coronation portrait, in which the artist captured the emperor on the day of his accession to the throne. There were all the attributes of power - a crown, a mantle, an orb and a scepter. More often the monarch was depicted in full growth, sometimes sitting on the throne. The background of the portrait was a heavy drapery, reminiscent of the backstage of a theater, designed to reveal to the world something beyond the ordinary, and columns, symbolizing the inviolability of royal power.
This is how we see Catherine the Great in the portrait painted in 1770. The portrait of Jean Auguste Ingres “Napoleon on the Throne” (1804) was painted in the same genre.
Often a ceremonial portrait of the 18th century depicted a regal figure in the guise of a military man. In the portrait of Paul the First, created by Stepan Shchukin in 1797, the monarch is depicted in the uniform of a colonel of the Preobrazhensky Regiment.
A portrait in a military uniform with awards indicated a certain status of the person embodied on the canvas. Typically, such masterpieces depicted glorious commanders after significant victories. History knows numerous images of Alexander Suvorov, Mikhail Kutuzov, Fyodor Ushakov.
The canvases of European masters eloquently demonstrate what a ceremonial portrait of a ruler on horseback is. One of the most famous is Titian's canvas, on which the greatest Italian painter of the Renaissance depicted Charles V riding a stately stallion in 1548. The Austrian court artist Georg Prenner painted an equestrian portrait of the Empress with her retinue (1750-1755). The impetuous grace of the magnificent horses personifies the queen’s bold and ambitious plans.
A hunting portrait, in which the aristocrat was most often depicted in the company of hounds or with game in a proudly raised hand, could symbolize the masculinity, dexterity and strength of the nobleman.
A semi-ceremonial portrait met all the basic requirements, but represented the person in a half-length version, and not in full height.
Interest in this genre continues to this day.
Ceremonial portrait, representative portrait- a subtype of portrait characteristic of court culture. Received special development during the period of developed absolutism. Its main task is not only to convey visual similarity, but also to exalt the customer, to liken the depicted person to a deity (in the case of portrait of a monarch) or a monarch (in the case of portrait of an aristocrat).
Characteristic
As a rule, it involves showing a person in full growth (on a horse, standing or sitting). In a formal portrait, the figure is usually shown against an architectural or landscape background; greater elaboration makes it close to a narrative picture, which implies not only impressive dimensions, but also an individual figurative structure.
The artist depicts the model, focusing the viewer’s attention on the social role of the person depicted. Since the main role of the ceremonial portrait was ideological, this caused a certain one-dimensional characterization: an emphasized theatricality of the pose and a rather lush surroundings (columns, draperies, in the portrait of the monarch - regalia, symbols of power), which relegated the spiritual properties of the model to the background. Yet in the best works of the genre, the model appears in a clearly defined version, which turns out to be very expressive.
The ceremonial portrait is characterized by frank demonstrativeness and the desire to “historicize” the person depicted. This affects the color scheme, which is invariably elegant, decorative and meets the coloristic features of the interior (although it changes depending on the style of the era, becoming local and bright in Baroque, softened and full of halftones in Rococo, restrained in Classicism).
Subtypes
Depending on the attributes, a ceremonial portrait can be:
- Coronation (less common throne)
- Equestrian
- In the image of a commander (military)
- The hunting portrait is adjacent to the front one, but can also be intimate.
- Semi-ceremonial - has the same concept as a ceremonial portrait, but usually has a waist-length or knee-length cut and fairly developed accessories
Coronation Portrait
Coronation portrait - a solemn image of the monarch “on the day of his coronation,” accession to the throne, in coronation regalia (crown, mantle, with a scepter and orb), usually in full height (sometimes a seated throne portrait is found).
“The imperial portrait was conceived as an imprint for centuries of the most important state idea at the moment. Unchangeable forms played a significant role in demonstrating the enduring value of the present, the stability of state power, etc. In this sense, the so-called “Coronation portrait”, which presupposes the image of a ruler with the attributes of power and claims the same sacred constancy as the coronation ceremony itself. Indeed, from the time of Peter the Great, when Catherine I was first crowned according to the new rules, to the era of Catherine II, this type of portrait underwent only slight variations. The empresses - Anna Ioannovna, Elizaveta Petrovna, Catherine II - majestically rise above the world, resembling an unshakable pyramid in silhouette. The regal immobility is also emphasized by the heavy coronation robe with a mantle, the iconic weight of which is equivalent to the crown, scepter and orb that invariably accompanied the image of the autocrat.”
Permanent attributes:
- columns designed to emphasize the stability of government
- draperies, likened to a theater curtain that has just opened, revealing a miraculous phenomenon to the audience
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Notes
An excerpt characterizing the Ceremonial Portrait
Kutuzov retreated to Vienna, destroying behind him bridges on the rivers Inn (in Braunau) and Traun (in Linz). On October 23, Russian troops crossed the Enns River. Russian convoys, artillery and columns of troops in the middle of the day stretched through the city of Enns, on this side and on the other side of the bridge.The day was warm, autumn and rainy. The vast perspective that opened up from the elevation where the Russian batteries stood protecting the bridge was suddenly covered with a muslin curtain of slanting rain, then suddenly expanded, and in the light of the sun objects as if covered with varnish became visible far away and clearly. A town could be seen underfoot with its white houses and red roofs, a cathedral and a bridge, on both sides of which masses of Russian troops poured, crowding. At the bend of the Danube one could see ships, and an island, and a castle with a park, surrounded by the waters of the Enns confluence with the Danube, the left rocky and covered pine forest the bank of the Danube with the mysterious distance of green peaks and blue gorges. The towers of the monastery were visible, protruding from behind a pine forest that seemed untouched; far ahead on the mountain, on the other side of Ens, enemy patrols could be seen.
Between the guns, at a height, the chief of the rearguard, a general, and a retinue officer stood in front, examining the terrain through a telescope. Somewhat behind, Nesvitsky, sent from the commander-in-chief to the rearguard, sat on the trunk of a gun.
The Cossack accompanying Nesvitsky handed over a handbag and a flask, and Nesvitsky treated the officers to pies and real doppelkümel. The officers joyfully surrounded him, some on their knees, some sitting cross-legged on the wet grass.
- Yes, this Austrian prince was not a fool to build a castle here. Nice place. Why don't you eat, gentlemen? - Nesvitsky said.
“I humbly thank you, prince,” answered one of the officers, enjoying talking with such an important staff official. - Beautiful place. We walked past the park itself, saw two deer, and what a wonderful house!
“Look, prince,” said the other, who really wanted to take another pie, but was ashamed, and who therefore pretended that he was looking around the area, “look, our infantry have already climbed there.” Over there, in the meadow outside the village, three people are dragging something. “They will break through this palace,” he said with visible approval.
“Both,” said Nesvitsky. “No, but what I would like,” he added, chewing the pie in his beautiful, moist mouth, “is to climb up there.”
He pointed to a monastery with towers visible on the mountain. He smiled, his eyes narrowed and lit up.
- But that would be good, gentlemen!
The officers laughed.
- At least scare these nuns. Italians, they say, are young. Really, I would give five years of my life!
“They’re bored,” said the bolder officer, laughing.
Meanwhile, the retinue officer standing in front was pointing something out to the general; the general looked through the telescope.
“Well, so it is, so it is,” the general said angrily, lowering the receiver from his eyes and shrugging his shoulders, “and so it is, they will attack the crossing.” And why are they hanging around there?
On the other side, the enemy and his battery were visible to the naked eye, from which milky white smoke appeared. Following the smoke, a distant shot was heard, and it was clear how our troops hurried to the crossing.
Nesvitsky, puffing, stood up and, smiling, approached the general.
- Would your Excellency like to have a snack? - he said.
“It’s not good,” said the general, without answering him, “our people hesitated.”
– Shouldn’t we go, Your Excellency? - said Nesvitsky.
“Yes, please go,” said the general, repeating what had already been ordered in detail, “and tell the hussars to be the last to cross and light the bridge, as I ordered, and to inspect the flammable materials on the bridge.”