18th century russian art
TRANSCRIPT
By Bret Williams
Portrait painting was highly influential during the 18th century in Russia.
Dmitrii Levitsky was a leader in portrait painting during this time period.
Alexei Petrovich Antropov was able to paint realistic portraits using simple techniques.
Russian sculpture also found its roots during the 18th century with the first Russian sculptor, FedotShubin, attaining prominence in Russia.
Vladimir Lukich Borovikovski used colors to illuminate his paintings.
Ivan Nikitich Nikitin left behind little documentation surrounding his interesting life.
Lived from 1735-1822.
He was the son of GirgoryLevitsky, a priest who painted icons.
His father was his first art teacher.
Although he was a prolific painter, he was compensated poorly for most of his work and ended up dying in poverty in 1822.
Lived from 1716-1795.
His father was a military carpenter. Perhaps due to this background of having a craftsman as a father, Antropov’s artistic inclinations began to show early in his life.
He is known for the directness of his paintings and the sincerity of his portraits.
His portraits portrayed his subjects in a simple and realistic manner.
Lived from 1740-1805.
Widely regarded as the greatest sculptor in 18th century Russia.
He was born a peasant in a Pomer village near Kholmogory, a historic Russian village.
In 1794 he earned a professorship at the Imperial Palace of the Arts.
Lived from 1757-1825.
Born to a noble family in Mirograd.
He didn’t start painting until after he served in the army and was retired.
Known for his harmonious use of colors in his paintings.
Lived from 1680-1741.
Began his career as a singer in the court choir.
Would later work as a court painter.
There is not a lot of documentation about the life of Ivan Nikitych Nikitin. A lot of information about his life is left up to speculation by scholars.
The styles and techniques used by 18th
century Russian artists in their artwork varied and allowed for each individual artist to put their unique individual stamp on the techniques that made their artwork unique from one another.
The backgrounds of the artists would help to influence their expressions of creativity in their work.
Russian artists were also influenced by the West during the 18th century.
The enormous amount of knowledge about art that Russians learned in the 18th century would help Russian art to continue to improve with future generations of artists.
Previous generations of Russian artists using “amateur” or “backwards” techniques in their artwork, would be forever put in the past during the artistic flowering of 18th century Russian art.