Karl Brullov (1799-1852) was a Russian artist, a master of portraiture, painting in the style of romanticism and academism. However, Brullov's talent was enough not to lock himself into one artistic direction, but to be in a lifelong creative search. He skillfully combined the classical manner of painting, originating from the Renaissance and his own artistic vision. And painting itself was for Brullov a means of self-expression, he often used different techniques, experimented with colors like Arkhip Kuindzhi, trying to create something new in art.
One of the most significant paintings of Bryullov - "The Last Day of Pompeii", used to be familiar to every schoolchild, and when Bryullov wrote it in Rome and put it on public display, it was a huge success. It gathered crowds of people, Walter Scott himself sat for several hours in front of the picture motionless, and then approached the artist and said: "you are a genius". Never before had Russian painting was not appreciated so highly, it was a triumph, widespread recognition.
Karl Brullov. The Last Day of Pompeii
When this painting was brought to St. Petersburg, those wishing to see it stood in line for hours. Briullov was invited for a personal audience by Emperor Nicholas I himself, and the artist was firmly established the honorable nickname "Karl the Great".
Discontent caused this picture only at the art historian Alexander Benois. And he was not shy in expressions: "theatricality, affectation, indulgence of the low tastes of the crowd, cheap effects that have no historical basis. In some respects we can agree with Benois - there is a lot of decorativeness and theatricality in accordance with all the laws of academism in the painting, although they do not spoil it, it would be strange if Briullov wrote a naturalistic scene of catastrophe, in which there is nothing beautiful and spectacular, but only horror and suffering. Who needs such a picture? Write it this way - the criticism would be not much more. Better success, triumph and widespread recognition.
Karl Brullov. Self-Portrait.
But still we will try to understand what caused such discontent with Benois, where Brullov erred against historical accuracy and what was wrong in his painting.
In 1828, Brullov was in Rome, wrote paintings there, familiarized himself with the masterpieces of Italian art, because in his native Russia, unfortunately, such a rich creative heritage was not, mostly just icons and parsuns. At this time, excavations of three ancient, buried under a layer of ashes of the city of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Stabia. Brullov, of course, was on these excavations, and the best preserved Pompeii, and excavations on them went further than other cities. What he saw impressed Brullov, he conceived to write a picture illustrating the very last day of Pompeii. Five years Brullov worked on it, over four years collected all kinds of materials, made sketches and sketches, and then 9 months wrote the final version. This, of course, is not "TheAppearance of Christ to the People" Ivanov, which was written for 20 years, but also a thorough work, which became a milestone in the life of the artist.
Such a thorough approach bore fruit. The street where the action of the painting takes place, existed in reality - it is a street near the Herculanean gate, now there are ruins of the temple and the stairs.
Bryullov scrutinized the hollows in the ashes at the excavation site, which represented a grave for the people who died there.
Karl Brullov. The Last Day of Pompeii. Fragment (dead noble woman).
The disaster spared no one, regardless of wealth and nobility. The remains of a chariot were discovered at the excavations; according to Brullov's plan, its wheel ran over a stone, the rich woman fell from the sudden shock and crashed, and a baby cries near her, by a lucky chance survived. Although to be fair, there is rather an element of theatricality here, strengthening the tragic effect, it is hard to believe that he would have survived after such a fall.
The excavations also revealed a skeleton, near which there were several golden pagan ritual objects. This gave Brullov an excuse to paint a pagan priest trying to save his gold ritual trinkets, in contrast to him was depicted a Christian preacher, boldly and with proud humility looking at the red-hot Vesuvius. Brullov, as a true Christian, presented paganism in an unfavorable light, and its priests - self-loving cowards, caring only about their wealth.
Left: K.Bryullov. The Last Day of Pompeii. Priest. 1833. Right: K. Bryullov. The Last Day of Pompeii. Christian clergyman
And the buildings in the painting collapse very realistically, as they should have been in an earthquake of 8 points - this is confirmed by modern volcanologists.
Left: K. Bryullov. The last day of Pompeii. Destroying temple. Right: K. Bryullov. The Last Day of Pompeii. Falling statues
The lighting is not badly thought out either. The ominous red color of the lava in the foreground emphasizes the general feeling of a global natural disaster, and contrasts sharply with the dark clouds in the upper left corner on the left side of the painting. In the foreground, the figures are illuminated by a flash of lightning, and despite the fact that the action takes place at night, everything is perfectly visible, such illumination creates depth and volume.
Karl Brullov. The Last Day of Pompeii. Fragment (Illumination, contrast of red and white light)
Claims against Brullov begin when he started painting people. What people look like in a real catastrophe - disorderly flight, screams of horror, everywhere dead bodies of those who did not have time to escape. And there is nowhere to run to, in front of the majesty of rampant nature man - nothing, so it was at that time, and so it is now, despite all our technology. But in Briullov's painting - a performance, theatrical poses, even in the face of death people are beautiful, and Briullov built the composition in such a way that we can see all the characters in detail.
Left: K. Bryullov. The Last Day of Pompeii. A Girl with a Jug. In the center: K. Bryullov. The Last Day of Pompeii. Newlyweds. Right: K. Bryullov. The Last Day of Pompeii. Rider
Here is a guy trying to hold the horse, which from all that he has seen has gone into a frenzy, and another young man is holding a girl who has fainted, trying to keep her on her feet, and the girl on the left from all that she has seen has dropped a bronze dish, which she was carrying above her head. But even at such a moment they are all beautiful and aesthetic, there is no dirt or soot on their faces, only the eyes of the young girls are full of tears.
К. Brullov. The Last Day of Pompeii. Fragments
A beggar bends down by habit to pick up the fallen coins, which he will never need again. Even at such a moment he thinks about money and his poverty.
Karl Brullov. The Last Day of Pompeii. Fragment (Picking up Coins).
Benois, of course, is partly right - the painting is too beautiful and theatrical. But that is the only reason why it is beautiful - if Brullov had painted it as it really was, it would not have been a work of art that belongs in a museum, but a frame of a documentary chronicle from the site of the catastrophe. There are many of them now, but hardly any of them evokes feelings other than horror and general negative perception.
It is not for nothing that Bryullov embellished it all and wrote in the theatrical way - the essence of real art is not in the desire to show the truth as naturalistically as possible, but in the correct placement of accents to show the inner drama, while maintaining a certain aesthetics, no matter how blasphemous and horrible it may seem.
And also in this picture found a place and personal experiences of the artist. All the women in the painting, regardless of age, are similar and have the same face - Countess Julia Samoilova, Brullov's passionate love throughout his life.
Left: K. Bryullov. The Last Day of Pompeii. The face of a woman. Right: K.Bryullov. The Last Day of Pompeii. The face of a girl
They met in Rome, were on excavations together and met for 16 years. Their relationship was free, Brullov even once married 18-year-old Emilia Timm, but after 2 months he divorced. The reason was good - his wife's lover was her own father, Brullov found out about it and despite all possible reputational costs, and the inevitable scandal filed for divorce. Julia Samoilova consoled him, and who knows if Brullov would have coped with such a blow of fate - to be without a young wife and the position of an outcast in society, if not for her love and support.
Karl Bryullov. Countess Samoilova leaving a ball at the Persian envoy's house (with her adopted daughter Amacilia).
In the painting one can also see a self-portrait of the artist. It is he who covers his head with a basket of paints and brushes.
Karl Brullov. The Last Day of Pompeii. Fragment (self-portrait of the artist).
And "The Last Day of Pompeii" is a truly monumental and majestic canvas, albeit somewhat theatrical in the traditions of the time. It is undoubtedly the best painting of the talented artist Briullov and is rightfully located in the State Russian Museum. Nothing more majestic in the depiction of catastrophes in Russian painting has ever been created, and nothing has ever been created.
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