Artist D. G. Levitsky and his portraits

An outstanding Russian portraitist of the 18th century was Dmitry G. Levitsky (1735-1822). Like many artists of that time, he had to paint portraits of nobles. Levitsky was able to reflect a living nature, notice individual traits, create an image of a living person in a ceremonial image of an aristocrat or arrogant noblewoman.

The portrait of P. Demidov painted by Levitsky is known, in which the image of a rich man engaged in his favorite pastime - breeding of rare plants is given. Having thrown a satin bathrobe over a silk suit, the nobleman leans on a garden watering can and, with a pleased expression on his face, points his hand at rare plants that have just blossomed. Near the watering can, a tulip bulb and an open book, probably on botany. This is no longer a ceremonial portrait. Here Demidov is depicted in a normal home environment. Two columns in the background and a prominent palace remind of the importance and wealth of the nobleman. In addition to the ceremonial portraits of representatives of the nobility and Catherine самой herself, Levitsky with inspiration painted portraits of people close to him - the daughter of Agasha in a Russian folk costume, father.

Today there are also talented artists who can order a portrait. Artist Dmitry Akimov: portraits to order he has been performing for 25 years, and in our time, in order for you to be painted with oil, it is not necessary to be a nobleman.

With great warmth and expressiveness, the artist painted a portrait of N. I. Novikov, the famous Russian enlightener, publisher of then popular satirical magazines, in which serfdom, arbitrary rule and tyranny of landowners were criticized and ridiculed.

Levitsky’s work reflected the struggle between the conditional parade of noble art and the realistic tastes of a true master brush, striving for the accurate and faithful reproduction of the true features of nature.

Levitsky had a great sense of composition, he knew what to put in the center, what to assign a subordinate place to, he knew how to catch a person’s characteristic gesture, turning his head, and facial expression. He remarkably mastered the entire palette of colors and skillfully combined them. For many years, Levitsky taught at the Academy of Arts.