Merchant portraits in the exposition of the new exhibition of the Tropinin Museum

MOSCOW. The Tropinin Museum, in addition to the already working exhibition of family portraits by artists of the 18-19th centuries, provided an opportunity for art lovers to get acquainted with another exhibition. The exhibition, which began to work, was called: “Famous Merchants: Faces and Faces”.

The museum funds contain an interesting collection of merchant portraits made in the first half of the 19th century. These works are written by artists whose works are not too often involved in exhibitions, and some authorship has not yet been established.

Having family portraits in a merchant environment was considered mandatory. Each family sought to preserve its history in the form of images on canvases. Not everyone had the opportunity to order family portraits from professional artists, so such work was often performed by masters who mastered this art genre on their own, and their work remained unsigned.

Many portraits are made in the direction of art, nowadays called “naive realism”. The painters adapted to the taste of the customer, and for the merchant class, the main requirement for the master was the exact similarity of the portrait with the model. The portraits should have been carefully displayed objects that "posed" with the model. If the character had medals, then their presence on the portrait was mandatory.

In a prominent place were placed awards received for charity. For the merchants of that time, charity was the norm. Large sums were donated to culture, construction and assistance to the poor. Pair portraits of spouses were often ordered.

The opened exhibition of portraiture “Famous Merchants: Faces and Faces” awaits visitors until August 25th.

Ludmila Trautmane © Gallerix.ru