Exhibition of one painting "Portrait in the work of Antoni Palamedes"

On September 29, the Kaluga Museum of Fine Arts (104 Lenina st., Main exposition) will open an exhibition of one painting "Portrait in the work of Antoni Palamedes", dedicated to the 420th anniversary of the artist’s birth.

The inner world of a person, his state of mind for a work of art turns out to be no less important than the general portrait resemblance to the model. Individual features distinguish images from ancient times, but the ability to capture the uniqueness of an image with particular persistence and strength comes only to European art in the Renaissance. At the same time, the influence of sculpture and medal art, designed to perpetuate the personality of the depicted, is clearly reflected in painting. Impressiveness and monumentality appear, leading to an emphasis on the external solemnity of the image.

The situation is different in the 17th century, which was at times the heyday of portraiture, reflecting the increasingly complex and diverse forms of life. A portrait usually reveals the everyday and social environment, indicates a social position or profession, speaks of tastes, habits, demeanor, and life environment. The appearance of the person being portrayed appears in accordance with certain general concepts of human beauty and dignity, while conveying the subtlest shades of feelings and moods. Intimate contact with the inner world of the depicted is distinguished by the best Dutch works of this era, belonging to the brush of the most prominent masters, such as Rembrandt.

Rembrandt’s art did not find direct successors, but, nevertheless, the portrait in Holland in the 17th century reaches its zenith. This is especially true of a female portrait of the type of puritanically strict depiction of burghers. A young or middle-aged lady with smoothly slicked back hair, in a black dress, with a large white turn-down collar trimmed with see-through lace, becomes one of the favorite characters, including Anthony Palamedes, nicknamed Stevarts (1601-1673). He was born in Delft, studied under Mihil Mirevelt, and from 1621 he was a member of the painters’ guild. He worked in his hometown and Amsterdam. He painted portraits and genre scenes. His works are kept in the State Hermitage and some museums in Russia and Ukraine. They were very popular with their contemporaries.

The portrait in the collection of the Kaluga Museum of Fine Arts shows a half-figured depiction of an elderly lady in a widow’s cap, in clothes typical of that time, in a three-quarter turn. Judging by the portrait resemblance, the model was the same face as for the "Portrait of a Lady with a Carnation", dated 1660, located in Kiev. The same principles of compositional solutions and a gravitation towards a monochrome color scheme, consisting of various gradations of grayish-ocher and ash tones, are traced, attention to the finely detailed, detailed drawing of facial details. The dark silhouette of the figure is very skillfully coordinated with a dark, but not deaf, background. All this reflects the exquisite skill of an experienced painter, who does not consider it necessary to use external effects. Of particular note is the pearl necklace and the modest brooch - evidence of a delicate aesthetic taste.

Anthony Palamedes almost always reveals his individual creative style, but does not turn it into a template. This can be judged when referring to the portraits of children made by him, which clearly demanded a different approach. The range of colors also turns out to be different, not very reminiscent of the austere restrained coloring of most of the works.

The exhibition will run until November 21.