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Dmitry
Levitzky (1735 - 1822)
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Dmitry Grigoryevich
Levitzky was born in Kiev, in 1735, into the family of a clergyman
and an engraver Grigory Levitzky. It was his father who first taught
him to paint. Later, when
Aleksey
Antropov came to Kiev to paint the Kiev Cathedral of St. Andrew,
Levitzky became his pupil. In 1758, he came to St. Petersburg to
work with his teacher Antropov.
In 1770, Levitzky became famous as a portrait painter after the
exhibition of 6 of his portraits in the Academy of Arts in St.
Petersburg. For the
Portrait
of Alexander Kokorinov, Director and First Rector of the Academy of
Arts in St. Petersburg (1769) he was elected an
academician and appointed the Professor of the class of portrait
painting of the Academy of Arts. He remained on this position until
1788. Among the best portraits of Levitzky are
Portrait
of Prokofiy Demidov (1773),
Portrait
of Catherine II as Legislator in the Temple of the Goddess of
Justice (1783),
Portrait
of Maria Dyakova (1778),
Portrait
of Nikolay Lvov, Architect, Painter and Poet (1780), in
1772-1776 Levitzky worked on a series of portraits of the pupils of
the privileged women establishment Smolny Institute for Young
Ladies in St. Petersburg commissioned by
Catherine
II, among them
Portrait
of Ekaterina Nelidova (1773) and 6 other portraits, all
girls are the best pupils, they are depicted performing dances,
music, plays. Though Levitzky had many commissions, they were, in
most cases, not well paid, and the painter died in poverty.
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Vladimir
Borovikovsky (1757-1825)
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Vladimir
Lukich Borovikovsky was a prominent Russian portraitist. His
art may be regarded as the last phase in the XVIII century
traditions of Russian portraiture. He was born in a small
Ukrainian town, Mirgorod, into the family of Ukrainian
Cossacks. His father, Luka Borovik, and his two brothers were
icon-painters. Borovikovsky also started as an icon-painter
for local churches. In 1787 he drew two pictures for the house
in which Empress Catherine II the Great was staying during her
visit to Ukraine. His work was noted and he was sent to St.
Petersburg to become one of the court painters.
Borovikovsky was too old to enter the Academy of Arts and he
became a pupil of the Austrian painter
I.
B.
Lampi, who was working at the Russian court at the time.
Also he was supported and greatly advised by Russian artist
Dmitry
Levitzky. In 1795 he was appointed an Academician. He
became a very popular portrait-painter and created about 500
portraits during his lifetime. The most notable are
Portrait
of Catherine II, Empress of Russia (1794),
Portrait
of E. N. Arsenyeva (1796),
Portrait
of M. I. Lopukhina (1797),
Portrait
of F. A. Borovsky (1799),
Portrait
of Paul I, Emperor of Russia (1800),
Portrait
of Prince A. B. Kurakin (1801-1802),
Portrait
of Princess A. G. Gagarina and Princess V. G. Gagarina
(1802).
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Many thanks to
www.abcgallery.com
www.russianartgallery.org
www.elibron.com |
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