The fame achieved by Karl Brullov went beyond all the achievements of his artistic family: his father, a woodcarver and engraver, and his brothers, also devoted to painting. Karl Brullov said, ‘We worked more at home than at the Academy’. Thanks to the lessons of his father and his inborn talent, he entered the Imperial Academy of Arts without exams, became the best student and deserved a trip to Italy with his brother Alexander.
Italian Woman near the Pool
Creation period
1844
Dimensions
38x30 cm
Technique
Canvas, oil
Collection
Exhibition
9
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Karl Brullov
Italian Woman near the Pool
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K. Brullov. Italian Woman with a Child by a Window. 1831. A.S. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts
In the summer of 1822, Karl Brullov visited Europe to study the best examples of classical painting art. Titian was the artist whose style appealed greatly to the young painter. Inspired by his works, Karl Brullov started to paint outdoors trying to convey the combination of light and shadow in his paintings.
At that time, the painter got interested in genre painting, represented at those times by the works of Alexey Venetsianov and Orest Kiprensky who painted scenes from everyday peasant life. Along with Sylvester Shchedrin, Karl Brullov enriched Russian painting art with Italian plots.
At that time, the painter got interested in genre painting, represented at those times by the works of Alexey Venetsianov and Orest Kiprensky who painted scenes from everyday peasant life. Along with Sylvester Shchedrin, Karl Brullov enriched Russian painting art with Italian plots.
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K. Brullov. Girl Gathering Grapes in the Vicinity of Naples. 1827. Source: Russian Museum
He created a poetic image of a peasant, an ordinary Italian woman, depicted, for example, in the painting Italian Woman near the Pool. The picture is an example of romantic painting. Unlike the academic traditions following the classical ideals of ancient Greek art, this painting celebrates the beauty of a real person and the depth of genuine emotions. Landscape was also of great importance for Karl Brullov. He loved and highly appreciated beautiful Italian nature and believed that humans and nature could coexist in harmony.
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K. Brullov. Italian Morning. 1823. Source: Winter Palace of the Queen of Württemberg
Karl Brullov painted Italian Woman near the Pool in 1844 when he was working on the plafond of St. Isaac’s Cathedral in Saint Petersburg. However, the painting can easily be included in the series of his genre paintings created during his stay in Italy in 1820-1830. The painting also reveals Brullov´s careful attention to the individual traits and the personality of that Italian peasant woman.
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K. Brullov. Italian Midday. 1827. Source: Russian Museum
The painting is in line with Italian Morning (1823, Winter Palace of the Queen of Württemberg) and Italian Midday (1827, Russian Museum), Brullov’s two most famous Italian works. Nicholas I and his spouse Alexandra Fiodorovna were so fascinated by Italian Morning that the Emperor of Russia rewarded Karl Brullov with a diamond ring and ordered him another painting to match.
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However, Italian Midday was heavily criticized: the critics did not like the painter’s departure from academic traditions. Nevertheless, Karl Brullov answered that the real features of an individual were more attractive for him than any conventional beauty of a statue. ‘I made my choice in favor of searching for diversity in the simple forms of nature that habitually surround us…
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P.S. Gamzatova Dagestan Museum of Fine Arts
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Italian Woman near the Pool
Creation period
1844
Dimensions
38x30 cm
Technique
Canvas, oil
Collection
Exhibition
9
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