In the second half of the 19th century, Konstantin Makovsky was known as the favorite artist of Emperor Alexander II, a wealthy man, an academician and close to the high society of St. Petersburg. A hereditary nobleman, the son of the founder of the Moscow School of Painting and Sculpture, the brother of the no less famous ‘peredvizhnik’ artist Vladimir Makovsky, a participant in the annual exhibitions of the Paris Salon, he was known far beyond Russia.
The Girl with a Jar
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The Girl with a Jar
Creation period
Late 19th - beginning of 20th century
Dimensions
89x62 cm
89×62 см
89×62 см
Technique
pastel on cardboard
Exhibition
11
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Konstantin Makovsky
The Girl with a Jar
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Throughout his life, Konstantin Yegorovich painted custom portraits of the aristocracy and members of the imperial family, which brought considerable income and made him a wealthy man and a popular artist. Paying tribute to various trends in art, he turned to genre scenes, to gospel stories, and to a folk theme.
Konstantin Yegorovich Makovsky (1839–1915). Self-portrait. 1860. Oil on wood. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
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Konstantin Yegorovich traveled around Europe a lot and lived in Paris for a long time. In addition, in 1870 he collected material for paintings on a peasant theme, having visited the Tambov, Tver and Saratov provinces of the Russian Empire. By this time belong the works ‘Reaper’, ‘Peasant lunch during the harvest’, ‘Funeral in the village’, ‘Children flee from the storm’ and many portraits of peasant girls.
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Konstantin Yegorovich Makovsky (1839–1915). Woman’s head. Late 19th century. Oil on wood. Penza Picture Gallery named after K.A. Savitsky
Unlike colleagues at the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions, where K.E. Makovsky joined as one of the founders in 1870, his peasant paintings are not of a highly social character and do not represent psychological types. They preserved the shade of the salon portrait, the master of which was the artist. No wonder he is known as the creator of the most charming nobles and young ladies in Russian art.
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In his works, peasants appear in an idyllic manner: ruddy, elegant and brightly dressed in folk costumes, they are depicted against the backdrop of beautiful landscapes. The paintings are distinguished by a poetics and enhanced coloring, which, according to the artist, was associated with folk art. “In the portrait paintings of Makovsky, the paints were matched like flowers in a bouquet, ” wrote Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy.
The portrait of “Girl with a Jar”, stored in the Penza Art Gallery, contains many bright details of the costume and everyday life. Poverty and heavy worries did not affect the young peasant girl. She is fresh, dressed in a bright elegant dress and apron, wears jewelry and does not hesitate to look at the artist, posing for him. A hand on the belt and a direct look at the viewer hint at her strong and willed character, and a jar of milk - at wealth in the family.
The painting was made in pastel on cardboard, the background was shaded to blur, and the girl’s outfit and face, on the contrary, were drawn clearly and in detail. Emphasis on details and deliberate inattention to the environment of the model is a characteristic technique in portraits by Konstantin Makovsky.
The absence of any psychological search and emphasis on the hard life and position of peasants in the paintings of K.E. Makovsky becomes too noticeable by the end of the 19th century. After his death in 1915 and the subsequent reassessment of priorities in art, Konstantin Makovsky was forgotten for a long time, but then returned to the list of recognized talents of 19th-century Russian art.
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If one of the artists was popular in Russia, then this is he. Perhaps they didn’t pray for him, they didn’t call him God, but everyone loved him and loved his shortcomings - the very thing that brought the artist closer to his time.
Alexander Benois
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Penza Regional Picture Gallery named after K.A. Savitsky
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The Girl with a Jar
Creation period
Late 19th - beginning of 20th century
Dimensions
89x62 cm
89×62 см
89×62 см
Technique
pastel on cardboard
Exhibition
11
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