One of the most talented Russian artists of the first half of the 19th century, Karl Pavlovich Bryullov earned honour, respect and fame in his own lifetime. The large canvas painting ‘The Last Day of Pompeii’ (1830-1833) done by him in Italy was met with recognition in many European countries. The name of Bryullov was put on a par with those of Rubens, Rembrandt Van Rijn, Van Dyck. It is generally recognized that the best and most significant part of the master’s rich creative heritage is portraits. The portraits painted by the artist draw into the atmosphere of social ideals and aesthetic views that developed among the leading Russian clerisy in the late 1830s and 1840s. The images of contemporaries depicted by Bryullov render the face of Russian people imbued with lofty thoughts.
In St. Petersburg, Bryullov creates a wonderful gallery of portraits of Russian writers, artists, comprising about eighty works. The portrait of a currently obscured writer, Ivan Aleksandrovich Beck, forms part of it. Bryullov and Beck could chum up in the circle of writer Kukolnik, who played a significant role in bringing the artist closer to St. Petersburg writers. The free poetic improvisations of Kukolnik, the sparkling genius of composer Glinka, the wit of Senkovsky undoubtedly attracted Bryullov, who was obsessed with music, literature, and opened the door to the so-called Wednesdays. Ivan Alexandrovich Beck also occasionally visited these evenings.
The portrait of the writer is notable for quite penetrating and at the same time poetic perception of the model’s inner world. The artist subtly captures Beck’s dreaminess and inner vulnerability, which the portrayed is trying to hide under a barely noticeable touch of scepticism.
At present, the impression of the compositional design of the portrait is distorted. The picture has a rectangular shape now, although Bryullov painted it for an octagonal frame. This choice was not random. If you mentally restore the portrait in its former shape, the image will become richer and more complex, and the composition will turn more complete and whole.
