The Portrait of Maria Voyeikova was painted by one of the first women painters of the Russian Empire, Lyubov Borozdna-Stromilova, in Italy in 1835. The artist took painting lessons from Karl Bryullov, who was then living in Rome. By way of correcting his student’s minor errors, Bryullov painted a few details in the picture.
Portrait of M. S. Voyeikova
Creation period
1835
Dimensions
67x53 cm
Technique
Сanvas, oil
Collection
Exhibition
9
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Lyubov Borozdna-Stromilova
Portrait of M. S. Voyeikova
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The portrait depicts Maria Voyeikova walking in a green garden. She has tawny skin and dark hair. The girl in the portrait is putting a laurel tree branch aside. She is wearing a white airy dress. According to the fashion of the 1830’s, the shoulder line of the dress is low, the sleeves broaden towards the wrist. In her right hand, Maria Voyeikova holds a translucent chiffon scarf.
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The portrait follows the Romanticism style, which originated in France in the early 19th century. In the Russian Empire, it came into fashion in the 1820’s. In such portraits, the characters would normally be depicted against exotic nature backgrounds, far from the luxury studies or formal reception rooms painted in the classical age. The focus was on the person’s individuality and inner life. Painters were after the feelings and mood of their models, aspiring to show what was usually hidden from outsiders.
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The character in the portrait, Maria Voyeikova née Stromilova, is the artist’s sister. She was keen on literature and music. During her travel in Europe, she took piano lessons from Frederic Chopin. In 1843, Maria Stromilova married Colonel Pyotr Voyeikov, the commander of a Life Guards Hussar Regiment and Marshal of Nobility in Moscow.
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Lyubov Stromilova was born into the family of a wealthy nobleman of the Vladimir province in 1813. She showed an aptitude for drawing at an early age. However, women were not admitted to the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg until 1893. So she moved to Moscow and began to take private lessons from Vasily Tropinin, the portrait painter. In 1835, Lyubov went to Italy and painted under Karl Bryullov’s supervision. When she returned to Russia, she married the poet Ivan Borozdna. The marriage didn’t last long, and the spouses parted.
In the lower left-hand part of the portrait, there are two signatures, one above the other: K. Bryullov and L. S. Borozdna-Stromilova. Until the 1960’s, the picture was thought to be a portrait of Lyubov Borozdna-Stromilova by Karl Bryullov. But in 1931, Maria Voyeikova’s grandson published a book, Reminiscences, which included his grandmother’s diary records. Among other things, Maria Voyeikova wrote about her sister’s painting. So the memoirs and the subsequent expert examination helped realise that it was a portrait of Maria Voyeikova.
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Portrait of M. S. Voyeikova
Creation period
1835
Dimensions
67x53 cm
Technique
Сanvas, oil
Collection
Exhibition
9
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