The author of the watercolor is Alexandra Boratynskaya, the eldest daughter of the poet Evgeniy Boratynskiy. She was an artist and left behind many notable works. However, most of her work was amateur and has remained in history only as a family relic.
The watercolor was painted during the Boratynskiy family’s stay in Naples in 1844. This journey was the last for Alexandra’s father. She was with her parents in Italy and witnessed the sudden death of Evgeniy Boratynskiy on July 11, 1844.
Alexandra Boratynskaya was born in Moscow and received a good home education. As a rule, in noble families, girls were taught French, the language of the nobility, as well as, if the family had the means, history, geography, arithmetic, Russian language arts, drawing and music. The Boratynskiy family have always been particular about selection of teachers for their children.
There was a drawing teacher among them. From an early age, Alexandra showed a penchant for drawing and painting. Evgeniy Boratynskiy confided in his mother regarding his daughter’s achievements: “Alexandra seems to demonstrate a real talent for painting. With a few lessons, she has already made remarkable progress, although the teacher herself is a mediocre artist. It is possible to hope that she will improve her abilities.” A few months later, he wrote the same to his friend Nikolai Putyata: “Alexandra has made great achievements in painting and promises to become a real talent.”.
In her last year’s, Alexandra Boratynskaya lived at the estate of her sister Zinaida Gerken, in the village of Yumatovo in the Kazan governorate, where she was eventually buried.
The watercolor was painted during the Boratynskiy family’s stay in Naples in 1844. This journey was the last for Alexandra’s father. She was with her parents in Italy and witnessed the sudden death of Evgeniy Boratynskiy on July 11, 1844.
Alexandra Boratynskaya was born in Moscow and received a good home education. As a rule, in noble families, girls were taught French, the language of the nobility, as well as, if the family had the means, history, geography, arithmetic, Russian language arts, drawing and music. The Boratynskiy family have always been particular about selection of teachers for their children.
There was a drawing teacher among them. From an early age, Alexandra showed a penchant for drawing and painting. Evgeniy Boratynskiy confided in his mother regarding his daughter’s achievements: “Alexandra seems to demonstrate a real talent for painting. With a few lessons, she has already made remarkable progress, although the teacher herself is a mediocre artist. It is possible to hope that she will improve her abilities.” A few months later, he wrote the same to his friend Nikolai Putyata: “Alexandra has made great achievements in painting and promises to become a real talent.”.
Later, her family somewhat changed their attitude towards her work. The niece of Alexandra recalled: “The eldest “aunt Sasha”, Alexandra Boratynskaya is an artist. She didn’t study art much, so her original paintings were not skillful, but she was very able in copying works of others, and our rooms were full of her paintings copied in Italian art galleries. She never married and died of lung fever at 40 years’.
In her last year’s, Alexandra Boratynskaya lived at the estate of her sister Zinaida Gerken, in the village of Yumatovo in the Kazan governorate, where she was eventually buried.
