Dmitri Stelletsky is a Russian painter, icon painter, sculptor and theater designer of the Silver Age. He was a member of Mir Iskusstva and the Union of Russian Artists. Many of his works are now kept abroad — Stelletsky left Russia in 1914 and lived in France for 30 years. The most significant work of the artist during the entire period of emigration was the painting of the church of Paroisse Saint Serge.
Already studying at the Academy of Arts, Stelletsky was passionate in the Ancient Russia Art — icon painting, frescoes and folk art. His artwork is characterized by the revival of ancient Russian traditions, the desire to create a unique Russian style on their basis. The artist considered himself primarily as a sculptor, and then a painter.
In 1910—1913 Stelletsky’s artwork was associated with Tula. Here he developed friendly relations with Count Yuri Olsufiev who was a famous art critic, icon restorer and Ancient Russian Art keeper, as well as publisher of the magazine “Russkaya Starina”. In 1913, Dmitry Stelletsky created portraits of the Olsufiev family who lived in the estate of Red Buytsy of Epifany Uezd. The hero of this canvas is Mikhail, 10 y.o. son of Olsufiev. We feel the warmth and sympathy of the author for the little count, his truly poetic perception of the human soul.
The portrait is made in the traditions of ancient Russian art, with the author’s inherent stylization and generalization of forms. Stelletsky chose a type of theatrical Russian portrait, transferred his hero to an artificially created setting devoid of everyday life. It depicts a boy in the costume of the little prince of Ancient Russia against the background of a fresco, and the background here is as active as the costume and the face of the model. The heroes of the frescoes are seen right behind Michael’s back, and he seems to have descended into reality, but has not lost spiritual connection with them.
The peculiarity of this work is the contrast of a realistic and voluminous face of a boy with a conditional flat transfer of his figure. Decorativeness and elegance of the portrait brings it closer to the decorative panel, which became widespread in the art of the turn of 19-20th centuries.
Already studying at the Academy of Arts, Stelletsky was passionate in the Ancient Russia Art — icon painting, frescoes and folk art. His artwork is characterized by the revival of ancient Russian traditions, the desire to create a unique Russian style on their basis. The artist considered himself primarily as a sculptor, and then a painter.
In 1910—1913 Stelletsky’s artwork was associated with Tula. Here he developed friendly relations with Count Yuri Olsufiev who was a famous art critic, icon restorer and Ancient Russian Art keeper, as well as publisher of the magazine “Russkaya Starina”. In 1913, Dmitry Stelletsky created portraits of the Olsufiev family who lived in the estate of Red Buytsy of Epifany Uezd. The hero of this canvas is Mikhail, 10 y.o. son of Olsufiev. We feel the warmth and sympathy of the author for the little count, his truly poetic perception of the human soul.
The portrait is made in the traditions of ancient Russian art, with the author’s inherent stylization and generalization of forms. Stelletsky chose a type of theatrical Russian portrait, transferred his hero to an artificially created setting devoid of everyday life. It depicts a boy in the costume of the little prince of Ancient Russia against the background of a fresco, and the background here is as active as the costume and the face of the model. The heroes of the frescoes are seen right behind Michael’s back, and he seems to have descended into reality, but has not lost spiritual connection with them.
The peculiarity of this work is the contrast of a realistic and voluminous face of a boy with a conditional flat transfer of his figure. Decorativeness and elegance of the portrait brings it closer to the decorative panel, which became widespread in the art of the turn of 19-20th centuries.
