Description
Russian school; second third of the 20th century. "Portrait of a priest". Oil on canvas. Re-tinted. It presents restorations. It has a 19th century frame. Measurements: 60 x 48 cm; 72 x 62 cm (frame). Portrait of a gentleman with a bust in which the author shows us the image of a religious man, as he is wearing a headdress and with a big golden cross on his chest. The sitter, who is set against a neutral background, raises his face slightly and directs his gaze towards a point outside the pictorial composition, as if he were receiving a command or a message that prevents him from paying attention to the viewer. Technically, the work is notable for its great realism, particularly in the treatment of the flesh tones, the corners of the lips, the wrinkles on the forehead and the softness of the blue satin hanging from her shoulders. This painting does not belong to the pictorial tradition of Russian realism, heir to the Soviet realism that pervaded the arts and literature of the 19th century, but is closer to models related to France. The separation of art that emerged in Russia after the October Revolution (1917) is striking: from this time onwards, art was intended to reflect the ideals of the people, with portraits of workers, peasants, etc. becoming commonplace. As in the rest of Europe, portraiture became the leading genre par excellence in Russian painting as a result of the new social structures that were established in the Western world during this century, embodying the ultimate expression of the transformation in the taste and mentality of the new clientele that emerged among the nobility and the wealthy gentry, who were to take the reins of history in this period. While official circles gave precedence to other artistic genres, such as history painting, and the incipient collectors encouraged the profusion of genre paintings, portraiture was in great demand for paintings intended for the more private sphere, as a reflection of the value of the individual in the new society. This genre embodies the permanent presence of the image of its protagonists, to be enjoyed in the privacy of a studio, in the everyday warmth of a family cabinet or presiding over the main rooms of the house.
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Russian school; second third of the 20th century. "Portrait of a priest". Oil on canvas. Re-tinted. It presents restorations. It has a 19th century frame. Measurements: 60 x 48 cm; 72 x 62 cm (frame). Portrait of a gentleman with a bust in which the author shows us the image of a religious man, as he is wearing a headdress and with a big golden cross on his chest. The sitter, who is set against a neutral background, raises his face slightly and directs his gaze towards a point outside the pictorial composition, as if he were receiving a command or a message that prevents him from paying attention to the viewer. Technically, the work is notable for its great realism, particularly in the treatment of the flesh tones, the corners of the lips, the wrinkles on the forehead and the softness of the blue satin hanging from her shoulders. This painting does not belong to the pictorial tradition of Russian realism, heir to the Soviet realism that pervaded the arts and literature of the 19th century, but is closer to models related to France. The separation of art that emerged in Russia after the October Revolution (1917) is striking: from this time onwards, art was intended to reflect the ideals of the people, with portraits of workers, peasants, etc. becoming commonplace. As in the rest of Europe, portraiture became the leading genre par excellence in Russian painting as a result of the new social structures that were established in the Western world during this century, embodying the ultimate expression of the transformation in the taste and mentality of the new clientele that emerged among the nobility and the wealthy gentry, who were to take the reins of history in this period. While official circles gave precedence to other artistic genres, such as history painting, and the incipient collectors encouraged the profusion of genre paintings, portraiture was in great demand for paintings intended for the more private sphere, as a reflection of the value of the individual in the new society. This genre embodies the permanent presence of the image of its protagonists, to be enjoyed in the privacy of a studio, in the everyday warmth of a family cabinet or presiding over the main rooms of the house.
