Medieval Christians considered Vesuvius the shortest road to hell. And not without reason: people and cities have perished more than once from its eruptions. But the most famous eruption Vesuvius happened on August 24, 79 AD. And it became the last day of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.
We know about him from the words of the Roman politician and writer Gaius Pliny Caecilius Secundus, better known in history as Pliny the Younger. In letters to the historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus, he described the eruption:
The shape of the cloud was similar to a pine tree: it was like a trunk rising upward, and branches seemed to diverge from it in all directions. It was bright in places white, in places with dirty spots, as if from earth and ash raised upward.
But few people in the world read the Letters to Tacitus. And yet, anyone who went to school knows about the eruption of Vesuvius in 79. Helped... art.
Vesuvius opened its mouth - smoke poured out in a cloud - flames
Widely developed as a battle flag.
The earth is agitated - from the shaky columns
Idols fall! A people driven by fear
Under the stone rain, under the inflamed ashes,
In crowds, old and young, fleeing from the city...
Everyone saw the picture described by Pushkin more than once - in the State Russian Museum or in reproductions. This, according to Gogol, is the “bright resurrection of painting” - “The Last Day of Pompeii.” Alexander Bryullov visited the excavations of the city covered with ash and, with the permission of the Neapolitan king, made sketches and measurements. And he suggested the plot to brother Karl.
And others say that Karl Pavlovich Bryullov saw the majestic panorama of Vesuvius from the Sorrento Peninsula. And I got the idea to write his eruption. Russian artist and art historian Alexander Benois thought differently: the idea for the painting was born from Bryullov under the influence of the opera of the same name Italian composer Giovanni Pacini. Let's not forget about the customer, especially since he is the famous Prince San Donato from the Russian Demidov family - a philanthropist, researcher and benefactor.
But be that as it may, thanks to Karl Bryullov with the support of Anatoly Demidov, we see with our own eyes the tragedy of Pompeii - a small but wealthy southern resort with two theaters and thirty-five brothels. The tragedy of the carelessness of those dancing on the volcano: in 62, strong tremors warned Pompeii of an imminent disaster. But the townspeople remained deaf and rebuilt the destroyed city.
Nature has not forgiven thoughtlessness. On August 24, 79, on an ordinary sunny summer day, Vesuvius spoke. And he spoke for almost a day, covering the streets, houses with all their furnishings, and two thousand people out of the twenty thousand population of the city with a multimeter thick layer of ash. The rest escaped: this flight from death was depicted by Bryullov.
The breakdown of destinies reveals characters. Caring sons carry a weak father out of hell. The mother covers her children. Desperate young man, gathered with with the last of my strength, does not let go of the precious cargo - the bride. And the handsome man on a white horse hurries away alone: quickly, quickly, save himself, his beloved. Vesuvius mercilessly shows people not only his insides, but also theirs. Thirty-year-old Karl Bryullov understood this perfectly. And he showed it to us.
“And it was “The Last Day of Pompeii” for the first day for Russian brushes” , - poet Evgeny Baratynsky rejoiced. Truly so: the painting was greeted triumphantly in Rome, where he painted it, and then in Russia, and Sir Walter Scott somewhat pompously called the painting “unusual, epic.”
And it was a success. Both paintings and masters. And in the fall of 1833, the painting appeared at an exhibition in Milan and Karl Bryullov’s triumph reached its highest point. The name of the Russian master immediately became known throughout the Italian peninsula - from one end to the other. Italian newspapers and magazines published rave reviews about The Last Day of Pompeii and its author. Bryullov was greeted with applause on the street and given a standing ovation in the theater. Poets dedicated poems to him. When traveling at the borders of the Italian principalities, he was not required to present a passport - it was believed that every Italian was obliged to know him by sight.
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Among the masters of Russian romanticism, Karl Bryullov is an outstanding figure. His monumental canvases and portraits of his contemporaries constitute the golden fund of Russian painting. History has preserved the epithets the artist received from his friends: “Brilliant”, “Magnificent”. It was Karl Bryullov’s painting “The Last Day of Pompeii” that aroused such high praise, honoring the creator with the title of the great Russian romantic artist. Italian motifs and classical themes of the Renaissance were reflected in Bryullov’s work, making the painting the most important canvas creative path artist.
“The Last Day of Pompeii”: the history of the painting
79 AD. A volcanic eruption destroys an ancient city of the Roman Empire. During the disaster, more than two thousand inhabitants die, some are buried alive under lava flows. The theme of Pompeii is very popular in the works of the early 19th century. The period between 1748 (the discovery of the ruins of Pompeii due to archaeological excavations) and 1835 is marked by many works of painting, music, theatrical arts, literature about this event.
1827. Karl Bryullov personally becomes acquainted with the history of the lost city. He visits the excavations. The young artist did not suspect the fatality of the trip. Then the master will write that he experienced a new sensation, forgetting about everything except the terrible fate that befell the city. The author of the painting “The Last Day of Pompeii” was deeply impressed. For several years Bryullov has been working on sources: historical data, literary evidence. The artist studies in detail the history of the region, becoming more and more aware of the theme of the lost city. It is known that the artist communicated with people who carried out archaeological excavations and read a lot of works on the topic.
Karl Pavlovich repeatedly visits the ancient city, taking all the details of the future canvas from life. The sketches and the painting very accurately convey the appearance of Pompeii. Bryullov chose the crossroads known as the “street of tombs” as the location for the action. Here the ancient Pompeians buried the ashes of their deceased ancestors in marble mausoleums. The choice is intentional, filled with deep symbolism.
The artist considered the key point to be the need to illuminate Vesuvius. The volcano, which became the cause of the tragedy, occupies the background of the work, creating a depressing impression, enhancing the monumentalism of the work. Bryullov painted from life local residents. Many Italians living in the vicinity of Vesuvius are descendants of the indigenous inhabitants of the lost city. Having made a sketch of the composition, roughly seeing what the picture would be like, the artist began work on greatest work own creative path.
1830-33. Work on the work, which brought worldwide fame, was in full swing. The canvas was filled with life, the spirit of inevitable death. The picture differs slightly from the original sketch. The point of view has shifted a little, there is more characters. The plan of action, the idea, the stylistic composition, made in the spirit of the works of the era of classicism - everything remains. "The Last Day of Pompeii" - indeed monumental work(4.65x6.5 meters).
The picture brought Bryullov world fame. The canvas is sent directly to Rome almost immediately after painting. The reviews from critics were overwhelming. The Italians were delighted to see how deeply the Russian artist felt the historical tragedy, with what painstakingness and involvement he painted out the smallest details of the work. The Italians called “The Last Day of Pompeii” a “triumphal” painting. Few Russian artists received such high ratings abroad. The end of the first third of the 19th century for Italy was a turbulent time that foreshadowed strong historical upheavals. Bryullov's painting, saying modern language, has become really trendy. Historical memory – important concept a country that fought for freedom from Austrian rule. The foreign artist’s interest in the heroic past of original Italy only fueled the country’s revolutionary sentiments.
The painting was later sent to Paris. The Louvre was visited by many of Bryullov’s great contemporaries, who wanted to see the magnificent painting with their own eyes. Among those who appreciated the work was the writer Walter Scott, who called the painting extraordinary. In his opinion, the genre of the painting “The Last Day of Pompeii” is a real pictorial epic. The artist did not expect such success. Bryullov became a triumph along with the painting.
“The Last Day of Pompeii” went to the artist’s homeland, St. Petersburg, in 1834, where it remains to this day.
Description of the artwork “The Last Day of Pompeii”
The composition of the canvas is made according to the strict canons of classicism, but Bryullov’s work is a transitional stage on the path to romanticism. Hence the pronounced theme of tragedy not of a person, but of a people. Appeal to the real historical events- another characteristic romantic feature.
Foreground of the left corner of the picture – married couple, covering children with her bodies. It shows a woman hugging her daughters and a Christian priest. He expresses calmness and humility, accepting what happened as God’s will. The antipode image of the other characters in the canvas, his eyes do not carry horror. Bryullov laid down deep symbolism, the opposition between Christian and Roman, pagan religion. In the middle of the canvas, the priest, saving temple valuables, runs away from inevitable death. This is how the author marked the historical demise of the pagan religion after the advent of Christianity. On the steps of the tomb on the left we see a woman whose gaze is full of primitive horror. Despair and silent pleas for help are noticeable to everyone. The woman is the only character looking directly, addressing the viewer.
The right side of the picture is the side of the volcano. A thunderous thunderbolt destroys the statues. The sky is blazing with a fiery glow, foreshadowing death. Through sharp, dark strokes, the artist metaphorically shows “falling skies.” Ashes are flying. A young man carries a lifeless girl (with a wedding crown on her head). The elements prevented the wedding. Sons carrying their old father take a similar pose. A rearing horse throws off its rider. The young man helps his mother up, persuading her to run.
The main element of the composition is located in the center. A dead woman lies on the ground, with a baby on her chest. The element carries main idea Bryullov’s paintings “The Last Day of Pompeii”: the death of the old world, the birth of a new era, the opposition of life and death. Symbolism is very characteristic of romanticism.
Contrasted with the hot scarlet flame background The canvas has a cold, “dead” light in the foreground. Bryullov enthusiastically plays with chiaroscuro, creating volume, immersing the viewer in what is happening. Russian art criticism rightly considered Karl Pavlovich an innovator who discovered new era Russian painting.
Interesting facts about the painting “The Last Day of Pompeii”
Bryullov’s work is fraught with many hidden meanings and mysteries. It is important for an erudite person not only to know who painted the painting “The Last Day of Pompeii”, but also what secrets the painting hides:
- The artist standing on the steps is a self-portrait of the author. Bryullov with this element showed how deeply he experienced the tragedy of the eruption of Vesuvius, sympathizing with the heroes of the canvas;
- Countess Samoilova, the artist’s closest friend and muse, is the model for four characters in the picture (a dead woman, a woman with horror in her eyes, a mother covering her children with a cloak);
- The name of the canvas has actually become popular in the Russian language. "Pompeia" is used in the form feminine singular, but according to the rules the word is plural;
- Bryullov's painting was repeatedly mentioned directly in works of classical Russian literature by Lermontov, Pushkin, Turgenev, Gogol;
- Among the surviving victims of Pompeii is Pliny the Younger, an ancient historian. The artist depicted him as a young man helping his fallen mother rise.
Where is The Last Day of Pompeii located?
Images are no way to convey the amazing monumentalism famous work art, so be sure to come to St. Petersburg! 1895 - the canvas becomes part of the permanent exhibition of the Russian Museum. Here you can calmly enjoy a magnificent masterpiece famous painter.
CategoryThis is an article by a young talented singer under the nickname , an employee of the Murom Historical and Art Museum. The article is called "Masterpiece and Tragedy or the History of One Painting" and is dedicated to brilliant picture Karl Bryullova "The Last Day of Pompeii".
I really liked the article, I quoted it, but quotes are rarely read, and with the permission of the author, I am posting it in its entirety in this post, slightly embellished with reproductions of the painting and musical accompaniment.
Read it, I assure you, you won’t regret it...
Edwin Martin - Vivaldi Tosco Fantasy
Walking through the halls of the Murom Gallery, guests of Murom often freeze in amazement at one exhibit that is inconspicuous at first glance. It's simple black - white drawing in a regular frame behind glass. It would seem, why does it attract museum visitors so much? However, having peered into his faded features, it is difficult to contain an involuntary sigh of admiration. The yellowish paper of the exhibit depicts a plot familiar to many from childhood. famous painting. Before the guests is Karl Bryullov’s sketch for his famous painting “The Last Day of Pompeii” - one of the brightest pearls of the Murom Gallery!
It is a rare museum that can boast of such an acquisition in its collection. Sometimes this sketch surprises even guests from Moscow and St. Petersburg. And they are fascinated not only by the uniqueness of the old drawing, but also by the attraction of the tragic plot conveyed by the artist’s genius.
And indeed, this small yellowed leaf tells viewers not only about terrible disaster antiquity, but also about how the greatest canvas of Russian painting was created.
ON THE EVE OF THE TRAGEDY.
Bryullov’s talented brush revealed to us one of the pictures of a terrible tragedy Ancient world. Over two fateful days, August 24 and 25, 79 AD, several Roman cities ceased to exist - Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabia and Octavianum. And the reason for this was the awakening of the Vesuvius volcano, at the foot of which these settlements were located.
People have long appreciated the high, incomparable fertility of volcanic soils and began to cultivate them since time immemorial. Scientists have written sources at their disposal that more than two thousand years ago, rich harvests were harvested around Vesuvius and on its slopes.
At the beginning of the 1st century. Vesuvius was covered with dense forest with wild grapes. At its top there was an overgrown cup-shaped depression - traces of an ancient crater, preserved after the volcano's 300-year dormant period. In this crater in 72 Spartacus was hiding with rebel slaves. 3,000 soldiers led by praetor Clodius Pulker were sent to search for him. However, Spartacus eluded them and escaped to the plain surrounding the volcano from the north.
Volcanic ash and tuff, which covered the gentle slopes of Vesuvius and its environs like a cloak, made the lands around it unusually fertile. Corn, barley, nuts, wheat, and grapes grew especially well. No wonder this area was famous excellent wines
And at the beginning new era the area near the Bay of Naples was also a favorite place of residence for wealthy Romans. In the north was the city of Herculaneum, to the south were Pompeii and Stabia - three kind of country suburbs of Naples. The patricians were attracted here by the mild and warm climate. Therefore, this part of the shore of the bay near Naples was built up with rich villas.
The first signs of Vesuvius's concern were noticed back in mid-August 79. But then few people were puzzled by this. Similar surprises have been seen behind the volcano before. The last time he thoroughly “disturbed” Pompeii was on February 5, 62 AD. A powerful earthquake destroyed the city, but this did not serve as a lesson to its residents. They were in no hurry to leave their homes. And this is no coincidence!
So, for the next 15 years, Pompeii was under construction - city residents restored houses destroyed by the earthquake and built new buildings.
Oddly enough, the townspeople, despite the cruel lesson of fate, did not take Vesuvius seriously and did not expect further troubles from it.
The tremors did not really bother the townspeople. Each time they repaired the cracks in the houses, simultaneously updating the interior and adding new decorations. No panic.
DAY OF THE WRATH OF THE GODS.B
Vesuvius opened its mouth - smoke poured out in a cloud - flames
spread widely as a battle flag.
The earth is agitated - from the shaky columns
Idols fall! A people driven by fear
Under the stone rain, under the inflamed ashes,
In crowds, old and young, fleeing from the city.
A.S. Pushkin.
August 24 began as the most ordinary day in the life of Pompeii. In the morning there was no sign of the impending tragedy. Bright sun the city streets were flooded. The people leisurely went about their business, discussing latest news. Shops were open, incense was smoked in temples, and in the city theater they were preparing for a performance - on this day the next gladiator fights were supposed to take place. These handsome warriors proudly walked along the streets of Pompeii, laughing, reading the inscriptions on the walls of houses that numerous fans left for them.
Now, almost 2000 years later, we know literally minute by minute what happened in those tragic days. And this is thanks to two stunning letters from Pliny the Younger, an eyewitness to the tragedy.
On August 24, at about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, a giant white cloud with brown spots began to quickly rise above Vesuvius. It grew and spread out to the sides at altitude, reminiscent of the crown of a Mediterranean pine tree. A terrible roar was heard near the volcano, and continuous tremors occurred, which were also felt in Miseno (about 30 km from Pompeii), where Pliny’s family was located. The lines of his letter say that the shaking was so strong that carts were thrown from side to side, tiles fell off houses and statues and obelisks collapsed.
The sky suddenly became menacing, the cloud became darker and darker...
The sun was completely hidden behind the heavy ashfall, and pitch darkness set in. This further increased people's anxiety and confusion. At the same time, there were heavy downpours on the western slopes of the volcano, which occur frequently during eruptions. The loose ash and pumice strata on the slopes, “saturated” with water, rushed down in powerful mud, apparently hot streams - lahars. Three such streams, following one after another, covered the city of Herculaneum, located on the seashore, destroying all life in the blink of an eye.
Hercalaneum was the first to die, since it was located almost at the foot of Vesuvius. Its city residents, who tried to escape, died under lava and ash.
The fate of Pompeii turned out differently. There was no flow of mud here, the only salvation from which, apparently, was flight; here it all started with volcanic ash, which could be easily shaken off. However, lapilli soon began to fall, then pieces of pumice, several kilograms each.
The full danger became clear only gradually. And when people finally realized what was threatening them, it was already too late. Sulfur fumes descended on the city; they crawled into all the cracks, penetrated under the bandages and scarves with which people covered their faces - it became increasingly difficult to breathe... Trying to break free, to swallow fresh air, the townspeople ran out into the street - here they fell under a hail of lapilli and returned back in horror, but as soon as they crossed the threshold of the house, the ceiling collapsed on them, burying them under its rubble. . It was impossible to go outside without covering your head with a pillow, as heavy stones fell on your head along with the ashes. Some managed to delay their death: they hid under stairwells and in galleries, spending there in dying fear the last half hour of their lives. However, later sulfur vapors penetrated there too.
By the time the horrified residents realized the seriousness and danger of their situation, the streets were already buried under a thick layer of ash, and it kept falling and falling from the sky. Soft ash on the ground, falling ash from the sky, sulfurous fumes in the air...
People, mad with fear and horror, ran, stumbled and fell, dying right in the streets, and were instantly covered in ash. Some of them decided to stay in houses where there was no ash, but the houses quickly filled with toxic fumes, and hundreds of people died from suffocation. Many found their deaths under the ruins of their own houses, were crushed by roofs that collapsed under the weight of the ash.
The final blow of Vesuvius on the unfortunate cities was a fiery wall of lava, forever burying the once flourishing settlements.
Forty-eight hours later, the sun shone again, but by that time both Pompeii and Herculaneum had already ceased to exist. In place of olive trees and green vineyards, on marble villas and throughout the city, ash and wave-like lava lay. Everything within a radius of eighteen kilometers was destroyed. Moreover, the ashes even carried to Syria and Egypt.
Now only a thin column of smoke was visible above Vesuvius, and the sky was blue again...
However, despite the scale of the tragedy, out of twenty thousand inhabitants of Pompeii, only two thousand died. Many residents realized in time what the eruption could threaten them with and tried to quickly escape to a safe place.
Almost seventeen centuries have passed. In the middle of the 18th century, people of a different culture and different customs took up spades and dug up what had been resting underground for so long.
Before the excavations began, only the fact of the death of two cities during the eruption of Vesuvius was known. Now this tragic incident gradually emerged more and more clearly and the reports about it by ancient writers became flesh and blood. The terrifying scope of this catastrophe and its suddenness became increasingly visible: everyday life was interrupted so quickly that the piglets were left in the ovens and the bread in the ovens. What story could, for example, be told by the remains of two skeletons with slave chains still on their legs? What did these people endure - chained, helpless, in those hours when everything around them was dying? What kind of torment did this dog have to experience before it died? She was found under the ceiling of one of the rooms: chained, she rose along with the growing layer of lapilli, penetrating into the room through windows and doors, until she finally came across an insurmountable barrier - the ceiling, barked at last time and suffocated.
Under the blows of the spade, pictures of the death of families and terrifying human dramas were revealed. . Some mothers were found with children in their arms; Trying to save the children, they covered them with the last piece of cloth, but they died together. Some men and women managed to grab their treasures and run to the gate, but here they were overtaken by a hail of lapilli, and they died, clutching their jewelry and money in their hands.
"Cave Canem" - "Beware of the dog" reads the inscription from the mosaic in front of the door of one house. Two girls died on the threshold of this house: they hesitated to escape, trying to collect their things, and then it was too late to escape. At the Hercules Gate the bodies of the dead lay almost side by side; the load of household belongings they were dragging turned out to be too much for them. The skeletons of a woman and a dog were found in one of the rooms. Careful research has made it possible to reconstruct the tragedy that took place here. In fact, why was the skeleton of the dog preserved in its entirety, while the remains of the woman were scattered throughout the room? Who could have scattered them? Maybe they were taken away by a dog, in which, under the influence of hunger, the wolf nature awoke? Perhaps she delayed the day of her death by attacking her own mistress and tearing her to pieces. Nearby, in another house, the events of the fateful day were interrupted by a wake. The funeral feast participants reclined around the table; This is how they were found seventeen centuries later - they turned out to be participants in their own funeral.
In one place, death overtook seven children playing, unsuspectingly, in a room. In the other there are thirty-four people and with them a goat, which, apparently, was trying, desperately ringing its bell, to find salvation in the imaginary strength of human habitation. Neither courage, nor prudence, nor strength could help those who were too slow to flee. The skeleton of a man of truly Herculean build was found; he was also unable to protect his wife and fourteen-year-old daughter, who were running ahead of him: all three remained lying on the road. True, in a last effort the man apparently made another attempt to rise, but, stupefied by the poisonous fumes, he slowly sank to the ground, turned over on his back and froze. The ashes that covered him seemed to take a cast from his body; scientists poured plaster into this mold and obtained a sculptural image of the deceased Pompeian.
One can imagine what a noise, what a roar was heard in a buried house, when a person left in it or left behind from others suddenly discovered that it was no longer possible to get out through the windows and doors; he tried to cut a passage in the wall with an ax; not finding a way to salvation here, he took on the second wall, and when a stream rushed towards him from this wall, he, exhausted, sank to the floor.
The houses, the temple of Isis, the amphitheater - everything has been preserved intact. There were wax tablets in the offices, papyrus scrolls in the libraries, tools in the workshops, and strigils (scrapers) in the baths. On the tables in the taverns there were still dishes and money, thrown in a hurry by the last visitors. Love poems and beautiful frescoes are preserved on the walls of the taverns.
“AND THE LAST DAY OF POMPEII BECAME THE FIRST DAY FOR THE RUSSIAN BRUSH...”
Karl Bryullov first visited the excavations of Pompeii in the summer of 1827. The story of the tragic catastrophe that befell the ancient city completely captured all the thoughts of the painter. Most likely, it was then that he conceived the idea of creating a monumental historical picture.
The artist began to collect necessary materials before you start painting. An important source of information for him were letters from an eyewitness to the disaster, Pliny the Younger, to the Roman historian Tacitus, which contained details of the disaster.
Bryullov studied the customs of ancient Italy, visited Naples several times, explored the destroyed Pompeii, walked along its streets, examined in detail the houses preserved under volcanic ash with all the furnishings and utensils. He visited the Naples Museum, where there were amazingly vivid imprints of the bodies of people covered with hot ashes. He makes a series of sketches: landscapes, ruins, fossilized figures.
The artist attended Pacini’s opera “The Last Day of Pompeii” several times and dressed his sitters in the costumes of the heroes of this performance. Based on materials from archaeological excavations, Bryullov paints not only all household items. He will depict some figures in the very poses that preserved the voids formed in the solidified lava in place of incinerated bodies - a mother with daughters, a woman who fell from a chariot, a group of young spouses. The artist took the image of the young man and his mother from Pliny.
In 1830, the artist began working on a large canvas. He painted at such a limit of spiritual tension that it happened that he was literally carried out of the workshop in their arms. However, even poor health does not stop his work.
And so the final composition of the painting was born.
The crowd in the picture is divided into separate groups, from which the viewer gradually reads the artist’s literary intention - to depict the feelings and behavior of people in the face of death.
Each group has its own content, arising from general content paintings. The mother seeks to shelter the children. The sons save their old father and carry him on their shoulders. The groom carries away the unconscious bride. A weak mother convinces her son not to burden himself, and the father of the family, with the last movement in his life, tries to shelter his loved ones. But the rider, who has a much greater chance of escape than others, rushes at full speed, not wanting to help anyone. And the priest, whom they used to listen to and believed, cowardly leaves the dying city, hoping to remain unnoticed.
In one of the background groups the artist depicted himself. In his eyes it is not so much the horror of death as close attention artist, aggravated by the terrible spectacle. He carries on his head the most valuable thing - a box of paints and other painting supplies. It seems that he has slowed down and is trying to remember the picture unfolding before him.
And now the canvas was finished. Preparation for the masterpiece took six years of the master’s life (1827-1833). But its success was also enormous.
Long before the end, people in Rome began to talk about the marvelous work of the Russian artist. When the doors of his studio on St. Claudius Street opened wide to the public, and when the painting was later exhibited in Milan, the Italians were indescribably delighted. The name of Karl Bryullov immediately became famous throughout the Italian peninsula - from one end to the other. When meeting on the streets, everyone took off their hat to him; when he appeared in the theaters, everyone stood up; at the door of the house where he lived, or the restaurant where he dined, many people always gathered to greet him.
The real triumph awaited K. Bryullov at home. The painting was brought to Russia in July 1834, and it immediately became a subject of patriotic pride and became the center of attention of Russian society. Numerous engraved and lithographic reproductions of “The Last Day of Pompeii” spread the fame of K. Bryullov far beyond the capital. The best representatives of Russian culture enthusiastically greeted the famous painting: A.S. Pushkin translated its plot into poetry, N.V. Gogol called the painting a “universal creation,” in which everything “is so powerful, so bold, so harmoniously combined into one, as soon as it could arise in the head of a universal genius.” But even these own praises seemed insufficient to the writer, and he called the picture " bright resurrection painting. He (K. Bryullov) is trying to capture nature with a gigantic embrace."
E. A. Boratynsky composed a laudatory ode for this occasion. Words from which - “The last day of Pompeii became the first day for the Russian brush!” - later became a famous aphorism.
The owner of the painting, Anatoly Demidov, presented the painting to Nicholas I, who exhibited the painting at the Academy of Arts as a guide for aspiring painters. After the opening of the Russian Museum in 1895, the painting was exhibited there, and the general public gained access to it.
Note.
This is what the painter Karl Pavlovich Bryullov looked like while working on his painting. This is a self-portrait of the artist, dated "circa 1833." He was only 28 years old when he began this work, and 34 when he completed the painting.
This is how he depicted himself on the canvas (remember, with a box on his head...), you can best see him in the first fragment of the picture from the top.
It seems possible for contemporaries to see through the eyes of a painter last moments life of the inhabitants of the city of Pompeii. It must be admitted that in the artist’s hand one can discern the manner of Raphael and Velazquez. The display and detailing, so sharply captured, the saturation with crimson and reddish shades, the technique of chiaroscuro - the master absorbed all the best from the artists of that era. Bryullov himself had a very significant influence on the technique and manner of drawing, Flavitsky, Serov, Moller and others. He was characterized by a certain academicism and grandeur, which he vigorously demonstrated in the painting “Horsewoman” and “The Siege of Pskov.”
In order to implement his idea (and the idea, it must be admitted, was embodied in a very grandiose manner - on a canvas measuring 465x561 centimeters), Bryullov had to go to the foot of Mount Vesuvius and see the city ruins of Pompeii. There, on the spot, he made sketches for the future canvas, imagining how the revived Vesuvius spews hundreds of thousands of tons of ash and lava onto the confused inhabitants of Pompeii. Writing the work took Bryullov 3 years, and in 1833 he finished writing it.
Immediately after the completion of the picture, it was brought for review to Rome - critics and spectators were unanimous in their flattering reviews. The painting was then taken to an exhibition in Paris and placed in the Louvre. There she was seen by a world-famous writer, Walter Scott. He said that the painting was “unusual, epic.” A year after the end of the Paris exhibition, the canvas finally arrives in Russia, in St. Petersburg. And here, in their homeland, great figures and writers never tire of talking about it. Turgenev left a flattering review, and Baratynsky and Pushkin immediately scattered aphorisms, which were immediately prohibited by censorship.
The style of the work at that time was considered something extraordinary, innovative, because it was ahead of its time. Now this technique is recognized as neoclassicism.
So popular then were the stories on historical topics, Bryullov turned it into a certain reality - the characters depicted are not static, he is all in motion. Their faces are filled with horror and fear. It seems that the artist himself caught the crowd at that very moment - the reality of the painted figures is so great. Not indifferent to Countess Yulia Pavlovna Samoilova, the Tsar's maid of honor, Bryullov could not deny himself the pleasure of capturing her several times in the picture.
Here she appears on the left side of the canvas on a hill, in the image of a woman with a jug on her head, then the image of a woman who fell to her death - she and her child (he is alive) were thrown from the broken steps of the stairs, and finally, she is a mother hugging her daughter. The artist depicted himself as the same painter on the left in the corner of the picture. The artist depicted the blazing glow and falling marble statues gods, over whom lightning scatters.
People, maddened by fear, run away from the destruction, but they cannot escape. "The Last Day of Pompeii" presents us with an image of eternal life captured.
Currently, the painting belongs to the Russian Museum, where Nicholas I donated it in 1895.
Man always strives for beauty, this is his essence. He also eagerly studies the past, learns lessons from it, works on mistakes, because without this the future is impossible. An example of this combination of art and history is the painting “The Last Day of Pompeii”, painted by a brilliant artist in 1830-1833. What is depicted on it, how the painter worked and what he wanted to convey, we will consider in our article.
A few words about the author
The painting “The Last Day of Pompeii” was painted in the first half of the nineteenth century by Karl Bryullov. Born in St. Petersburg into the family of an academician sculptor, he was imbued with a passion for art from childhood. Studied with the best masters of that time, he traveled a lot, often visited Italy, where he lived and worked.
Most of his paintings are written in the historical and portrait genres. The work to which our article is devoted was awarded the Grand Prix in Paris. It should be noted that the painter’s contemporaries appreciated his work. Even during Bryullov’s lifetime, his paintings received the most enthusiastic reviews. The most famous works- “Horsewoman”, “Siege of Pskov”, “Portrait of the archaeologist Michelangelo Lanci” and others. And in 1862, a sculpture dedicated to the millennium of Russia was erected in Novgorod to the best cultural figures. Among the sixteen figures in the composition, there was also a place for Karl Bryullov.
The story of a masterpiece
The history of the painting “The Last Day of Pompeii” is known to us, so we are happy to share it with the reader.
As we mentioned earlier, Bryullov often visited Italy, where he worked a lot. By the way, he died on this earth, and his body found its final resting place there. In 1827, the painter visited the excavations of an ancient Roman city located near Naples. The settlement was buried by the lava of Vesuvius, which suddenly woke up. This moment was precisely captured in the picture.
Pompey greeted the last day with a bustling life. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of a small but very wealthy town were unable to escape. Most of them died from the hot volcanic mass, others suffocated from toxic fumes and ash. And only a few managed to escape. But the volcano rendered an invaluable service to humanity - it seemed to preserve the life of that time, preserving the homes of the nobility, wall paintings, mosaic floors, paintings, and flowers in their original form. While clearing the area of dust, ash, dirt and earth, archaeologists find large number objects, and the city itself today is an open-air museum.
Preparing for work
The painting “The Last Day of Pompeii” was painted by Bryullov after careful study of that era. The artist visited the excavations several times, trying to remember the location of the buildings, every pebble. He read the works of ancient historians, in particular the works of Pliny the Younger, an eyewitness to the tragedy, and studied costumes in museums and household items. This allowed him to realistically depict the life of Italian society at the time of the volcanic eruption, as well as convey the feelings of people who were about to die from the elements.
Rejected Labor
Finally, Bryullov decided that he was ready for the titanic work and began painting the canvas. It took him three years to create a masterpiece measuring 4.5 x 6.5 meters. He was enthusiastically greeted in Italy, France, and Russia. At his native Academy of Arts, Karl was carried in his arms into the hall where his painting was already hanging. The last day (Pompey could not even imagine then that it was her last) of the famous city will now forever remain in the memory of mankind, and it itself has risen from oblivion. Let's look at the canvas, conditionally dividing it into two parts.
Right side of the picture
Bryullov’s painting “The Last Day of Pompeii” captivates with its perfection, storm of emotions, drama and harmony of colors. On the right side, the artist depicted a group of people united by common grief. This is a young guy and a boy who are carrying their sick father in their arms, a young man who is trying to save his mother, but she orders him to leave her and run away himself. Presumably, that same young man is Pliny the Younger, who brought to us the sad story of Pompeii.
The painting “The Last Day of Pompeii” also depicts a couple: the young man carries the bride in his arms and peers into her face - is she alive? Behind them one can see a rearing horse with a rider on its back, falling houses decorated with statues. And above the unfortunate people lies a sky dark with smoke and ash, clouds cut by lightning, and a stream of fiery lava.
Left side of the masterpiece
We continue our description of the painting “The Last Day of Pompeii”. On the left, Bryullov depicted the steps leading to the tomb of Scaurus. Another group of people gathered at them: a woman looking directly at the viewer, an artist with paints in a box on his head, a mother with two girls, a calm Christian priest, a pagan priest with jewelry under his arm, a man covering his wife and small children with a cloak.
Another “hero” of the canvas is light, or more precisely, its effects. The cold shade of lightning contrasts with the glow of the volcano. Against its background, the panorama of the dying city looks very tragic and realistic.
Analysis of the painting “The Last Day of Pompeii”
Bryullov skillfully selected colors that helped him depict the picture very realistically. The canvas is dominated by shades of red - people’s clothes, the glow, flowers on the bride’s head. In the center of the canvas, the artist used greenish, bluish and yellowish tones.
Finishing the description of the painting “The Last Day of Pompey” (as some mistakenly call the painting), let’s try to analyze it, find hidden meaning. The viewer should pay attention to the fact that people seem to freeze, as if they are posing for a painter. Their faces are not disfigured by pain; even the girl lying on the ground is beautiful. People's clothes are clean, there is no blood visible on them. This is the principle of convention, with the help of which the painter shows that man is the most beautiful creature on Earth. It is striking that many of the characters in the picture, in moments of danger, think not only about themselves, but also about others.
Bryullov moved away from the rules of realism, following the foundations of classicism. He paints not the usual crowd that is trying to leave the city in panic, but orderly groups of people with similar faces, but different poses. Thus, the master conveyed feelings through movement and plasticity. But the master brings a lot of new things into art, breaks the accepted rules, which is why the canvas only benefits. The artist uses restless light, which gives sharp shadows, a plot full of tragedy. Two themes are intertwined in the picture - height human spirit, love, self-sacrifice, heroism and disaster, which led to the death of not only the city, but also the entire culture.
Instead of a conclusion
The picture created by the genius of art is both beautiful and terrible. Yes, man is powerless in the face of the elements, which know no limits in their power. However, he can and should remain a Man with a capital M. Not everyone is capable of this, but it is something we should strive for. Such conflicting feelings cover everyone who looks at the canvas with the image last days ancient city. And today everyone can see the famous painting by visiting the State Russian Museum.