Lermontov's self-portrait: the story of one canvas

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Any painting made by an artist - be it an autumn landscape, a raging sea or a portrait of a young woman - bears the indelible features of the creator himself, his impression of the depicted object. In this sense, all painting is subjective and impressionistic. As for self-portraits, when they are created, the share of subjectivity is maximum. Unconsciously or intentionally, the painter transfers to the canvas what remains a secret behind seven seals for outsiders. That is why self-portraits primarily attract the attention of art historians as a valuable artifact that has a complete resemblance to the original on the external (pictorial) and internal emotional planes.

Lermontov-landscape painter

Not everyone knows that Lermontov painted pictures. According to the encyclopedia dedicated to the poet's work, his love for drawing manifested itself from an early age. The image of Lermontov in the form of a boy of two years indicates that even then he was trying to draw something on the scrolls. However, this gift manifested itself most fully during the first exile to the Caucasus. Focusing on the Rembrandt system, Lermontov created canvases on a military theme, portraits and, of course, landscapes. The last genre is the mostpresented in the pictorial heritage of the poet.

As you might guess, the material for the landscapes was the wonderful nature of the Caucasus. Take, for example, the canvas “Neighbourhood of the village of Karaagach”. All the features of Lermontov's artistic style are noticeable in it, starting with the bright coloring and the specifics of the arrangement of the figures and ending with the special perception of nature displayed in the picture. The last feature is subtle and appeals more to intuitive than to rational perception.

Lermontov-portrait painter

Compared to sketches of nature, the portrait heritage of the poet has fewer works. Among them are a self-portrait of Lermontov in a cloak, images of Vera Lopukhina, S. A. Raevsky, A. I. Odoevsky, made in watercolor (the list of paintings is incomplete). The poet also left several oil paintings and many sketches. The researchers note that many portraits are distinguished by psychological accuracy, as if foreshadowing the beginning of a new trend in art - realism.

Life circumstances

Scientists date Lermontov's self-portrait to 1837. The canvas was created during the first stay of the poet in the Caucasus, where he was sent for the poem "The Death of a Poet". M. Yu. Lermontov intended a self-portrait for Varvara Lopukhina, for whom he had tender feelings. The poet's second cousin, Akim Pavlovich Shan-Giray, testified that Lermontov's love affair with Lopukhina did not leave Lermontov until the end of his life.

The transfer of the canvas took place in June1838 - before Varvara left for Germany. From there, she sent Lermontov's self-portrait to A. M. Vereshchagina, who always encouraged any of his creative undertakings - painting, music and poetry. This is where the story of the canvas ends: for the next 80 years it was considered lost forever, so for a long time it was necessary to focus on the copy made by O. A. Kochetova in 1880.

Description of the picture

Lermontov's self-portrait of 1837 captures a young man dressed in the uniform of the Nizhny Novgorod regiment. A cloak is thrown over his shoulders, gazyrs are placed on his chest, and the poet holds a sword in his hand. The background is the Caucasus Mountains, which left a tangible mark in the memory of Mikhail Yuryevich, despite the fact that Lermontov could only enjoy their view for a few months.

On the reverse side of the picture there is an inscription in German, which names the creator of the picture. Of course, from the point of view of artistic performance, Lermontov's self-portrait cannot be called ideal. Art critics scrupulously look for flaws in it, like poorly traced hands. However, is it important when we have before us an important document demonstrating what Lermontov was experiencing at that time? An innocent, kind, somewhat childish face with a gloomy, sad, even tragic expression in the eyes is a kind of lyrical diary of the poet. And the inscription, intended for the beloved woman, now looks like a contrast, compared to the banal museum one: "Lermontov "Self-portrait" (watercolor, 1837)".

Further historycanvases

The 20th century dotted all i's in the history of the poet's self-portrait. Finally, the coveted canvas was found: in 1955, it was acquired by the German professor Winkler. Lermontov's self-portrait began to pass from hand to hand, until 7 years after its discovery, he came from the then West Germany to his homeland, to the greatest joy of his admirers.

Poet on the canvases of various artists

Of course, Lermontov's self-portrait, the description of which was presented above, is far from the only image of the poet. The earliest canvas depicting Mikhail Yurievich is considered to be a drawing by an unknown artist, possibly a serf, who transferred the outlines of a four-year-old child to paper. The second portrait also captures the poet as a child. The author of the canvas depicted a smartly dressed boy with combed hair. Some art historians question the authenticity of the painting, but its resemblance to the first image of Lermontov and the memories of the poet's brother testify to just the opposite.

There are no pictures of Lermontov during his studies in Moscow. Only in 1834, when he was transferred to cornet, did his grandmother commission a portrait of her grandson. The desire of the artist to somewhat embellish the appearance of the poet is obvious. At the same time, the portrait inspires confidence not only due to its good external resemblance to the original, but also due to Lermontov's true mood, the expression of his eyes.

The image of the poet, made by his art teacher Zabolotsky, has become widely known. The artist was not a great master, but the completed portrait testifies to a good knowledge of Lermontov's nature. The same can be said about other images of the poet, which perfectly complement our understanding of him.