Portraits of Derzhavin Gabriel

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

Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin is the greatest poet, a representative of Russian classicism, a public figure who completely devoted his life and his work to serving the motherland and the empress. He became the founder of solemn poetry, which became an integral part of the reign of Catherine II. An extraordinary personality, truth-seeker and champion of honor, he inscribed his name in the history of our country for centuries.

The path from a soldier to a minister

The future poet was born on July 14, 1743 in the small village of Karmachi, near Kazan. His parents were small estate nobles: his mother, Fekla Andreevna Kozlova, and his father, whom he lost in early childhood, second-major Roman Nikolaevich.

Gavriil Romanovich, having studied for several years at the Kazan Gymnasium, left it and entered the service of the Preobrazhensky Regiment as an ordinary soldier, in which he participated in the overthrow of Peter III and the enthronement of Catherine II. Already in 1772, Derzhavin became an officer and took part in the suppression of the Pugachev uprising.

Changing the militarycivil service, the great poet was in the service of the Senate for some time. But this path has also been thorny. Being a great champion of honor and justice, Gavriil Romanovich never got along with money-loving and greedy officials, and therefore constantly changed jobs. In 1782, Derzhavin wrote an enthusiastic ode "Felitsa", dedicated to the great Empress Catherine, for which he was appointed governor of Olonets, and then Tambov.

The outstanding poet managed not to please the Empress herself, for which he was dismissed from the post of her personal cabinet-secretary. In 1802-1803, he held the honorary position of Minister of Justice, but he did not find moral satisfaction here either, so he retired at the age of 60.

Creativity for the Motherland

Being in the service of the empress, Derzhavin did not leave poetry. She was his world, his integral part. The great poet began to print in 1773. Faithful to the ideas of an enlightened monarchy, Derzhavin tried to be a follower of Lomonosov and Sumarokov.

Since 1779, Gavriil Romanovich began to adhere to his own style in his work - philosophical lyrics. So the odes "On the Death of Prince Meshchersky", "God", "Waterfall", etc. were created. Gavriil Romanovich was a multifaceted poet. Before his death, in 1816, he began to create in the genre of dramaturgy and created several tragedies: Dobrynya, Herod and Mariamne, Pozharsky, etc. Being at the origins of the literary circle "Conversation of Russian Loverswords", Derzhavin favored Zhukovsky, and was also one of the first to see the talent of the young Pushkin. In 1816, the poet died on the estate of Zvanka, Novgorod province.

The image of Derzhavin in portraits

Undoubtedly, the perception of a historical person is inextricably linked with her portraits, which have come down to us from the depths of time. Gabriel Derzhavin was no exception. During his lifetime, several wonderful portraits were painted, thanks to which we can get a complete picture of this outstanding person.

The brushes of the artist V. L. Borovikovsky belong to two portraits of Gavriil Derzhavin, dating back to 1795 and 1811. On them, the poet is depicted at various periods of his life. The artists A. A. Vasilevsky and N. Tonchi also immortalized the image of the poet in their canvases. The history and fate of these portraits are different, but one thing is the same: a man with lively, intelligent eyes is looking at us from the canvases, a man of a brilliant mind and rare dignity.

Derzhavin in portraits by V. L. Borovikovsky

Borovikovsky is a famous portrait painter of the 18th century, an academician of painting, thanks to whom we now know what the outstanding personalities of that time looked like. He painted portraits of Paul I, Catherine II, Prince Kurakin and many others. He also created two well-known portraits of Gavriil Romanovich Derzhavin.

In the portrait dating back to 1795, the poet and public figure appears before us in his ceremonial attire with high awards. Looking at him, we understand that he is an energetic person,industrious and extraordinarily perceptive. Derzhavin looks proudly, but at the same time good-naturedly, with a certain half-smile. One gets the impression that the artist found Derzhavin at work: the poet is seated against the backdrop of a rich bookcase covered with a curtain, and his hand is laid on documents and manuscripts. You can contemplate this canvas in the State Tretyakov Gallery.

In another portrait of Derzhavin in 1811, we see a somewhat elderly man, in whose wise eyes the fire of life and the thirst for activity still burn. The poet is also in full dress here, but there are already many more awards on him, which speaks of high achievements over the years of his life. The portrait was painted not in the interior, but in a more serious manner, against a dark background, which is uncharacteristic for the artist.

Noble old age

The portrait of Derzhavin Vasilevsky dates back to 1815. It depicts the poet a year before his death. Vasilyevsky sees him as an elderly, wise man who once held a high rank and was in good standing at court. Despite his advanced age, the same liveliness and inquisitive mind are visible in his eyes.

Gavriil Romanovich appears before us in his home attire, with a nightcap on his head. One gets the feeling that he, getting ready for bed, has not yet had time to put out the candle in his hands, and it illuminates with its calm light a face in noble wrinkles and a dark room.

Irkutsk Derzhavin

An interesting background to the creation of portraits of Derzhavin by the Italian N. Tonchi. The fact is that the Irkutsk merchant anda great admirer of the poet's work, Sibiryakov sent a rich hat and a sable fur coat as a gift to his idol. It is in this vestment that the poet appears in two identical portraits of huge sizes created by the Italian. Derzhavin is depicted seated in the snow at the foot of a cliff.

One of the portraits found its place in the dining room of the St. Petersburg house of the great poet. On it, the author left a signature in Latin, which reads: "Justice is in the rock, the prophetic spirit is in the ruddy sunrise, and the heart and honesty are in the whiteness of the snow."

The second canvas went to Sibiryakov, to his great joy and pride. The portrait of G. R. Derzhavin was placed in a special Derzhavin living room. After the ruin of the merchant, the painting was kept in a warehouse for a long time, being exposed to dampness and cold. The exiled artist Vronsky gave her a second life, who not only skillfully repaired the damage to the portrait, but also became a co-author of the great Tonchi, painting a view of old Irkutsk in the background.

The ordeal of the canvas did not end there. In 1917, during the battle of the Red Guards with the junkers, it was badly damaged by bullets and, it seemed, could no longer be restored. But in 1948-1952. Thanks to the great efforts of the restorers, this work of art has found a new life again. The portrait, which once belonged to the poet himself, is kept today in the Tretyakov Gallery, its second version can be seen in the art gallery of the city of Irkutsk.