How were the fates of the beauties from the portraits of famous artists
Looking at the paintings of famous portraitists, you involuntarily think about the heroines of these canvases. Who were they-the muses of the great masters? The women looking from the portraits lived in their own era and inspired artists. Today they look at us through time and seem to be trying to reveal the secret of existence.
An arrogant beauty with an elegant figure is the 18-year-old Countess Lopukhina, nee Tolstaya. The artist received an order for a portrait of the young countess from her new husband. Stepan Lopukhin served as the huntsman of Paul I. In an effort to impress his young wife with generosity, he wanted to capture the beauty of his wife.
In the portrait, the girl looks quite healthy: a sparkle in her eyes, a playful look, a slight blush. The Countess is depicted as a forest nymph against the background of nature. Cornflower tones in the background are in harmony with the color of the wide belt. It would seem that nothing promises trouble.
However, the union of the newlyweds turned out to be unhappy. The couple did not have time to have children. Maria Lopukhina fell ill with consumption shortly after the wedding and died five years later. The picture was overgrown with bad rumors. It was said that death would overtake anyone who looked at the portrait.
Maria's father Ivan Tolstoy was fond of mysticism. Some people thought: grieving for his daughter, he enclosed her soul in a portrait. At one time, the picture was hidden so as not to bring misfortune on people. Patron Pavel Tretyakov personally found the famous portrait.
The painting depicts Yulia Samoylova, the first beauty of St. Petersburg and the great muse of the painter Karl Bryullov. The girl got married unsuccessfully and was widowed early. Soon Yulia Samoylova moved to Italy. There she met the famous composer Giovanni Pacini. Soon the friendly relations turned into love.
The composer raised two daughters: Amacilia and To Giovanina. Yulia Samoilova warmly received them. She later moved to Paris, where she died in complete poverty. The fate of the pupils of Yulia Samoilova remained unknown.
The famous artist worked on the portrait, suffering from severe pain caused by a spinal cord tumor. Kustodiev persuaded the famous theater actress Faina Shevchenko to pose nude for him. At that time, critics and viewers admired her talent and bright beauty.
Faina Shevchenko refused to pose nude for a long time. Arguing with the artist, she indignantly declared that she did not want to be disgraced in front of thousands of people. After a while, the actress still gave up. So there was a portrait of a tired, buxom merchant's wife.
The luxury model and the famous master met again at the exhibition. Faina Shevchenko, indignantly, noted that she was too fat in the portrait. To which the artist replied, kissing her hand: "What is it". Faina Shevchenko has given many years to work in theater and cinema. She lived a fruitful creative life and died at an advanced age.
The portrait has repeatedly found itself in the center of heated discussions. A beautiful mystery woman seems to challenge with her disdainful gaze. In fact, Ivan Kramskoy painted a portrait of his daughter Sophia. Little information has been preserved about the father's favorite.
It is known that she earned the status of "unreliable" and was repressed. Sofia inherited her father's talent, was fond of painting, often posed for her father's works. Vera Tretyakova, who was the same age as Sofia, described her as not very beautiful, but a lively, cheerful and unusually talented girl.
By the age of 16, Sofia had blossomed. The young artist danced beautifully and attracted the attention of fans with an extremely sharp mind and endless charm. Sofia fell in love with a promising young doctor Sergei Botkin. The engagement took place, preparations for the wedding were in full swing. Sofia was as happy as ever.
However, a few days before the celebration, the young man broke off the engagement. Sergey Botkin hastily married a friend of Sofia. The girl was hard going through the betrayal of a loved one and remained alone for a long time. She accepted a marriage proposal from George Junker at the age of 35, when she was already a famous artist.
Unfortunately, during the Civil War and the October Revolution, most of the paintings of Sofia Kramskaya were destroyed. The new authorities persecuted her for helping representatives of the former nobility. In 1930, the Bolsheviks arrested Sophia. She was charged with counter-revolutionary propaganda. A year later, the artist was pardoned, and a year after her release, she died.