The portrait art and landscape painting of the XVIII century

In the portrait art of the second half of the 18 century the passionate striving of the Russian artists for the life truth depicting revealed. At the same time with the festive portraits creation, the portraits of the progressive statesmen were created. These portraits were full of the inner world resources, brain power and nobility of the person. Russian portrait of that time gives the main characteristic features of the people of the 18 century. F.S.Rokotov worked in St.-Petersburg only till 1765 . But the images inner poetry, the delicacy of the shown relations, the light and gentle stroke are the main features of the earliest Petersburg period. His best canvases are the portraits of women, like the "Portrait of Varvara Surovtseva", the second half of the year 1780, the most fruitful period of his creative life.

The greatest achievements of the Russian portrait painting of the 18 century are connected with the creative work of D.G.Levitsky. During his work in Petersburg he made the large gallery of the portraits with the vivid characteristics of person, the attention to the reality and high professionalism. As well as the festive portraits of A.F.Kokorinov (1769 ) and Smolny Institute pupils (1773-1776), Levitsky created the number of the intimate, psychologically deep portraits of : D.Didro (1773), M.A.Diyakova (1778), the priest ( probably, artist's father's, 1779) and others.

The works of V.L.Borovikovsky, the third famous portrait artist of the 18 century, are full of lyrics, attention to the man's feelings and contemplation.The type of women's image, introduced by this artist in the 1790-s was very popular at that time. The brilliant example is the "Portrait of Yekaterina Arseniyeva" (second half of the 1790-s). In the 18 century the Russian landscape art was born. In the middle of the century M.I.Makhayev depicted the image of Petersburg in his masterpieces, full of the precise documentality and deep feelings. S.F. Schedrin, F.M.Matveyev and F.Ya.Alexeyev, graduates of the Academy of Arts, made the new contribution to the landscape art development. The parks and palaces of Tsarskoye Selo and Gatchina and Peterhof fountains are shown in the poetic, slightly decorative canvases of Semyon Schedrin. F.Ya.Alexeyev was the natural "singer" of the city landscape.