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Tropinin Vasily Andreevich

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30.03.1776 – 15.05.1857

In the Voronezh Regional Art Museum. Kramskoy presented several works of the famous Russian portraitist Vasily Andreyevich Tropinin. His work is distinguished from a galaxy of painters of the early XIX century by the simplicity and sincerity of poses, the truthfulness of the characters and the authenticity of the details. Vasily Tropinin tried not to overload the details of his work, his models have a minimum of accessories, they are written on a neutral background, the main character of his works is a person, not his status and wealth, the front portrait is not at all close to the artist. And it’s not surprising.

Vasily Tropinin was born on March 30, 1776 in the family of a serf belonging to Count Minikh. The father of the artist received a free service for his service, and his family became a member of the daughter’s dowry and became her husband’s property, Morkova II. The propensity for drawing and talent in the boy was noticed by the Count’s cousin, and insisted on the arrival of Tropinin as an entertainer to the Academy of Arts . After studying at the academy under the direction of Academician Stepan Shchukin until 1804, the artist achieved a silver and gold medal for his services, and according to tradition in the Academy, Tropinin expected to receive freestyle, but this was not to come true. The Count recalled him to his estate in Ukraine, where Vasily Tropinin was destined to meet his future wife, a free farmer Anna Katin. By law, marrying a serf, she also became the property of Morkova. Only in 1823 the 47-year-old artist got free, but his family remained in serfdom for another five years.

Vasily Tropinin lived a hard but surprisingly creative life, created a huge number of portraits, the artist died in 1857 in the spring of May 15, was buried in Moscow at the Vagankovskoye cemetery.

V.A. Tropinin
Portrait of N.P. Panina
1855
© VOKhM im. I.N. Kramskoy