 | Karl Pavlovich BRIULLOV 1799 — 1852Карл Павлович БРЮЛОВ • Карл Павлович БРЮЛЛОВKarl Pavlovich Briullov was born in St. Petersburg in 1799. He was the first Russian painter of international standing. He is regarded as a key figure in transition from the Russian neoclassicism to romanticism. Despite his education at the Imperial Academy of Arts (1809-1821) Briullov never fully embraced the Classical style taught by his mentors and promoted by his own brother, Alexander Briullov. After distinguishing himself as a promising and imaginative student and finishing his education, he left Russia for Rome. Here he worked until 1835 as a portraitist and genre painter, though his fame as an artist came when he got involved in historical painting. Here he painted his best-known work, The Last Day of Pompeii (1830-1833). It created a sensation in Italy and established Briullov as one of the finest European painters of his day. After completing this work, he triumphantly returned to the Russian capital, where he made many friends among the aristocracy and intellectual elite and obtained a high post in the Academy. While teaching at the Academy (1836-1848) he developed a portrait style which combined a neoclassical simplicity with a romantic. Due to his health condition, Briullov left Russia for Madeira in 1849 and spent the last three years of his life in Italy where he died in 1852. He is buried at the Cemeterio degli Inglesi in Rome. |
