![Natalia Pushkina by Brullov](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Natalia_Pushkina_by_Brullov.jpg)
Alexander Pavlovich Brullov (, spelled Brulleau until 1822, when the family name was changed according to Russian pronunciation, sometimes also spelled Brulloff; 29 November 1798 – 9 January 1877) was a Russian artist associated with Russian
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism was ...
.
Early life
Alexander Brullov was born in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
into a family of French artists: his great-grandfather, his grandfather, his father and his brothers (including
Karl Brullov
Karl Pavlovich Bryullov (russian: Карл Па́влович Брюлло́в; 12 December 1799 – 11 June 1852), original name Charles Bruleau, also transliterated Briullov and Briuloff, and referred to by his friends as "Karl the Great", was a ...
) were artists. His first teacher was his father Paul. He attended the
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the Thre ...
architecture class from 1810 to 1820, and graduated with honors. Along with his brother, Karl, he was sent to Europe to study art and architecture with a stipend from the Society for the Promotion of Artists.
Career
Alexander Brullov spent eight years abroad, from 1822 to 1830, in Italy, Germany and France, studying architecture and art. He painted many
watercolor
Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...
portraits at that time. Among the best were those of Yekaterina Pavlovna Bakunina,
John Capodistria
Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (10 or 11 February 1776 – 9 October 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias ( el, Κόμης Ιωάννης Αντώνιος Καποδίστριας, Komis Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias; russian: ...
,
Natalya Goncharova-Pushkina, wife of the Russian poet
Alexander Pushkin
Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...
and Yekaterina Ivanovna Zagryazhskaya, her aunt. He also did illustrations for books and magazines.
In 1831, after his return to Russia, he was appointed professor at the
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the Thre ...
and these were the years when he created his best architectural projects. Among others, he designed and supervised the construction of the following buildings in Saint Petersburg:
*
Mikhailovsky Theatre
The Mikhailovsky Theatre (russian: Миха́йловский теа́тр) is one of Russia's oldest opera and ballet houses. It was founded in 1833 and is situated in a historical building on 1, Arts Square in Saint Petersburg. It is named ...
(now Maliy Theater, 1831–1833)
*
Lutheran Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
The Lutheran Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (in russian: Лютеранская церковь Святых Петра и Павла or in German: Lutherische Kirche der Heiligen Peter und Paul) is a Lutheran church located in Saint Petersb ...
on
Nevsky Prospekt
Nevsky Prospect ( rus, Не́вский проспе́кт, r=Nevsky Prospekt (street), Prospekt, p=ˈnʲɛfskʲɪj prɐˈspʲɛkt) is the main street (high street) in the federal city of Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg in Russian Federation, ...
(1833–1838)
*
Pulkovo Observatory
The Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory (russian: Пулковская астрономическая обсерватория, Pulkovskaya astronomicheskaya observatoriya), officially named the Central Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academ ...
(1834–1839)
*The Guard Corps Headquarters on
Palace Square
Palace Square ( rus, Дворцо́вая пло́щадь, r=Dvortsovaya Ploshchad, p=dvɐˈrtsovəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ), connecting Nevsky Prospekt with Palace Bridge leading to Vasilievsky Island, is the central city square of St Petersburg a ...
(1837–1843).
He was one of the principal architects for the reconstruction of the
Winter Palace
The Winter Palace ( rus, Зимний дворец, Zimnij dvorets, p=ˈzʲimnʲɪj dvɐˈrʲɛts) is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the Emperor of all the Russias, Russian Emperor from 1732 to 1917. The p ...
after the fire of 1837. He designed many striking interiors there, including the ''Pompei Hall'', the ''
Malachite Room'', and the ''
White Hall
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
''.
In 1844 he designed and built
Orenburg Caravanserai in
Orenburg
Orenburg (russian: Оренбу́рг, ), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Ural River, southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is also very close to the Kazakhstan-Russia bor ...
.
His son
Pavel
Pavel (Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian and Macedonian: Павел, Czech, Slovene, Romanian: Pavel, Polish: Paweł, Ukrainian: Павло, Pavlo) is a male given name. It is a Slavic cognate of the name Paul (derived from the Greek Pavlos). Pavel ...
also became a painter of some note.
Brullov - portrait painter
Alexander Brullov was an outstanding watercolourist. He painted portraits of the Royal Family in Naples. He made a drawing of the
Coliseum
The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world t ...
in Rome for
Empress Maria Feodorovna.
In 1831–1832, he painted the famous watercolour portrait of Pushkin's wife Natalia Goncharova. It is one of her best portraits, and one of the best watercolours in the history of Russian art.
In 1837, Briullov painted his portrait of
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...
at an evening in Paris at the house of Princess
Golitsina and had the drawing transferred onto the lithographic stone. In 1830 in St Petersburg Brullov painted a watercolour portrait of Prince
Lopukhin Lopukhin (russian: Лопухин, from ''лопух'' meaning ''burdock'') is a Russian masculine surname, its feminine counterpart is Lopukhina. Notable people with the surname include:
*nobles from the Lopukhin family
The Lopukhin family was a ...
, a year later he painted a watercolour portrait of
Tsar Alexander Nikolaevich of Russia surrounded by cadets from the Guards corps.
Buildings designed by Brullov
File:Набережные и мосты канала Грибоедова 9.JPG, Mikhailovsky Theatre
The Mikhailovsky Theatre (russian: Миха́йловский теа́тр) is one of Russia's oldest opera and ballet houses. It was founded in 1833 and is situated in a historical building on 1, Arts Square in Saint Petersburg. It is named ...
File:Saint Petersburg Lutheran Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul IMG 5708 1280.jpg, Lutheran Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
The Lutheran Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (in russian: Лютеранская церковь Святых Петра и Павла or in German: Lutherische Kirche der Heiligen Peter und Paul) is a Lutheran church located in Saint Petersb ...
File:Pulkovo Observatory5.jpg, Pulkovo Observatory
The Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory (russian: Пулковская астрономическая обсерватория, Pulkovskaya astronomicheskaya observatoriya), officially named the Central Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academ ...
File:Guards Corps Headquarters SPB.jpg, East side of Palace Square
Palace Square ( rus, Дворцо́вая пло́щадь, r=Dvortsovaya Ploshchad, p=dvɐˈrtsovəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ), connecting Nevsky Prospekt with Palace Bridge leading to Vasilievsky Island, is the central city square of St Petersburg a ...
Writings
*''Thermes de Pompéi''. A. Firman Didot, Paris, 1829.
''Thermes de Pompéi''
arachne.uni-koeln.de Retrieved 22 November 2017.
References
Literature
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brullov, Alexander
1798 births
1877 deaths
Artists from Saint Petersburg
19th-century painters from the Russian Empire
Russian male painters
Architects from Saint Petersburg
Russian watercolorists
19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire
Privy Councillor (Russian Empire)