Pyotr Fyodorovich Sokolov (russian: link=no, Пётр Фёдорович Сóколов) (1791,
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
– , Merchik,
Kharkov Governorate
The Kharkov Governorate ( pre-reform Russian: , tr. ''Khárkovskaya gubérniya'', IPA: xarʲkəfskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə ) was a governorate of the Russian Empire founded in 1835. It embraced the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. Fro ...
) was a Russian
aquarelle portrait
A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this r ...
ist who painted many of the most distinguished figures of the
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, ...
era. He was the father of the painters
Pyotr Sokolov,
Pavel Sokolov and
Alexander Sokolov.
Early life
Sokolov was born in Moscow, and between the years of 1800 to 1809 he attended
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 T ...
where he studied with
Alexei Yegorov and
Vasily Shebuyev[Bibliographical article in Russia]
"Соколов Петр Федорович [1791 - 1848]"
Retrieved 1 April 2014. who both were very famous and respected artists. In 1809, Sokolov painted "Andromache Mourning Hector" ("Андромаха оплакивает убитого Гектора") for his institution's competition, receiving a minor gold medal as well as the title of "Artist". As part of the Academy's offerings, the students who won the major gold medal were also awarded a stipend to go abroad to enhance their education. Sokolov wanted to continue his education in Italy, so he stayed in school for one more year and participated in the contest again, but he did not manage to achieve this goal.
[
]
Career
Sokolov captured numerous people in his portraits, starting with fellow artists and ending with veterans of the Patriotic War of 1812
The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...
.[ Amongst those people individuals such as ]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 Vasily Zhukovsky
Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky (russian: Василий Андреевич Жуковский, Vasiliy Andreyevich Zhukovskiy; – ) was the foremost Russian poet of the 1810s and a leading figure in Russian literature in the first half of the 19t ...
, who were famous Russian poets, were included as well.[ Additionally, Sokolov received many commissions from various high-ranking persons. For example, the artist was invited by the imperial family to ]Anichkov Palace
The Anichkov Palace, a former imperial palace in Saint Petersburg, stands at the intersection of Nevsky Avenue and the Fontanka River.
History 18th century
The palace, situated on the plot formerly owned by Antonio de Vieira (1682?-1745), ...
where he painted a portrait of Nicholas I of Russia
, house = Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp
, father = Paul I of Russia
, mother = Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Gatchina Palace, Gatchina, Russian Empire
, death_date = ...
's three-year-old son, Alexander
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...
,[ and the work was a success with the family.
Some of Sokolov's commissioners repeatedly requested works from him. One of the people who were painted three times was Ekaterina Pavlovna Bakunina. She was depicted in the years 1816, 1828 and 1834. In her first portrait which was done in pencil, she is depicted as a youthful lady. In the aquarelle work of 1828, Sokolov managed to convey the features that were socially desirable and attractive at that time in her portrait. As for the 1834 portrait, one can easily see how Sokolov depicted Bakunina (now Poltoratskaya) as a married woman.][
Over the course of his life he created over 500 artworks,][ and not only are they found in private collections, since they are extremely valuable, but also in famous government museums such as ]State Russian Museum
The State Russian Museum (russian: Государственный Русский музей), formerly the Russian Museum of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III (russian: Русский Музей Императора Александра III), on ...
, State Tretyakov Gallery
The State Tretyakov Gallery (russian: Государственная Третьяковская Галерея, ''Gosudarstvennaya Tretyâkovskaya Galereya''; abbreviated ГТГ, ''GTG'') is an art gallery in Moscow, Russia, which is considered th ...
, and many others.[
]
Technique
Sokolov was one of the first to employ a special watercolour technique where emulsion was not utilized,[Bibliographical article in Russia]
"СОКОЛОВ Петр Федорович"
Retrieved 1 April 2014. In addition to that, he was the person who has started the genre of the aquarelle portraiture
A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this r ...
in Russian art.[Article in Russia]
"Портреты современников А.С.Пушкина в акварелях"
Retrieved 1 April 2014. From 1820 and onwards, he completely involved himself in perfecting his art form in which he succeeded.[ This technique in the years between 1820 and 1840 managed to replace the portrait miniatures that were popular in Russia prior to that. Even though Sokolov specialized in aquarelle painting, oftentimes he would use a ]graphite pencil
A graphite pencil, also called a lead pencil, is a type of pencil in which a thin graphite core is embedded in a shell of other material. The pencil shell is typically wooden, but can be made of plastic or recycled paper.
History
A large deposi ...
in order to manage his initial draft, as well as an aid for special effects to enhance his artworks.[Article in Russian online magazin]
"Эпохи верное зерцало: Петр Федорович Соколов - акварели (1791-1848) - мастер акварельного портрета пушкинской эпохи"
Retrieved 1 April 2014.
Works
Andromache by Sokolov.png, Andromache mourning killed Hector (1809)
Idalia Poletica portrait.jpg, Portrait of Idalia Poletica (1820s)
P.F. Sokolov 001.jpg, Portrait of the artist's wife (1827)
Alexander II by Sokolov.jpg, Alexander II of Russia
as a child (1828)
P.F. Sokolov.jpg, Portrait of Bakunina Ekaterina Pavlovna (1828)
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sokolov, Pyotr Fyodorovich
19th-century painters from the Russian Empire
Russian male painters
1791 births
1848 deaths
Russian portrait painters
Russian watercolorists
Artists from Moscow
Miniature painting
19th-century male artists from the Russian Empire