#bruillov

[imperial-russia]

Four portraits of noble ladies by A. P. Briullov

[ancienthistorythruart]

The Last Day of Pompeii

Like many other painters of his time Karl Briullov spent his youth abroad, traveling after the finishing of his studies to Rome and other places of culture. Painted in 1830 from sketches he made during his trip in 1828 Briullov’s The Last Day of Pompeii was one of the first Russian artworks to achieve acclaim abroad (Rice, 1959). Inspired by the neoclassical revival of the time as well as the beginnings of romanticism in art Briullov captures the typical essence of what a dramatic historical painting of the era would be. Briullov’s painting would inspire Pushkin and others to write (Rice, 1959) and paint with the same level of historical accuracy and detail. While none of his other works would achieve the acclaim of The Last Day of Pompeii Briullov’s contribution to art and history is valuable as an example of how the 19th century perceived ancient Rome.

                     With a passion for historical accuracy in his painting Briullov studied texts concerning ancient Rome and Pompeii including the writings of Pliny the Younger. While the accuracy of the clothing is questionable the actions of the people fleeing the imminent death Vesuvius would bring are painted in ways excavations have confirmed as true(Luongo). Excavations began in the 16th century and were still underway at the time of Bruillov’s visit in the 1800s. As a result, Bruillov was able to make extensive peremptory studies of artifacts and scenery before he painted the final product (Rice, 1959).  Archeological excavations have confirmed that people did indeed attempt to take statues, jewelry and various household goods with them as they left the city, some of which were abandoned as they realized the danger of the situation. Evidence of individuals with children has been found showing that parents indeed sheltered their children as fire and volcanic rock rained from the sky.           While initially hailed as the epitome of Romanticism, Bruillov’s work also has many aspects of the Historic and Dramatic periods of art that followed in the later 19th century (Blakesley, 2000). While the first impression of his painting is one of chaos closer analysis shows a more detailed story. The falling statues in the right corner of the painting capture the sense of destruction both of the city but also in the people’s faith in the gods they thought watched over them. The idea of showing the end of an era through the destruction of a city representing the values held in it was a novel one for the time. Later art depicting the fall of Rome would take this motif. New ideas and the beginning of the industrial age were rapidly changing the face of Europe while in many ways Russia stagnated due to non-industrialization and its status as an absolute monarchy. Whether Bruillov meant to call out to the idea of Russia being personified as one of the individuals remaining in the destruction refusing to leave; while the populace of the city or world changes and moves away from old ideas and ways of life is unknown. However, the metaphorical representation of such ideas was not uncommon in art work of the time and at the very least the crumbling of the building representing the government and arts of the society seems to indicate some larger idea to the view than just destruction. The man carrying the girl in the left corner of the painting attests to this as she is wearing a bridal crown, implying their recent if not immediate marriage preceding the eruption and the destruction of the family and potential futures as a result of her death. In regards to other individuals portrayed in the painting, it is known that the woman with the two daughters in the left corner is the Countess Samoilova who the artist considered his muse (Blakesley, 2000). Whether the children painted with her are representations of her actual children is unknown, however, rumors of her dalliance with the artist could have been represented by her presence in the scene of unfolding calamity (Rice, 1959). Perhaps the rocks and fire raining down as she attempts to shelter the children represent more than just physical harm and actually represent slander and gossip she must endure. The man fleeing with the older woman in the right corner is presumed to be a representation of Pliny the Younger attempting to flee with his mother from the devastation (Blakesley, 2000). This inclusion a nod to the individual whose writing had inspired Bruillov’s art. In the crowd to the left Bruillov also painted a self-portrait placing himself as an individual leaving the devastation. Whether this is symbolic of his fleeing the stagnation of the Russian art world or of his leaving the old ways and world to embrace the life offered outside of Russia is unknown, however, it is likely.