Pavel Fedotov. Portrait of an unknown architect

[Allena]

Published in:
"Neva" 2003, № 9
Mikhail Romm
Architect


All the little portraits in oils of P. Fedotov (1815-1852) - portraits of his friends and acquaintances. In the Russian Museum, they were in 1910-ies directly from them or their loved ones. Therefore, know exactly who is depicted. Only one picture came in a different way - from the former Museum of the Life Guards regiment of Finland (where he served until retirement captain Pavel Fedotov), which was once given to one of the officers. Image name, as seen by that time had forgotten. In the exposition of the Russian Museum it is considered a portrait of an unknown architect (certificate of his profession - objects on the table) 1.

Читать дальше... 

The attribution of the two portraits made in recent times, can now call his name. Unknown Architect - Karl-August A. Beyene (1816-1858). We know of two of his portrait: the dagerotipe Gogol among Russian artists in Rome in 1845, "2 and watercolor works by Alexander Ivanov, too, the mid-1840 godov3.

The resemblance is indisputable: the same shape of the nose and chin, superciliary arches and eyes, the same oval face, the same style of cutting hair, beard and mustache. Even he is dressed the same everywhere - typical Italian. It is no accident and all the details of the portrait. On the table next to the work over which employs a master, the open album with architectural drawings - two kanelirovannye columns with the projection base and entablature. Background of a portrait - a smooth wall, her two neo-gothic console with figures of the same style ...

In 1829, Karl Beyene, "the son of the master key-foreign affairs," an invitation to Russia and served in the Izhevsk arms factory, tried to enter the Academy of Arts. Was not adopted because of his youth and began to attend classes in the Academy as a foreign student. Then he became assistant to Alexander Bryullov to work on drawings and in the construction of the church in Pargolove4.

Interest in the Gothic style after a break of several decades, emerged in the Russian architecture in the second half of 1820. One of the first masters of the new style was a young A. Brullov. Built in 1831, his church in Pargolovo was a milestone in the development of the revived artistic direction. Gothic style and was very K. Beyene. Subsequently, in 1854-1858 years, it will restore and rebuild the medieval town hall in Riga, one of the most significant buildings of the city, in the English Gothic style, as if it nazyvalos5. Gothic console on the wall - an obvious allusion to the artistic style of running the table of the architect. Autumn 1836 K. Beyene received the title of the artist. In September 1839 a freelance writer Carl Beyene for the program of the barracks of the Guards Regiment, "was awarded the Gold Medal first dostoinstva6.

After a fire in the Winter Palace in 1837 for projects Alexandra Bryullov off with Big and Pompeian dining. Carl Beyene - his assistant in all the papers. Drawing on the table at Fedotovsky portrait of the architect - a fragment of a wall large dining room, still existing in the previous form.

In 1841 the Academy sent Charles Beyene pensioner "in foreign lands ... for improvement. During pensionerstva in Italy has traveled around the country, studied Rome and Pompeii. He visited Spain, Syria, Egypt, Greece. Extinct buildings of the Acropolis. In Sicily and in Istanbul, made sketches and measurements of Byzantine churches. Watercolors, which he sent to Russia at the exhibition, the Council of the Academy has always been "excellent" and acquired for cabinet prints. Traveling, K. Beyene collected works of early Italian painting. Most of the current Hermitage collection of Italian primitives - his sobranie7. Several zapisochek exchanged by Nikolai Gogol, Alexander Ivanov, and K. Beyene, show that they linked the friendly relations and the young architect, as Ivanov, understood the importance of "the most important of our writers" (words by A. Ivanov). In foreign watercolors K. Beyene see how artistically he became close to Ivanova - and their impressions, and in a picturesque manner, and in technology.

By early summer 1849 K. Beyene returned to St. Petersburg. Around 1850 he again sent abroad, to London to register the Russian section of the World exhibition. In Russia, he returned in April 1852 and was "numbered among the Cabinet of His Majesty the architect" 8. In the Journal of the Academy of Fine Arts May 10, 1852 reads: "Define: from the known talents returned from abroad artist Carl Beyene, it works in architecture and excellent achievements in the art to recognize it, Beyene, unanimously academician.

Thus, the portrait of K. Beyene could be written or in the summer and autumn of 1849, when he was in St. Petersburg, or in April-May 1852 (in early June Pavel Fedotov became ill and 14 November skonchalsya9).

KA Beyene died Nov. 5, 1858. "Early death has deprived his fatherland and the art of talented artist who could serve them with the greatest benefit," - recorded in the annual report of the Academy of Arts.

 

1 Pavel Fedotov. By the 175-th anniversary. Catalog (1993), № 19. Here is an excellent reproduction in color, so it can see all the details.

2 daguerreotype was first published V. Stassov in "Old and New Russia" for 1879. In this article, know the names of those photographed and where. In the indication of error: says that we are interested in - sculptor NA Ramazanov. Photographic accurate portrait NA Ramazanova (lithography in the Russian art sheet ", 1859, № 19) and profile sketch in the album NA Stepanova early 1840 (Pushkin House) suggest that it is sometimes confused with C. Beyene.

3 is stored in a private collection. First published: M. Romm "Unknown Watercolor Alexander Ivanov" (magazine "The World Museum, 1994, 5, pp. 50-51. In National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg have a photo KA Beyene on his deathbed.

4-ol and GA Alexander Bryullov, 1983, pp. 46-47.

5 Thieme-Becker. Allgemeines Lexicon der Bilden-den Knstler. v. Bassano-Bicknam, s. 210-211.

6 Petrov PN Collection of materials for the history of Imperial St. Petersburg Academy of Arts for a hundred years of its existence, 1866, Part II, pp. 389, Part III, pp. 102, 175.

7 Pyatnitskii A. K. A. Beyene Collection in the Hermitage. Monuments of Culture. New discoveries. 1994, pp. 311-323.

8 Russian Biographical Dictionary, Vol Aleksievsky-Bestuzhev-Rumin, pp. 660.

9 Druzhinin AV Remembering the Russian artist Pavel Andreich Fedotov. Moscow, 1918, pp. 58. Bulgakov F. Fedotov PA and it works with. 27 (from the memoirs LM Zhemchuzhnikova of PA Fedotov).