Description of the picture:
Family portrait – Konstantin Egorovich Makovsky. 1882. Oil on canvas. 183×139
Konstantin Egorovich Makovsky is a representative of one of the most interesting art clans of the XlX century. Growing up in an atmosphere of art (his father was one of the founders of the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture), the young man chose the path of a painter.
Konstantin Makovsky, in contrast to his elder brother Vladimir, the Wanderer artist, represents with his work an alternative line of painting – its “salon” version. Alien to the acute social problems of the time, he devoted his work to the era of Russia of the 17th century, in which he was attracted by the surroundings of painted royal chambers, the splendor of dresses embroidered with gold and pearls. Being, in the words of contemporaries, “a man-orchestra”, “bonvivan” and a dandy, Makovsky enlisted the support of a high society, the whole Russian nobility dreamed of being sealed with a brush by the maestro, and members of the royal family called him “their artist”.
In “Family Portrait” the painter depicted his wife – Julia Pavlovna Letkova with children – Sergey (future famous art critic) and Elena (who became a sculptor and graphic artist). Makovsky, with his inherent pictorial aesthetics, tries to reward his heroes with greater attractiveness. The workshop in which the portrait was painted fully conveys the atmosphere of luxury and the love of the owners of the house for beautiful objects."
