Characteristics and description of the picture of Bryullov "The Last Day of Pompeii"

In Italy, wrote a grand canvas great painter Bryullov - "The Last Day of Pompeii." The description of the picture will be presented in our article. Contemporaries gave the work the most enthusiastic reviews, and the artist himself was called the Great Karl.

A little bit about KI Briullov

The painter was born in 1799 in a family that, since his great-grandfather, was associated with art. Having graduated from the Academy of Arts with a gold medal, he, together with his brother Alexander, a gifted architect, goes to Rome. In the Eternal City he works fruitfully, paints portraits and paintings that delight the public, critics and crowned persons. Six years over the monumental dense worked Karl Bryullov. "The Last Day of Pompeii" (a description of the picture and its perception by the Italians can be expressed in one word - a triumph) became a masterpiece for the inhabitants of the country. They believed that the canvas of the artist evokes thoughts about the heroic past of their homeland at the time when the whole country is seized by the struggle for freedom.

Historical facts

Description of the painting Bryullov "The Last Day of Pompeii" must start with an interesting fact: the master visited excavations under Vesuvius in 1827. This spectacle was simply stunned. It was clear that life was suddenly interrupted in the city. The tracks on the pavement were fresh, the colors of the inscriptions were bright, and they informed of the renting of the premises and about the upcoming entertainments. In the taverns, where only sellers were missing, the tables left traces of cups and bowls.

Beginning of work

Description of the painting Bryullov "The Last Day of Pompeii" we begin with a story about the artist's many years of preparatory work, which lasted three years. At first a composite sketch was made for a fresh impression. After that, the artist began to study historical documents. The artist found the information he needed in the letters of the witness of this natural disaster Pliny the Younger and the famous Roman historian Tacitus. They describe a day covered in darkness, crowds of rushing people who do not know where to run, screams, moans ... Someone lamented its imminent death, others - the death of loved ones. Above the rushing figures - a dark sky with zigzags of lightning. In addition, the artist created more and more sketches, wrote various groups of people, changed the composition. This constitutes a preliminary description of Bryullov's painting "The Last Day of Pompeii." The place where the action takes place, for him it was clear at once - the crossroads of the Tomb street. As soon as Bryullov imagined a rolling, heart-rending blow of thunder, he vividly imagined how all the people froze ... A new feeling added to their fear: the inevitability of tragedy. This was reflected in the artist's last composition and composes a description of Bryullov's painting "The Last Day of Pompeii." Materials of archaeological excavations gave the artist objects of everyday life for his canvas. The voids that formed in the lava preserved the contours of some bodies: the woman fell from the chariot, here are the daughters and the mother, these are the young spouses. At Pliny, the artist borrowed the image of a mother and a young man.

Selfless Labor

Three years of work on a huge canvas. Rafael had a huge influence on the compositional and plastic solution, on the characteristics and description of Bryullov's painting "The Last Day of Pompeii." The artist had previously studied with him, copying the fires "Fire in Borgo" and "Athenian School", where about forty characters work. How many heroes are depicted on Bryullov's multifigured canvas? It was very important in the work on the picture to introduce into it his contemporaries, bringing closer to distant eras. So the portrait of the athlete Marini appeared on the canvas - the figure of the father in the family group. Under the brush of the artist there is an image of his favorite model of Julia Samoilova, then in the form of a girl, then in the form of a mother. Yu Samoilov was the embodiment of his ideal, which glowed with the power and passion of beauty. Her image filled the imagination of the artist, and all the women on his canvas acquired the favorite features of the master.

The composition of the painting: a combination of romanticism and classicism

Romanticism and classics boldly connects on the canvas Bryullov ("The Last Day of Pompeii"). The description of the picture can be briefly described so that in the composition the master did not aspire to conclude everything in classical triangles. In addition, listening to the voice of romanticism, he portrayed a massive folk scene, violating the classical principle of bas-relief. The action develops, leaving deep into the canvas: a man has fallen from the chariot, which frightened horses carry away. The viewer's view involuntarily rushes after him into the abyss, into the cycle of events.

But not all dispassionate ideas of classicism left the painter. His characters are beautiful externally and internally. The horror of their position is drowned out by the perfect beauty of the characters. By this, the tragedy of their condition is softened for the viewer. In addition, the composition uses a contrast reception between panic and tranquility.

Composition of action

In the canvas, filled with movement, the rhythm of gestures of hands and movements of bodies is very important. Hands guard, protect, hug, with anger extend to the sky and fall powerlessly. Like sculptures, their shapes are bulky. They want to be bypassed, so that they can more closely examine. The contour clearly covers each figure. This classic device was not rejected by romantics.

Coloring canvases

Tragically gloomy is the day of the disaster. Darkness, absolutely impenetrable, hung over people in distress. These black clouds of smoke and ash tear sharp bright lightning. The horizon floods the blood-red light of the fire. Its reflections lie on falling buildings and columns, on people - men, women, children - adding an even greater tragedy to the situation and showing an imminent threat of death. Bryullov tends to the naturalness of lighting, violating the requirements of classicism. He subtly captures the reflexes of light and connects them with distinct chiaroscuro.

Characters of canvas characters

Description and analysis of the picture Bryullov "The Last Day of Pompeii" will be incomplete, if you do not consider all the people acting in the picture. For them, the day of the Last Judgment has come: the stone monumental buildings are crumbling, like paper, from earthquakes. There was a rumble all around, cries for help, prayers to the gods, who refused the unfortunate. The essence of the human soul is completely exposed before the face of death. All groups, which are in fact a portrait, face the viewer.

Right side

Among nobleness there are low-minded persons: a mercenary thief who carries jewels in the hope that he will survive. A pagan priest who escapes and tries to escape, forgetting that he should pray to the gods for mercy. Fear and confusion in the composition of the family, covered with a veil ... This is the description of Bryullov's painting "The Last Day of Pompeii." A photo of the masterpiece in the article shows in detail how a young father raises his hand to heaven in prayer. Children hugging their mother knelt. They are motionless and just waiting for the terrible inevitable fate. They have no one to help. A Christian with a bare chest and a cross on it believes in a future resurrection.

Only one figure is calm - an artist. His task is to be above the fear of death and forever to capture the tragedy. Bryullov, introducing his portrait into the picture, shows the master as a witness of the drama that was played out.

The central and the left of the canvas

In the center is a young mother, who has broken up tightly, and is embraced by a child who does not understand anything. This is a very tragic episode. The deceased symbolizes the death of the ancient world.

Self-sacrificing sons carry a powerless old father. They are filled with love for him and do not think at all of their own salvation.

The young man persuades the sitting mother to stand up and go to save himself. Together this is difficult, but nobility does not allow a young man to leave an old woman.

The young guy peers into the face of a gentle bride, completely lost his strength of spirit from the rumbling, the kind of death, the fiery glow, which they are promised death. He does not depart from his beloved, although death can overtake them at any moment.

The key picture in the history of art was destined to become a masterpiece "The Last Day of Pompeii" by K. Bryullov. He caught the spirit of the times and created a canvas for those who are able to sacrifice everything for the sake of their loved ones. About ordinary people, whose moral concepts stand immeasurably high during the cruel trials. The spectacle of how bravely they endure the heavy burden that has fallen to their lot should serve as an example, as in any era and in any place there is a true love for man.