1.Cleopatra

You might think you don’t know something about her. Well, let's pretend that you fell from the moon, and we'll tell you. Lived in the 1st century BC. NS. Lady of Egypt. Mistress of Caesar and Mark Antony. Glorified for her beauty, lover of milk baths and lapping from dissolved pearls. She died due to technical problems with the snake. By the way, the images on the coins are the only 100% proven portraits of the queen. And they all look something like this.

2.Lina Cavalieri

Opera singer. She lived at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. She was considered one of the most beautiful women of the era. Postcards with her images were sold in the millions, and any soap considered it a duty to adorn its advertisement with the famous "sand-hour" figure of the busty singer, who was famous for her ability to tighten the corset so that her waist did not exceed 30 centimeters.

3.Phryne

The Athenian hetaira, who lived in the 4th century BC, is a favorite model of many sculptors and painters, including Praxiteles. She became famous for her beauty and huge money - she demanded them from those gentlemen that she did not like.

4.Cleo de Merode

French dancer who was born in the late 19th century and became one of the most famous women in the world for her beauty. She received the title of "Queen of Beauty" by the French magazine "Illustcion", which made the world's first rating of world beauties in 1896.

5.Ninon de Lanclos

French courtesan and writer of the 17th century, one of the most free-thinking women of her era. We wrote - XVII century? It is necessary to add: the entire XVII century. And she also managed to capture the edge of the eighteenth, becoming the absolute record holder among the veterans of the courtesan movement.

6.Praskovya Zhemchugova

Rare Cinderellas in reality manage to ring princes, but there is at least one case in history when a count, a millionaire and the most resplendent of the nobles of his time, married his own slave. At the end of the 18th century, Parasha Zhemchugova, a serf actress of Count Sheremetev, became the wife of her master, scandalizing Russian society.

7.Diane de Poitiers

The 16th century favorite of Henry II, for the sake of which the king actually ruined his subjects. The king was much younger than his beloved, he fell in love with Diana in fact in infancy and throughout his life remained faithful to her, if not physically, then at least mentally. As contemporaries wrote, "for all the hatred of the people for Diana, this hatred is still less than the king's love for her."

8.Ann Bolein

English short-term queen of the XVI century, the second wife of Henry VIII, because of whom the British became Protestants. Mother Elizabeth the Great was known for her beauty and frivolity and ended her life on the scaffold, accused by her husband of numerous betrayals to him and England.

9.Messalina

She lived at the beginning of the 1st century A.D. e, was the wife of the emperor Claudius and enjoyed the reputation of the most lustful woman in Rome, according to the testimony of Tacitus, Suetonius and Juvenal.

10.Empress Theodora

In the VI century A.D. NS. Theodora became the wife of the heir to the imperial throne, and then the emperor of Byzantium, Justinian. But before becoming a pious and venerable queen, Theodora spent many years practicing pantomime and acrobatics in the circus, at the same time selling herself a little to especially admired connoisseurs of circus art.

11.Barbara Radziwill

A young Lithuanian widow, who in the 16th century became the secret wife of the future king of Lithuania and Poland, Sigismund II Augustus. She was considered the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.

12.Simonetta Vespucci

If you have seen the painting "The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli, then you are well aware of this famous Florentine model of the 15th century. It is easier to list which of the artists of that era did not paint the red-haired Simonetta. And the Medici dukes (with some of them the model had a trusting relationship) were officially obliged to indicate her in the documents as "Incomparable Simonetta Vespucci."

13.Agnes Sorel

French mademoiselle of the 15th century, a longtime favorite of Charles VII, who gave birth to daughters to the king, beneficially, according to contemporaries, influenced his politics, and in her free time she posed for artists - for example, Fouquet, when he portrayed Madonnas for churches and private customers.

14.Nefertiti

The main wife of Pharaoh Ehanaton, who ruled in Egypt in the XIV century BC. NS. Numerous busts and statues of the beautiful Nefertiti have been preserved. But the mummy of the queen has not yet been found, so it is not known how similar it was to her very attractive portraits, which literally drove many poets and writers of the early 20th century who saw these works in European museums crazy.

15.Marquise de Mentenon

The young widow of the poet Scarron was invited to the court of Louis XIV by the king's favorite, Madame de Montespan, so that poor Scarron would be engaged in the education of the royal bastards. The king was so delighted with her pedagogical techniques that he wished to try them on himself. To the great indignation of the entire court, he not only made a new mistress the Marquise of Mentenon, but then also secretly married her.

16.Marquise de Montespan

The favorite of Louis XIV, who lived in the 17th century, herself came from a noble ducal family, so the French court willingly tolerated such a high-ranking mistress near the king. Moreover, the marquise was pretty (by the standards of the time, at least) and smart enough not to get too involved in state affairs.

17.Zinaida Yusupova

The richest and most beautiful woman of the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Moreover, being the only heiress of the entire family of princes Yusupov, she, by special order of the tsar, in addition to a multimillion dowry, brought her husband the title of Prince Yusupov. How many fans do you think she had? The winner of this tiring race was Count Sumarokov-Elston - a general, a brave man with a large mustache.

18.Wallis Simpson

Each of us sometimes wonders what he is worth in this life. Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American woman, had an answer to this question. It costs a little more than the British Empire. At least, this is the decision of the King of Britain Edward VIII, who abdicated in 1936 in order to marry Wallis: while occupying the throne, he had no right to marry a divorced woman.

19.Madame Recamier

Fifty-year-old banker Jean Recamier, who married sixteen-year-old Julie in 1793, knew what he was doing. He did not go to his beauty with vulgar sex, but invited to her the best teachers that could only be found in revolutionary France. A couple of years later, he generously financed her house, her outfits and her social life, encouraging the young wife to attract crowds of friends and fans from the then elite. Thanks to the famous political, literary and scientific salon Madame Recamier, the banker became one of the most influential people in Europe.

20.Yang guifei

The precious wife of the Chinese emperor Ming Huang, who is better known by the posthumous name of Xuanzong (reigned in the 8th century). A beggar girl from a peasant Yang family drove the emperor insane so much that he put virtually all power in the state into the hands of her numerous relatives, and he himself amused himself with Yang-guifei by eating fused oranges and other Chinese refinement. The natural result was a coup and civil war.

21.Veronica Franco

There were many tourists in Venice in the 16th century. It was not so much Venetian canals that attracted to this city masters from distant lands, but rather “pious courtesans” - that was the official name of the most elegant corrupt women of the city, who were refined, educated, free in communication and ruined their cavaliers in the most noble way. One of the most famous pious courtesans was Veronica Franco.

22.Aspasia

An Athenian hetaira who became the wife of the ruler of Athens Pericles (5th century BC). Hetero in the wives of the ruler was in itself a curiosity, but another feature of Aspazia was that numerous authors did not say a word about her being beautiful or sexy. No, everyone praises her outstanding intelligence in unison. It is known, for example, that Socrates himself was very fond of visiting Aspazia and listening to her philosophical discourses.

23.Isadora Duncan

The star of the early 20th century, an American dancer who introduced the tradition of "natural" dance in spite of the official ballets on pointe and other classical horrors. Naturalness also demanded natural attire, so Isadora danced usually barefoot, casually wrapped in a variety of fluttering sheets that did not prevent the audience from following the movements of her body. She was the wife of the Russian poet Sergei Yesenin.

24.Kitty fisher

The most expensive courtesan in Britain in the 18th century: a night with her cost at least a hundred guineas (for this amount you could buy ten thoroughbred horses). At the same time, Kitty took ten times more money from the men she didn’t like. Her great love for money was accompanied by terrible extravagance. Kitty's symbol was the image of a kitten catching goldfish from an aquarium - her name, surname and character were simultaneously played in it.

25.Harriett Wilson

In the first half of the 19th century, the scandalous life of London existed mainly due to the six Wilson sisters, who were engaged in high-society prostitution. The most successful of them was Sophia, who managed to marry Lord Berwick, and the most famous was Harriett. It is difficult to find a famous politician of that era who managed not to end up in Harriett's bed. The future King George IV, Lord Chancellor, Prime Minister, Duke of Wellington - they all had a close relationship with Harriett. Officially, she was considered a writer: she published monstrously unpopular and boring Gothic novels at her own expense.

26.Mata Hari

The Dutch young lady Margarita Gertrude Zelle took the pseudonym Mata Hari for herself after having lived in an unsuccessful marriage with her first husband in Indonesia, ran away from her husband and began to perform striptease. Officially, Mata's striptease was called "mystical oriental dance, pleasing to Shiva." During the First World War, she was a spy, a double agent of France and Germany, after which she was obscenely hastily shot by the French in 1917. The version still prevails that in this way some of the high-ranking officials of France tried to hide their connection with Mata and their own war crimes.

27.Tullia d'Aragona

An Italian courtesan of the 16th century who alternately shocked Rome, Florence and Venice. In addition to her own sexual victories over the most outstanding talents and minds of the Italian Renaissance, Tullia was famous as a poet, writer and philosopher. For example, her "Dialogues on the Infinity of Love" was one of the most popular works of the century.

28.Carolina Otero

French dancer and singer of the late 19th century, posing as a gypsy, although in fact she was a purebred Spanish woman (but then it was not fashionable). Enjoyed great success among the crowned persons. At least seven kings and emperors were her secret lovers. Among other things, it is known that the Russian Emperor Nicholas II was extremely partial to Carolina.

29.Liana de Pugy

A French dancer and writer of the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, who also slightly traded herself for an extremely large reward (Liana herself liked girls more, so she had love affairs mainly with her beautiful colleagues). Marcel Proust copied one of his heroines from Liana - Odette de Crécy. Mademoiselle de Pougy was friends with almost all the intellectuals of her era. Having married a Romanian aristocrat, she became a princess and retired.

30.Countess di Castiglione

Born in 1837, Italian Virginia Aldoini became the world's first top fashion model. More than 400 of its daguerreotypes have survived. Being a noblewoman from an old family, she married Count Castiglione at the age of 16, but she preferred the fate of a high society courtesan and politician to a quiet family life. She was the mistress of Napoleon III.

31.Ono no Komachi

9th century Japanese poetess and lady-in-waiting, included in the list of "36 Greatest Poets of Japan". The hieroglyphs denoting her name have become synonymous with the phrase "beautiful woman." At the same time, Ono no Komachi was a symbol of coldness and cruelty. It is known, for example, that she made her lovers stand in front of her doors in light clothes all night long in winter, after which she composed sad poems about their early death from a cold.

32.Empress Xi Shi

In the VI century BC. NS. To the ruler of the Chinese kingdom Wu, Fuchai, ill-wishers from neighboring kingdoms sent a gift - the incredible beauty Xi Shi, accompanied by a retinue of beautiful maids. At the sight of Xi Shi, Fuchai's mind drove over his mind. He ordered to create a park with a palace for her and hung out in this palace all day and night. Of course, his kingdom was soon conquered by the scoundrels who came up with this cunning plan.

Peter Fedorovich Sokolov (1791-1848)

The immense expanses of Russia, the diversity of nature and the diversity of the peoples who inhabited it, gave birth to special, diverse types of female beauty. Everything was absorbed by Russia, and southern Turkish blood, and western German, and northern Polish ... What kind of beauties you will not find in its vastness ...

"Portrait of an Unknown Woman in a Red Beret"

Sokolov - the founder of the genre of Russian watercolor portrait from life, which supplanted in the 1820s-40s. portrait miniature. His watercolor portraits are windows into the past, through which secular beauties who have long left the world look into the 21st century. The beauty of a dull color, the charm inherent in images, make us even now, after more than one and a half years, highly appreciate his art.

"Portrait of a Girl in a Red Dress"

Pyotr Fedorovich graduated from the Academy of Arts in 1809 with a degree in historical painting. For "Andromache's lamentation over the body of Hector" he received the second (minor) gold medal. At first he was poor, but pretty soon he began to give painting lessons and began to study watercolors, which had great success due to the speed of execution, the ability to write without tiring posing. Having a home collection of watercolors before 1917 was considered a sign of good taste and wealth. But, creating beautiful portraits, the artist actually killed himself with the thoughts that he did not write large plot canvases that should have immortalized him ...

"Portrait of I. G. Polettika" Second half of the 1820s

Idalia Grigorievna Poletika (1807–1890), illegitimate daughter of Count GA Stroganov. At the age of 19, she married the cavalry guard A.M. Poletik and over the years has become a fairly prominent lady of the St. Petersburg world. She personified the type of a charming woman not so much with a pretty face, but with a kind of brilliant mind, cheerfulness and liveliness of character, which brought her constant, undoubted success everywhere. Played a tragic role in the preduel story of A.S. Pushkin, was his worst enemy.

"Portrait of A.S. Glinka-Mavrina"

Alexandra Semyonovna Glinka-Mavrina (1825-1885) - wife of Boris Grigorievich Glinka, the Andreevsky cavalier, adjutant general, nephew of V.K. Kuchelbecker. In 1830 Glinka served as an intermediary between Pushkin and Küchelbecker in an attempt to publish works. Pushkin knew his wife.

"Portrait of P.N. Ryumina" 1847

Praskovya Nikolaevna Ryumina (1821-1897). The portrait was ordered for the wedding. VA Sollogub wrote that the groom “pledges to the most ridiculous extravagance ... There will be indispensable gifts. A portrait painted by Sokolov, a sensitive bracelet, a Turkish shawl ... "

"Portrait of S.A. Urusova" 1827

Princess Sofya Aleksandrovna Urusova (1804-1889) "... The daughters of Prince Urusov were rightly considered an adornment of Moscow society at that time," wrote the French historian Mark Runier. In the spring of 1827, Pushkin often visited the Urusovs' house;

"Portrait of the Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna" 1821

The Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna (1798–1860) has been the wife of Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich, the future Emperor Nicholas I since 1817. She became the idol of a whole generation; many poets of the Pushkin era dedicated their poems to her.

This portrait is one of the undoubted masterpieces. The masterly painted airy pearl-pearl outfit of the august person contrasts with the cold gaze of her eyes, creating a very ambiguous image.

"Portrait of E.K. Vorontsova" about 1823

This portrait is one of Sokolov's masterpieces. The famous St. Petersburg beauty was painted by many artists, but no one has portrayed her as charming and feminine. The artist uses the surface of white paper in the image, creating an airy background with a light watercolor fill. Vorontsova's portrait delights with the perfection of filigree finishing, the sophistication of subtle color combinations.

"Portrait of YP Sokolova" Around 1827

Julia Pavlovna Sokolova (1804-1877), since 1820 the wife of P.F. Sokolov. “Alive, flirtatious, almost a child, she never missed him. She loved secular life, and her husband, who was in love with her to adoration, apparently fully shared her tastes, ”recalled their granddaughter AA Isakova. This, one of the most heartfelt portraits, was created "in one session, in one morning."

"Portrait of AO Smirnova - Rosseti"

Alexandra Osipovna Smirnova (1809-1882), a friend of Pushkin, Gogol, Zhukovsky, Vyazemsky, Aksakovs ... Almost all the poets of the Pushkin era dedicated poetry to her. Gogol was the first to read to her the chapters of the 2nd volume of Dead Souls. She left the most interesting memories of the secular, literary and spiritual life of the 19th century.

"Portrait of E.M. Khitrovo"

Elizaveta Mikhailovna Khitrovo (1783-1839), daughter of MI Golenishchev-Kutuzov. European educated, Elizaveta Mikhailovna was at the same time a sincere patriot, a devoted guardian of her father's glory, an ardent admirer of Russian literature and an enthusiastic admirer of the genius of Pushkin. The artist managed to convey in the portrait the great spiritual generosity, kindness and nobility of this extraordinary woman's nature. The portrait was painted a year before the death of Elizabeth Mikhailovna.

"Portrait of MT Pashkova with her daughter Alexandra"

"Portrait of an Unknown Woman in a Blue Cape with an Ermine" 1843

"Portrait of a Woman" 1847

"Portrait of Countess A.P. Mordvinova"

"Portrait of Countess Shuvalova"

"Portrait of EG Chertkova"

Chertkova Elena Grigorievna (1800-1832), nee Countess Stroganov. Paternal sister I.G. Flights.

"Portrait of a Woman" 1830

Portrait of Alexandra Grigorievna Muravyova (1804-1832)

"Portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna"

"Princess Golitsyna Alexandra Alexandrovna" 1840s

"Portrait of S.F. Tolstoy"

Sarah Fyodorovna (1821-1838) - daughter of Count Fyodor Ivanovich Tolstoy. The girl was known for her extraordinary talent as a poet.

"Portrait of Countess NL Sologub"

Sologub Nadezhda Lvovna (1815-1903) Countess, maid of honor.

"Portrait of Countess O. Orlova" 1829

Countess Olga Alexandrovna Orlova (1807-1880) In 1826 she married Count A.F. Orlov. In 1847 she was granted a lady of state

Music: DiDuLya "Mystery"

Published: March 17, 2011

Portrait of a woman at the end of the 19th century in Russia

The history of Russian portrait painting is a unique phenomenon in the history of world culture as a whole, because it has its roots in Orthodox icon painting and feeds on the fertile soil of deeply religious spirituality. If in Western Europe the art of portraiture goes back to the Greco-Roman antique models, that is, in pre-Christian times, then in Russia the principles of icon painting were originally the models for creating portraits.

Here one could, of course, argue, after all, Russian portrait painters were well acquainted with ancient culture, copied numerous "antiquities" - they studied drawing, depicting Greek and Roman sculptural portraits and statues of ancient deities. But, honing their mastery of the technical techniques of painting according to the Western model, in their inner content the artists remained by all threads connected with Orthodox spirituality, and the physicality of images, so characteristic of European painting masterpieces, faded into the background. The first portraits in the history of Russian painting appeared relatively (in a historical perspective) recently - in the 17th century. They got the name - "parsuna". One of the first "Parsuns" - "Portrait of Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich" of the early 17th century, from the collection of the State Historical Museum in Moscow. As you might guess, the name "parsuna" is from the word "person". Then it was an unprecedented innovation - real people were depicted, and not iconographic biblical images and scenes.

In the old days, it was considered unacceptable selfishness to portray contemporaries. However, it is no coincidence that there is an opinion among artists that any painting is a self-portrait. No matter how the artist wishes to be objective, to renounce his "ego" in the name of the purity of images, all the same, in each work he expresses himself, spiritualizes everything with his own spiritual energy. In the art of Russian portraiture, the author's principle is intertwined with the artist's penetration into the depths of the inner world and with the desire to express the spark of God that was originally inherent in every person. This is already noticeable in those very similar to traditional icons "Parsuns", the names of the authors of which, unfortunately, have sunk into oblivion. And in subsequent centuries, when Western European academic principles began to prevail in Russian art, and then the tendencies of romanticism and realism, Russian portraiture did not lose its Orthodox basis in the depth of the inner content of images. This was especially manifested in the desire to see the "light of God" in the darkness of the human soul, in which the earthly, corporeal and secular is certainly illuminated by living spirituality. The ideas of searching for the "spark of God" in the earthly world have always been close to Orthodox culture, but they reached their culmination in the second half of the 19th century, when they became a key aspect in the searches of the creative intelligentsia - let us recall the outstanding works of F.M.Dostoevsky and L.N. Tolstoy.

The images of women created by artists of the late 19th century appear before us as bright, original, sometimes striking with their inner strength, sometimes touching with their vulnerability, sometimes surprising extravagance. Perhaps, with all the variety of characters, temperaments, external qualities of women portrayed in portraits, the main property that unites them can be called the word "marinism", that is, in every woman the artist (consciously or not) expresses something that makes her akin to the biblical Mary ... Only with which one - the Virgin Mary or Mary Magdalene, the attentive reader will ask and will be absolutely right. But there is no definite answer to this - after all, the essences of both are intertwined in feminine nature. Yes, and since the art of the end of the 19th century gravitates towards realism, then the property of "mari" is a reflection of both principles, and the mysterious purity, purity, and sinfulness, worldly weakness, which is redeemed by the power of divine forgiveness and mercy. The dilemma between the images of the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene is latently present in the female images created by the masters of the word - for example, the textbook Sonechka Marmeladova. Remember how much dirt of earthly sin is in her life and how much power of self-sacrifice! Or Nastasya Filippovna is either a demonic woman, or the embodiment of compassion, mercy and sensitivity. In portraiture, especially in female images created at the end of the 19th century, realistic principles are not reduced to copying nature and displaying psychological qualities, they are closely related to the entire complexity of philosophical, religious and intellectual searches that reigned then among the creative intelligentsia.

The image of a mysterious stranger, sung by Alexander Blok in 1906, seemed to anticipate I.N.Kramskoy in his painting of 1883 with his painting. Isn't it she - "slowly, passing between the drunken, always without companions, alone, breathing spirits and mists, she sits at the window." Like a deja vu, one recalls lines from a poem by A. Blok when looking at the famous painting by I. N. Kramskoy.

The woman from the portrait looks somewhat arrogantly at the viewer, from the height of her carriage. Who is she and where is she going? We can only guess, build our own conclusions and assumptions. Maybe she is a lady of the half-light, hurrying to the ball, maybe she is the bride or wife of some official or merchant. One way or another, her social position should not, according to the artist, interest the viewer. If in the 18th century the display of social status in any portrait was considered absolutely necessary, then at the end of the 19th century the personality is in the foreground, with all the complexity of inner spiritual life and the uniqueness of individual features of appearance. And I. N. Kramskoy himself, at the beginning of his career, strove to convey the social position, but nevertheless, in his early female portraits, spiritualized reflection on the individuality and uniqueness of female beauty prevailed.

Each time, the model seemed to dictate a new approach to the artist, and the master had to look for a suitable artistic language for the true embodiment of the portrait image and to achieve a depth of penetration into the spiritual world of the model.

Thus, in the portrait of E.A. Vasilchikova (1867), the artist conveys the charm of femininity, purity of youth, the inspiring energy of beauty and inner spiritual harmony.

The muted tones of a burgundy and brownish background evoke the work of old masters, but the spontaneity and naturalness of her figure, the graceful negligence of her gesture, the expressive insight of her gaze - all this speaks of realistic trends in art that were new for that time.

In the portrait of "The Stranger", the realistic principles are somewhat dissolved and inspired by the echoes of neo-romantic trends and poetic mystery. I. N. Kramskoy's adherence to the realistic trend in painting (and he was a prominent representative of the famous Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions) is manifested here in the absolute accuracy of the composition, in which everything is subordinated to the creation of a sublimely closed image. The smooth line of the silhouette of a stranger, the correct oval of her face concentrate the viewer's attention on themselves, and the clearly delineated space, closed by the back of the carriage, is inseparable from the plastic-volumetric modeling.

Although we have before us a generalized image of a "stranger", but how strikingly individual are the features of her face. In her gaze, either contempt, or compassion, or sadness, or coldness is a mystery. The coloring of the picture is masterfully solved, helping us - no, not to solve this riddle, but to endlessly admire the impossibility of solving it. The dark blue velvet and silk of her clothes - as a hint of the neighborhood in her image of velvety tenderness and coldness of silk - emphasize the noble pallor of the skin and the natural beauty of the blush. The golden back of the open carriage adds warmth to the painting, but the glare and reflections seem to muffle the warm shades, emphasizing both the cold weather and the strange inner coldness of the model caused by the superficial influences of secular fashion or some deeply personal experiences. The woman's figure stands out brightly against the background of the city covered with snow, and only white feathers on the hat visually connect her with the surrounding space. In her image, the longing of loneliness shines through, she is an ideal to which the mortal world is alien, and, at the same time, she is just out of the corner of her eye a peeped image of the artist's contemporary. IN Kramskoy conveys to us in this work his sadness, the artist's eternal yearning for ideal and perfection - as if inspiration, perfection, subtle, fleeting. Another moment, and the invisible coachman will chase the horses, and the carriage, carrying the stranger into the unknown, will melt and disappear in a blanket of snow ... Yes, the beauty will disappear, but a dream will remain, imprinted for centuries by the sensitive brush of the master.

However, one should not think that in the second half of the 19th century, artists were only inspired by the image of strangers, the mystery of the female soul, an inner mystery. The opposite tendency also manifested itself very actively during this period - the image of women who are socially active, active, strong, even courageous and somewhat rude. After the abolition of serfdom and a whole series of reforms, the role of women in public life began to increase rapidly. And the artists of this period masterfully convey to us the images of women, full of a sense of their own dignity, significance, pride, strength and independence.

So, in the painting by K. E. Makovsky in 1879, we have in front of us the owner of the old estate of Kachanovka, located on the border of the Poltava and Chernigov provinces. Sofia Vasilievna Tarnovskaya is the wife of a very influential Ukrainian philanthropist and collector Vasily Tarnovsky, a passionate art lover, passionate about music (he even owned his own orchestra and theater) and literature, and, of course, painting. He invited the artist to visit his estate, and at the same time - to paint a number of paintings for him, including a portrait of his beloved wife, who actively supported her husband's activities and shared his interests. The artist reveals to the audience the hidden character traits of the model.

K. E. Makovsky. Portrait of S. V. Tarnovskaya. 1879 g.

The portrait shows a stately, already middle-aged, but strong-willed woman. In her gaze, a certain arrogance is combined with the spiritual softness inherent in provincial women, not hardened by the emasculated secular bustle of the capital cities. The dark burgundy fabric serving as the background resembles a theatrical backstage - it is quite possible that S. V. Tarnovskaya posed for the artist in the premises of the estate theater. And the artist, in turn, reminds the audience how similar our everyday life is to a stage performance. In some places, the artist brings the dark green color of the fabric of clothing to a deep black color, thereby emphasizing the sharpness of the falling shadow and enlivening the general black-and-white modeling of volumetric-spatial solutions. In this approach, one can feel the master's inspiration by the masterpieces of Rembrandt. And in terms of his sensitive psychologism, KE Makovsky is close to the famous Dutch painter. In the serenity of gestures and stateliness of posture, one feels inner confidence and a special natural, and not feigned, nobility of the soul. A slightly upturned nose indicates a manifestation of capriciousness, but simplicity and serenity are read in the general softness of the facial features.

A striking example of a realistic female portrait of the period under consideration is the "Portrait of Olga Sergeevna Alexandrova-Gaines", created by IE Repin in 1890. The artist is clearly interested in the image of this woman, as if embodying the new social realities of that time: before us is an active, strong-willed, strong, even to some extent stern woman who is aware of her importance and, no doubt, proud of it. IE Repin, a representative of the progressive Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions, gravitated towards genre in his works. In the portraits he created, there is practically no neutral background - he depicts the model in a typical environment for her, in order to reveal her inner world more deeply, to show the viewer the atmosphere, the environment with which the model is inextricably linked. Here the background was developed by I.E. Repin in as much detail as possible.

The gilded frame of the picture, tablecloths and carpets embroidered with gold thread, gilded bindings of books on the table - all this creates an atmosphere of luxury, oriental chic, so close to the taste of the daughter of Kazan merchant S.E. Aleksandrov. The artist shows the beauty of a prosperous merchant's life with great attention. His inquisitive glance does not lose sight of things brought from distant countries. Our attention is attracted, for example, by a giant decorative mother-of-pearl shell on the wall, probably from Southeast Asia, or a beautiful Iranian carpet, reminiscent of the sophistication of the Persian miniatures. Being a husband of a military engineer, Governor-General of Kazan A.K. Gaines, Olga Sergeevna was actively involved in charity work and collecting paintings and prints by Russian and foreign artists. The works of I.E. Repin are distinguished, which is easy to see on the example considered here, the ability to see a person in all the complexity of his inner world and the originality of his external appearance.

In the coloristic solution of this portrait, we are especially amazed by the abundance of various golden shades, now "screaming", as if flashing in the light, now calmly flickering, now muffled and barely distinguishable, smoothly turning into other tones. The black velvet dress not only cleverly hides the fullness of the woman's figure, but also makes her silhouette clearly readable in the context of the complexly built artistic space of the background. The dynamics of the pictorial handwriting clearly shows up in the transfer of ornaments - I.E. poetry, which is akin to the refined rhythm of oriental poetry.

Ornamental lines of ornaments on the tablecloth, on the carpet, on the bindings of books create a moving measured rhythm, and the silhouette line seems to subdue this rhythm, concentrating the viewer's attention. The heroine's costume seems inappropriately strict against such a bright and carefully designed background that captivates our eyes with a variety of patterns and spectacular luxury. However, the complexity of the lace patterns of the collar and sleeves seems to echo the lines of the ornaments that are so rich in the background. It is worth paying attention to the formulation of the figure. The pose expresses inner strength of character, self-confidence, calmness and complacency. Before us is a strong-willed, independent, somewhat rude, but creative nature. It seems that she was left-handed - after all, she holds the fan in her left hand. And this is also a sign of originality, independence and creativity. With her right hand Olga Sergeevna props her head, as if weighed down with a lot of reflections, and her left hand, the hand of a person accustomed to giving instructions, holds a folded fan, lowered down. Olga Sergeevna seemed to think for a few minutes, sat down to rest, but for a moment more, she would wave her fan, not to drive her face with a flirtatious gesture in the manner of a salon young lady, but to give orders in her possessions, using it as a pointer and emphasizing the importance and emotional expressiveness of their words.

Facial features may appear rough at first glance. However, upon closer examination, we will notice not only a strong intellect, merchant prudence, willpower, but also a slight sadness and fatigue in the eyes. Pride, arrogance and some coldness do not overshadow the natural femininity, but give it a special taste. This femininity is in the neatness of the hairstyle, in the shine of the eyes, in the slightly raised curves of the eyebrows, in the swelling of the lips and in the barely perceptible blush of the cheeks. Behind the cold and calculating hostess, IE Repin was able to see a sensitive female soul, at its core, of course, soft and vulnerable, but skillfully disguised by severity, inflexibility and deliberate efficiency. The portrait of Olga Sergeevna, created by an outstanding Russian painter, is distinguished by humanity, poetic and at the same time realistic expressive depth, unsurpassed skill and amazing power of talent.

The lyrical and mysterious world of the feelings and experiences of a woman is reflected in his work by V.A. the persuasiveness of the images created. The light-air environment in his portraits creates an emotionally rich space in harmony with the inner world of the model. In the portraits we are considering here, we can easily notice everything penetrating light, light and silvery, softening the plastic form and enriching the palette with a variety of shades. Like the French impressionists, V.A.Serov imbues every stroke of his brush with luminous power. In the portrait of ZV Moritz, written in 1892, VA Serov seems to be "warming" with light a generally cold color. Violet color in the range is considered the coldest, as opposed to red - the "warmest", even - "hot" color. But the cold violet background is saturated with many reflections, the so-called "reflexes", which bring major notes into the general melancholy minor, imbued with subtle lyric sadness, the sound of color. Colors are seen by the artist in their variability, impressionistic illusion. The feeling of anxious mobility is intensified by the impulsively written feathers of the shawl, as if trembling in the cold wind.

Emotionality to the image of ZV Moritz is imparted both by the cut-off solution, and by a special formulation of the figure, a slight turn of the head, and a slightly raised chin. Leaning back in her chair, she is facing the viewer. This moment of communication with the viewer is generally a feature of many portraits of V. A. Serov. The portrait amazes with the accuracy of the image, the sharpness of the artist's eye, the improvisational lightness that is successfully combined with high professionalism and masterly thoughtfulness of coloristic and compositional decisions. The play of light on the necklace slightly sets off the aristocratic whiteness of the skin. Simple and typical facial features are transformed by the artist - he inspires them with inner concentration, poetry, in harmony with the general mood that reigns in the picture.

VA Serov, in each of his work uses the principles of plein air painting, thereby emphasizing the naturalness and special graceful lightness of images, as well as the close connection of the model with the surrounding space. With his work, he affirms his own understanding of the image of a woman and the means of its pictorial embodiment. Immediate and breathing beauty of youth, the girl appears in the painting "Girl in the Sunshine".

The model does not seem to be posing, but as if living in this picturesque space. The color of the picture is built on a harmonious comparison of the closest golden-green, brownish tones in summer nature, pinkish tones in the face and pale yellowish, as well as blue in clothes. The white color of the girl's blouse is transformed by the play of light reflexes, all the shades of the sun's reflections pouring through the foliage of the mighty tree seem to be like a rainbow. The portrait is also expressive in silhouette. The face is outlined with a plastically expressive smooth line, flowing, passing into the general line of the figure's silhouette. Here we find the temperament of writing, the sonority of the colorful scale, poetic sensuality.

The portrait was painted by the master as if in one breath, although the artist worked on it for the whole summer, forcing his patient cousin to pose almost every day. Visible artistic lightness and naturalness was achieved by the artist through sensitivity and skill, observation and the ability to see, feel and embody surprisingly subtly both visual impressions from the surrounding world and the inner spiritual world of the depicted model.

Careful study and thoughtful reflection in the work of many artists and writers of that time, the life of the people, everyday life and customs, put the social genre on one of the first places in the artistic environment of that time. A noticeable trend in the painting of a female portrait of the period under study was the interest of artists in the images of women from the people, and not only in "secular lionesses", wealthy customers, or beautiful strangers. In fact, these images can also be called a kind of "strangers" - the artists did not leave their names for the history, they tried to create a generalized image of their contemporaries, representatives of various social strata. Such "portraits" are not just "portraits" in the classical sense. These are "portraits - paintings", close to the genre of everyday life, which by that time had reached the peak of its popularity. Creating such works, artists seem to be balancing on a fine line between different genres - portrait and everyday.

The image of the flower saleswoman, captured by the brush of N.K.

The combination of a bright blue tone of clothing with the emerald green of lily leaves and their snow-white flowers, the effect of even sunlight are means that help to reveal the human image. The bustle of the street, flooded with sunbeams, serves as a background, the artistic space unfolds in depth along the diagonal, emphasized by the line of the sidewalk and a series of houses standing in a row, increasing the feeling of movement of figures hurrying about their business or idly walking passers-by. The rosy and weathered face of a young girl attracts the viewer's eye with its openness and simplicity, sparkling and natural smile, expressive gaze. She smartly sells white lilies, as if symbolizing in this context the flowering and purity of youth. The impression of freshness, the immediacy of the birth of the image enchants our eyes and remains forever in our visual and mental memory.

In such works, humanistic ideals are manifested, the keen interest of the creative intelligentsia in the fate of the people of their native country. Close to icon painting, and at the same time deeply realistic and modern, the female image is embodied by N. A. Yaroshenko in the portrait of a sister of mercy. A strictly outlined figure against a dark background, ascetic features of the girl's face, some flatness and inner isolation of the image - all this brings to mind the images of Orthodox icons. The colors are combined in a calm harmonious consonance. The artist emphasizes the “iconography” of the created image with an exquisite color, an almost monochrome range of brownish-gray and pale golden tones.

The appearance of a sister of mercy bears the features of a collective, typical image. The dark space is illuminated as if by a sudden burst of light. Here, light serves as an expressive and easily readable metaphor - like sunlight, the affairs of this young fragile girl illuminate the lives of many people whom she helps. In the exquisitely faded scale of the portrait, the muted brown and grayish tones of the clothes, the bright red cross and the yellowness of the light reflections are thoughtfully juxtaposed. The artist's hands are superbly painted - weary and fragile, they are the embodiment of femininity, warmth, care, tenderness ... She is like a saint on a miraculous icon - after all, a miracle, this is not only something mystical, it can be done by any person endowed with kindness of soul and the desire to do good ... Every day of her life she performs a miracle - she warms the world with her help, the kindness of her soul and the value of her labor.

At the very end of the 19th century, at the alarming turn of the turbulent and dramatic centuries for Russian history, in 1900, the tendencies of symbolism intensified in the female portrait, and realism faded into the background, the era was replaced, and new priorities appeared in painting, the desire to reveal other possibilities of the artistic language. This is natural - after all, the path of creative search is inexhaustible, mobile, and endless. The desire for decorative and symbolic expressiveness of color, for artistry, for playing with the imagination of the viewer, is becoming more and more intense. Figurative expressiveness is not aimed at conveying live sensations and observations, but is focused on achieving subtle emotional and intellectual pleasure, poetry and allegory, some conventionality and poetic rhythm that make painting akin to music and words.

A sophisticated and mysterious image of a beautiful lady, romanticized and full of poetic harmony, was created by K. A. Somov in his famous work "Lady in a Blue Dress". This is no longer the stranger of Kramskoy that seemed to us so natural and alive, as if she appeared before us for a few moments from the shadow of centuries. KA Somov's stranger is, rather, a portrait of an actress playing a role, putting on a mask and reflecting on a recently read poem. In fact, this is a portrait of the artist E.M. Martynova.

The subtle play of semitones creates a lyrical mood. The subtlety of the coloristic taste is manifested in a picturesque texture - a dull-faded color, a flowing brushstroke that echoes the smooth line of the contour. The precision of the drawing and the flexibility of the stroke give some dryness and decorativeness, emphasizing the artistry of the lady depicted. A conventional stylized landscape is skillfully played as a background, again evoking an association not so much with a real landscape as with theatrical backstage. This kind of desire to recreate a fictional world - a departure from a spiritually impoverished reality and a complete immersion in the world of creativity fully corresponds to the new aesthetic demands of the era. This paradigm manifests itself in many works of the masters of the creative association "World of Art", to which KA Somov belonged.

Perhaps the most inclined to theatricalization of images, phantasmagoria and mysticism was M.A.Vrubel - his painting seems to be a mysterious esoteric revelation in colors. He strove to embody beauty and see its inner secret, to slightly open the veil of the mystery of the very essence of beauty. The idea of ​​such a search is close to the new trends of the era and clearly echoes what we can observe in the poetry of that time, in music, and in the theater. Suffice it to recall the lines of Ivan Bunin, written in 1901:

I am looking for a combination in this world,

Beautiful and secret, like a dream ...

This, of course, is not a creed or appeal, but a clear and accurate formulation of the creative paradigm of the literary and artistic environment at the turn of the century.

MA Vrubel chooses a very original and unique style of writing. He writes not in forms, not in volumes, but in crushing small planes, like a mosaic shimmering in the darkness ...

He often created portraits of his wife N.I. Zabela-Vrubel, who plays in theatrical performances, in the images of various characters - either she appears in the image of Gretel, then in the image of the Swan Princess from the opera by N.A.Rimsky-Korsakov based on the tale of Tsar Saltana.

The painting-portrait of the Swan Princess was created at the very turn of the century, in those troubled times that foreshadowed a series of dramatic changes.

M.A. Vrubel. The Swan Princess. 1900 g.

The feeling of quivering movement is perfectly expressed by the coloristic solution. Lilac and cold dark blue reflections seem to enter into a dramatic confrontation with major pinkish and yellowish flashes of light reflexes, increasing the depth of sounding dissonance, which in colors tells about the contradiction between dream and reality, heavenly and earthly, spiritual and worldly, sublime and mundane. The figure, exciting with its mystery, is depicted in a stormy movement, as if it flaps with all its strength its snow-white wings, trying with all its strength to take off right in front of the surprised spectators. In the huge wide-open eyes, it was as if large drops of tears were frozen, gleaming in unison with the glare of the sunset flame, uniting the colors of the picture in such a complex coloristic unity. What is this - an unsolved symbol or a masterly played role, or maybe a reflection of the inner subtle movements of the artist's soul filled with exalted poetry? Perhaps each viewer must find the answer himself, or better, just not think about it, but enjoy the sparkling beauty that touches the hidden strings of the human soul, awakening a fairy tale in the depths of the heart.

Artists of all times were inspired by the images of women - strong and strong-willed or fragile and vulnerable, simple and modest or extravagant and courageous, mature and full of the burden of everyday worries, or young and naive, natural and earthly, or sophisticated and mannered ... In a series of female portraits created by the most gifted Russian masters at the end of the 19th century reflected a new understanding of women for those times, more liberated, free from age-old prejudices and, it would seem, sometimes challenging traditions, but at the same time closely related to Orthodox spirituality and philosophical intellectual quests of the creative intelligentsia of that time. Having considered only a few examples in this article, we were able to see how attentive the brush masters are to the individual characteristics of the models, how sensitive they are to the nature of the female soul, and how sincerely they admire female beauty!

Art always helps us to understand ourselves deeper, to take a fresh look at our own life and the world around us. And maybe, looking at the beautiful creations of artists, modern women, absorbed in a series of everyday fuss, will remember that a beautiful mysterious stranger lives in them too ...

Lukashevskaya Yana Naumovna, art critic, independent art critic, curator of exhibitions, 2011, website.

From: Lukashevskaya Yana Naumovna, & nbsp35729 views

Publications in the Museums section

Tatyana before and after Pushkin: portraits of three centuries

It is read that the name Tatiana became popular after the publication of the novel "Eugene Onegin". However, even before that, this name was not uncommon among the nobility. We recall the portraits of Tatyans from the 18th to the 20th century together with Sofia Bagdasarova.

A. Antropov. Portrait of Princess Tatiana Alekseevna Trubetskoy. 1761. Tretyakov Gallery

A. Peng. Portrait of Princess Tatiana Borisovna Kurakina. 1st floor XVIII century, GE

Unknown artist. Portrait of Anastasia Naryshkina with her daughters Tatiana and Alexandra. Early 1710s, Tretyakov Gallery

Girls from the Romanov family were baptized by Tatyana back in the 17th century: for example, this was the name of the sister of the first Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich and his youngest daughter. Then this name disappeared from the royal dynasty, and the next Tatiana appeared in the imperial family in the 1890s. However, in noble families of the 17th and 18th centuries, the name remained popular. One of the most famous Tatyans is Tatyana Shuvalova. Her son, the favorite of Empress Elizabeth Ivan Shuvalov, chose his mother's birthday in order to sign a decree establishing Moscow University. So Tatyana's day became Student's Day. The portrait of Tatiana Shuvalova has not survived.

The oldest Russian portrait with Tatyana, apparently, was the family portrait of the Naryshkins of the 1710s. It depicts the daughter of the first commandant of St. Petersburg, Moscow governor Kirill Naryshkin with her mother and sister. The unknown artist did not work very finely on the faces, but he carefully painted the patterns on the fabric and the fashionable lace fountain (headdress) of the mother.

The court painter of the Prussian king Antoine Pen was invited to paint the portrait of the daughter of Prince Boris Kurakin - and the niece of Queen Evdokia Lopukhina. The director of the Berlin Academy of Arts, in the tradition of classicism, worked chiaroscuro, folds of clothes and even conveyed the finest play of expensive fabric on the shoulders of Princess Tatiana Kurakina.

Princess Tatyana Trubetskaya, the sister of the poet Fyodor Kozlovsky, looks bright in the portrait of 1761: the artist Alexei Antropov depicted her in a dress decorated with red and green bows and flowers. The princess with full make-up: in those years it was fashionable not only to powder, but also to apply blush, to draw eyebrows.

D. Levitsky. Portrait of Tatyana Petrovna Raznatovskaya. 1781. State Art Museum of Belarus

N. Argunov. Portrait of the ballerina Tatyana Vasilievna Shlykova-Granatova. 1789. Kuskovo

E. Vigee-Lebrun. Portrait of Tatyana Vasilievna Engelhardt. 1797. Fuji Museum, Tokyo

Twenty years later, Dmitry Levitsky wrote Tatyana Raznatovskaya. A young woman with a proud bearing looks noble and sophisticated. Her light blue dress and white silk cape contrast with the deep, dark background in the pictorial tradition of those years.

One of the richest women in Russia, the niece of Prince Potemkin, Tatyana Engelhardt, married one of the Yusupovs and brought a gigantic fortune and the hereditary name Tatyana to their family. In the portrait by the visiting French portraitist Vigee-Lebrun, Tatiana Engelhardt weaves a wreath of roses and is dressed according to the new fashion - in a high-waisted dress.

Researchers believe that the name Tatiana was three times more popular among the peasants in the 18th-19th centuries than among the nobles. The serf artist Nikolai Argunov of the Sheremetevs portrayed the peasant woman Tatyana Shlykova, an actress of the serf theater, in an elegant stage costume. Later, the count picked up “precious” surnames for his beautiful actresses. Shlykova became Granatova, and her “colleagues” became Zhemchugova and Turquoise.

A. Bryullov. Portrait of Tatyana Borisovna Potemkina. 1830th. VMP

V. Tropinin. Portrait of Tatyana Sergeevna Karpakova. 1818. Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan

K. Reichel. Portrait of Tatyana Vasilievna Golitsyna. 1816, RM

There are other actresses among Tatyan immortalized on canvases. In 1818 Vasily Tropinin portrayed the young dancer Karpakova. Her parents played in the Imperial Theaters, and she herself was fond of ballet since childhood. Tatyana Karpakova has been dancing on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater since she was 12 years old, her contemporaries admired her expressive facial expressions, ease of dance and impeccable technique.

In the same year, a portrait of Princess Tatiana Golitsyna was created. The daughter-in-law of Natalia Golitsyna, the prototype of Pushkin's Queen of Spades, is depicted in a black beret. In the first third of the 19th century, these headdresses were traditionally worn by married ladies. True, more often women of fashion preferred bright colors - crimson, green, scarlet.

“The width of the beret extends to twelve vershoks; the upper part of them is one, the lower part of a different color. The materials from which such berets are made are also different: satin and velvet. These berets are put on the head so crookedly that one edge almost touches the shoulder. "

Excerpt from a 19th century fashion magazine

Tatiana Potemkina is depicted in Alexander Bryullov's watercolors of the 1830s. On her, the model is dressed in an outfit that covers not only the shoulders, but also the neck, ears and hair of the princess: Potemkina was very religious. Having become the spiritual daughter of Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), she took care of the spread of Orthodoxy, built churches, donated huge amounts of money to charity and, of course, did not allow herself to wear a neckline.

V. Vasnetsov. Portrait of Tatyana Anatolyevna Mamontova (1884, Tretyakov Gallery)

I. Repin. Portrait of Tatiana Lvovna Tolstoy (1893, Yasnaya Polyana)

F. Winterhalter. Portrait of Tatyana Alexandrovna Yusupova (1858, State Hermitage)

In 1825-1837, Alexander Pushkin's "Eugene Onegin" was published in parts. Tatiana Larina became the "first Tatiana" of Russian literature - before that, writers preferred other names. After the release of the novel, the name became much more popular - many named their daughters after the romantic and virtuous heroine Pushkin.

But there are not so many portraits of Tatyans from these years. Among them is the canvas on which the fashionable portrait painter Franz Xaver Winterhalter depicted Tatyana Yusupova. The heroine of the portrait inherited it from Tatyana Engelhardt's grandmother, and Yusupova also named one of her daughters.

The portraits of the daughters of Leo Tolstoy and Anatoly Mamontov were created in the 1880s-90s, they were painted by B. Kustodiev. Portrait of Tatiana Nikolaevna Chizhova. 1924. Ivanovo Regional Art Museum

M. Vrubel. Portrait of Tatyana Spiridonovna Lyubatovich as Carmen. 1890s. State Tretyakov Gallery

By the beginning of the twentieth century in Moscow and the Moscow province, the name Tatiana became the fifth most popular after Maria, Anna, Catherine and Alexandra.

The portrait of one of the Tatyans belongs to the brush of Mikhail Vrubel. Opera singer Tatyana Lyubatovich is portrayed as Carmen - at the beginning of the twentieth century it was a very popular image among artists and heroines of their canvases.

In 1908, the Saratov artist Alexander Savinov painted the canvas "The Harpist". His heroine was the wife of the famous philosopher Semyon Frank, Tatyana Frank (nee Bartseva). Savinov created an ornamental portrait with a textured tone and muted colors in the tradition of a new style gaining strength - modernism.

In this artistic circle of Tatyan, the "Portrait of the Artist Tatyana Chizhova" is remarkable; Boris Kustodiev wrote it in 1924. There is an inaccuracy in the title of the picture. After the death of Kustodiev, the portrait was transferred to the Russian Museum, and the abbreviation in the signature "arch." decoded as "artist". In fact, Tatiana Chizhova was an archaeologist. In the portrait, she is depicted in her favorite dress and with her grandmother's ring on her finger.

The month of March, considered the month of women's history, is drawing to a close. And in honor of him, here is such a selection. 10 of the many revolutionary women artists who, with their creativity, have made the world a more beautiful place, and more equal for half of humanity.

These are female artists who embodied the idea of ​​feminist art long before the term was coined. Whether they were in art during the Italian Renaissance or in 19th century New York, their work proves that women are always capable of making a significant contribution to the world's art treasury.
On the first reproduction Portrait of Alice Liddell by Cameron

1. Julia Margaret Cameron

Julia Margaret Cameron was 48 years old when the camera first fell into her hands. It was back in the century before last, back in 1868. But in the short 11 years of her photography career, Julia has achieved a lot.

It seems that her dreamy portraits deliberately revel in the imperfections of the photo, she uses blur and fog to conjure up the clear essence of a person in the minds of viewers over mimetic (Greek mimetes - imitator) similarities. I think if anyone on this list was loved by Instagram, it would be Cameron.

2. De Rossi property

Property de Rossi (1491-1530) was born in Bologna and worked there all her life.

She must have beenNSThe first woman to destroy the stereotypes of the Renaissance society. Bologna artist and sculptor, who, without looking back at the past and the present, was engaged in a truly masculine occupation - stone carving, marble processing and as well as engraving.

As a girl, she began her journey with the carving of peach pits, which seemed an amazing miracle in the subtlety of work and in an elegant manner.
On such a tiny bone, Rossi managed to convey all the passions of Christ, made with the most beautiful carvings with countless characters.

3. Elisabetta Sirani

She was born in 1638. Although she died at the young age of 27, Sirani created over 200 paintings over the course of her life, combining dramatic dark backgrounds with sharp, vibrant colors and depictions of powerful heroines.

The daughter of the painter of the Bologna school Giovanni Andrea Sirani, one of the closest students and collaborators of Guido Reni.She began painting at the age of 12 under the influence of the connoisseur and art historian Carlo Cesare Malvasia, who later included her biography - the only woman - in his famous book about the painters of Bologna (1678).

At first, the father was skeptical about these activities, but a year later he accepted his daughter into the workshop. By the age of 17, she had become a fully developed painter and engraver, from that time she kept a notebook in which she wrote down all her works.

Her style is close to Guido Reni, their works were confused several times: this is how the famous alleged portrait of Beatrice Cenci by Sirani was attributed to Reni for a long time.

4. Edmonia Lewis

African American Indian woman sculptor

She was born in Albany in 1844. Father is African American, mother is from the Chippewa Indian tribe. Both parents died when she was a child. Edmonia lived with her older brother in the family of her mother's relatives in Niagara Flos. Three years later, her brother suggested that she give up working from home and go to school.

She attended Oberlin Preparatory College in Ohio - one of the first educational institutions in the United States, where women of different races were accepted. It was there that Edmonia became interested in sculpture and began her career in art.

However, she faces discrimination throughout her education - in​​ including she was beaten and accused of poisoning a classmatev. After graduation, she moved to Boston to continue her work, namely to recreate abolitionists and Civil War heroes.

She eventually spent most of her artistic career in Rome, where she created beautiful marble sculptures in the neoclassical tradition. Best known for the marble sculpture, The Death of Cleopatra, and we can see why. The form has all of Michelangelo's drama.

5. Judith Leyster

Born in 1609 in Haarlem, the Netherlands, she became the first female artist registered with the Haarlem Guild of Saint Luke.
She is best known for her "Self-Portrait". Famous for its playful fluidity, at a time when most portraits of women were tough and serious.

6. Sofonisba Angissola

She was born in 1532.
Anguissola, the eldest of seven children, is of noble birth, and her father assured her that she would have the best education in whatever direction she chose.

He was apparently a man of his word, and Michelangelo became Anguissola's unofficial mentor. She received great opportunities because of wealth and status, but was still deprived of many opportunities as an artist because she was a woman.
For example, because it was considered inappropriate for a woman to look at nude models.

In the last years of her life, Angissola painted not only portraits, but also canvases on religious themes, as in the days of her youth. However, many of her paintings were later lost.
Her husband's successful trade and a generous pension from Philip II allowed her to freely paint and live comfortably. She was a leading portrait painter in Genoa until she moved to Palermo in her later years. In 1620 she created her last self-portrait.

7. Saint Catherine of Bologna

Born in 1413 An artist, a nun and, you guessed it, a saint. She grew up well trained in drawing, and educated as the daughter of an aristocrat, she served as a maid of honor until she entered the monastery.
Now she is considered the patroness of artists.
Many artists came to visit her to study and share their views on trends in the development of art.
She created her own style, which many artists have sought to emulate.
Her success paved the way for other Renaissance women as artists such as Lavinia Fontana, Barbara Longhi, Fede Galizia and Artemisia Gentileschi.

8. Levina Teerlink

She was born in 1593.
Gentileschi, the artist's daughter, grew up in her father's workshop as a child.
At 18 she was raped by an artist Agostino Tassi, who works with her father, and was interrogated, humiliated and even tortured, wanting to achieve the conviction of the criminal.

After a seven-month trial, torturous for Artemisia, Tassi was found guilty and sentenced to a year in prison.

Having married the artist Pierantonio Stiattesi (the marriage was arranged by her father), Artemisia moved to Florence in the same 1612.

Gentileschi's feminist work is filled with heroic women. Her aesthetic is equally bold and strong, and she eschews traditional notions of female weakness.
Often her canvases combine sexuality and violence, for example, "Judith Kills Holofernes."