Mysterious stranger Picture author. Kram Ivan, "Unknown

Kramskaya very famous artist who has well-known and unusual artworks. For example, one of his most famous masterpieces is a picture called "Portrait of an Unknown". This product is full of mystery and mysteriousness, this is his feature.

Portrait of a certain intrigue. Until our time, the mystery of this canvase is preserved, and no one can solve the idea of \u200b\u200ba portrait unknown to the end. Very often you can hear how this picture of Kramsky is called - the picture is a stranger. Yet it is impossible to consider such a name true and correct. Because, it is the artist that can establish rules related to its work. And Kramskaya called this work - a portrait of an unknown one. Although the words unknown and the stranger are pretty close in their meaning, however, there is a certain difference.

At all times there were artists who wrote portraits of women, which they did not want to discover the entire truth of the public. Heroine works they tried to hide. But still, in time, the truth became obvious. For a long time I could not keep it all in secret. But as regretting the portrait of Kramsky, everything is different here. Kramskaya never opened the name of his heroine to anyone, in his entire life.

Apparently, he set himself such a goal, generate many questions from his contemporaries. What were the guesses built by people of that time? Some assumed that the girl who portrayed the artist was not attractive, and therefore Kramskaya hid it. Someone thought that the heroine was a lady from the highest ranks, and expected from Kramsky silence. And others found out in kind, the famous actress of that time from Bohemia Theater. But these are only guesses that are not facts.

Whatever the artist depicted, the portrait was so gorgeous that Kramsky suffered in her arms, from delight when he saw his work. The work was just charming and extraordinary beauty. When Kramsky began to fall asleep with questions, he did not respond to any of them. Who is this lady, did he wrote it from nature, maybe heroine is invented? No, the writer did not consider the need to respond.

Portrait of an unknown artist created in 1883. He portrayed the heroine in an open crew, and against the background of a beautiful city, St. Petersburg. The stranger had a kind of power, impregnable lady. Small beauty, coquettiously narrowed his eyes, proudly throwing his eyes, on the walk through Anichkov Bridge. The mysterious heroine looks at visitors to the Tretyakov Gallery, majestic and mysterious eyes. She enchants all connoisseurs of beautiful and great.

"Unknown" - a portrait of a beautiful, but something excited woman against the background of Nevsky Prospect.

I. E. Pepin told in his memoirs that when this picture appeared at the Xi Exhibition of Movie Artists, everyone was literally intrigued - who is this woman?

Neither the first biographers nor his daughter Kramskaya-Juncker confirm none of the assumptions - who is this woman? And versions were a lot. The artist's daughter claimed that he was writing a portrait from different simulators, and the image of this collective. Some said that the artist saw this beauty on the street, in the carriage of the carriage, others - that this is the image of Anna Karenina (a few years before the appearance of the painting of Kramsky, the Roman of Tolstoy "Anna Karenina" was published).

Although literary images of women who would serve as a picture of the paintings, it was possible to call and call. In many works of Russian writers and poets, the image of a woman opposing society was very popular. And in the picture the beauty is exactly what is perceived.

Perhaps Kramskoy affected this topic. The artist seems to look at his model from the side, forcing the audience to think about who she is, what is her destiny, what the feelings are hiding behind this beauty and a haunted look of a semi-suicide view of beautiful eyes. But among the sketches of Kramsky was found and the one depicted by a young woman sitting in a stroller. She looks at the challenge.

Its appearance - rash hair and not quite fresh toilet, causes ridicule. So did it originally wanted to portray the artist Beauty? Kramskaya deliberately calls the portrait of the "unknown", as if he knew that he would stop the audience and would make him think over her fate. The picture caused a lot of things with his mystery. Who is she?

Many agreed on the thought that Kramskaya portrayed a rich content. V. Stasov came up with the definition - "Cockclock in a stroller", and P. Tretyakov did not want to buy this work. And in the Tretyakov Meeting, it appeared as a result of the nationalization of private collections only in Soviet times in 1925, when the scandoff of the image "unknown" was gradually forgotten, and the picture of the unknown became the embodiment of aristocracy.

Kramskaya spoke somehow repinos: "It's not about to write one scene ... life. It will be a simple photo from nature, etude, if it is not lit by the philosophical outlook of the author and will not wear a deep meaning of life ... ". That's what I probably thought the artist, drawing a beauty portrait about her life ...

Kramskaya was a gifted portrait. His ability to convey the inner world of portrait in the portrait seemed supernatural. Kramskaya writes pictures "Moonlight", "Rezazy Mountain", "Unknown". Three women, three destinies.

The unknown is distinguished by the fact that the face of a woman is close to the viewer. You can see the mattiness of velvety skin, and the shadows of long eyelashes, and tears in the eyes that are masked by the cold and proud facial expression, the pink frosty haze is written so virtuoso that the feeling of the cold bears.

The image of an unknown some is called magical. Look at the picture, each detail on it makes us think - who is this, we consider the soft blue of her velvet suit, decorated

I. Kramskaya. "Unknown".

One of the most unusual works of the Kramsky "Unknown" (1883), still worries critics and spectators with their mysteriousness. Who is depicted in the portrait? It is not known, even the artist himself neither in diaries nor in letters never mentioned about the picture or a word nor a hint. Holly's painting almost all Petersburg, enthusiastic contemporaries wrote about her ("Lama in a wheelchair, per hour walking along Nevsky, from three to five o'clock in the afternoon, in a velvet dress with a fur, with a magnificent dark beauty of a semi-chart-type ..." ), But no one has so disgraced her mystery.

The ambiguity of the plot of "unknown" (1883) led to mutually exclusive interpretation of the picture. Perhaps, neither in one of his picture a person is not present on canvas with such a teasing non-responsibility and at the same time does not remain so internally mysterious and closed for the viewer. "Unknown" as if embodies the reality of the presence of the ideal in life and at the same time its unattainableness.

There were many hypotheses about who was the lady who served as the artist's model. The version is quite popular about the collection of image and the use of the features of various women. There is a fairly sensational assumption that "Unknown" is a portrait of Catherine Dolgoruki, the light princess Yuryevskaya ...

In 1878, Emperor Alexander II became a father, his daughter was born. But ... the daughter did not give birth to a legitimate empress, and his favorite woman, his last and the most fiery love - Ekaterina Dolgoruky. And the emperor asked I. Kramsky to write her portrait. The artist prepared for his writing, but all this was kept in deep mystery. Ekaterina Mikhailovna and her children did not recognize the relatives of the emperor and it was very insulted. Therefore, when I am posing Kramsky, she expressed a desire to look in the portrait proud and independent, and pointed the place, by which it should pass in the stroller in the picture. This is Anichkov Palace, where the heir to the emperor with his family lived.
Kramskaya worked on a portrait for a long time, multiplied him many times. Two years have passed and ... the portrait customer was killed, Emperor Alexander II. The meaning of the work was lost. Dolgoruky with children sent abroad.
The portrait sadly stood in the workshop and only three years after the death of the emperor, in 1883, the artist put a picture at a mobile exhibition, calling her "Unknown" ...

She or not, I don't know, but so I was excavated, comparing and exploring, modern art historians.
Here is the original, compare and decide: it is similar or not Catherine Dolgoruky to "Unknown";)

Princess E.M. Dolgoruky. The photo.

41-year-old Emperor Alexander II first saw Catherine Dolgorukov in 1859, when she was 13 years old by visiting their estate in Ukraine. Soon, the father of Catherine Mikhailovna ruined and died, the mother with four sons and 2 daughters were without funds. The emperor family of Dolgoruky took care: Having assisted the entry of the Dolgoruky brothers to St. Petersburg military institutions, and the sisters to the Smolny Institute. Large training was conducted at the expense of the sovereign. In 1865, the Smolny Institute was visited by the Emperor by tradition. He remembered the sisters of Dolgoruky and wanted to see them. 18-year-old Ekaterina Dolgoruky struck Alexander II, he fell in love with her without memory. Empress Maria Alexandrovna was already sick and did not get out of bed. The king completely lost his head and persistently cared for Catherine.

Ekaterina Dolgorukhak for the sake of love for the king forever destroyed his reputation, donated not only the life in the light with the entertainment inherent on it, but in general, a normal family life. When they had a son of Georgy with his king, and then two daughters, she had a new sorrows: her children were bastards. Alexander was proud of his son, said with laughter (why with a laugh?) That in this child more than half of Russian blood - such a rarity for Romanovs! In 1874, the Children was given the title of the bright princes of Yuryevsky ...

The Empress was still alive, and the king settled the Dolgoruky with children in the Winter Palace. The novel of the emperor met the condemnation of the imperial family, the environment of the emperor was divided into two parties: the party of the Large and the Party of the heir to the throne of Alexander Alexandrovich. Maria Alexandrovna suffered silently. On May 2, 1880, the Empress died, and on July 6, Alexander II secretly marked with E.M. Dolgoruky. He was thinking about crowing it. She was assigned to the title of the bright princess Yuryevskaya, stressing that her race began to be started from Yuri Dolgoruky. On March 1, 1881, the emperor was killed by terrorists from the organization "People's Volia".

______________________

The bright Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Yuryevskaya (Ur. Princess Dolgoruky)

****

"Love you, my katya is"

Another photo for comparison is kindly granted by one of the diary readers. There are some other angle, perhaps even more similar to the one that is used by Kramsky ...

And here's another story about a woman who could be the model of Kramsky. True, art historians noted that the story is not confirmed by any documentary evidence and it is not clear at all, where her legs "grow".
But the story, even being a myth, is beautiful in its own way.

In the Fatesky district of Kursk province was the estate of the publy nobility of Bestuzhva. She had a considerable relatives in St. Petersburg and there is also a mansion.
The nephew of the landowner, officer, having resigned and returning home from the Caucasus home to St. Petersburg, drove to the aunt.
Young Bestuzhev was struck by the extraordinary attractiveness and beauty of her maid - taken from the neighboring village of the peasant. Because of this, he was delayed in the estate ... Having enlisted the consensus of his chosen, the nephew turned to the aunt with a prayer, so that she was released with him the maid on which he decided to marry after presenting it to his parents.

After listening to an unusual request, the landowner was indignant - how could this pillars marry a simple peasant?!. But he stood on his own so hard that, although not immediately, but still won.
In St. Petersburg, young Bestuzhev introduced his parents to his parents. Special objections did not follow, because the bride was captivated and the parents of the groom. She began to train etiquette, dancing, she turned out to be a nice voice. However, they trained and ordinary literacy.
After the wedding, the happiness of the young was sometimes died because the "in humans" had misunderstandings due to the unusual beauty and attractiveness of Matrena Savvishna. Her "captive" was also the painter Ivan Kramskaya. He sometimes had in their family. Beauty, undoubtedly, could not not be interested in Kramsky as a painter.
... as a winter day in rainy weather, when the wind blowing down from the sea bay, the Kramskaya came to Besyuzhev. He was met by his husband Matrena Savvishna, who helped the guest to remove a coat and a hat, and then spent it in the hall and ordered to serve hot tea. Soon the Matrin Savvishna was rapidly entered the hall, unusually excited, ruddy. When the spouse helped her to remove a fur coat, then she spoke several times impatiently: "Oh, what meeting now I have!"
Immediately, for tea, she told the spouse and the guest that he met her former hostess - the landowner from the Fatest County. That, in turn, found out her former maid and, obviously, decided that Matraine Savvishna immediately should sink her thanks for the permission to leave her nephew. But the former maid drove past with such an independent and proud view, they say, I do not know you and I do not want to know ...
The story made an indelible impression on the Kramsky. In the picture, which he decided to write, will certainly be necessary to express not only its attractiveness, but to show at least to some extent and the inner world of this charming young woman. As far as the artist managed, art historians argue to this day.
But the family life did not hold down, her husband happened to cause too rheuble cavaliers for a duel. Three times were such duels, but they all ended with reconciliation. Nevertheless, they could not not spoil the relationship in the family. In addition, their son got sick and died. All this prompted the nurse of his wife Matrena Savvishna to initiate a petition to the church about the dissolution of marriage, which was carried out.
Having learned about this, Kramskaya found my duty to spend Matreus Savvishna -ona decided to return to his native village towards his older sister. At the same time, it was agreed that she would write to him. For a long time there was no news. Kramskaya himself wrote a letter to the village, but did not receive a response. Arriving in Fate, Kramskaya learned sad news: in the path of Matrena Savvishna, he was seriously ill and in the Fatezh, in the Zemstvo hospital, died.
According to the existing one in those years, only citizens were buried in the city cemetery, Matreus Savvishna buried in a cemetery in the village of Milhenino village near the city.
During his stay in Fatezh and in his native village, Matrena Savvishna Kramskaya made several sketches, according to which such famous paintings were written as "a man with a bridle", "Halfbrush" and "Rural Forge".

Source © Dmitry Kramarenko

www.old.kurskcity.ru/events/kram-n.html.

1. Ivan Kramskaya

Unknown. Etude. 1883 Private Assembly of Friedrich, Prague

Unknown 1883 Tretyakov Gallery

By calling his picture "Unknown", smart Kramskaya fastened the halo of mysteriousness forever. Contemporaries literally lost in guesses. Its image caused anxiety and anxiety, a vague premonition of depressing and dubious new - the appearance of a woman's type, which did not fit into the previous system of values. "It is unknown: who is this lady, decent or sell, but a whole era sits in it," they stated some. In our time, the "unknown" Kramsky became the embodiment of aristocracy and secular refinement. As if the Tsarina she rises above the misty white cold city, driving in an open carriage according to Anichkovo Bridge. Her outfit is a hat "Francis", decorated with elegant light feathers, "Swedish" gloves, stitched from the finest skin, coat "Skobeliev", decorated with sable fur and blue satin ribbons, coupling, a gold bracelet - all this fashionable details of a female costume 1880s GG, applying for expensive elegance. However, this did not mean accessories to the highest light, rather, on the contrary, the Code of Unwritten Rules excluded strictly follow the fashion in the highest circles of Russian society.

"Lady in a stroller, per hour walking along Nevsky, from three to five hours of afternoon, in a velvet dress with fur, with a magnificent dark beauty of a semi-genuine type ..." So on March 24, 1883, writer Peter Boborakin reported in the "stock newspaper" about the appearance In the urgent town "Unknown".

Look at this mysterious lady came out almost the entire Petersburg. Proudly leaning back in the carriage, looking into the public by a teasing gaze of half-woven shimmering eyes, leaving the tender rounded chin, the elastic smoothness of matte cheeks and a lush feather on the hat, - she drove under the pearl sky of a huge canvas, as in the middle of the world.
Date of creating a work: 1883

Unable to take away the excitement, Kramskaya decided to leave the exhibition, where his "unknown" was shown for the first time, and return to the end of the venice. The noisy crowd met him at the entrance and suffered in her arms. Success was complete. He noted by the painful eye of the artist - everything is: princes and officials, merchants and contractors, writers and artists, students and master ...

Tell me who she is? - Arrived friends to the artist.

- "Unknown".

Call, as you want, but tell me - where did you get this treasure?

Invented.

But he wrote from nature?

Maybe from nature ...

Many artists wrote mysterious women over the centuries. But everyone had prototypes. They could guess, argue, but in the end, the mystery was opened. He received fame even a carefully hidden image of "Madonna" Bothichelli, she was Simoneetta Vespucci, a notable lady, someone else's wife, passionate love Juliano Medici. Even Sicstinskaya wrote from nature, in what, although Lukovo, recognized Raphael: "To draw this portrait of Madonna, I needed to see many". And to explain such a courageous challenge of Kramsky, who, emphasizing the absolute incognito of his model, called it - an unknown?

On this subject I have two versions: either Nature of the unknown was originally ugly, and the artist in the portrait gave her almost perfect features, or they associated them something else. One can be approved with confidence: Of course, the "unknown" Kramsky is a masterpiece. But ... a masterpiece of a special kind. With his, separate from all other works of the artist, life.

http://www.exposter.ru/kramskoi.html.

The picturesque etude to the painting "Unknown", which is stored in Prague, in the private assembly (1883).

This is perhaps the most famous work of Kramsky, the most intriguing, which remains incomprehensible to this day and unsolved. By calling his picture "Unknown", smart Kramskaya secured forever over her halo of mystery. Contemporaries literally lost in guesses. Its image caused anxiety and anxiety, a vague premonition of depressing and dubious new - the appearance of a woman's type, which did not fit into the previous system of values. "Unknown: who is this lady, decent or coherent, but a whole era sits in it," they stated some. Stasovas loudly called the heroine of Kramsky "Cockfather in a wheelchair." Tretyakov also admitted Stasov that the "previous works" of Kramsky, he likes more than the latter. There were critics that joined this image with Anna Karenina Lion Tolstoy, who came down from the height of their social status, with Nastasya Filippovna Fedor Dostoevsky, rising above the position of the fallen woman, were also called the names of the ladies of light and sewers. By the beginning of the 20th century, the scandalousness of the image was gradually overlapped by a romantic-mysterious Aura of the Bloque Kovskaya "Stranger". In the Soviet times, the "unknown" Kramsky became the embodiment of aristocracy and secular sophistication, almost the Russian Sycstine Madonna - the ideal of unearthly beauty and spirituality.

In a private assembly in Prague, a picturesque etude is kept in Prague, who persuars that Kramskaya was looking for an artistic image ambiguity. Etude is much simpler and sharper, applooked and definitely pictures. It sesters the audacity and authority of the woman, the feeling of devastation and the validity, which is not available in the final version. In the picture "Unknown", Kramskaya is passionate about the sensual, almost teasing beauty of his heroine, her tender dark skin, her velvet eyelashes, slightly arrogant Karich's surname, her majestic posture. As if the Tsarina she rises above the misty white cold city, driving in an open carriage according to Anichkovo Bridge. Her outfit - Francis hat, decorated with graceful light feathers, "Swedish" gloves, stitched from the finest skin, "Skobelev" coat, decorated with sable fur and blue satin ribbons, coupling, a gold bracelet - all this fashionable details of the female costume 1880s GG, applying for expensive elegance. However, this did not mean belonging to the highest light; Rather, on the contrary, the Code of Unwritten Rules excluded strictly following fashion in the highest circles of Russian society.

Exquisite sensual beauty, majesty and grace of "unknown", some alienation and arrogance cannot hide the feeling of insecurity in the face of the world to which it belongs and from which it depends. Kramskaya's picture raises the question of the fate of beauty in imperfect vality.

The heroine is dressed in the last fashion (season of 1883) - so they argue experts on the history of the costume.

The pink frosty haze is written so virtuoso, which seems to appear the feeling of the cold. Kramskoy knew how to write light air when he wanted it.

The place of action is no doubt - this is Nevsky Prospect in St. Petersburg. The famous buildings are discharged Kramski, on the one hand, quite sketchously, and on the other, it is quite recognizable.

One of the most famous canvases of Russian painting is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery. A lot of rumors have always walked around the intriguing work, and his author did not reveal the main riddle, which concerns the woman shown in the picture. Many artists who wrote portraits often held in the secret of the heroes of their webs, but over time all the secret became apparent.

Unscrew mystery

The painting "Stranger" caused a real excitement and gave rise to contemporary contemporaries who dream of finding out who posted Kramsky. However, the Creator did not reveal the secret, and all the peres were deprived of arguments.

Currently, no one can say anyone who served as a real prototype of the work remaining incomprehensible and in our day. Polant, proud stranger looks at the audience, charging his eyes. We will understand what the mystical attractiveness of work and what are the main versions relative to the prototype of beauty sitting in an open crew.

Birth of a masterpiece

The history of the painting "Stranger" of Kramsky began in 1883, when a famous painter painted a portrait of a beautiful lady, which there is not a single mention in the wizard records. The canvas was exhibited for universal review at the exhibition of the Movies, and the public, with delight reacted to the work, carried the painter in the hands of the painter that did not expect such fame. Everything was asked about what the seductive lady is, posing Kramsky, but the Creator was silent, that he gave rise to many rumors and versions. Everyone began to solve an exciting rebus with passion to establish a stranger that caused such a resonance in society.

Literary character?

The image of an excellent lady was worried and disturbed the minds, caused anxiety, and contemporaries were lost in guess. Many admitted that they could not determine who this woman is actually, and critics were united in their opinion: "There is a whole epoch in it, and it does not matter whether it is a decent or sale."

The picture "Stranger" appeared after the publication of the novel "Anna Karenina" Tolstoy, and many decided that Ivan Nikolayevich portrayed the main character, amenable to passion and lost social status. Opponents of this version found the similarity of an unknown charming with the Nastaski Filippe from the work of the "Idiot" of Dostoevsky rising above their position.

Daughter or Georgian Princess?

Many art historians believe that the artist posed his daughter. If you compare the "stranger" with a portrait of Sophia Kramskaya ("girl with a cat"), then you can not deny the visible similarity of two women. The Russian journalist and writer I. Obolensky disagree with any version and put forward his. In his opinion, V. Turkestanishvili served as a prototype - the favorite of Tsar Alexander I. After she gave birth to the emperor daughter, the autocrat lost interest in Freiline and her child. Moved from the grief of Varvara committed suicide. When Kramskaya found out the tragic fate of the favorite and saw her portrait, he was amazed by the beauty of Georgian princes and wanted to convey the image of a proud woman in his work.

Collective image?

Art historians adhere to the versions that the painting "Stranger" (it is often called "unknown") is a collective image of a woman who are not spoken in a decent society.

Drawn lips, induced blush, fashionable dear clothes give out the content in it, which is on providing some rich. The artistic critic and the historian of the art of Stasov even called the canvas "Cocktail in a wheelchair."

Etude and canvas: Differences

And after the Etude was found to the canvas in a private Czech collection, the specialists came to the opinion that the author of the painting "Stranger" really wanted to portray the ladies, loosely looked at the surrounding. In a picturesque etude there is no shortness and uncertainty. The auditory woman looks at the audience, in the person of which respected life is read. What she does is impose an imprint on its appearance, and one of the signs characterizing the lady is vulgarity. However, in the final version of Kramskaya, heded the external features of the Charms, teasing its beauty. He admires his heroine, its aristocracy, magnificent posture, delicate skin. The master sees a real queen in it, which towers over other people.

Description of the painting "Stranger"

A young woman is depicted on the canvas, dressed in the last fashion: a hat with feathers, trimmed by satin ribbons and a sable fur coat, leather gloves. However, this does not speak of accessories to the highest light, and emphasizes the elegance of the lady.

Despite the fact that the famous buildings of St. Petersburg are written in the form of sketches, they are quite recognizable, and experts called the place of action that does not cause any doubt - Nevsky Prospect. Beautiful features, the details of the wardrobe of which are carefully discharged, drives along the snow-covered Anichkovo Bridge in an open crew. Proud and arrogant, she shows their beauty at the bottom, and this can see a certain challenge to society.

From the pink-white frosty haze as if the feeling of the cold occurs, because perfectly owned the receptions transmitting air and light, the talented painter Ivan Kramskaya. "Stranger" is not a cabin portrait, but a complex that stores intrigue canvas. City bustle helps to understand the spirituality of the image of an unknown. The dramatic charming woman seems to tease the viewer with sensual beauty, and in his eyes it is read easy sadness. Kramskaya shows the inner world of ladies, feeling unprotected and suffering from false people. Her drama is that she cannot accept the cold settlement of society. The author touches the eternal questions that tormented humanity. The painting "Stranger" is his reflections on morality and beauty, as well as the ratio of these two concepts.

It is curious that in Soviet times the image of the lady, called the scandal in the XIX century, was rethought and acquired a romantic aura after the "stranger" exit. The majestic beauty, whose name is unlikely to know, has become the ideal of refinement and spirituality. Today, the audience, while holding his breath, view the canvas, on which the female character the author shiny showed "from within", and new generations will be peering into huge eyes of a woman to learn her mystery.

One of the most prominent works of the famous Russian artist XIX in. Ivan Kramsky is an "Unknown"which is also often called the "stranger". There was a lot of rumors around this picture around the artist. Who was the woman depicted by the mobile phone? The author did not reveal this mystery, and at the moment there are many interesting versions regarding the prototype of the most famous "unknown".

Neither in letters nor in the diaries of Ivan Kramsky has no mention of the personality of this woman. A few years before the appearance of the picture, Anna Karenina L. Tolstoy was published, which gave reason to some researchers to argue that Kramskaya portrayed the main character of the novel. Others find similarities with Nastasya Filippovna from Roman F. Dostoevsky "Idiot".

Most researchers are still inclined to think that the prototype is not literary, but quite real origin. The external similarity made saying that the artist depicted the beauty Matreus Savvishna - the peasant, who became the wife of the nobleman Bestuzhev.

Many argue that the "unknown" is a collective image of a woman who could not serve as an example for imitation. Allegedly Kramskaya wrote a picture in order to generate moral mains of society - painted lips, fashionable dear clothes give out a rich content in a woman. Critic V. Stasov called this picture "Cockclock in a wheelchair", other critics wrote that Kramskaya depicted "expensive camellia", "one of the excessions of large cities".

Later in one of the private Czech collections, an etude was found to this picture. Woman on it looks arrogant and coarse, she looks at the passing. This gave reason to argue that the artist really put out the idea to create an accusatory portrait. However, in the final version of Kramskaya softened the features of the stranger, by indulging its appearance. There is a version that the artist for this painting posed his daughter, Sophia Kramskaya. If you compare the "unknown" with the picture "Girl with a cat" - a portrait of a daughter, then the external similarity is really striking.

One of the most interesting versions belongs to the author of the book "The Fate of Beauty. History of Georgian wives "Igor Obolensky. He claims that the prototype of the stranger became the princess of Varvara Turkestanishvili - Freilin Empress Maria Fedorovna, the favorite of Alexander I, to whom she gave birth to a daughter. After the birth of the daughter, the emperor lost interest in the mother, and to the child, and Barbara had finished with him after that. In the 1880s. Camelight with the portrait of the princess, which she once pretended the emperor, saw Kramskaya. He was amazed by the beauty and tragic death of Georgian and decided to write her portrait.