Karl Pavlovich Brjullov

Place: Saint-Pétersbourg

Born: 1799

Death: 1852

Biography:

Karl Brullov, also known as Karl Pavlovich Brjullov, was a Russian painter born in Saint-Pétersbourg in 1799 and died in Marsciano, near Rome, in 1852. He is considered as the first Russian painter of international renown and a key figure in the transition from neoclassicism to romanticism in Russia. Brullov was born into a family of French origin and showed an early interest in Italy. Despite his education at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in Saint-Pétersbourg (1809-1821), he never fully embraced the classical style taught by his professors and promoted by his brother Alexandre Brioullov. After leaving Russia in 1822, he settled in Rome where he worked as a portraitist and genre painter, gaining recognition for his historical paintings. His most famous work, 'The Last Day of Pompeii' (1830-1833), was a vast composition that was highly praised in Italy and contributed to his growing reputation. Upon completing this painting, he returned to Saint-Pétersbourg, where he became friends with members of the aristocracy and the intellectual elite. He also taught at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts (1836-1848), where he developed a style of portraiture that combined the simplicity of neoclassicism with a romantic tendency.