Description of the painting: girl on a horse. Stories about masterpieces of painting

picture horsewoman Bryullov portrait

IN last years first stay in Italy, in 1832 K. Bryullov painted the famous “Horsewoman” (see Ill. 7), gracefully sitting on a magnificent horse.

At the center of the work is a young girl who has returned from her morning walk. A horsewoman at full gallop stops a hot horse. The Amazon's confident dexterity evokes genuine admiration from the little girl who runs up to the balcony, as if calling on the viewer to share her delight.

The excitement is transmitted to the shaggy dog ​​barking fiercely at the rearing horse. The landscape with tree trunks tilted from the passing wind is also agitated. Cirrus clouds run anxiously across the sky, the rays of the setting sun breaking through the thick foliage fall in restless spots on the ground.

Portraying a young girl, Giovanina, and her little friend, Amacilia Pacini, Bryullov created an inspired canvas glorifying the joy of life. The charm of “The Horsewoman” is in the spontaneity of the animation that permeates the entire scene, in the courage compositional solution, in the beauty of the pre-storm landscape, in the brilliance of the palette, striking in its richness of shades.

The overall silhouette of the rider and horse forms the semblance of a triangle - a stable, long-favored form of constructing a ceremonial portrait. This is how many compositions were solved by Titian, Velazquez, Rubens, and Van Dyck. Under Bryullov’s brush, the old compositional scheme is interpreted in a new way. The artist introduces the figure of a child into the picture. The little girl, hearing the horse's tramp, quickly ran out onto the balcony and stretched out her hand through the bars. Both delight and fear for the rider are expressed on her face (see Fig. 8). A note of living, direct feeling tempers the cold majesty of the portrait, giving it spontaneity and humanity. The girl, incomparably more lively than the horsewoman, fits well into the work, conveys the mood of sincere childish delight, ease of perception of the world and deprives the portrait of pathos and seriousness, which usually comes from the majestic equestrian portraits of other artists of that era.

Enthusiastic Italians compared Bryullov with Rubens and Van Dyck, writing that they had never before seen an equestrian portrait conceived and executed with such skill. This exaggeration is due to the unusual nature of Bryullov’s creation. The equestrian portrait was always a ceremonial one. He inevitably concealed within himself hidden meaning: a rider who has saddled and subdued a hot horse is a man of power. Here is not a commander leading an army into battle, not a conqueror entering a captured capital, not a monarch being crowned king - the girl returned home from a walk.

In this work, Bryullov finally connects ceremonial portrait and everyday scene. He himself called the work “Jovanin on a Horse,” but for everyone it is “Horsewoman.” "Jovanin on a Horse" tells a little about "Jovanin" herself - Jovanina; little Amazilia - admiration, impulse, the charm of childhood.

Bryullov painted the picture with a feeling of completeness and joy of being, admiring the beauty and picturesqueness of the world, with the feeling that lived in him, and which he found in these girls, Giovanina and Amatsilia.

In a large canvas, Bryullov managed to organically link the decorativeness of the solution with the truthfulness of direct observation. “The Horsewoman” can rightfully be called an example of a portrait-painting in the art of the first half of the 19th century century. In this uniqueness creative idea one cannot help but see the expression of the bold will of an artist who violates established traditions. The very appearance of the young horsewoman acquired a certain conventional generality.

The portrait of Giovannina, exhibited in Rome in 1832, caused a lively exchange of opinions. Here is what was said, for example, in one of the newspaper articles published at that time: “The Russian painter Karl Bryullov painted a life-size portrait of a girl on a horse and another girl who is looking at her. We do not remember having seen an equestrian portrait conceived and executed before with such skill. The horse... beautifully drawn and staged, moves, gets excited, snorts, neighs. The girl who sits on him is a flying angel. The artist overcame all difficulties like a true master: his brush glides freely, smoothly, without hesitation, without tension; skillfully, with understanding great artist, distributing the light, he knows how to weaken or strengthen it. This portrait reveals in him a promising painter and, more importantly, a painter marked by genius."

According to the fair opinion of the poet Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy, Blyullov was considered “the best painter in Rome.” (Pikuleva G.I. /Gallery of Geniuses: Bryullov/ - M.: OLMA-PRESS Education, 2004.)

An article attributed to Ambriozodi that appeared in the same year said: “If anything may seem incredible, it is that a beautiful rider either does not notice the frantic movements of the horse, or, from excessive self-confidence, does not tighten the reins at all and does not bends towards her, as perhaps it would be necessary.”

Bryullov’s “omission,” noticed by his contemporaries, was partly explained in the tasks that he set for the art of large portrait paintings during this period. The creator of “The Horsewoman” could be suspected of being unable to convey facial expression, if not for the image of a little girl clinging to the balcony railing in a fit of delight. The play of feelings is so vivid on her sharp face that doubts about the brilliant talents of Bryullov as a portrait painter immediately disappear. By the beginning of the 1830s, Bryullov took one of the leading places in Russian and Western European art. His glory outstanding master The portrait was enshrined as “Horsewoman”.

Without a doubt, "Horsewoman" is a success. She created a sensation among her contemporaries. They talked about her, wrote about her, discussed her, there were rumors, versions and assumptions about the personality of the person depicted. It was an unconditional hit in the top ten.

"Horsewoman" was purchased for the gallery of P.M. Tretyakov in 1893 in Paris, as a portrait of Yu.P. Samoilova. It was believed that she was depicted as a horsewoman.

Later it was proven that this is the same painting that the artist called “Zhovanin on a Horse” in the list of his works, and that it depicts two of Samoilova’s pupils - Giovannina and Amatsilia. This was established by comparing the girls depicted in “The Horsewoman” with them in other Bryullov paintings.

If you can see, if you look at the “Portrait of Countess Y.P. Samoilova with her pupil Giovannina and the Little Arab” and the “Portrait of Countess Y.P. Samoilova leaving the ball with her adopted daughter Amatsilia” (see Ill. 5), dating back to 1834 in 1839 during their visit to St. Petersburg.

The artist himself gave the reason to be mistaken about who is represented in the image of the horsewoman. Although the girl looks younger than Samoilova, who was about thirty years old in 1832, she seems older than the teenage girl that Giovannina is depicted next to the countess in Bryullov’s portrait of 1834. By the way, this is not the only misunderstanding related to the definition of the heroine of “The Horsewoman”.

In 1975, the famous Opera theatre La Scala has published a book dedicated to the outstanding singers whose voices sounded from its stage. "Horsewoman" was presented as "Romantic Portrait of Malibran" from Theater Museum"La Scala". The name of Maria Felicita Malibran-Garcia, sister of Pauline Viardot, belongs to one of the most striking legends in the history of opera. Masterfully mastering a marvelous voice, possessing a hot temperament and the gift of acting transformation, combined with a romantic canon female beauty appearance - slim figure, with a pale face under blue-black hair and large sparkling eyes, she seemed created to embody heroines on stage musical dramas.

A passionate lover of horse riding, Maria Malibran died from bruises received when she fell from a horse. She was twenty-eight years old. The untimely death cemented the legend that was born during the singer’s lifetime: one Milanese lawyer, who donated an engraving from the painting “The Horsewoman” to the La Scala Theater Museum, believed that it depicted Malibran.

The director of the Theater Museum, Professor Gianpiero Tintori, said: “I understand what confuses you. When, having arrived in Moscow, I visited Tretyakov Gallery, then I realized that the fair-haired horsewoman (in life Giovannina was a redhead) could not portray the fiery brunette Malibran. I told about this to those who selected illustrations for the book, but they only added the epithet “romantic” to the word “portrait,” that is, they presented the picture as a kind of fantasy on the theme of the singer’s passion for horse riding.”

The picture is filled with emotions and movement. A happy young girl, excited by the walk, the gallop, the wind in her face, reined in her horse abruptly, her little friend ran out enthusiastically to meet her - and the rider’s excitement was immediately transmitted to her, intensifying many times over; the black horse crosses its eyes, snores, tries to rear; sensing the mood of the owners, the dogs are worried; the wind bends the treetops; clouds are running across the sky: everything is excited, agitated, alarmed, but this is joyful excitement, the joyful excitement of happy people.

Giovanina Paccini in a portrait by Karl Bryullov is shown in a fashionable, rich and elegant equestrian costume, a brocade blouse with puffy elbow-length and narrow wrist-length sleeves, a lace collar, a long skirt below the heels, which reflects the wealth and refined taste of its owner. Neatly curled curls, soft features of the face, only slightly turned to the side, contrast with the movement that filled the whole picture. A light cloud of a veil, trailing with the wind. The face of the just returned rider is quite calm, but not devoid of pleasure from the ride. (see ill. 9) She behaves arrogantly and majestically, like a brave commander on the battlefield.

The horse's front legs raised while running, as if the hind legs were ready to jump; you can almost hear the neighing of a horse and the frightened barking of a dog on the right. The equanimity of such a fragile girl is amazing; without a shadow of effort or fear, she restrains the ardor of a frisky horse, bursting with health, strength and power. The sun plays on the muscles of his black satin body. Flared nostrils and an open mouth show all the impatience, all the resistance of a rearing horse. The horse gets excited, but the rider sits straight and proud, confident in herself. All his power is completely subordinated to the young rider, calmly sitting on his back.

Attracted by the clatter of hooves and the neighing of a horse, the little girl on the left who jumped out of the house is also all in motion - her right leg bent at the knee, her hands clutching the parapet bars. Even the static nature of the entrance arch, the parapet and the pedestal in which the parapet is mounted is disrupted by the image of pieces of earth flying out from under the horse’s feet and sticking to the pedestal. All this conversation piece as if to emphasize the seething emotions inner world horsewoman, but, shackled by the conventions of noble decency, she does not show this in her facial expression.

Wild strength submitting to fragile beauty, tenderness and sophistication dominating over power is one of the favorite motifs of romanticism, the pinnacle of which was the work of Bryullov.

The girl’s entire pose is filled with grace and ease. It seems that she is not even sitting in the saddle, but is hovering above him like a light, almost weightless blue-white cloud. The smooth curve of the arm, sloping shoulders, thin neck give tenderness and smoothness to the figure. The folds of the dress and the developing veil only enhance the effect.

The position of the head and the antique calm on the porcelain face of the eldest of the Pacini sisters contrasts with the composition of the entire painting, filled with movement and emotion. The Italian idealized type of appearance was considered perfect during the time of Bryullov. Which is not surprising, because a purely realistic image does not always give that touch of romanticism, so beloved by Karl Pavlovich’s contemporaries.

Today, looking at this work, you understand how right the Italian art connoisseur was when he called the young Karl Bryullov a brilliant artist just for this one portrait. The master boldly combines the warm, gentle tones of the girl’s pink dress with the black steel of the velvety black fur of the horse and the white luminous robe of the rider. Bryullov gives a complex harmony of pink-red, bluish-black and white shades. The contrasts are striking color solutions, in which red is combined with brown-beige, dark brown, almost black - with bluish-lunar, lead-gray - with yellow-blue, white-pink - with bluish-black, and black - with yellow.

The painter, as it were, deliberately chooses not close, but contrasting, especially complex in painting, combinations. But each tone was developed masterfully by the master, in many subtle gradations. The pictorial layer is not overloaded anywhere, and this enhances the sound of the paint on the light ground. Bryullov achieved a special tonal harmony here. There are almost no careless, sluggishly painted places in the portrait. The school of the Academy of Arts left its mark on the picture: the figures of a girl, dogs and especially a horse are anatomically accurately depicted.

The combination of textures and light is also skillfully used. Graphic, angular folds of shining fabric next to the softness of animal fur. The artist uses light to determine the main action and the main characters of the painting. Here, in the bright morning light, against the backdrop of a dark garden and monumental stone slabs, the figures of the sisters are captured, the animals are slightly less illuminated. On the broken curves of the clothing, the light lies in the same bright fractures, like shards of a broken mirror. And on the moving object itself - the horse, on the contrary, there is more diffused light. The morning sun plays on his tense muscles, lying on the edges of the smooth, and not chopped like a dress, curves of his chest, legs and neck, emphasizing their roundness and allowing the viewer to see and feel their rolls and movement.

There is a sense of space and perspective in the work. The shaggy dog ​​depicted on the canvas helps to create the impression that in the painting the space unfolds not only in depth, but also exists in front of the characters. The feeling of depth is also enhanced by the light breaking through somewhere in the distance, through the trees of a dense garden.

This and other, no less flattering, reviews appeared in Italian newspapers in 1832. The painting “Horsewoman” aroused the interest and admiration of art lovers. Portrait of Amatsilia and Giovanni Pacini, pupils of Countess Yu. P. Samoilova.”

Now the canvas is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery and continues to attract spectators. The artist’s plan happily combined the majesty of the ceremonial portrait and the simplicity, poetic spirituality of the living, spontaneous characters of the two heroines.

Few know the history of creation and fate of the work. “The Horsewoman” was written in 1832, when Karl Pavlovich Bryullov lived in Milan, in northern Italy. The artist’s close friend, wealthy aristocrat Yulia Samoilova, commissioned the young master to paint a portrait of her students. These were the daughter and young relative of the deceased composer Giuseppe Pacini. The same Pacini, whose opera “The Last Day of Pompeii” prompted Bryullov to the theme of the future famous painting. The painter painted two sisters in a villa near Milan.

In the center of the picture, Giovanni Pacini is depicted on a hot horse. The horse gets excited, but the rider sits straight and proud, confident in herself. To the left of the young Amazon is the balcony onto which she ran out younger sister, in the depths there is a shady park.

The overall silhouette of the rider and horse forms something like a triangle - a stable, long-favored form of constructing a ceremonial portrait. This is how many compositions were solved by Titian, Velazquez, Rubens, and Van Dyck. Under Bryullov’s brush, the old compositional scheme is interpreted in a new way. The artist introduces the figure of a child into the picture. The little girl, hearing the horse's tramp, quickly ran out onto the balcony and stretched out her hand through the bars. Both delight and fear for the rider are expressed on her face. A note of living, direct feeling tempers the cold majesty of the portrait, giving it spontaneity and humanity.

The shaggy dog ​​depicted on the canvas helps to create the impression that in the painting the space unfolds not only in depth, but also exists in front of the characters.

The painting was exhibited in Milan, and then Yu. P. Samoilova’s guests could see it among other works of art. In 1838, the famous Russian poet and translator V. A. Zhukovsky admired the portrait.

Subsequently, traces of the canvas are lost for a long time. Yu. P. Samoilova became poor, moved from Italy to Paris and took with her a portrait of her pupils. She broke up with him at the very end of her life, in 1875. Repin, while in Paris in the summer of 1874, wrote to P. M. Tretyakov that “some Countess Samoilova here sells several things by K. P. Bryullov...”. But he did not have time to buy the painting.

For the second time, the work came to the attention of Russian art collectors in late XIX century. A French art dealer exhibited “The Horsewoman,” or “Amazon,” as it was also called, at the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. In 1893, P. M. Tretyakov acquired it for his famous collection of Russian paintings. Since then, “The Horsewoman” has been decorating the gallery’s halls.

Today, looking at this work, you understand how right the Italian art connoisseur was when he called young Karl Bryullov a brilliant artist just for this portrait alone. The master boldly combines pink dress girls, the velvety black color of the horse’s fur and the white robe of the rider. Bryullov gives a complex harmony of pink-red, bluish-black and white shades. The painter, as it were, deliberately chooses not close, but contrasting, especially complex in painting, combinations. But each tone was developed masterfully by the master, in many subtle gradations. The pictorial layer is not overloaded anywhere, and this enhances the sound of the paint on the light ground. Bryullov achieved a special tonal harmony here. There are no careless, sluggishly painted places in the portrait.

When “The Horsewoman” was created, Karl Bryullov was thirty-three years old. Ahead was the triumph of Pompeii, series famous portraits contemporaries, friendship with Pushkin, Glinka. There was a whole life ahead...

Now the feminist movement has risen again. For one reason or another, but mainly for political reasons, women began to actively regret that they were not men. There is no need to go into the jungle of politics. It’s better to remember one mythological tribe of women, which somehow could do without men at all. Of course, these are the warlike ancient horsewomen of the Amazon.
If you believe ancient greek mythology Amazons (from Greek a - no, mazos - breast).
once lived along the banks of Meotida (Sea of ​​Azov) or along the banks of the river. Thermodont in Asia Minor.
But more about the history with geography later. And let's start in a feminine way - with clothes, but not the ancient ones, which perhaps never existed at all, but the ones in which it was customary for ladies to dress on horseback riding, and which also received the name Amazon, like the ladies themselves who are engaged in horseback riding. very spectacular equestrian sport.

"Hounsom Byles. Joie de vivre. (Joy of life).”

I love Matilda when I'm an Amazon
She will reign over the side saddle,
And he pulls the reins with a stubborn hand,
And he acts with a violently screeching whip.
Proud of the beautiful and dense ledge,
Scattering fire from playful eyes,
She is the ruler over the stately animal,
And the wild horse is subdued to the maiden, -
Gnashes on steel with a crushing tooth,
And the milky foam curls into a club,
And the neck turns like a persistent ring.
Handsome! - he tramples and dances under the maiden,
And he shakes his muzzle, waves his mane,
And then, reluctantly, he kicks his feet,
And he walks sparingly at a whimsical trot,
And in frisky jumps on a soft saddle,
Heartily pleased with the shaking heights,
The rider is depicted in the dusty haze:
A smile sparkles on crimson lips,
And the little leg was stuck in the stirrup;
Matilda lifts the runner into a gallop
And it sways, slyly treading on it,
And rushes around like a whirlwind until you're tired
Fog will fall on your bright eyes...
Matilda jumped down - and in sweet excitement
Throws violently onto the lush sofa.
(V. Benediktov, 1836)

Amazon in the forest by Alfred de Dreux, c.1855

Where and how else could a young woman or girl show herself in the most favorable light, emphasizing all her advantages? On a horseback ride or horse hunt! This way she could demonstrate not only her beauty, but also her agility, strength, and excellent health.
The ability to stay in the saddle has always aroused admiration and attracted attention from the stronger sex. Oh, how beautiful the horsewoman is, how graceful her posture is and how romantic the veil of her hat flutters as she gallops.

Marie Antoinette riding at Versailles by Brun de Versoix,1783-85

View of a woman in the saddle in beautiful long dress was romantic and charming, however, this beauty could be very dangerous, because in such an outfit it was easy to get caught on a tree branch and get injured when falling from a horse.

Equestrian portrait of Marie Louise of Orléans, Queen of Spain, Francisco Rizi, 1679

Queen Victoria on horseback Francis Grant, 1845

Initially, both men and women rode horses in what was called a “male” position.
The passion for horse riding gave rise to a new style of dressing, adjusted by etiquette and... side saddle.

Empress Elizaveta Petrovna on the hunt, V. A. Serov

Madame Saint Baslemont by Claude Deruet, 1630s

Over time, sitting on a horse “like a man” was out of the question; it was extremely vulgar and unacceptable. A ladies' saddle provides for a sideways seat with the rider's legs positioned on one side of the horse.
Ladies' saddles with a high pommel were invented (the woman threw the right leg) and one left stirrup.

A lady could only sit in the saddle with male help, while falling from the saddle guaranteed her either death or severe injuries: as a rule, the unfortunate woman’s leg remained in the stirrup, and the horse dragged the woman along with it. Naturally, women preferred to ride at a walk: to gallop or even trot, one had to have circus agility.

What does it mean? That a woman could go somewhere only and exclusively accompanied by a man. Riding a horse “like a man” and “like a lady” has serious differences, so a woman, accustomed to riding like a lady from her youth, critical situation could not jump into the saddle like a man and thereby ensure freedom of movement.

Drummond Family by Johan Zoffany, p. 1769

Thus, the side saddle was a tool that made it possible to keep a woman submissive and dependent on a man. Not to mention how many women it killed or mercilessly maimed, but who thought about it...

Coco Chanel in a side landing)))

A lady's fit should demonstrate the beauty and grace of not only the lady herself but also her riding costume.

Amazon - women's riding costume.

Empress Eugenie Charles Edward Boutibonne 1857

In the sixteenth century, the costumes of horsewomen differed little from their casual dresses. Amazon as a special dress began to develop in early XVII century, when Catherine de Medici was the first of the high-ranking women not only to begin to attend the hunt, but also to participate in the baiting. It was thanks to her that the second pommel appeared at the saddle.

Catherine de Medici is considered the first woman to wear a riding habit - who else but the queen would introduce fashion for all sorts of innovations?

L "Air or Autumn by Claude Deruet, 1630s.

For horse riding, a special costume was required - an amazon, which consisted of a fitted jacket (bodice) with long sleeves and a closed collar, a long wide skirt (sometimes with a train), a hat with a veil, gloves and a whip.

Countess of Coningsby wearing a costume by Charlton Hunt George Stubbs c.1760

If horseback riding involved a quiet ride, then an ordinary Amazon was not enough for hunting. Therefore, the costume was complemented by the first trousers for ladies - they were quite fluffy and were worn under a skirt.

Horsewoman José Campeche, 1785

The Amazon for hunting and the Amazon for walking were somewhat different. The walking suit was supposed to draw attention to the beauty and grace of the rider, while the hunting amazon was more practical and emphasized the dexterity of the rider. The riding habit could be a cambric dress with a wide skirt, complemented by a fitted bodice and a top hat with a long veil. For the hunting version, practical cloth was provided.

Bryullov Karl Pavlovich-Portrait of Evgeniy and Emilia Mussard (Riders)

The fabric for the Amazon was velvet, cloth, and thick silk. In the 2nd half. 19th century were very much preferred dark colors, most often black.

The historical Amazon (from the era of Catherine de Medici to the Art Nouveau era) consists of the following required parts.

French fashion magazine

Corset
Mandatory. By the way, why the corset? A corset is a silhouette, and the silhouette ensured the beauty of the female figure in the saddle. In the Empire era there could be a soft corset. The corset might have been softer than a ballroom corset, but it was appropriate for its era.

Bodice
Mostly separate from the skirt. Definitely without a neckline, usually with a collar, with long sleeve so that, God forbid, you do not damage the skin of your hands and décolleté in the open air.

First. Variations on the theme of daytime closed dress corresponding era

Second option. Converted to women's pattern men's suit of that time. The coattails were somewhat shorter than on men's suits.

Skirt
Wide and often with a long train.
Long and bouffant skirts were as beautiful as they were dangerous. Having caught on a branch, the Amazon could have been seriously injured if it fell.

Trousers
Slim-fitting, high-waisted pants.
Fashion did not stand still, soon under the rider’s skirt, instead of pantaloons, there were breeches, and the skirt itself lost its pomp and length.

Hat
Usually characteristically masculine: musketeer hat, cocked hat, top hat, bowler hat, boater, etc.
A hard hat with a brim or a tok was worn with the Amazon. Feathers, veils, and scarves served as decorations.
It was always decorated with a veil that fluttered beautifully in the wind.

Gloves
Required.

Letitia, Lady Lade on Horseback by George Stubbs, 1793

In the 1870s, the ability to wear a riding habit became especially important because, according to fashion, the skirt became very tight and a cut was required that made it possible to sit side-saddle. To do this, on the side on which the rider was placed in the saddle, a lap was made, stretched by the knee, and on the opposite side, a train of increased length was made; when the lady dismounted, she had to be able to quickly and gracefully pick up the train and secure the excess width of the skirt above the knee.

With the turn of fashion in the second half of the 19th century towards narrower skirts, the Amazon also became “tighter”. The ability to wear a riding habit has become a real art. For the convenience of riding, the cut of the fashionable narrow skirt was changed: on the right side there was an overlap of fabric, stretched when seated with the knee, and on the left there was an elongated train covering the legs. Having dismounted from the horse, the rider had to gracefully pick up the train and secure it above the knee with a special clasp. However, just like the wide Amazon, the narrow lady needed help getting on a horse, so what’s not a reason to test women’s charms and have a little flirtation?

In the last years of his first stay in Italy, in 1832, K. Bryullov painted the famous “Horsewoman”, gracefully sitting on a magnificent horse. The artist dared to depict the modest pupil of Countess Y. Samoilova, Jovanina, in the way that only titled persons or famous commanders had been depicted before him.
Having decided to write “The Horsewoman,” Bryullov set himself the task of creating a large equestrian portrait. In it he used the motif of a walk, which allowed him to convey the figure in motion.
At full gallop, the rider stops the heated horse. The Amazon's confident dexterity evokes genuine admiration from the little girl who runs up to the balcony, as if calling on the viewer to share her delight.
The excitement is transmitted to the shaggy dog ​​barking fiercely at the rearing horse. The landscape with tree trunks tilted from the passing wind is also agitated. Cirrus clouds run anxiously across the sky, the rays of the setting sun breaking through the thick foliage fall in restless spots on the ground.

Portraying a young girl, Giovanina, and her little friend, Amacilia Pacini, Bryullov created an inspired canvas glorifying the joy of life. The charm of “The Horsewoman” lies in the spontaneity of the animation that permeates the entire scene, in the boldness of the compositional solution, in the beauty of the pre-storm landscape, in the brilliance of the palette, striking in its richness of shades.

In a large canvas, Bryullov managed to organically link the decorativeness of the solution with the truthfulness of direct observation. “The Horsewoman” can rightfully be called an example of a portrait-painting in the art of the first half of the 19th century. In this uniqueness of the creative plan one cannot help but see the expression of the bold will of the artist, violating established traditions. The very appearance of the young horsewoman acquired a certain conventional generality.
Incomparably more lively than the horsewoman is the girl holding on to the metal railing (Amalcia Pacini is the second adopted daughter of Yu. Samoilova).

The portrait of Giovannina, exhibited in Rome in 1832, caused a lively exchange of opinions. Here is what was said, for example, in one of the articles published at that time:
"Russian painter Karl Bryullov painted a life-size portrait of a girl on a horse and another girl who is looking at her. We don’t remember having seen an equestrian portrait before, conceived and executed with such skill. The horse... beautifully drawn and staged, moves , gets excited, snorts, laughs. The girl who sits on him is a flying angel. The artist overcame all difficulties like a true master: his brush glides freely, smoothly, without hesitation, without tension; skillfully, with the understanding of a great artist, distributing the light knows how to weaken or strengthen it. This portrait reveals in him a promising painter and, more importantly, a painter marked by genius."

Some Italian critics noted the lifeless expression on the young rider's face.
An article attributed to Ambriozodi that appeared that same year stated:
“If anything may seem incredible, it is that a beautiful rider either does not notice the frantic movements of the horse, or, from excessive self-confidence, does not tighten the reins at all and does not bend towards it, as perhaps she should.” .

Bryullov’s “omission,” noticed by his contemporaries, was partly explained in the tasks that he set for the art of large portrait paintings during this period.

The creator of “The Horsewoman” could be suspected of being unable to convey facial expression, if not for the image of a little girl clinging to the balcony railing in a fit of delight. The play of feelings is so vivid on her sharp face that doubts about the brilliant talents of Bryullov as a portrait painter immediately disappear. By the beginning of the 1830s, Bryullov occupied one of the leading places in Russian and Western European art. His fame as an outstanding master of portraiture was cemented by The Horsewoman.

There were several versions about who is depicted in the picture

These are, dating from 1834, “Portrait of Countess Y.P. Samoilova with her pupil Giovannina and the little black boy” and “Portrait of Countess Y.P. Samoilova leaving a ball with her adopted daughter Amatsilia,” begun in 1839 during their visit to St. Petersburg.

The artist himself gave the reason to be mistaken about who is represented in the image of the horsewoman. Although the girl looks younger than Samoilova, who was about thirty years old in 1832, she seems older than the teenage girl that Giovannina is depicted next to the countess in this Bryullov portrait of 1834. By the way, this is not the only misunderstanding related to the definition of the heroine of “The Horsewoman”.

In 1975, the famous La Scala opera house published a book dedicated to the outstanding singers whose voices sounded from its stage. "The Horsewoman" was presented as a "Romantic Portrait of Malibran" from the La Scala Theater Museum. The name of Maria Felicita Malibran-Garcia, sister of Pauline Viardot, belongs to one of the most striking legends in the history of opera. Masterfully mastering a marvelous voice, possessing a hot temperament and the gift of acting, combined with an appearance that corresponded to the romantic canon of female beauty - a slender figure, a pale face under blue-black hair and large sparkling eyes, she seemed created to embody the heroines of musical dramas on stage. .
A passionate lover of horse riding, Maria Malibran died from bruises received when she fell from a horse. She was twenty-eight years old. The untimely death cemented the legend that was born during the singer’s lifetime: one Milanese lawyer, who donated an engraving from the painting “Horsewoman” to the La Scala Theater Museum, believed that it depicted Malibran.

The director of the Theater Museum, Professor Gianpiero Tintori, said: “I understand what confuses you. When, having arrived in Moscow, I visited the Tretyakov Gallery, I realized that the fair-haired horsewoman (in Giovannina’s life she was a redhead) cannot portray the fiery brunette Malibran. I spoke about this to those who selected illustrations for the book, but they only added the epithet “romantic” to the word “portrait,” that is, they presented the picture as a kind of fantasy on the theme of the singer’s passion for horse riding.”

But who are the real characters in the picture?

Both girls were raised by Yu.P. Samoilova, called her mother, but were not officially adopted.

In our literature about Bryullov, Giovannina is called a relative at one time very famous composer, author of many operas, close friend of Samoilova, Giovanni Pacini. Pacini himself in the book “My Artistic Memoirs,” calling Samoilova “the benefactress of my daughter Amatsilia,” does not mention Giovannina.
And Samoilova, maintaining correspondence with him until his death, never mentioned Giovanni in her letters.

In one Italian publication there is a reference to a deed of gift certified by a Neapolitan notary, according to which Samoilova’s house in Milan was supposed to pass after her death to “the orphan Giovannina Carmine Bertolotti, daughter of the late Don Gerolamo and Mistress Clementina Perry,” whom the Russian countess “took in.” Based on the fact that maiden name the orphan's mother is the same as Samoilova's second husband opera singer Perry (a weak but handsome baritone), the author of the publication, suggested that Giovannina was his niece.

When Giovannina married an Austrian officer, captain of the hussar regiment Ludwig Aschbach, Samoilova promised to give her an extra expensive wedding dress and a set of personal belongings, a dowry in the amount of 250 thousand lire, guaranteed by a Milanese house, which, as confirmed by a new notarial deed, was supposed to become her property after the death of the donor, but which she never got. Yes and with receiving money, difficulties seem to have arisen, since Giovannina had to seek a lawyer to reach an “agreement with mom” to transfer the promised amount to Prague, where she moved with her hussar. There could be no malice on Samoilova’s part in this. Even Italian authors who were unkindly disposed towards the countess for her pro-Austrian sympathies recognized her extraordinary generosity. But with her large lifestyle, she often lacked cash, which came to her from numerous estates in Russia.

As for Amazilia, she was born in 1828. Her birth cost her mother's life. Pacini, in the mentioned autobiographical book, wrote: “At that time... a great misfortune befell me - three days after giving birth, my angelic wife died.” It is unknown when Samoilova took Amazilia into her upbringing, but judging by the painting “The Horsewoman,” painted in 1832, she lived with her for four years.

Then we see eleven-year-old Amatsilia with Samoilova in Bryullov’s portrait “Portrait of Countess Y.P. Samoilova leaving the ball...”.

Then she wrote to her father from St. Petersburg:
“If only, dear dad, you could see this city, how beautiful it is! All these streets are so clean that walking along them is a real pleasure. Mom takes me all the time to see the surrounding area. I can’t tell you anything about the theaters, because they are closed from -for the death of the King of Prussia, but soon they will open again, and then I will give the details..."

In 1845, Amazilia married a certain Achille Manara. At first family happiness Amazilia was complete, but over time the couple separated. In letters to her father, she complained bitterly about loneliness and the fact that she had no children.

In 1861, her husband died, leaving the widow without funds, because, as she wrote, the deceased “wasted and spent.” One French memoirist recalled how in Paris during the empire of Napoleon III, Countess Samoilova, Countess de Mornay by her third husband, tried to “launch the pretty Madame Manara into the world.” It seems she succeeded. Amazilia remarried the French general de la Roche Bouette. But then, left a widow again, she had to return to Milan and spend the last years of her life in a nursing home at the monastery. Ironically, the shelter was located near former home Samoilova, which the Countess once promised to bequeath not only to Giovannina, but also to her. Amazilia died shortly before the outbreak of the First World War.