Beyond Beautiful — Russian Paintings That Will Keep You Fixated
Edition #8 - Beauty, aesthetics and life-size portraits by Konstantin Makovsky
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In today’s edition, I present to you—a Russian influential painter Konstantin Makovsky who drew life-size paintings of Russian traditional weddings and heart-melting portraits of beautiful naive women but with no deep symbolism. He left a wide body of work and his works were a combination of realistic, mythological and historical genres.
Visual art might not always be creative. Sometimes we admire an artwork only because it is aesthetically sound and brings pure joy to our eyes. It might not evoke our emotional sensors and we might not extract any deep meaning out of it but we like it.
Here are 4 of his paintings that you might enjoy —
1. The Russian Bride’s Attire (1889)
This picture shows a life-size depiction of a Russian wedding around the 17th century. The girl dressed in traditional white attire is the bride. She looks quite young, almost a teenager. She is shy and somber and about to get married to the tsar she has probably not met. The bride is sun-kissed. The sun rays pass through the shimmery curtains and cast their shadows on the walls.
The bridesmaids and the bride’s family are dressed ethnically and are wearing pearl-studded kokoshniki, a Russian woman’s headdress.
Traditionally, only women can be present while the bride gets ready for the wedding but an exception is made for the little boy sitting on the left. The man entering the room, possibly the bride’s father is requested to leave the room.
The bride’s name is Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya. She is about to get married to the 18-year old Tsar Alexis I. Makovsky’s second wife is used as the model for the bride in the painting.
2. A Boyar Wedding Feast (1883)
Again a painting filled with intricate detailing and handling complex relationships. The beautifully dressed Boyar family (highest ranked family in 17th century Russia) looks ecstatic and is curious for the bride and groom to kiss each other. I’m not sure whether the bride is shy or reluctant. The elderly woman whispers in the bride’s ears and encourages her to kiss the groom.
Makovsky illustrates the royal luxury with silverware, exquisite antiques, a candlelight chandelier and an ivory chest with a silver bowl in the foreground.
A roasted swan is brought in on a large platter, the last dish served before the couple departs into their bedroom.
3. The Birth of Venus (1910)
Here’s Makovsky’s depiction of the famous mythological subject — the birth of Venus. Without the painting’s title, it’s hard to predict where Venus is lounging. A scallop shell or an object in space?
Venus’s face and body look disproportionate too. Isn’t it? A childish face with a mature body.
4. Portrait of the girl
This is still one of my favorite paintings. The girl’s gaze is magical and her innocence invites us to engage with this artwork for a long time.
Makovsky’s painted his women with an intense yet inviting gaze.
Here are other articles I published this week on Medium that you might be interested in—
Such a lovely collection and such a lovely introduction. I enjoyed it so much that I feel that the click bait title doesn’t do it justice!