Iuliia Chezhina
Saint Petersburg State University, Russia
The 18th century in Russian art may be called the epoch of portrait-painting. This very genre marked by strong interest in personality was developing very quickly and in various forms in the period of forming of secular culture. Humanistic emphasis is one of the key aspects that let art historians compare the role of the 18th century in the evolution of the national art school with that of the Renaissance in Western Europe.
The portrait of Sarah Eleonora Fairmore (1749, Russian Museum) is one of the most well-known and heartfelt paintings by Ivan Vishnyakov, a prominent artist of the middle of the 18th century. Art historians of different generations have turned to the study of this canvas. The most thorough analysis of the picture was presented by Tatiana Ilina in her book “Ivan Vishnyakov. Life and work” (1979). It is noted that the portrait is painted in accordance with all the canons of European formal portraits of the 17th–18th centuries. However, Vishnyakov had never been abroad. Thus he had no opportunity to see works of art by western masters, except those bought in Europe or created by the foreigners living in Russia. The composition of Sarah Fairmore’s portrait is usually compared with the one of Infanta Margarita by Diego Velazquez. Certainly, some similarity of these pictures can be found but it seems indirect and rather distant. There is no doubt that it was not Infanta Margarita’s image that Vishnyakov used as a prototype.
Artists of the 18th century used to follow renowned patterns in their creative work. The ways of exchange of information and professional experience are of particular interest in the context of western influence and Russia’s integration into European art world. The example taken by Ivan Vishnyakov is quite obvious. It is a portrait of Isabella Maria Bourbon, Princess of Parma (Versailles), a granddaughter of Louis XV. The picture was painted by the famous French artist Jean Marc Nattier in the middle of the 18th century. The compositions of both portraits are so much alike, as well as other formal devices, that one can not be mistaken regarding the source of borrowing. Working on his canvas Vishnyakov probably used an engraving after the painted original by Nattier.
The practice of using prints as patterns was widely spread in art. Considering the popularity of Nattier’s work in Russia, which local artists frequently copied or followed, Vishnyakov’s choice appears to be evident and natural.