Alexander Brullov
Encyclopedia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n artist associated with the latest phase of the Russian Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
.
Alexander Brullov was born in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
into a family of French artists: his great grandfather, his grandfather, his father and his brothers (including Karl Brullov) were artists. His first teacher was his father Paul Brulloff. He attended the Imperial Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
' architect class in 1810-1820, and graduated with honors. Along with his brother, Karl, he was sent to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to study art and architecture as a pensioner of the Society for the Promotion of Artists.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, studying architecture and art. He painted a lot of watercolor portraits at that time. Among the best were the portraits of V. A. Perovsky
Vasily Alekseevich Perovsky
Count Vasily Alekseevich Perovsky was an imperial Russian general and statesman.After studying in Moscow University, he joined the emperor's retinue in 1811...
(1824), C. P. Bakunina (1830-1832), John Capodistria (1820s), C. I. Zagryazhskaya (1820s) and others.
In 1831, after his return to Russia, he was appointed professor of the Imperial Academy of Arts
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
and these were the years when he created his best architectural projects. Among others, he designed and built the following buildings in St. Petersburg: Mikhailovsky Theatre (now Maliy Theater, 1831-1833), Lutheran Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Lutheran Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
The Lutheran Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul is a Lutheran church located in Saint Petersburg, Russia...
on Nevsky Prospekt
Nevsky Prospekt
Nevsky Avenue |Prospekt]]) is the main street in the city of St. Petersburg, Russia. Planned by Peter the Great as beginning of the road to Novgorod and Moscow, the avenue runs from the Admiralty to the Moscow Railway Station and, after making a turn at Vosstaniya Square, to the Alexander...
(1833-1838), Pulkovo Observatory
Pulkovo Observatory
The Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory астрономи́ческая обсервато́рия Росси́йской акаде́мии нау́к), the principal astronomical observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, located 19 km south of Saint Petersburg on Pulkovo Heights...
(1834-1839), the Headquarters of Guard Corps on Palace Square
Palace Square
Palace Square , connecting Nevsky Prospekt with Palace Bridge leading to Vasilievsky Island, is the central city square of St Petersburg and of the former Russian Empire...
(1837-1843). He was one of the main architects of the reconstruction of the Winter Palace
Winter Palace
The Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russia, was, from 1732 to 1917, the official residence of the Russian monarchs. Situated between the Palace Embankment and the Palace Square, adjacent to the site of Peter the Great's original Winter Palace, the present and fourth Winter Palace was built and...
after the fire of 1837. He designed many striking interiors there including the Pompei Hall, the Malachite Room
Malachite Room of the Winter Palace
The Malachite Room of the Winter Palace, St Petersburg, was designed in the late 1830s by the architect Alexander Briullov for use a formal reception room for the Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna, wife of Nicholas I. It replaced the Jasper Room, which was destroyed in the fire of 1837. The room obtains...
, and the White Hall.
Alexander Brullov was also talented painter. One of the best portraits created by A. Brulloff at this period was a portrait of Natalya Goncharova-Pushkina.
Natalia Pushkina
Nataliya Nikolaevna Pushkina-Lanskaya , , was the wife of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin from 1831 until his death in 1837 of a duel with Georges d'Anthès...
(1831), wife of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Alexander Brulloff also made illustrations for the books and magazines.