Karl Bryullov

Karl Bryullov was born on December 12, 1799 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. His father was a prominent architect, Charles Bruleau, and his grandfather was an Italian painter, Albert Cavos. He showed an early talent for drawing and painting, and was admitted to the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1818, where he studied under Andrei Ivanov, a renowned history painter. He also served in the Imperial Russian Army and traveled with the army to many countries, such as Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, and Germany. He painted many views of the battles, landscapes, and monuments he saw during his travels. He was greatly influenced by the works of the Italian masters, such as Raphael, Michelangelo, and Caravaggio, and became one of the leading representatives of the Russian neoclassicism. He won several medals and awards for his paintings, such as "The Appearance of Christ Before the People" (1824), "The Siege of Pskov" (1825), and "The Horsewoman" (1832). He became an academician in 1827 and a professor in 1836. He retired from the army in 1835 and devoted himself to painting. He traveled extensively in Europe and Asia, painting the portraits and historical scenes of different countries and regions. He also painted some religious and mythological scenes, such as "The Resurrection of Christ" (1839), "The Rape of Europa" (1840), and "The Judgment of Paris" (1841). He was one of the founders of the World of Art movement, along with his friends Sergei Diaghilev, Leon Bakst, and others. The World of Art aimed to promote the aesthetic values and individuality of the artists, and to revive the traditions of the Russian art. He also wrote some books and articles on art history and criticism, such as "The History of Russian Painting in the 19th Century" (1843) and "The Art of the 18th Century in France and Russia" (1847). He was a curator of the Hermitage Museum and the Imperial Theatres, and a member of the Imperial Academy of Arts. He moved to Rome in 1849, where he continued his artistic and scholarly activities. He died in Rome in 1852, at the age of 52. He is regarded as one of the most influential and versatile Russian painters of the 19th century.