A picture of a plump woman lying. Women in painting

ANTIQUITY

Women Egypt were more free and independent than women in other countries - not only Ancient World, but also Europe: from the Middle Ages to late XIX century. However, the so-called "gender equality" in Ancient Egypt was absent - because according to the world order established by Maat, the vital essence of men and women is different. The men of Egypt worshiped women, admired them, and cared for them. At the same time, naturally, demanding attention and respect from them. In traditional Egyptian art, women were most often represented as loving wife holding her husband's hand, or hugging his shoulder. Since the men worked for fresh air in the fields or by the river, their skin was dark, while the women working in a room protected from the scorching sun were light. According to fine arts, Egyptian women are usually presented as fragile and graceful.

Cretan women had an unnaturally narrow waist, were not tall and graceful physique. They hid their faces in the shadows, which made their skin pale, and against its background were black eyes and hair. Women wore curls that framed the neck, curls gathered on the forehead, or braids with woven ribbons. Cretan women wore fluffy hats on their heads (similar to those of the 19th century). Feet were often bare, but upper-class women sometimes wore embroidered leather shoes.

Fragment of the back of Tutankhamun's throne

Painting in the Knossos Palace. Crete

Painting in Pompeii

Fayum portrait.Egypt

MIDDLE AGES

The Middle Ages gave women a very modest, if not insignificant, place in the orderly edifice of the social hierarchy. Patriarchal instinct, traditions preserved since the times of barbarism, and finally, religious orthodoxy - all this prompted medieval man to have a very wary attitude towards women. The use of cosmetics and jewelry was considered an integral attribute of female “sinfulness” - both were severely condemned by the church. There was even a special resolution according to which a marriage concluded with the help of women’s “tricks” - cosmetics, dresses, etc. was considered fraudulent, illegal and could be dissolved.

REVIVAL

Human personality in the Renaissance is mediated not by God, but by beauty and, above all, female beauty. For the first time in human history, a woman occupies an exclusive place, like the Madonna on the throne.
This is where the endless string of Madonnas come from, gradually turning into simply portraits of young women of the era. The Renaissance woman is nobility, beauty and education.

Van Eyck

Botticelli -Madonna Magnificat (Glorification of the Madonna)

Botticelli - Birth of Venus

El Greco

Raffaello

Raffaello

Bronzino

da Vinci - Lady with an ermine

Yes Vinci - Madonna Litta

Yes Vinci-Gioconda

Cristofano Allori

Giorgione - Sleeping Venus

BAROQUE

In the Baroque era (late 16th-17th centuries), naturalness again went out of fashion. It is being replaced by stylization and theatricality. The Baroque flourished during the reign of the French "Sun King" Louis XIV. From then on, the French court began to dictate fashion throughout Europe. The female body in the Baroque period, as before, should be “rich” with a “swan” neck, wide shoulders thrown back and curvy hips. But the waist should now be as thin as possible, and whalebone corsets are coming into fashion. Lush, frilly clothes have long become one of the main elements of female irresistibility. Parade appearance most clearly manifested in the widespread use of luxurious collars and wigs, which existed among the nobility for almost three centuries.

Rubens

Rubens with his wife

van Meer

Rembrandt

Rembrandt - Saskia

ROCOCO

IN early XVIII V. The Rococo era begins, and the female silhouette changes again. Now the woman should resemble a fragile porcelain figurine. The solemn pomp of Baroque is replaced by grace, lightness and playfulness. At the same time, theatricality and unnaturalness do not go away - on the contrary, they reach their peak. Both men and women take on a doll-like appearance. The beauty of the Rococo era has narrow shoulders and thin waist, a small bodice contrasts with a huge round skirt. The neckline increases and the skirt shortens somewhat. In this regard, close attention is beginning to be paid underwear. Stockings are in fashion, and the petticoat is richly decorated. From now on it was considered quite decent to expose a woman's breasts, touch them and kiss them. Modesty only caused ridicule: since a girl is ashamed, it means she has nothing to boast about. The ladies constantly found a reason to show their breasts - either a rose fell and pricked, or a flea bit - “look!” A popular entertainment for the nobility were also unique beauty contests, where ladies shamelessly lifted their hems and opened their bodices. Gallant ladies put so much makeup on their faces that, they say, husbands often did not recognize their wives.

Francois Boucher - Portrait of Louise O'Murphy

Francois Boucher

Fragonard -Swing

ROMANTICISM

Imitation of antique clothing also changed the silhouette of a woman. The dress acquires clear proportions and smooth lines. The main clothing of fashionistas has become the snow-white shmiz - a linen shirt with a large neckline, short sleeves, narrowed in the front and loosely enveloping the figure below. The belt moved right under the chest. Empire style was one of the last clearly defined styles, dictating relatively clear canons of beauty and fashion. WITH beginning of the 19th century century, fashion begins to change so rapidly that you can only catch some of the brightest trends.

Guys, we put our soul into the site. Thank you for that
that you are discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and goosebumps.
Join us on Facebook And In contact with

First of all, we know two things about the painting: its author and, possibly, the history of the canvas. But we don’t know much about the fates of those who look at us from the canvases.

website I decided to talk about women whose faces are familiar to us, but their stories are not.

Zhanna Samari
Auguste Renoir, Portrait of the Actress Jeanne Samary, 1877

Actress Jeanne Samary, although she could not become a stage star (she played mainly maids), was lucky in something else: for some time she lived not far from the studio of Renoir, who painted four portraits of her in 1877-1878, thereby making her famous much more than it could do her actor career. Zhanna played in plays from the age of 18, at 25 she got married and gave birth to three children, then even wrote a children's book. But this charming lady, unfortunately, did not live long: at the age of 33 she fell ill with typhoid fever and died.

Cecilia Gallerani
Leonardo da Vinci, "Lady with an Ermine"
1489-1490

Cecilia Gallerani was a girl from a noble Italian family, who at the age of 10 (!) was already engaged. However, when the girl was 14, the engagement was broken for unknown reasons, and Cecilia was sent to a monastery, where she met (or it was all set up) with the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. An affair began, Cecilia became pregnant and the Duke settled the girl in his castle, but then the time came to enter into a dynastic marriage with another woman, who, of course, did not like the presence of her mistress in their house. Then, after Gallerani gave birth, the duke took his son for himself, and married her to the impoverished count.

In this marriage, Cecilia gave birth to four children, ran almost the very first literary salon in Europe, visited the Duke and enjoyed playing with his child from his new mistress. After a while, Cecilia’s husband died, war came, she lost her well-being and found shelter in the house of the sister of that same Duke’s wife - it was in such wonderful relationships that she managed to be with people. After the war, Gallerani returned her estate, where she lived until her death at the age of 63.

Zinaida Yusupova
V.A. Serov, “Portrait of Princess Zinaida Yusupova”, 1902

The richest Russian heiress, the last of the Yusupov family, Princess Zinaida was incredibly beautiful, and, despite the fact that her favor was sought, among others, by august persons, she wanted to marry for love. She fulfilled her desire: the marriage was happy and brought two sons. Yusupova spent a lot of time and effort on charitable activities, and after the revolution she continued it in exile. Her beloved eldest son died in a duel when the princess was 47 years old, and she could hardly bear this loss. With the outbreak of unrest, the Yusupovs left St. Petersburg and settled in Rome, and after the death of her husband, the princess moved to her son in Paris, where she spent the rest of her days.

Maria Lopukhina
V.L. Borovikovsky, “Portrait of M.I. Lopukhina", 1797

Borovikovsky painted many portraits of Russian noblewomen, but this one is the most charming. Maria Lopukhina, a representative of the Tolstoy count family, is depicted here at the tender age of 18 years. The portrait was commissioned by her husband Stepan Avraamovich Lopukhin shortly after the wedding. Ease and a slightly arrogant look seem either to be a common pose for such a portrait of the era of sentimentalism, or signs of a melancholic and poetic disposition. The fate of this mysterious girl turned out to be sad: just 6 years after painting, Maria died of consumption.

Giovanina and Amacilia Pacini
Karl Bryullov, “Horsewoman”, 1832

Bryullov’s “Horsewoman” is brilliant ceremonial portrait, in which everything is luxurious: the brightness of the colors, the splendor of the draperies, and the beauty of the models. It depicts two girls who bore the surname Pacini: the eldest Giovanina is sitting on a horse, the younger Amatzilia is looking at her from the porch. I ordered a painting from Karl Bryullov, my long-time lover. foster mother, Countess Yulia Pavlovna Samoilova, one of the most beautiful women in Russia and heir to a colossal fortune. The Countess guaranteed a large dowry for her grown-up daughters. But it turned out that by old age she was practically bankrupt, and then adopted daughters Giovanina and Amazilia collected the promised money and property from the countess through the court.

Simonetta Vespucci
Sandro Botticelli, "Birth of Venus"
1482–1486

On famous painting Botticelli depicts Simonetta Vespucci, the first beauty of the Florentine Renaissance. Simonetta was born into a wealthy family, at the age of 16 she married Marco Vespucci (a relative of Amerigo Vespucci, who “discovered” America and gave the continent his name). After the wedding, the newlyweds settled in Florence and were received at court Lorenzo Medici, in those years famous for its magnificent feasts and receptions.

Beautiful, at the same time very modest and friendly, Simonetta quickly fell in love with Florentine men. The ruler himself tried to look after her Florence Lorenzo, but it was his brother Giuliano who sought it most actively. Simonetta's beauty inspired many artists of the time, among whom was Sandro Botticelli. It is believed that from the moment they met, Simonetta was the model for all Madonnas and Venuses painted by Botticelli. At the age of 23, Simonetta died of consumption, despite the efforts of the best court doctors. After this, the artist depicted his muse only from memory, and in his old age he bequeathed to be buried next to her, which was done.

Vera Mamontova
V.A. Serov, “Girl with Peaches”, 1887

The most famous painting by portrait master Valentin Serov was painted in the estate of the wealthy industrialist Savva Ivanovich Mamontov. Every day for two months his daughter, 12-year-old Vera, posed for the artist. The girl grew up and turned into charming girl, married mutual love for Alexander Samarin, belonging to the famous noble family. After a honeymoon trip to Italy, the family settled in the city of Bogorodsk, where three children were born one after another. But unexpectedly in December 1907, just 5 years after the wedding, Vera Savvishna died of pneumonia. She was only 32 years old, and her husband never remarried.

Alexandra Petrovna Struyskaya
F.S. Rokotov, “Portrait of Struyskaya”, 1772

This portrait by Rokotov is like an airy half-hint. Alexandra Struyskaya was 18 when she was married to a very rich widower. There is a legend that for her wedding her husband gave her nothing less than new church. And all my life I wrote poetry to her. It is not known for certain whether this marriage was happy, but everyone who visited their house paid attention to how different the spouses were from each other. Over 24 years of marriage, Alexandra bore her husband 18 children, 10 of whom died in infancy. After her husband's death, she lived for another 40 years, firmly managed the estate and left her children a decent fortune.

Galina Vladimirovna Aderkas
B.M. Kustodiev “Merchant's Wife at Tea”, 1918

Kustodiev’s “Merchant’s Wife at Tea” is a real illustration of that bright and well-fed Russia, where there are fairs, carousels and the “crunch of French bread.” The picture was painted in the post-revolutionary famine year of 1918, when one could only dream of such abundance.

Galina Vladimirovna Aderkas, a natural baroness from a family that traces its history back to one Livonian knight of the 18th century, posed for the merchant’s wife in this portrait-picture. In Astrakhan, Galya Aderkas was the Kustodievs' housemate, from the sixth floor; The artist’s wife brought the girl to the studio after noticing the colorful model. During this period, Aderkas was very young - a first-year medical student - and in the sketches her figure looks much thinner. After graduating from university and working for some time as a surgeon, she left the profession and Soviet years she sang in a Russian choir, took part in dubbing films, got married and began performing in the circus.

Lisa del Giocondo
Leonardo da Vinci, "Mona Lisa", 1503-1519.

Perhaps one of the most famous and mysterious portraits of all times and peoples - this is the famous Mona Lisa by the great Leonardo. Among the many versions about who owns the legendary smile, the following was officially confirmed in 2005: the canvas depicts Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of the Florentine silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo. The portrait may have been commissioned from the artist to commemorate the birth of a son and the purchase of a house.

Together with her husband, Lisa raised five children and, most likely, her marriage was based on love. When her husband died of the plague and Lisa was also struck by this serious illness, one of the daughters was not afraid to take her mother to her place and left her. Mona Lisa recovered and lived for some time with her daughters, dying at the age of 63.

In terms of its changeability, fashion is second only to the weather, although this is a controversial issue. Moreover, fashion changes not only in clothes, styles or accessories, but also in feminine beauty. A recognized beauty of one era, half a century later can be considered ugly (but you and I know that not beautiful women can not be). At all times, artists responded very sensitively to the whims of fashion, since they always strived to depict the most beautiful women of their era.

Ancient Greece and Rome

Unfortunately, o feminine ideals Antiquity must be judged by frescoes and sculptures, full-fledged paintings not preserved. IN Ancient Greece The goddess Aphrodite, a curvaceous lady with long thick red hair, was considered the standard of female beauty. This is exactly how she is depicted in the painting “The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli, although created already in 1485. IN Ancient Rome valued beauty most of all female face, and the splendor of forms was in second place. For example, the painting “Proserpina” (1874) by Dante Rossetti was created with this in mind.

Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, one could be sent to the stake for praising female beauty, so there is no artistic evidence left. Demonstrate female figure was strictly prohibited. Clothes had to completely hide the body, and hair was hidden under hats. The standard of female beauty were holy women who devoted themselves to serving God.

Renaissance

The Renaissance is so named due to the revival of interest in the ideals of Antiquity, including in matters of female beauty. Wide hips, full body, elongated face, healthy complexion - this is how the first beauty of the 15th-16th centuries should have looked. This is exactly how women are depicted in the paintings of Sandro Botticelli, Raphael Santi and Michelangelo. The ideal of beauty of the Renaissance can be called the Italian Simonetta Vespucci, who is depicted in several paintings by Botticelli “Spring” (1478), “Birth of Venus” (1485), “Portrait of a Young Woman” (1485). During the Renaissance it was fashionable high forehead, and to achieve this effect, fashionistas shaved their eyebrows and hairline. This is clearly visible in the famous painting “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Baroque era

In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the ideal of female beauty was white-skinned women (tanning was considered the lot of peasant women) with small breasts, tiny legs, a pale face, but with curvy hips. In addition, any aristocrat had to have a high, complex hairstyle. These fashion trends clearly visible in the portrait of Louis XIV's favorite Madame de Montespan (1670) by Pierre Mignard. It is from this period that Jan Vermeer’s famous work “Woman with a Pearl Earring” (1665) dates back.

Rococo era

If in the picture the woman looks more like a porcelain doll, surrounded by fans, umbrellas, muffs and gloves, then we can safely say that we are talking about the Rococo era. At the beginning of the 18th century, “mild anorexia” came into fashion: female beauty became fragile, with narrow hips, small breasts, and sunken cheeks. There is evidence that to achieve the effect of “sunken cheeks”, some ladies removed their side teeth, leaving only the front ones - beauty requires sacrifice. The canons of beauty of the Rococo era are perfectly illustrated by the portraits of Francois Boucher, for example, “Portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour” (1756).

Romantic era

Only in the second half of the 19th century did natural blush, healthy freshness and roundness of shape once again become the standards of female beauty. And the most attractive part female body The shoulders become rounded, revealing which was simply necessary for any beauty. It is precisely such women that are found in the paintings of Adolphe Bouguereau; such women were depicted by the first impressionists (“The Birth of Venus” by Bouguereau, “The Great Bathers” by Renoir, “ Blue dancers" Degas).

Early 20th century

“Russian Venus”, “Merchant's Wife at Tea”, “Girl on the Volga” by Boris Kustodiev perfectly illustrate the canons of beauty of the early 20th century. Everything that romanticism admired in a woman became even more magnificent and weighty. 20-40 years of the twentieth century

Mid-20th century

Marilyn Monroe became the ideal of female beauty in the middle of the last century. A short blonde, without any excesses in the direction of thinness or plumpness. The founder of pop art, Andy Warhol, willingly used her image in his works.
Talk about further development ideals of female beauty, especially in their connection with painting, are not yet worthwhile. It is only necessary to note that history is developing in a circle, and thinness and sickness are coming back into fashion.

How often do we admire works of art without thinking about who is depicted in them? Only the names of the royals remain in memory, and the identity of the girl, whose foggy silhouette is visible in the corner of the picture, remains unknown. About the women who posed for artists famous paintings, will tell todayAmateur. media.

Dutch Mona Lisa

The famous “Dutch Mona Lisa”, “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Jan Vermeer was painted around 1665. For a long time the painting was simply called “Girl in a Turban”, its modern name she received it only in the 20th century. The depiction of turbans in paintings has become popular since the 15th century, and Vermeer often uses this detail of the toilet in portraits. The whole picture is written in special genre“troni”, which denoted the image of a person’s head.

The "Dutch Mona Lisa" has long been called "The Girl in the Turban"

True to its name, the viewer's eye is drawn to a large pearl earring.

According to the most common version, it is believed that his young daughter Maria posed for Vermeer’s portrait, although some researchers still suggest that it could be the daughter of the artist’s patron, philanthropist Ruyven. Maria was one of Vermeer's 15 children - his marriage was truly happy. The artist loved his wife, and she often posed for him for paintings.

Mystical portrait of young Lopukhina

The portrait of Maria Ivanovna Lopukhina, one of the representatives of the Tolstoy count family, is one of the most famous works Russian artist Borovikovsky. It was painted in 1797 and is now kept in the Tretyakov Gallery.

The portrait of M. I. Lopukhina is one of the most famous works Borovikovsky

The poet Yakov Polonsky dedicated his poems to the girl depicted in the portrait: “She passed away a long time ago, and those eyes are no longer there, and that smile is gone that silently expressed suffering - the shadow of love, and thoughts - the shadow of sadness, but Borovikovsky saved her beauty.” The artist uses traditional portrait painting technique - surrounding the character with objects that help characterize him. These are the features of the Russian landscape, and a delicate shawl, and drooping rosebuds.

The portrait of Lopukhina is considered the most poetic in Borovikovsky’s work

It is interesting that the portrait of Maria Lopukhina was used to scare young girls for a long time. The fact is that soon after painting the picture, a young woman at the age of 21 died of consumption. Many believed that the portrait seemed to take her life, and if the girls looked at the painting, they would also soon die.

Girl with an umbrella from Monet's paintings

Claude Monet's famous painting "Field of Poppies at Argenteuil" was painted in 1873. This painting appeared at an exhibition of the Impressionists in 1874, when they first declared themselves as a separate group. The two figures in the foreground are Monet's wife Camila and their son Jean.

Claude Monet's painting "Field of Poppies at Argenteuil" was painted in 1873

Monet painted, as was his custom, en plein air, trying to capture the atmosphere of airiness and movement. Interesting fact, which few people pay attention to: in the left corner of the picture there is another similar couple, a woman with a child. A barely noticeable path winds between the two couples.

The painting depicts two couples, one of which is Monet's wife and son

The love story of Monet and Camila was tragic: Monet’s father more than once threatened to deprive his son of his maintenance if he did not part with his beloved. They lived apart for a long time, but Monet could not last long without his family. However, the artist often asked his wife to pose for his paintings. We can see Camila both on the canvas “Lady in Green” and among “Women in the Garden”. There are also several separate portraits of Camila and their son. And when Camila died, he painted her posthumous portrait, which differs from the rest of the artist’s works.

Monet painted a posthumous portrait of his wife under the impression of her death

Impressed by the death of his beloved wife, Monet painted her posthumous portrait

The actress who charmed Renoir

Auguste Renoir, one of the most famous impressionist artists, loved and knew how to depict female beauty. Actress Jeanne Samary was his favorite model. Renoir painted 4 portraits from her, but the most famous was “Portrait of the Actress Jeanne Samary.” It was written in 1877 and is now kept in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow.

The main shades used in the portrait are pink and green.

Zhanna was from a theatrical family and did not choose her field for long. She made her theater debut in the role of Dorina in Moliere's Tartuffe, and her fame grew rapidly. Before her marriage, the girl often went to Renoir’s studio and posed for him. True, she attended sessions irregularly, and this angered the artist. But he was completely fascinated by the grace of the actress, so over and over again he invited her to become his model. But her fame and happiness did not last long: she died at 33 from typhus.

Dancer with the flexibility of a snake

The famous author of “Girl with Peaches” Valentin Serov, having met Ida Rubinstein in Paris in 1910, asked her to become a model for the new painting. Before that, she posed for many artists - Kees van Dongen, Antonio de la Gandara, Andre de Segonzac, Leon Bakst, and later for Romaine Brooks.

The portrait of Ida Rubenstein was almost immediately purchased from Serov

But it was the portrait of the Russian artist that became the most famous. The painting was almost immediately purchased from the author and placed in the collection of the Russian Museum.

Serov's daughter Olga wrote that in reality Ida was not so thin at all, and the artist deliberately stylized her

Ida Rubinstein was a famous Russian dancer and actress. From 1909 to 1911 she performed as part of Sergei Diaghilev's troupe. Rubinstein was tall, but her grace amazed the audience, and she was described as a dancer “with the flexibility of a snake and the plasticity of a woman.” The roles of Cleoparta and Zobeide became her star roles. After leaving Diaghilev, she created her own troupe, in which she performed for a long time. And in 1921 she even starred in the Italian film “The Ship”.