Female images in the portraits of the artist Tropinin

A free and beautiful girl, she married a serf, and therefore she herself became a serf, the property of the master.

V.A. Tropinin - portrait of E.D. Shchepkina.

All portraits of Tropinin are the adornment of our museums. You probably remember "The Lacemaker", "Guitarist", "Portrait of the Artist's Son" and, of course, the famous portrait of A.S. Pushkin. More than five hundred paintings by Vasily Andreevich Tropinin are known, which adorn various museums.

Portrait of E.D. Shchepkina. This is one of the best portraits of the artist, which attracts to itself, makes you stop, look around, as if the woman depicted in the portrait with her kind look is calling you to calm you ... She breathes with warmth.

Mikhail Semyonovich Schepkin, then a young actor, a serf of Count Volkenstein, went to the village of Arkhremovka to buy musical instruments for his master's theater. At that time, he already knew about a girl with an extraordinary destiny, and most likely wanted to see her.

In 1791, during the Turkish war, Russian soldiers found a very pretty little girl of about two years old among the ruins of the Anapa fortress. All around were smoking ruins and not a soul. The soldiers took the child and took it to the head of the garrison, General Chalikov. A kind-hearted man and a brave warrior, the general took the baby into his family.

The girl was christened and named Elena. She grew up with other children of Chalikov until the age of seventeen. However, due to circumstances, Elena by the age of eighteen became a pupil of Princess Salagova. It is difficult to say what was in store for the young girl, who sometimes felt herself to be an adornment of the princess's drawing-room. But suddenly this short, fair-haired young man appeared, who introduced himself as Mikhail Shchepkin.

They fell in love with each other. But Shchepkin was long afraid to open up to Elena in his complete dependence on the count to whom he belonged. After all, a girl, if she is free, by marrying him, will immediately become a serf. And suddenly ... "I will endure everything with patience, because I love him so much ... I still won't survive when I don't marry him." In 1812, Elena became the wife of the serf actor Mikhail Shchepkin, and from that moment on she became the property of Count Volkenstein.

9 years have passed since they got married, they already have daughters and sons. Mikhail Schepkin is known throughout Russia as a great actor. All-Russian fame and the position of a serf is an incomprehensible phenomenon, and for many people of that time it was simply unacceptable. He tried with all his might to break free of serfdom. In 1821, with his own savings, Shchepkin bought himself, his wife, two daughters, the younger sons were still serfs.

All life between the spouses was tender devotion. In letters to each other, they addressed and signed a love code - he called himself not Misha, but Masha, but her Alyosha. Probably, behind this play on words, his amorous obedience to Elena Dmitrievna is guessed. Shchepkin, to put it simply, was incredibly lucky that he met and fell in love with this woman. He appreciated her intelligence, femininity, wisdom, patience and gracious power. Indeed, thanks to all the virtues of Elena Dmitrievna's character, he managed to realize his acting talent in all its diversity.

Probably, she was also a happy woman, because what is called happiness shines in the face of any person. And from under the brush of such a portrait master as Tropinin, the warmth of the gaze of happy eyes could hardly have escaped. Shchepkin, an excellent storyteller and a wise interlocutor, was invited everywhere, they longed to see and hear him. Elena Dmitrievna did not like all these dinners and evenings. And at first, in her younger years, she was reluctant to visit them, and by a more mature age she did not mind if her great and famous Shchepkin had a little fun in the company of friends and admirers of his talent, and let him go alone.

In the portrait, Elena Dmitrievna is 37 years old. A noble and bright face, from which warmth and pacification emanates - this is how the great artist V.A. Tropinin. The fate of Tropinin and his model had a lot in common. He himself was a serf of Count Morkov, whose daughters were arguing among themselves, which of them would get this talented serf named Vaska as a dowry. And at the time of writing the portrait, he recently received freedom, as well as his model.

Vasily Andreevich Tropinin

Tropinin, like many other famous Russian artists, did not want and did not know how to flatter customers. But looking at the portrait of E.D. Shchepkina, we see a special emotional disposition of the artist towards his model. The great artist immortalized a beautiful female soul.

We admire the creations of great artists who conveyed to us the images of the great and famous, who became famous in the history of Russia on the battlefield, in extraordinary scientific discoveries and achievements, on the stage of theaters and on travel. All this is deserved, because with their deeds they glorified Russia. But there is another life, outwardly imperceptible, in which at first glance there is no feat or talent. However, this is not the case. There is a special gift and talent, in which there is a place for heroic deeds - this is the talent of a soul that knows how to love. It is this gift that has been possessed since ancient times Russian woman.