Konstantin Egorovich Makovsky, 1839-1915

Two important portraits by Konstantin Makovsky lots 20-21 

Portraiture occupies a special place in the art of Konstantin Makovsky. His studio on Palace Square, adjacent to the Imperial Winter Palace in St.Petersburg was exceptionally popular with Russian society and his fashionable, idealised portraits were in great demand.

Makovsky developed a very distinctive style of portraiture. His works incorporated both the formal and the intimate, displaying majestic and sentimental traits to create a specific genre: the salon portrait. His style differed from those of his teachers, who were greatly affected by the spread of photography and strove to achieve a precise and true to life depiction of their subjects. In the 1860s tastes had changed as Vladimir Stasov noted, ‘the present time is highly unfavourable for portraiture: photography has almost destroyed the portrait…’

The end of the 1860s saw a revival in this genre, a development typically credited to Vasily Perov and Ivan Kramskoy, who laid the foundations for a more realistic and psychological type of portrait. However, it is also important not to underestimate Makovsky’s contribution there. Having adopted elements from the schools of Briullov and Tropinin, Makovsky successfully reworked them to create his own style.

Makovsky tried to present his subjects in their best light by depicting them in lavish surroundings, elaborate dresses, jewellery, expensive textiles and furs. In creating a light and romantic atmosphere, Makovsky does not concern himself with rendering the psychological characteristics of his models. As Ivan Kramskoy commented: ‘in Makovsky’s portraits, the colours are matched as flowers in a bouquet’. Makovsky’s portraits are highly decorative and dynamic and in this they share a great similarity to works of the French Impressionist August Renoir as in his portrait of Jeanna Samary (1878). These two portraits of his third wife Maria Matavtina and daughter Marina depict Makovsky’s talent at its best.

Note for lot 21

In 1898 Makovsky divorced his second wife Yulia Pavlovna and married Maria Matavtina, with whom he already had three children. In this fine portrait her elaborate dress and accessories contrast with the softness of her face, while her red lips, a rather coquettish tilt of the head, and an enigmatic smile add a slightly sensual note. Makovsky uses pastel colours and light brushstrokes to convey his wife’s contentment.