Self Portrait
| Support Type: | Mixed Support |
| Paint Type: | Oil Paint |
| Current Location: | Chelyabinsk State Art Museum |
| Location History: | The portrait was purchased by the State Procurement Commission of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR in 1951 from a private individual and later acquired by Chelyabinsk State Art Museum. Initially it was called "The Portrait of an Unknown Man" and the painter was not known. With research the work was attributed to Dmitry Levitzky and identified as a self portrait. |
Born in Kyiv into the family of Grigory Levitsky-Nos, a priest and artist, Dmitry (1735-1882) was introduced to art at a very early age by his father. In 1758 he moved to St. Petersburg and studied under Aleksey Antropov and under him Dmitry's artistic inclination flourished. By late 1750s , Levitsky developed a highly successful career and following the exhibition of his portraits at the Imperial Academy of Arts, he achieved particular recognition. He also joined Imperial Academy as a teacher and headed the portrait class from 1771 to 1787. In his work we see a blend of the formal European court portrait with remarkable psychological sensitivity that he achieves by observation and skillful rendering of colour and light. Looking at his works, one recognizes his ability of revealing the social status and inner personality of the sitter. The self portrait seen above was made by him in 1783, hieght of his professional career. In this simple compostion we see Levitzky in a close, bust-length view against a dark, neutral background. His face is slightly turned and his gaze is directed towards the viewer. Upon his face and clothing, light falls and illumines whereas the rest of the space is dark, creating a strong contrast and accentuating his thoughtful expression. Dmitry is regarded as one of the leading masters of eighteenth century Russian portraiture, alongside Vladimir Borovikovsky and Fyodor Rokotov.