Іван Хруцкі
Выдавец: Беларусь
Памер: 59с.
Мінск 2009
1 Podbereski, R. O niektorych artystach, ktorzy juz wyszli albo jeszcze si§ ksztaicq w Akademii Sztuk pi^knych w S.-Petersburgu I R. Podbereski // Tygodnik Petersburski. — 1842. — № 59. — S. 324.
the young painter drew the attention of senior colleagues — in 1836 I. E Khrutsky was awarded a large silver medal, in 1838 received a small gold medal, and in 1839 became an academician.
Among the works of the St. Petersburg period, stored at the National Art Museum of Belarus, there are his early student works — «Grapes and fruit» (early 1830s), «Portrait of an unknown woman with a basket in her hands» (about 1835) and later canvases, already quite advanced in their execution. Among the latter, «Portrait of an unknown woman with flowers and fruit» (1838) should be noted. This painting was awarded a small gold medal in an academic exhibition2. Complex compositional structure, idealized model, the thoroughness of details and the ability to place accents distinguish this work.
At the time when I. E Khrutsky stayed in St. Petersburg, the genre of «flowers and fruits» became very popular. The artist himself had a hand in this popularity by creating a lot of spectacular, subtly and poetically painted still lifes. The most successful works were «replicated» by the painter. However, these were not the exact author s repetitions, but variations — each subsequent product had its own peculiarities. Among the repeatedly occurring variants such paintings as «Fruit and melon» (second half of 1830s), «Still life. Flowers and fruit» (1839), «Fruit and candle» (late 1830s — early 1840s) can be specified.
2 Резннк, T.A. K нсторнм «Портрета немзвестной c цветамм м фруктамм» Н.Ф. Хруцкого II Іван Хруцкі: мастацтва ў дыялогу культур : матэрыялы Міжнар. навук.-практ. канферэнцыі, прысвечанай 200-годдзю з дня нараджэння вядомага беларускага жывапісца XIX стагоддзя Івана Фаміча Хруцкага (5 верасня 2010 года, г. Полацк). — Мінск : Белпрынт, 2010. — С. 5—8.
In 1840, early spring, Khrutsky left St. Petersburg (permission was granted because of the death of the artists father in 1839), and returned to the hometown. But there he lived and worked only on short visits, still spending much time in the capital.
In Belarus, I.E Khrutsky was principally engaged in portraiture. In 1841, he wrote a portrait of P.E. Rubtsov. Petr Rubtsov (1790s — 1851), the head of the Vitebsk Government Chamber, is presented as an official person — in uniform with all decorations, medals and honorable distinctions. The image, created by the artist, feels documentary accuracy. However, it is only one facet of Khrutskyportraitist.
In 1843, while in St. Petersburg, I.E Khrutsky wrote one of his best portraits — «Portrait of LI. Glazunov». Most likely, this may be contributed to personal sympathy for the portrayed person — a representative of one of the most famous Russian family of book publishers. Ilya Glazunov is presented in a black coat against a dark background. Thanks to such a solution it became possible to emphasize the significance and inner nobility of this man.
The sojourn of I.E Khrutsky in Belarus was associated with work and with the arrangement of his own life. He bought Zaharnichi estate not far from Polotsk and built the house there in 1844. In 1845, he got married. However, the artist didn’t remain at home for long.
In 1846, the Archbishop of Lithuania (later — Metropolitan) Joseph Semashko (1798—1868) gave to Ivan Khrutsky an order for the creation of the iconostasis. This marked the beginning of Vilna period of creativity of the painter.
In Lithuania I.E Khrutsky rated as an icon painter and a portraitist. In a letter dated July 30, 1847 one of the then living in Vilna artists Vincent Smokovsky (1797—1876) said: «Now there are two portrait-painters in Vilna: Morachinsky and Khrutsky; the latter is particularly outstanding and strikingly paints»3. Josef Semashko, knowing about this artist s talent, along with icons instructed him to paint a series of small portraits of «the leaders of reunification» of Uniates with the Orthodox Church. These works were to be placed in the bishop’s house.
Apart from the mentioned series orded by Josif Semashko, Ivan Khrutsky painted other portraits. In 1847, he created «Portrait of V. Lisovsky». Monk Vincent (1780—1858) — the confessor of Reverend Joseph — is shown detached from the bustle of everyday life. However, the image is not static, not closed in itself. At the heart of it is the diagonal compositional structure that fully reflects the strong internal movement of the human soul.
From the literary sources it is known that in 1849 in Vilna I.E Khrutsky portrayed Reverend Joseph. «Portrait of I. Semashko» is stored in the collection of the National Art Museum of Belarus. The work was signed — written by... Hrutsky 18494. However, the authorship of I.F. Khrutsky remains questionable. At present, it is
3 By: Ryszkiewicz, A. Kilka obrazow polskich ze zbiorow radzieckich / A. Ryszkiewicz // Biuletyn historii sztuki. — 1966. — № 341. — S. 376.
4 For the first time this portrait appeared in publication: Пронзведенпя Нвана Хруцкого в собранмп Нацнонального художественного музея Республмкп Беларусь : альбом-каталог / науч. ред. Т. А. Резняк. — Ммнск : Белпрмнт, 2010.— С. 47, 51, 76.
difficult to say with certainty how the brushwork of the artist varied in the course of his life, i. e. correlate this portrait with other works of the painter in this genre.
Apparently, «Portrait of a man» (1851) was created in Vilna, too. The person portrayed is presented without a hint of idealization, a touch is rapid and expressive enough. It characterizes to some extent the changes that occurred in the portraiture of the artist.
Approximately in 1854 the Vilna period of creativity of I.E Khrutsky was completed. That year the last of the currently known works associated with I. Semashko and his Lithuanian residence was written — «Metropolitan Joseph Semashko listens to the report of his secretary in the office» (Russian Museum).
In the same year appeared the picture «Dressed game, vegetables and mushrooms» — an example of another returning of the artist to the genre of still life and the creation of a new original work. In contrast to the still lifes of Petersburg period the focus in this work is not on exotic peaches, lemons and grapes, but on the fruit grown in the native land — cabbage, carrots, onions. A certain variety and narrative are added to the painting by the image of a box of matches and dressed game.
Beginning from the second half of 1850s and to the rest of his life, Ivan Khrutsky lived and worked mainly in Belarus. The canvas «In the rooms of the artists estate. Children at the easel» (1854—1855) was one of the first painted in the Belarusian period. The work — a short story about his own life. In a cozy, well-lit room a boy and a girl sit at the easel. Children are surrounded by a simple setting. A distinctive feature of the interior is the large number of paintings
and sculptures. An artists house was both the family home and a kind of an art gallery, a place of aesthetic education of the younger generation.
There is quite little information on the last decades of the life and work of I.F. Khrutsky. Today we know several works of the artist related to 1860s — the first half of 1880s. One of the last was «Self Portrait» (Russian Museum) created in 1884. Interestingly, in this work the painter used the same slender, delicate style of painting as in the 1830s. The artist died nine months after creation of a selfportrait. He was buried near his home in Zaharnichy.
Currently, the most significant collection of paintings by Ivan Fomich Khrutsky — 23 beautiful works — are kept at the National Art Museum of Belarus. Most of the works of the master are in the permanent exhibition of the museum.
Aliaksei Kharak
Вінаград і садавіна. Пачатак 1830-х
Внноград м фрукты. Начало 1830-х
Grapes and fruit. The beginning of the 1830s
Партрэт невядомай. Сярэдзіна 1830-х
Портрет немзвестной. Середмна 1830-х
Portrait of an unknown woman The middip of thp 1830«
Партрэт невядомай з кошыкам у руках. Каля 1835
Портрет нензвестной с корзнной в руках. Около 1835
Portrait of an unknown woman with a basket in her hands. About 1835
Плады і дыня. Другая палова 1830-х
Плоды н дыня. Вторая половмна 1830-х
Fruit and the melon. The second half of the 1830s
Партрэт невядомай з кветкамі і садавіной. 1838 Портрет немзвестной с цветамм м фруктамя. 1838 Portrait of an unknown woman with flowers and fruit. 1838
Партрэт I. Булгака. 1838
Портрет М. Булгака. 1838
Portrait of I. Bulgak. 1838
Садавіна. 1838
Фрукты. 1838
Fruit 1R3R
Плады і свечка. Канец 1830-х — пачатак 1840-х
Плоды н свеча. Конец 1830-х — начало 1840-х
Fruit and candle. The end of the 1830s — the beginning of the 1840s
Нацюрморт. Кветкі і садавіна. 1839
Натюрморт. Цветы н фрукты. 1839
Still life. Flowers and fruit. 1839
Ружы і плады. 1839
Розы н плоды. 1839
Расрс япЯ fruit 1 84Q
Кветкі і садавіна. 1840-я
Цветы м фрукты. 1840-е
Flowers and fruit. 1840s
Партрэт хлопчыка ў саламяным брылі. Канец 1830-х — пачатак 1840-х Портрет мальчмка в соломенной шляпе. Конец 1830-х — начало 1840-х Portrait of a boy in a straw hat. The end of the 1830s — the beginning of the 1840s
Партрэт П.Я. Рубцова. 1841
Портрет П.Е. Рубцова. 1841
Portrait of Р.Е. Rubtsov. 1841
Партрэт Г.М. Рубцовай. 1841 (?)
Портрет А.М. Рубцовой. 1841 (?)
Portrait of А.М. Rubtsova. 1841 (?)
Партрэт 1.1. Глазунова. 1843
Портрет 14.14. Глазунова. 1843
Portrait of І.І. Glazunov. 1843
Партрэт В. Лісоўскага. 1847
Портрет В. Лнсовского. 1847
Portrait of V. Lisovsky. 1847
Мужчынскі партрэт. 1851
Мужской портрет. 1851
Portrait of a man. 1851
Бітая дзічына, агародніна і грыбы. 1854
Бнтая дмчь, овоіцм н грнбы. 1854
Dressed game, vegetables and mushrooms. 1854
У пакоях сядзібы мастака. Дзеці перад мальбертам. 1854—1855
В комнатах усадьбы художннка. Детп перед мольбертом. 1854—1855
In the rooms of the artists estate. Children at the easel. 1854—1855