Alexander
Osipovich Orel

1777 Warsaw - 1832 Petersburg

He studied at the Warsaw AP of Norblin, M. Baccarelli (1893), he took lessons from engraver N. Polina and miniaturist Century of Leser. Worked in St. Petersburg from 1802. The court painter of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich (1802-1831). In 1809 he received the title of academician of battle paintings of the Imperial Academy of arts. Attached to the General staff for the composition of drawings of military costumes (1819). Traveled to Russia - Caucasus, Kyrgyzstan, Bashkiria, visited Persia (1816-1819).

A. O. Orlov was born in a wealthy Polish family. His father kept a tavern in the provincial town of Sedlec, where the boy and his first talented drawings saw the Princess Isabella Chartoryisky. Patronizing extraordinary talent, she sent Orlovsky (approx. 1793) for training in Warsaw artist's Studio Ya-PA Norblin, the former court painter princes Chartoryisky. Earlier, the Warsaw period of the artist marked interest in the liberation war of the Polish people, which resulted in the uprising under the leadership of T. Kostushko. There are sketches, Orel, depicting the episodes of this event ("camp", "a Group of soldiers Kosciuszko in the camp, Racławice", all 1798, and others). In 1802 the artist arrived in Petersburg, where he lived until his death. First, the fate was favorable to him. Patronage A. Chertoritskaja, close to the Emperor Alexander I, contributed to the fact that Orlovsky were in the service of the Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich. Already since 1803 he appeared in the list of "salaried, portions and other content on special of His Imperial Highness the commandments". In the marble Palace that belonged to the Grand Duke, he was given an apartment of three rooms with Windows overlooking the Neva. A talented graphic artist, Orel created numerous pencil, watercolour, pastel works of a romantic nature. No wonder A. S. Pushkin dedicated his line of his famous poem: Take your quick pencil, Draw, Orel, the night and the world! Riders on a rearing horses, the shipwreck and the storm on the sea - these are the subjects of his songs at the time. After the creation of the painting "the Bivouac Cossacks" (1809) it awarded the title of academician "as a famous artist, work which has long known of the Academy". A great place in the artist took the portrait. Bright personality and expression peculiar to the "self-Portrait in a red cloak (1809) and "self-Portrait in Cherkessk" (approx. 1820). Strong character and romantic pathos had brought him and generation of Russian people of the period of Napoleonic wars. Temperamental manner of drawing, original color scheme, made possible by the combination of black Italian pencil with reddish-ochre sanguine, marked the portraits of the architect H. Cameron (1809), composer M. Clementi (1810), A. M. Lanskaya (1816). Genre watercolor sketches depicting types of working people Petersburg - peddlers, masons, glaziers, made a whole series, anticipating the later works of I. S. of Sadovskogo and A. G. Venetsianov. In drawings and lithographs of the 1810s is reflected entertainment life of the capital: "Races on the Neva", "hot rod" and others Sympathetic to the plight of disadvantaged people imbued drawings Rest of the prisoners", "the Poor peasants, his carriage" (both 1815) and others With 1816, the artist was one of the first in Russia turned to the technique of lithography and performed a series of separate sheets and albums-series, widely regarded by his contemporaries ("Notebook on the theme of Russian folk life", 1825-26, and others). Man broad Outlook, progressive configured, the artist was a member of the Masonic Lodge of the United friends and lodges "Palestine", prohibited by Alexander I, and therefore strictly secret. Acquaintance with representatives of the theatrical and literary environment of St. Petersburg, he talked to I. A. Krylov, A. S. Pushkin, P. A. Vyazemsky, C. D. Davydov, who loved and appreciated it. I. A. Krylov ordered the artist's illustrations for publications of his fables. Besides, the Orlovsky executed the portrait of famous fabulist (1812). However, after the death of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich Orlovsky lost services, apartments and livelihoods. Some time was when the military topographic depot, but it did not last long. Poor health, lack of support the artist has led to death.