Pietro
Rotary

Italia • 1707−1762

Biography and information

Italian court painter-a portraitist who worked in Russia; the count. He studied first at R. Oudenaarde and Antonio Balestra, Francesco then Trevisani in Rome and Solimena in Naples. In 1756 he moved to St. Petersburg, received an invitation from Empress Elizabeth to work at the Russian court. The artist quickly became fashionable due to the light and complementary manner of writing. Rotary has left a trace in history of Russian painting, being engaged in teaching: among his pupils was F. S. Rokotov and I. S. Argunov.

Italian painter, famous for his female "heads".

Born in Verona on 30 September 1707. Until 1734 he studied at the art studios of Venice, Rome and Naples, in particular D. B. Piazzetta in Venice, after which he returned to his hometown, where he arranged in his house a private Academy. From 1750 he worked in Vienna at the court of Maria Theresa (met J. E. Literom pretty much all his influence), and then in Dresden. In 1756, at the invitation of Elizabeth arrived in St. Petersburg.

Acted in different genres of painting, but the international prestige of the rotary was based primarily on his portrait art. He combined in his works of the ceremonial solemnity with inner spiritual revival, subtly conveying the individual character models. Among his works — a portrait of F. B. Rastrelli (1756-1762, Russian Museum, St.-Petersburg) and several portraits of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. But I entered the story in the first place tipazhnosti images of young girls covering the walls of the entire interior ("the Cabinet of Fashion and Graces" at the Grand Palace in Peterhof-Petrodvorets, "offices of rotary" at the Chinese Palace in Oranienbaum-Lomonosov and Gatchina Palace, "Salon rotary" in the estate of Yusupov in Arkhangelsk). Through impersonal loveliness of these paintings the expressive peeks coyly-sensitive element of Rococo art.

"Head" also had great pedagogical value, because their creation took an active part Russian apprentice of Italian painter (rotary organized a private art school in Russia). Among his students was A. P. Antropov; an impact rotary has been tested by I. P. Argunov, and F. S. Rokotov. Acted as well as etcher.

Died of rotary in St. Petersburg, August 31 (September 11), 1762.