Portrait Of Nikolai Eremeevicha Troickogo

"Portrait Of Alexandra Struiskaya" brush Fyodor Rokotov, one of his main masterpieces in the twentieth century was highly appreciated and became (though late in 200 years) is extremely famous. But few know that he wrote as a pair to the portrait of her husband Nikolai Eremeevicha. "Portrait Troickogo" not very well preserved and picturesque qualities is inferior to the portrait of his wife. But the personality Troickogo was so bright, and his work is so bizarre that it deserves a separate story.

With fade away with time portrait Troickogo looking at us pale, thin-faced man with deeply sunken eyes. From under the broad brow of the viewer hard drills devoid of the elusive strangeness of the sight. It seems that one eye squints slightly. Such is sometimes portrayed fanatics and maniacs, the choleric, or slaves, some devastating passion. All this, in one degree or another, been characteristic of Nicholas Eremeevicha. His close friend, the artist roars, was not inclined to idealize those portrayed. Rather, he was looking for an accurate transfer of character, even if it's not particularly flattering of the model.

By nature Struysky was endowed with boundless curiosity and indomitable thirst for action. And he had a critical mind and was inclined to feel passionately strong feelings. Idolized, for example, Catherine II and its "fruits of enlightenment": the news of the death of the Empress nearly drove Troickogo to the grave. In search of moral authority he rushed into extremes: it is the political wing of the masons (Freemason, by the way, was and roars), and then to a programme of moral repair companies Sumarokov.

However, "fix society" Struysky decided peculiar. Returning from Petersburg to his estate the Ruzaevka, smitten with passion for the law. By understanding the intricacies of Roman law, he began to arrange a demonstration of "punishment" over their own serfs. The trial of the "grimy" was conducted with all the procedural niceties. He Struysky portrayed the Prosecutor, the lawyer, the judge. Spoke passionate speech and convictions. Say even not averse to torture. It established his reputation as one of the most brutal landlords.

But it lasted, fortunately, for long: Struysky excitedly took up architecture. Under Penza, he began to build an extraordinary size and decoration of the estate: to acquire one of the only roofing iron he needed to sell the village in the three hundred serfs.

The house has not survived, but, according to contemporaries (all of them mentioned the glaring oddities of the owner), he was very tall and huge in width. The roof was crowned with an Annex for the owner. Struysky called it "simple and tastefully" - Parnassus. There celestial indulged in new but, as always, seized his whole being passion – dieticheskoe. Obscure, wordy verses came from his pen is kilometers. He praised everyone loved the Empress, talented friends (and art Struysky, despite its oddities, was able to appreciate the subtle and deep), and most importantly, the "sapphire" - wife of Alexander.

Was at the "Parnassus," one feature: all of it has been in an incredible chaos, for which the word "creative mess" it looks too soft. Everything was entirely covered with a thick layer of dust. Under pain of death Struysky not allowed to sweep away the dust on the prints on it, he knew, nae visited Lee in his absence, the stranger in her sanctuary. It is forbidden even to his beloved wife.

For his poems, which are not valued no one but himself, Struysky has built a modern printing house. And that, as time has shown, became the chief achievement of his life. The quality of their printing, beauty of used fonts glorified him. They still inspire designers and printers.

Internal tensions, eternal dissatisfaction, choleric unbalance Troickogo – here, perhaps, those psychological traits that can still be seen on badly preserved portrait by Fyodor Rokotov.

Author: Anna Yesterday