The life and work of the famous portrait painter, whom contemporaries called the "Russian van Dyck," was almost entirely associated with one city - St. Petersburg and one educational art institution - the St. Petersburg Academy of Art.. At the Academy he studied from March 1795 to September 1803, in the portrait class Shchukin, S. S.; here he worked at the end of the study: first, as a pensioner helped professors and teaching yourself, from 1810 - the title of academician, and in 1832 Professor. Until the end of his days Varnek was on the Board AH; in the halls of the Academy at its periodic exhibitions showed his paintings that caused constant interest of connoisseurs and art lovers, generating numerous responses in the press (in the magazines "Son of the Fatherland", "Patriotic notes", in the anthology "Northern flowers" and other publications of those years). Was only a relatively short period (from July 1804 to October 1809), which the artist spent away from St. Petersburg and in Rome, where he was sent as a pensioner of arts. Although artistic activity Warnecke began in 1802 - 03. ("portrait of the actress E. I. Kolosova in the costume of Artemis," the portraits of young artists then N. I. Utkin, A. V. Stupina, E. O. Skotnikov and A. X. Vostokov), genuine creative debut took place in Rome. It was here that he created his first software product - "self-Portrait with palette and brushes in hand" (1804). This picture was at the same time and one of the software products of the new art movement - romanticism emerging in Europe in the first decades of the nineteenth century Exponent of this art movement in Russian painting along with Kiprensky O. A. and A. O. Orlovsky became Varnek. Mentioned the portrait was first produced for subsequent years, a series of self-portraits - a kind of "autobiography in the portrait" where the artist presented himself in various States and poses among a variety of scenery and accessories, in young or Mature age. These are the "self" (1810), "self-Portrait illuminated from behind" (1816), which is paired to the "Portrait of M. I. Varnek, wife of the artist" (1816), "self-Portrait in a velvet beret, with spring" (1810's), "self-Portrait with a pipe" (the late 1820s), "self-Portrait in old age" (1830), etc. Being attentive fisiognomica, feeling good and passing nature of man, his posture, gesture, facial expressions, the artist reveals the phenomenon of the individual person, her originality. His portraits are characterised by stylistic diversity, dissimilarity of manners, that was inherent to the artists of the romantic movement, especially of O. A. Kiprensky. Often portrait work Warnecke are combined in an interesting "family" cycles - for example, "Portrait of sculptor I. P. Martos" (1819) and "portrait of the daughters of the sculptor I. P. Martos" (1810-e) or three portraits of children A. Tomilov (all 1825). With the 1820s of the creative evolution of the artist is on the decline, but he actively works as an educator and expert artistic works (1824, he is the Keeper of the collection of prints and drawings in the Hermitage). Artistic-pedagogical method Warnecke overall contributed support for AH high professional requirements knowledge of painting techniques, careful studying of nature, a competent figure.
Wonderful Russian painter Aleksandr Grigorevich Varnek (up to 1833 — the tsarevna), were thoroughly rusty lovers of the beautiful. In a sense, he is "guilty", that it began to meet again in the twentieth century, for it is relatively early away from practical painting, while teaching work (at different times headed the Academy of arts classes miniature, portrait and historical painting) and the work of the Keeper of prints and drawings of the Hermitage and the Imperial Academy of arts. Path A. Warnecke to the heights of the beautiful art typical of Russian artists of the XIX century. Studied under Dmitry Levitsky and the Academy of fine Arts in the years 1795-1803 from S. Shchukin. Received medals: in 1800-2 silver; 1801-1 silver; 1802-1 gold for "Portrait painter"; 1803-received a certificate of 1 degree and a sword. When it manifested his talent as a portraitist, a pensioner's trip to Italy in the years 1804-1809, where he became known for his self-portrait ("self Portrait with palette and brushes in hand", 1805-1806), who carried the traits of the growing power of a new direction in art — romanticism. In 1810 A. G. Varnek awarded the title of academician for "Portrait gr. Potocki", in the same year became a teacher at the Academy of Arts. In 1814, the Counsellor of the Academy of Arts; in 1815 he charged the class of miniature painting; in 1831 — Professor of degree 2; in 1832-Professor of degree 1, and in 1834 to a distinguished Professor. Besides painting, he also sculpture. Since 1848 was the curator of the Imperial Hermitage. For self-portraits (captured with oil on canvas moments of the life of an artist) and beautiful portraits of his contemporaries, dazzled the audience with skill and similarity to the depicted, A. G. Warnecke during his lifetime was called the Russian van Dyck (and this despite the fact that at this time in Russia created many wonderful portraitists). Two portraits of the artist should present for lovers of art special interest: "Portrait of privy councillor President of the Academy of arts, count Alexander Stroganov" (1814) and "the portrait of the President of the Academy of arts Alexei Nikolaevich Olenin" (not before 1824). Both presidents, both sovereign officials of high rank, but one of them is really a nobleman, the other man, whose daughter wooed Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (albeit unsuccessfully). Believe it, looking at A. A. Olenina. In this remarkable portrait. Being attentive fisiognomica, feeling good and passing nature of man, his posture, gesture, facial expressions, the artist reveals the phenomenon of an individual's personality, its uniqueness. His portraits are characterised by stylistic diversity, dissimilarity of manners, that was inherent to the artists of the romantic movement, especially of O. A. Kiprensky. Often portrait work Warnecke are combined in an interesting "family" cycles - for example, "Portrait of sculptor I. P. Martos" (1819) and "portrait of the daughters of the sculptor I. P. Martos" (1810-e) or three portraits of children A. Tomilov (all 1825). With the 1820s of the creative evolution of the artist is on the decline, but he actively works as an educator and expert works of art. Artistic-pedagogical method Warnecke overall contributed support for AH high professional requirements knowledge of painting techniques, careful studying of nature, a competent figure.
