Painting by Kiprensky “Portrait of the boy Chelishchev”


The famous Russian artist Orest Adamovich Kiprensky is a world-famous portraitist. In the development of romanticism and a new style of painting, his painting “The Portrait of the Chelishchev Boy” played a big role.

In this work, the artist depicted a twelve-year-old boy. For a clearer selection of facial features and for the viewer not to be distracted by other details, Kiprensky darkened the background, however, as well as on the other works of the artist. The boy’s eyes are wide open, and his eyes are thoughtful and tense. Dark colors on the product contrast with puffy red lips and with a bright, scarlet color, sweater. The large curls of the boy’s hair fall to his round and slightly pink face. His hairstyle completely corresponds to the fashion of that time.

The unrulyness of the curls stresses that their owner, although trying to be an adult, and independent, is still a child. The boy’s brows, curved in an arc, look at the world around him with great surprise. A thoughtful adult gaze, as it were, introduces a contradiction in the combination of chubby children’s lips. The artist tries to convey all the longing of a young man who is trying to understand what awaits him in the near future.

In the eyes of the child there are glimpses of awareness of adult life, an irrepressible interest in any problems, but so far this interest is fleeting. In the picture the boy is depicted at a young age, but he already feels some kind of spirituality and childish strength.

The artist was able to convey in this portrait that slightly perceptible transition from childhood to adolescence, when the child can still play carelessly, naughty. But at the same time, sometimes, the boy begins to overcome already childish thoughts. Bright and rich colors, contrast of shadow and light, blue-black hair and a bright face, white and blue colors in clothes set a special emotional image for the work.


1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Painting by Kiprensky “Portrait of the boy Chelishchev”