The painting by Pavel Fedotov “The Picky Bride” is the comedy and drama of a realistic everyday scene

“The Picky Bride” is a painting by the brilliant genre painter Pavel Andreevich Fedotov, based on the fable of Ivan Andreevich Krylov. A fragment of a literary work is presented on the canvas: an elderly gentleman in love makes an offer to a cutesy, beginning to fade lady. The woman is dressed in a magnificent outfit, expensive jewelry around her neck. The face has a slight scarlet hue. In her right hand she holds a small bouquet of delicate flowers. Slightly leaning her body forward, the lady smiles coquettishly. In front of her, in a somewhat comical pose, a balding, hunchbacked groom stands on one knee. He is ugly, but noble and rich. A black, well-tailored tailcoat and fashionable checkered trousers characterize the guest’s high social status.

His gaze is full of sincere expectation of the cherished: “Yes!”. In the minute captured in the picture, the characters live an exciting situation for them.

The furnishings are carefully selected and harmoniously complement the atmosphere of the plot. The cane, top hat and white gloves thrown by the impatient fiance exacerbate the comical situation. Symbolic in the picture is a white dog.
Thus, the artist showed the desire of the heroine to increase her own fortune at the expense of a wealthy cripple.

The name of the painting: “Choiceous Bride.”
Author: Pavel Andreevich Fedotov (1815-1852).
Year of writing: 1847
Size: 45.5 x 38.5 cm.
Style: Realism.
Genre: Household.
Technique: Oil painting.
Material: Canvas.
Location: State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

Pavel Andreevich Fedotov – a brilliant painter of the middle of the XIX century,

His creative searches formed the basis of the art of the Wanderers. A man of high moral ideals, endowed with incredible talent, sensitivity to the world around him. Fedotov gave a high form of artistic image to everyday moments of life, states of fun and unhappiness.

The painter, in a sense, associates himself with the depicted hero. The master deliberately gave the central character a portrait resemblance to himself – this is betrayed by the bald head of the groom.

With this approach and thoughtful consideration of the masterpiece comes an understanding of the drama of the situation. It is possible that behind the satire lies the irritating fatigue of the artist himself. There are thoughts that in an overly choosy search for happiness, people lose the most valuable thing in the world – time.

The painting “The Picky Bride” by Pavel Fedotov is a brilliant creation of genre painting. The principles of the master’s work on comprehending the characters’ characters, compositional constructions, a philosophical view of the social phenomena of the era – all this attracts the attention of the modern public.