Pavel Fedotov the genius author of The Major’s Matchmaking, who died young from an incurable mental disorder

Pavel Fedotov (June 22, 1815 November 14, 1852) is a famous Russian artist of the middle of the 19th century, an outstanding master of the genre. He is rightfully considered the founder of critical realism in Russian fine arts, and the best masterpieces of his work are now kept in the Tretyakov Gallery. The painter’s paintings attract viewers with an abundance of social criticism and national flavor, and his biography is a unique combination of tragic events and significant achievements.

Pavel Fedotov lived a very short life, but managed to create many wonderful works of painting and graphics. In addition to the visual arts, for many years he was fond of poetry, wrote poetry and fables, and also composed romances and music to them.

Biography

Pavel Andreevich Fedotov was born on June 22, 1815 in Moscow in the family of a retired officer. His father served as an official in the city chancellery, and his mother was engaged in the upbringing of his only son and two daughters. From early childhood, Pavel loved to draw, but despite this, his parents chose a military career for him.

At the age of eleven, the boy was enrolled in the cadet corps, where they trained career officers for the imperial army. The future artist spent six years within the walls of a prestigious educational institution, graduating with honors in 1832. Nevertheless, during his studies Fedotov always found time for his hobby and enjoyed drawing caricatures of his comrades and teachers.

After graduating from the cadet corps, the young officer served in Moscow for a year and a half, and then was assigned to an elite guards regiment in St. Petersburg. In the northern capital, there was the only Academy of Arts in the Russian Empire, where Pavel finally got the opportunity to professionally study the basics of painting. In his free time, he began attending drawing lessons, and then took up painting battle genre paintings in watercolors and oils.

Gradually, art completely captivated Fedotov and it became very difficult for him to combine military service with creativity. Therefore, in January 1844, Paul wrote a letter of resignation and resigned from the ranks of the imperial army. By that time, he was a little-known aspiring artist, but he firmly believed in himself and intended to make a brilliant career as a painter.

For three years Pavel Fedotov stubbornly pursued his dream. He rented a tiny room far from the center, ate in a public canteen for 15 kopecks a day and furiously continued to create works of the battle genre. Fortunately, several of his works fell into the hands of the fabulist Krylov, who advised the artist to switch to genre painting.

Inspired by the attention of the famous writer, Pavel Fedotov decided to heed his recommendations and in 1846 painted the painting “The Fresh Cavalier”, followed by another wonderful work “The Choosy Bride”. Plucking up courage, the artist showed his works to Karl Bryullov, who really liked them.

The moment came that radically changed Fedotov’s further professional career. On the recommendation of Bryullov, he became a member of the Academy of Arts and instantly gained wide popularity in St. Petersburg. The works of the master were praised with might and main by critics, and at exhibitions they enjoyed great success with the public. Nevertheless, many of the author’s paintings were banned by the tsarist censorship due to an overly sharp satirical orientation.

At the beginning of 1850, the painter briefly left for Moscow to help his parents, who at that time were experiencing an acute shortage of money. And when he returned, Paul with enthusiasm again took up his brush and continued to create.

But soon the artist had serious health problems. Due to many hours of daily work in poor lighting, vision deteriorated catastrophically, and severe headaches appeared from constant moral stress. His character has changed dramatically, the master has aged and looked much older than his years. And in March 1852, an acute mental disorder was added to this, which progressed rapidly.

By the beginning of autumn, the painter had become an absolutely insane person and he was admitted to a clinic for the mentally ill. And on November 14, 1852, Pavel Fedotov died surrounded by doctors and orderlies in a hospital bed. At that time he was only 37 years old.

The most famous paintings by Pavel Fedotov

The recognized master of the genre of genre left many wonderful works to descendants. And yet the most famous paintings by Pavel Fedotov are:

• “Fresh Cavalier” (1846) the first work of the genre, created by the master. The writing of this brightly satirical painting was a turning point in the artist’s career.
• “The Choosy Bride” (1847) the work was created based on the plot of the fable of the same name by Krylov. It depicts the final scene in which a woman who has sat up in brides and has refused enviable suitors is forced to accept a marriage proposal from an ugly middle-aged hunchback.
• The Major’s Courtship (1848) is a masterpiece for which the painter was awarded the title of a member of the Academy of Arts. The picture raises the acute social theme of unequal marriage of convenience, which in the middle of the 19th century was angrily condemned by progressive society.
• “Anchor, still anchor” (1852) the last work of the artist, which differs significantly from other paintings by the prevalence of gloomy dark tones. Due to mental illness, the author was never able to complete it.

Pavel Fedotov is one of the best Russian artists of his era, and his paintings are still very popular with art connoisseurs. Therefore, he will forever remain in the memory of descendants as an unsurpassed master of genre painting of the 19th century.