1794
oil on canvas
94.5 x 66

Catherine the Great (1729–1796) is depicted in keeping with the ideals of Sentimentalism. The artist presents her in the form of a Contemplator who is finishing up her stroll in the company of her favourite levrette and is lost in thought in the midst of nature. It is quite possible that this portrait was the source image for the concluding scene in Pushkin’s novella The Captain’s Daughter. The Sovereign is depicted not in some court interior but amidst the thick vegetation of the park. Her dress is determinedly unofficial. There are none of the usual attributes of power present in an Imperial portrait. However, the Empress’s pose is full of dignity. Her movements and the gesture by which she indicates the Chesmen Column which was erected in honour of the victory in the Russian-Turkish War of 1768–1774, are restrained and full of grandeur. The nature which surrounds her is more beautiful than some pompous state room. For the first time in Russian art, the background of the portrait is an important element in the description of the model’s personality. The artist sings the praises of man’s existence in his natural surroundings and treats nature as a source of aesthetic enjoyment.

at 10, Lavrushinsky Lane, Hall 7