1780
oil on canvas
70.5 x 59 (oval)

Varvara Ermolaevna Novosiltsova (1760–1815) was the daughter of a high state official (statsky sovetnik) and student at the Smolny Institute. The portrait of Novosiltsova was contained in an elegant oval, Rokotov’s favourite format during the 1780s. This type of shape endows the portrait with refinement and elegance, however it requires of the artist special precision in the way he constructs the composition. The light falling directly on the face and body make the colour range cool and pale. The play of transparent pearly white and blue-ish nuances heightens the emotional expressiveness of the portrait. A very fine painterly modeling give the face of the heroine a complex, changeable expression – aristocratic restraint and arrogance combine with hidden sadness and intellectual timidity. The artistic expressiveness of the portrait is enhanced by the splendidly drawn fabrics – transparent lace, the satin ribbon and the barely noticeable thick ashen locks of hair blending in with the dark background.

at 10, Lavrushinsky Lane, Hall 4