1772
oil on canvas
59.8 x 47.5

Aleksandra Petrovna Struiskaya (1754–1840) was the second wife of N.E. Struisky who was known for the fact that on his country estate at Ruzaevka, Penza Oblast, he had a printing house which was famed for its refined publications. Struiskaya’s grandson, A.I. Polezhaev, was a poet. The portrait of A.P. Struiskaya is notable for its refinement and quivering spirituality. The artist is not interested in the physical state of the model, rather he wants to render the wealth and beauty of her spiritual and intellectual world. The face of the heroine is enveloped in a thin layer of air which conceals the outline. This poetic image and lyricism of the depiction are largely due to the unclear, fluid golden and ashen tones. The colour in places thickens in shadows, becoming heavy and dark, while in other places it is thinned out to an airy-silvery condition. This gives an effect of flickering, a sensation of special, spectral atmosphere. The poet I.M. Dolgorukov wrote about Struiskaya rapturously: “…I know very few women about whom I am obliged… to speak with such a feeling of eagerness and recognition as her.”

at 10, Lavrushinsky Lane, Hall 4