Artwork
Portrait of Gavrila Derzhavin

Portrait of Gavrila Derzhavin is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Vladimir Borovikovsky. It dates from 1798 and is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Overview
The Portrait of Gavrila Derzhavin is an oil-on-canvas painting created by Vladimir Borovikovsky in 1798. It is now held in the State Hermitage Museum.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts Gavrila Derzhavin, a poet, seated in a chair with one arm resting on its back. He wears a dark green coat with a high white collar, conveying a sense of calm seriousness.
Technique & Style
Borovikovsky employed soft lighting to highlight Derzhavin's face against a dark background, utilizing chiaroscuro, a technique that exploits contrasts between light and dark. The subject's attire is rendered in detail, suggesting a bygone era.
Artist & collection
Artist
Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky (August 4 1757 – April 18 1825) was a Russian artist of Ukrainian Cossack origin. He served at the court of Catherine the Great and dominated portraiture in Russia at the turn of the 19th century.



















