Picky bride Pavel Fedotov (1815-1852)
Pavel Fedotov – Picky bride
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Painter: Pavel Fedotov
Location: The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (Государственная Третьяковская галерея).
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Pavel Andreevich Fedotov painted the canvas The Promiscuous Bride in 1847. The canvas tells the viewer a whole story. This is aided by the deliberately prim atmosphere of the room, the unnaturally emotional expressions of the characters’ faces and a certain comicality of their positions. In the center of the picture a middle-aged lady sits elegantly, her face showing considerate condescension and deceptive doubt.
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Description of Pavel Fedotov’s painting The Promiscuous Bride
Pavel Andreevich Fedotov painted the canvas The Promiscuous Bride in 1847. The canvas tells the viewer a whole story. This is aided by the deliberately prim atmosphere of the room, the unnaturally emotional expressions of the characters’ faces and a certain comicality of their positions.
In the center of the picture a middle-aged lady sits elegantly, her face showing considerate condescension and deceptive doubt. Her figure is slightly turned toward her interlocutor, who is holding her hand. This position indicates the woman’s extreme interest in the suitor, who is squatting in a kneeling pose to her. Her hands are reached by the unjuvenile hunchback, who is drawn into her face with a pleading look. He tries to see if it is possible that such a beautiful lady would agree to tie her fate to him.
Though he is dressed smartly - an expensive, perfectly tailored jacket hides his massive hump on his back - he still realizes how slim his chances of a successful resolution of the case are. But how wrong he is. The woman’s parents are watching the process; they are casting glances at her with evident impatience and hope. It seems that this bride is not the first suitor for her hand, and she has no choice. She is simply playing for time before she agrees to entrust her fate to this ugly old man, who, in a fit of emotion, has even dropped his shiny top hat and gloves on the floor.
The woman herself realizes the necessity of consent. Her face has a scarlet color. This betrays the abundance of makeup she has applied to her face before the groom’s reception. The powder and thick blush on her cheeks are intended to conceal the age changes on the bride’s face and to draw attention away from her dry, aging skin.
The author of the painting elegantly emphasized the resemblance of the future spouses. Just as the bridegroom is disgusting on the outside, his stuck-up, selfish wife is black on the inside. Together they seem to form a perfect union.
COMMENTS: 1 Ответы
А я виже собаку )) Она находится возле спины мужчины
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The painting Picky Bride depicts a richly decorated interior scene where a young woman, presumably the bride-to-be, sits on a chair holding a bouquet of flowers. She appears to be rejecting the advances of a man who is on his knees before her, holding her hand and looking at her pleadingly. The womans expression is one of disdain or amusement, suggesting she is not interested in him romantically.
Behind a curtain on the left, two older women are peeking out, their expressions of alarm and disapproval revealing that they are observing the scene. One of them is pointing with an agitated gesture, indicating their strong reaction to the mans proposal or the womans rejection.
The room itself is detailed, with ornate furniture, framed pictures on the red walls, and a candelabra. A birdcage with a parrot is visible on a shelf above a fireplace, adding a touch of domesticity. On the floor near the kneeling man lie his hat and a cane, further suggesting a rejected proposal.
The paintings subtexts explore themes of social customs, arranged marriages, and personal agency, particularly for women of the era. The title Picky Bride suggests that the woman is being difficult or selective in her choice of a husband. However, her clear rejection of the man, coupled with the disapproving gaze of the older women, hints at a contrast between societal expectations and the individuals desires. The presence of the two older women observing and possibly influencing the situation points to the pressures and oversight often involved in marriage proposals during that period. The mans dejected posture and fallen hat symbolize his humiliation and the rejection of his suit. Overall, the painting offers a narrative that touches upon the complexities of love, marriage, and the struggle for personal choice in a society with rigid social norms.