Portrait of Arseny Vasilievich Tropinin, son of the artist Vasily Tropinin (1776-1857)

Description of Vasily Tropinin’s painting "Portrait of the Artist’s Son, Arseniy".

Portraits of children occupy a special sphere in the art of Vasily Tropinin. Throughout his life he created more than twenty canvases on this subject. Childish images were especially lovely for the artist, because his main love and hope is his growing native son. Tropinin paints children with musical instruments, playing, reading, embracing animals, in all their openness and spontaneity.

After becoming a famous portrait painter, Tropinin remained in the serf service of Mr. Morkov. On the Ukrainian estate he worked as a house painter and servant. The servitude was painful for him, giving rise to the hope of creative freedom. An impulse of freedom was not a commissioned image of his son in 1818 in a pure and soulful image.

The artist painted the face of his son Arseny with particular enthusiasm. It’s as if he opens his inner world to viewers. With intimate frankness he shows his conviction in the bright calling of man. The beholder is exposed to the world of childhood dreams, a living and trusting universe.

The boy’s head is illuminated by fluttering golden rays. Recently he had been frolicking and playing, as evidenced by the slightly disheveled collar of his shirt and disheveled curls. But now, forced to pose for his father, Arseniy is thoughtful and serious. We can only guess where those deep troubled eyes are looking.

The picture is unusually harmonious, enveloped in the master’s love. The child’s face is graceful, gentle and noble. The poetic look of the boy in warm brownish shades is easily imprinted in the memory. It seems that in creating the picture Tropinin dreamed not of his own deliverance, but of his son’s will. His father’s aspirations were not destined to come true. But this work was recognized as one of the best in Russian painting, and "Portrait of a Son" to this day delights with its extraordinary warmth of soul.