Roslin (tall), Alexander (Roslin, Alexander)

July 15, 1718 (Malmo, Sweden) - July 5, 1793 (Paris)

painter and graphic artist.

born in a family physician. In 1730 his family moved to Karlskrona. Studied painting with the artist Admiralty L. Erenbilla. In 1736 he moved to Stockholm, where he continued his education at the court portraitist G. E. Schroeder. From 1741 he worked independently in different cities of Sweden.

In 1745, thanks to the patronage of Count Yu Lewenhaupt invited for the post of court painter in Brandenburg. In 1747, got leave and went to Venice, where he studied the art of Titian, Veronese, Tiepolo. Also visited in Ferrara, Bologna and Florence. In 1749 in Naples, met with the Marquis PG L `Opitalem and on his recommendation, was invited to work in Parma. In 1752 he moved to Paris, where he quickly earned a reputation as an excellent portrait painter. Up to 1791 regularly exhibited his work at the annual Salon in the Louvre. In 1753 was elected a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, from 1767 the post of Adviser to the Academy. In 1772 he was awarded the Swedish King Gustav III Order of Vasa, in 1773 was elected an honorary member of the Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm.

In 1775 he was invited to Russia to create a portrait of Empress Catherine II. At the end of that year, arrived in Moscow early in 1776 moved to St. Petersburg. Posted portraits of Grand Duchess Natalia Alekseevny (1776), Catherine II and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna (both - 1777). He has also worked on the orders of individuals, in particular, portrayed VM Dolgorukogo Crimean (1776), NI Panina, ZG and EA Chernyshev, II Betsky (all - 1777).

In August 1777 he left Russia in Warsaw, while he lived at the court of the Polish king Stanislaw August Poniatowski, then went to Vienna, where the order of the French queen Marie Antoinette was supposed to paint a portrait of her parents. However, the artist was unable to execute a portrait of Empress Maria Theresa. In 1778 he returned to Paris.

Roslin - one of Europe's leading portrait painters of the second half of XVIII century, who, despite his work in Sweden, Italy and Russia, the justly ranked among researchers to the masters of the French school of painting. Before coming to Russia among the customers of the artist were many representatives of the Russian nobility, who considered prestigious to portray him (in particular, Count Stroganov).

He turned to pastels.

worked as a miniaturist.

For Roslin art is characterized by several rigens brushwork, confidence and ease of a brush, color saturation, color temperament, thoroughness in the execution of details, accuracy in the transfer of texture of materials - velvet, silk, gold-embroidered uniforms, medals. His portraits of some common features of models: they are depicted, as a rule, with a slight smile not without a tinge of narcissism, facial expressions - a proud, sneering or imposing-friendly. Roslin's approach to nature quite frank: the artist is not afraid to deliberately ugly features of their models, but not to emphasize them. In general, working towards the adoption at the time the rules and traditions.

Works Roslin are in many Russian and European museums, including the State Russian Museum, State Tretyakov Gallery, State Hermitage Museum, and others.