Russian Art
Levitsky, D. G.
"Alexandre Philippovich Kokorinov". 1769
Notes: Portrait of Alexandre Philippovich Kokorinov (1726-1772), architect, director and the first rector of the Academy of Fine Arts
Dmitri Levitsky's best male portraits possess the same distinction as his celebrated female likenesses. These works, such as his 1773 portrait of the visiting French philosopher and critic Denis Diderot, reveal a sense of character and contemplation consistent with the average viewer's experience when meeting people. This painter's likeness of Academician Kokorinov is conceived in a very different spirit, however; one meant to aggrandize the sitter. It is a formal presentation intended to reflect the stature of Kokorinov and undeniably relates to the best European portraiture of the period. In this regard, the work also documents that Levitsky was the equal of contemporary European portraitists.
