How a master from Peter became a court painter of the English queen and painted her best portrait

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The ceremonial portrait of Elizabeth II, painted by Sergei Pavlenko, is considered the best even by the queen herself. The same portrait was reproduced on the British Royal Mail's anniversary collectible stamps. In addition, the artist painted several more portraits of members of the royal family of Great Britain, but at the same time he strongly asks not to call himself a court painter, believing that this is not so. But at the same time, Sergei Pavlenko is rightfully proud of his work.

From Russia to Great Britain

Sergei Pavlenko graduated from the renowned Ilya Repin Academy of Arts in Leningrad. But when he was already on the verge of graduation, he asked the vice-rector what to do if the country didn’t need artists. The answer turned out to be obvious: he knew about it even at the time of admission.

But the young artist did not immediately decide to move to another country. Several more years had to pass before he realized the humiliation of the situation in which, according to Sergei Pavlenko, only students and members of the Union of Artists of the USSR could buy paints and canvases. He graduated from the institute, but he was not yet admitted to the Union of Artists due to his youth and lack of merit.

It was then that he began to think about emigration. He wanted to paint and buy canvases and paints without showing any documents or trying to earn bonuses to join the organization. In 1989, Sergei Pavlenko flew to London with £ 200 in his pocket. Fortunately, in England he had a friend, an English artist who lived in the village where he settled at first.

He never lived at someone else's expense, thanks to a friend he received small orders for portraits, after a short time he worked as a teacher at the School of Art in Glasgow. And only then he was able to move to London and come to grips with painting.

Lack of illusion

Sergei Pavlenko does not hide: he was always helped by the absence of illusions about creative freedom, as many people understand it. He never considered it shameful to work on order, and today he considers it normal. Sergei Pavlenko cites works in famous galleries as an example, recalling Michelangelo and Raphael, who painted their paintings on order. At the same time, no one accuses them of unprofessionalism and lack of talent.

The concept of “art for the soul” exists only if you can, thanks to your creations, provide for yourself and your family. The artist also insists that the ability to perform well-ordered work is, in fact, the highest manifestation of professionalism.

Queen's portrait

In 2000, Sergei Pavlenko painted a portrait of Elizabeth II at the request of the Guild of Upholsterers, an organization that for centuries has united wool and textile manufacturers and traders. However, the artist received such an important order for a reason, but being the winner in a competition among 200 colleagues.

The artist himself suggests that during the competition, the organizers watched his work, perhaps drew attention to his traditionally classical style and quality of painting. He was a professional in his field, but not so famous as to demand an exorbitant amount for his work.

At the same time, the queen herself did not take part in the choice of an artist for painting the portrait, and all negotiations were conducted with customers who wanted a portrait of the queen in their headquarters, whose art collection had been collected over several centuries.

When meeting with representatives of the Guild of Draperies, Sergei Pavlenko had to explain in words how he imagines the portrait of the Queen. In addition, the artist himself asked to show him the place where his work would hang, in order to take into account not only the external similarity, but also to correctly think over the combination with the interior of the room. It was important for him to take into account the smallest details and do everything to make the portrait look organically in its place. For their part, the customers asked to place the symbols of the Guild on the portrait.

The artist had only a few hour sessions with the queen. He confesses: the queen did not try to distract him with conversations, she stood patiently for the entire session and refused to even sit down on a chair to rest. Elizabeth II was very punctual, polite and always added an extra 10 minutes to the agreed session time, explaining that she was allegedly late, although she always appeared minute by minute. Most of all, the artist was impressed by the maximum courtesy and the absence of even a hint of pathos and arrogance.

Elizabeth II clearly liked the portrait, she even agreed to take part in its opening, and then admitted that it was he who was the most beloved of all her images.

Later, the ceremonial portrait was reproduced on anniversary collection stamps, and Sergei Pavlenko began to receive orders to paint other portraits of members of the royal family. In addition to representatives of the British monarchy, the artist has several portraits of aristocrats from other countries.

Nowadays, it is more and more difficult for contemporary artists to find free niches for the development of their individualism and the manifestation of the author's handwriting. But there is a master in Russia named Andrey Remnev, who created his own unique corporate identity, which is based on the old technique of Russian icon painting and modern constructivism.