Images of "educated children" in the Russian children’s portraitof the second quarter of the XIX century
In the field of Russian portraiture in the second quarter of the 19th century, a new «type» of children’s portrait images emerged, which the author conventionally calls «exemplary children». According to him, young models were portrayed as educational models for both the portrayed themselves and their peers and potential descendants. This «type» was formed at the junction of romantic ideas about the virtue of childhood, Christian ideals and, at the same time, growing realistic trends in art. It became widespread among both metropolitan and provincial portrait painters, which testifies to its compliance with the tastes and needs of the public of that time. The article examines portraits of children from the Tomilov families by A. G. Varnek and Kapnist, made by E. F. Krendovsky. They were created at the beginning and end of the specified time period, respectively, which allows tracing the development of the «type» in dynamics. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which the portraitists combined the images of real boys and girls, shown in the natural setting of home activities, with a complex spiritual and moral content. The latter was achieved through the use of the universal language of Christian symbolism, bold comparison of images of children with images of Christ, the Mother of God, angels and saints.