Secrets of “The Last Day of Pompeii”: Which of the Contemporaries Karl Bryullov depicted four times in the picture

1939 years ago, on August 24, 79 AD, the most devastating eruption of Mount Vesuvius occurred, as a result of which the cities of Herculaneum, Stabia and Pompeii were destroyed. This event has more than once become the plot of works of art, and the most famous of them is The Last Day of Pompeii by Karl Bryullov. However, few people know that in this picture the artist depicted not only himself, but also the woman with whom he was connected with a romantic relationship, in four images.

While working on this picture, the artist lived in Italy. In 1827, he fell into the excavations of Pompeii, in which his brother Alexander also participated. Obviously, then the idea was born of him to create a monumental picture on a historical theme. He wrote about his impressions: “The sight of these ruins involuntarily made me go back to the time when these walls were still inhabited … You cannot go through these ruins without feeling in yourself some completely new feeling that makes you forget everything, except for the terrible incident with this the city. ” Continue reading →