Portrait of Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin 1811

Vladimir Borovikovsky painted this portrait of Gavrila Romanovich Derzhavin, now at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, using oil on canvas. The subject’s bright red coat, adorned with decorations, immediately grabs your attention. Borovikovsky uses color to convey status, setting it against a muted green background, a stark contrast which throws Derzhavin into sharp relief. The composition is formal, emphasizing Derzhavin's upright posture and direct gaze, to communicate authority. The decorations and their arrangement serve as signs of Derzhavin's accomplishments and rank. We can interpret this arrangement as a carefully constructed visual narrative which aims to project an image of power. The treatment of texture in the embroidery and the soft rendering of Derzhavin’s face, add layers of complexity. The interplay between these formal elements invites us to consider how portraiture functions, not merely as a record, but as a constructed representation, laden with cultural meaning.