Who painted The Last Day of Pompeii?
The Last Day of Pompeii was painted by Karl Bryullov, a Russian artist. He produced the work between 1830 and 1833 and it made him the first Russian painter to gain an international reputation.
Questions about The Last Day of Pompeii
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What historical event does The Last Day of Pompeii depict?
The painting depicts the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, which buried the Roman city of Pompeii in volcanic ash and killed most of its inhabitants. Bryullov set the scene on the Via dei Sepolcri, the Street of the Tombs, which he visited in person in 1827.
Who commissioned The Last Day of Pompeii and how much did it cost?
The main canvas was commissioned by Count Anatoly Demidov, whom Bryullov met in Naples, for 40,000 francs. In 1834, Demidov presented the finished painting to Tsar Nicholas I, having paid 25,000 rubles for it.
What novel did The Last Day of Pompeii inspire?
The painting inspired Edward Bulwer-Lytton's novel The Last Days of Pompeii, published in 1834. Bulwer-Lytton saw the painting in Milan, where Bryullov received a standing ovation and was carried through the streets wearing a garland of flowers.
How was The Last Day of Pompeii received at the Paris Salon of 1834?
The painting won a gold medal at the Paris Salon of 1834 but the reception was slightly cooler than it had been in Italy. Some critics found it outdated compared to Eugene Delacroix's Femmes d'Alger dans leur Appartement, which was exhibited alongside it; one critic in L'Artiste wrote that the impression was less akin to terror than to ridicule.
Where is The Last Day of Pompeii now?
The painting is part of the collection of the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg. It was first exhibited in the Winter Palace, then donated by Tsar Nicholas I to the Imperial Academy of Arts in 1836, before being installed at the New Hermitage in 1851.