Aleksey Petrovich Antropov Biography | Oil Painting Reproductions

Aleksey Petrovich Antropov was born to a family of administrators who worked in the Armory and the Chancellery of Buildings. Starting in 1732, Aleksey worked at the Chancellery under his relative Andrey Matveyev. After 1739 he was on the "painting team" of the Chancellery under Ivan Vishnyakov. Aleksey partook in the frescoing of the Summer Palace, Winter Palace, Anichkov Palace, and other royal structures in Saint Petersburg. He also studied portrait art from the court painter Louis Caravaque of France. In 1749 Aleksey got the rank of the Painter's Apprentice and toward the end of the 1750s the rank of the Master Painter.

From 1752-1755 he worked inside the St Andrew's Church of Kyiv. He directed the establishment of the iconostasis and frescoed vaults and walls.

He began to paint portraits the earliest known portraits of his are paintings of Elizabeth of Russia. He didn't meet his model, however, he based the painting on the works of his instructor, Louis Caravaque.

Aleksey Antropov worked in Moscow for two years frescoing the Golovkin Royal residence. Here he met Prince Ivan Shuvalov who supported Antropov's work for the rest of his life.

In 1757 Antropov come back to Saint-Petersburg and got further direction from court painter Pietro Rotari of Italy. Ivan Shuvalov wanted to move him to Moscow, so Antropov could teach at the Moscow University. For reasons unknown this arrangement was canceled and Antropov landed a position at the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, there he managed icon painting, decorated the places of worship, drew portraits of the church hierarchy, and supervised art students.

In 1762 Peter III of Russia was crowned the new Emperor. Antropov soon turned into his most beloved painter. For the short six months of Peter III's rule, Aleksey Petrovich Antropov painted no less than four of his portraits. After the royal residence revolt, the new Empress, Catherine II had a much lower opinion of Antropov's abilities. Around then, artists favored a delicate mix of hues and some complimenting for formal portraits. Antropov favored the conventional icon and Parsuna representations, based on a sharp balance of colors on a dark foundation.

Art Movement History: Baroque.
Artists Influencing Antropov: Louis Caravaque, Vishnyakov, Pietro Rotari.
Painters Antropov Influenced: Levitzky.
Artist's Biography compiled by Albert L. Mansour at The World's Artist, with text adapted from Wikipedia.