Description of the painting by Vasily Tropinin “Boy with a Goldfinch”

Description of the painting by Vasily Tropinin Boy with a Goldfinch

Vasily Tropinin was one of the most outstanding portrait painters of the XIX century. He was trusted to paint his portraits of the actress, officials and the most distinguished representatives of the nobility, but still the artist loved working with children most of all. He masterfully conveyed their pure, touching and immaculate inner world.

One of his outstanding creations is the painting “A Boy with a Goldfinch”. It depicts a little boy, about seven years old, holding a fragile bird in his hand.

His hair is a golden color curled into small curls. Dim lighting and soft shadows emphasize the naive features of a child’s face. The boy’s bright eyes are not facing the viewer. He looks off into the distance, perhaps he is listening to someone.

His expression is a little surprised. This can be understood by the raised eyebrows and slightly open mouth. On the boy’s plump cheeks, he plays a fresh peach blush. And in the corners of the lips you can see a slight smile.

The child is wearing an elegant white shirt with wide sleeves and a large open collar. A thick suede walnut vest is pulled over it.

The boy’s hands are depicted in a beautiful bend. A goldfinch is sitting in one of them – a small brown bird with a red pattern on its head. In the left corner of the canvas is its wooden cage with the door open. Apparently, the hero wanted to have fun with his favorite and got him out of prison. The boy is afraid to harm the feathered friend, so he holds him tightly, but very carefully.

Tropinin skillfully depicted the light image of this child. With great precision, he conveyed his emotional state, sincere gaze, laid-back posture.

The artist felt happy while working on his paintings, which is probably why he put so much love and effort into them, which finds warm responses in the hearts of viewers to this day.


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Description of the painting by Vasily Tropinin “Boy with a Goldfinch”