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Karl Pavlovich Briullov (Карл Павлович
Брюллов), called by his friends the Great
Karl (December 12, 1799, St Petersburg - June 11,
1852, Rome), was the first Russian painter of
international standing. He is regarded as a key
figure in transition from the Russian
neoclassicism to romanticism.

Born of Italian parents in St Petersburg, Carlo
Brullo (as his name was spelled until 1822) felt
drawn to Italy from early years. Despite his
education at the Imperial Academy of Arts
(1809-1821) Briullov never fully embraced the
classicism| Classical style taught by his mentors.
After distinguishing himself as a promising and
imaginative student and finishing his education,
he left Russia for Rome. Here he worked until 1835
as a portraitist and genre painter, though his
fame as an artist came when he got involved in
historical painting. 

His best-known work, The Last Day of Pompeii
(1830-1833), is a vast composition compared by
Alexander Pushkin|Pushkin and Gogol to the best
works of Rubens and Van Dyck. It created a
sensation in Italy and established Briullov as one
of the finest European painters of his day. After
completing this work, he triumphally returned to
the Russian capital, where he made many friends
among the aristocracy and intellectural elite and
obtained a high post in the Academy.

While teaching at the Academy (1836-1848) he
developed a portrait style which combined a
neoclassicism| neoclassical simplicity with a
Romanticism| romantic tendency that fused well,
and his penchant for realism was satisfied with an
intriguing level of psychological penetration.
While he was working on the plafond of St Isaac's
Cathedral, his health suddenly deteriorated.
Following advice of his doctors, Briullov left
Russia for Madeira in 1849 and spent the last
three years of his life in Italy. He is buried at
the Protestant Cemetery, Rome|Cemeterio degli
Inglesi in Rome.

His elder brother Alexander Briullov (1798-1877)
was a notable Neoclassical architect who designed
the Mikhailovsky Theatre, Sts. Peter-and-Paul's
Lutheran church and Pulkovo Observatory in St
Petersburg.

==External link==
http://www.abcgallery.com/B/briullov/briullov.html
Online gallery on Briullov paintings