Irolli's portrait

Alessio Issupoff, a Russian naturalized as Italian, was born in the current city of Kirov, just in northeastern Russia. But he spent most of his youth in the Asian provinces: in Turkestan, in Tashkent, and Samarkand. From this experience came his love for exoticism, which he obviously translates into a purely Slavic pictorial figure, made of mellow shades that combine to outline figures and landscapes. His life then pushed him to Italy, in Rome precisely, where he decidedly made his career as an artist, expressing his emotions through his memory of the homeland, which now assumed a mythical dimension. Thus, each of his themes became a unique mixture of Italian suggestions and Russian memories. This work, which bears a dedication to the dear master Irolli, presents the portrait of this very artist. The Neapolitan painter was famous for building works of strong pathos and intense drama, using bright colors that join together to form figures of thunderous impact. The painting portrays him while old, adding brushstrokes that constitute an effective synthesis of both of their styles. Hence, the no-longer young Issupoff salutes, in his own way, a character of supreme connection, to whom he gives the semblance of an old man, as if to indicate a protector. The robust trait of the whole is beautiful, and the quick touches are particularly happy.