While looking at the beautiful film Anna Karenina, starring Keira Knightley, I suddenly had to think of the world-famous painting ‘Portrait of an unknown woman’ (1883) por the Russian painter Ivan Kramskoy, which is to be admired in the Tretyakov State Gallery in Moscow. I had made a copy of this particular painting some years ago.

Kramskoy was a contemporary of Leo Tolstoy, whom he also portrayed. In those days it was alleged that the ‘unknown woman’ was meant to be Anna Karenina.

In my turn inspired por the film, I have dado the woman in the portrait of Kramskoy the face of the ‘new’ Anna Karenina, Keira Knightley. As tu can see my oil painting is painted in the same style and with the same delicate technique as Kramskoy.

In the June 2013 issue of the Dutch art magazine Pandora appeared an articulo devoted to this film and the paintings of the copy of Kramskoy and my new version with the face of Miss Knightley. The beautiful imágenes of her in the film Anna Karenina have más than deserved this extra attention.

I hope that my painting gets the attention of all the fans of Keira Knightley as well as herself. Can anyone suggest the perfect location to exhibit this painting? The fotos shown are my version of Keira Knightley as Anna Karenina, as well as a copy that I made of Kramskoys version of 1883.

Leo Hortensius
Artist/painter
Mobile +31 6 53372091