Barge haulers on the Volga composition of the picture. The further fate of the picture

In the spring of 1870, Ilya Repin set off on the road with fellow students, Fyodor Vasilyev, Yevgeny Makarov and younger brother Vasily, musician. They were going on the road thoroughly, they were going to stay with some peasant in an apartment for the whole summer. The first day we traveled by train, then boarded a steamboat. Young people were struck by the expanse of the Volga - the width of the river, the boundless distance of the banks, the bottomless blue of the sky. They spent the whole day on deck, making sketches in albums. As if by magic, sparkling water, a sloping sandy shore and another high, mountainous one, houses and pointed bell towers were born on paper.

Ilya Repin carefully peered into the horizon, whether a dark strip would appear in the distance - a chain of torn figures. He was impatiently waiting for a meeting with his heroes - barge haulers. I dreamed of getting closer to them, talking, writing these faces, hardened in the hot sun and dry wind.

Friends settled first in a small town. The house stood on a meadow shore, opposite the Zhiguli Mountains, overgrown with forest. It was an impregnable, steep place, gray cliffs hung like a sheer wall over the Volga. Repin was most attracted by unexplored places. In search of barge haulers at the end of June, the artists left the city, went down the river and settled in a poor village, Shiryaev, which was often passed by one artel. There they lived until the end of the summer. Repin got acquainted with barge haulers, wrote many sketches and made pencil sketches. There were eleven people in all, and what kind of people they were! Ilya immediately fell in love with a man named Kanin. He went out to meet the gang and kept pace with Kanin. When barge haulers dined, he sat next to them and made sketches, noting every little thing. What only wonderful stories the artist did not listen. And he literally fell ill with these people. These were no longer fleeting impressions, but immersion in the very thick of the burlak life, close communication with the burlak gang. What, it turns out, are different from each other, types, were connected with each other by common labor. Moving up the river, they pulled the ship against the current to the place where the barge had to be unloaded. And all together they, by no means, seemed to Repin to be a gloomy gang, tortured by overwork. It was a real partnership! After the barge was unloaded, barge haulers went downstream on it, took new cargo and harnessed themselves to the straps again. Respect and love for these people now moved Repin.

The sharp pencil of the artist captured how barge haulers harnessed to straps pulled a barge to the top of the hill, how their legs got stuck in the sand, each step was given with great difficulty. The steep slope did not allow drawing the entire gang, only the three front ones are clearly visible. The artist only outlined the figures and shaded.

Then Repin undertook to sketch the whole picture. Both in pencil and ink.

In the picture, the artel of barge haulers is moving along a sandbank, and the Volga River is spreading behind them. The expanse of the river helps the artist convey the strength and coherence of the artel. Barge haulers do not go one after another, but a free, but precisely built group. Each character in the picture should be clearly visible. The student of the Academy of Arts has already remarkably mastered the art of composition.

I.E. Repin "Barge Haulers on the Volga"

Signed lower right: I. Repin 187-73 Oil on canvas 131x281

Along the banks of the Volga, under the scorching rays of the sun, 11 barge haulers pull a heavily loaded barge against the current. Tired, exhausted, moving slowly. Feet get stuck deep in the sand. The bright sun unbearably shoots down on their heads, and they, step by step, pull, each with its own strap. The path of this band is infinitely difficult.

The most important thing for the artist was to convey nature, to create an image of each barge hauler.

The Amazing Man Kanin

Repin's favorite character, "the pinnacle of the burlak epic", according to the artist himself, Kanin, was seen by Repin as an ancient philosopher captured into slavery. The artist was not far from the truth. Kanin - former regent church choir. A man of unusual fate, personifying the best features of the Russian folk character: wisdom, philosophical mindset, perseverance and strength. Repin made his image central in the picture. True, he did not immediately manage to write Kanin, busy with his work, besides, he was distinguished by silence, constantly thinking about something. It was not in his nature to make fun of his comrades and be offended in return. Always immersed in his own thoughts, he seemed to be striving to answer all the questions of life, as if Socrates was in search of the good.

“Only his eyebrows rose higher and higher and faded gray eyes reflected the sky,” the artist recalled. He enthusiastically describes his favorite hero in the book of memoirs “Far Close”: “Something in him was oriental, ancient. But the eyes, the eyes! What a depth of gaze, raised to the eyebrows, also striving for the forehead ... And the forehead is a large, smart, intelligent forehead; it's not a simpleton."

Kanin

Here is the face of Kanin, as Repin captured it in the picture. Sad, wise eyes, large, intelligent forehead. All movements are restrained, unhurried, there is nowhere to rush. When Kanin moved in the strap, not a single movement, not even facial expressions betrayed how hard the work was. Walking next to Kanin, Repin did not cease to admire him, adding to his pace so as not to fall behind.

“How wonderfully his head is tied with a rag, how the hair on his neck curled up ...”

Kanin at the head of the burlatskaya artel

Kanin walks at the head of the burlak artel next to a black-bearded, overgrown curly hair, black-tanned, barefoot giant, who looks sideways at Kanin. Oh, must be a dashing man, freedom-loving Russian hero. "Nizhny Novgorod fighter", so they called this hero of the picture. In fact, the strap pulls tirelessly, dragging his comrades with him. Probably joking while working. Turned to Kanin and the others to cheer them up with a joke.

In the drawings and sketches, there is a burlak that goes to the right of Kanin, with his head lowered on his chest. From hopelessness. From what is it more? And among the drawings there is a portrait of a barge hauler named Ilka the sailor. This is a man with a courageous and stern face. Particularly striking is the close, sharp gaze. Repin placed this image in the picture. The most obedient barge hauler, crushed by a heavy share, the artist turned into the most recalcitrant. And what strength is in his sinewy hands! How furiously he leans on the strap!

Burlak with a pipe

A little behind, there is a tall burlak with a short pipe in his teeth. He's not leaning too hard on the strap and doesn't seem to be thinking about anything. Used to. On his head is a hat with a narrow brim. Such hats were called burlatsky.

Stall - the youngest of the gang

Stall Boys often met in the artel. At first, eleven-year-old children were made cooks, and after three years he had to pull the strap. In the pencil drawing, Larka turned out to be calm and thoughtful, with his hair intercepted by a strap, but in the picture he is sheer impatience, determination and rebelliousness. Stubborn turn of the head. Bold, forward looking. Unruly hair rebelliously knocked out from under the hat. The hot young man is all on the move, clinging to the collar, he seems ready to break it, jump out of the strap. Is it really for life - hot sand, endless water, the backs of comrades darkened with sweat, measuredly crossing their legs?

The stall, in fact, is young Kanin. They have a lot in common. An inquisitive mind, pride, rebelliousness, self-esteem. Repin reveals the individual traits of both, contrasting youth, youthful purity, impulsiveness, impatience, inexperience and fragility of the Stall with courage, worldly wisdom, endurance, stamina and stamina of Kanin.

Burlatskaya gang is assembled from people of various characters and destinies. The consumptive peasant, wiping sweat from his forehead, did not have long to pull the strap. The old man fills his pipe with tobacco, not at all caring that the arranged break increases the workload of his comrades. It seems that he does not need anything, except for this pipe with tobacco. Years passed - I got used to such a life. This man has his own strength, calmconfidence, patience. "Christ endured and commanded us." A Kalmyk's head is visible between Larka and the old man. His face is hidden by a cap, but it is noticeable that this is a Kalmyk with eyes, according to Repin himself, "as if cut through by sedge."Next - a retired soldier, one of all, shod in boots, his clothes are newer. He steps diligently, but he will walk a hundred or two miles, and his clothes will fray, he will change into bast shoes and, as they say, “get used to it. The penultimate one is a tall Greek. He looks like an eagle, with his pretty face and straight nose. The Greek looks angrily at the barge, where the owners are located - the "bloodsuckers". The barge hauler, walking behind everyone, is completely exhausted, lags behind the others: pay attention to how helplessly his hands hung, his face is lowered down, in front of the viewer's eyes there is only the circle of his cap. Maybe he is in grief, or maybe he is no longer able to pull the barge. Eleven people. Strong and weak, recalcitrant and resigned. Together they are a partnership, an artel.

In some images of Repin barge haulers, humility in fate is reflected, in others - protest and anger, and thirdly - equanimity, or habit. Only in the image of Kanin do the features inherent in each individual merge. He does not look like a hero, rather, of medium height, foldable, stocky and, at the same time, the most significant. As if he knows more than the rest, but where is she, where is the one best share and cloudless happiness?

"Barge haulers on the Volga" - a sunny picture. A gang of barge haulers wanders along the shore, drowning in the golden hot sand. The hot sun fills the blue sky, the living sun pierces the water, gilding the Volga distance and the sail of the barge passing by. Hot sand, gentle, slightly pinkish, haze over the water, hot air, trembling and, as if ringing, from the heat, takes the viewer into the midday time. And what colors! Repin chooses yellow, blue and pink, colors with many shades of them. Look closely and you will see how the yellow color changes from golden to faded, brownish. Both the burlatskaya artel, and the shallows, water, sky - are written with the same colors. The rags of barge haulers are blue, yellow, pink, but the colors are thick, gloomy, one might say, disturbing. But the colors of nature are clear, light, joyful. On a clear, summer afternoon, barge haulers resemble a dark cloud creeping onto golden sand. But they are full of natural strength, as if cast from darkened bronze. Working on the color of the picture, Repin suits each character separately, choosing the color of his clothes. Kanin is wearing a dim, dark shirt, in tune with his leisurely, serious thoughts. The shirt of Ilka the sailor is reddish-purple. A restless color, as furious and disturbing as the piercing gaze of Ilka himself. But, as if with a flame, the pink shirt of the recalcitrant Larka is blazing. Like the sun among gray clouds. This sonorous pink color, together with a bright blush on the cheeks of a boy who did not have time to tan, tells about his pure, ardent soul. This is the most captivating image of Repin's painting.

Repin chose for his painting a not very high, but very elongated canvas. This made it possible to open the endless expanses of water and sky. It's deserted all around. To the left, at the edge of the water, downstream, a barque is sailing. To the right, a small steamboat smokes. Artel moves along the coast towards the viewer. Barge haulers have just overcome a sandy shoal - a rift. For a moment, they lost their common friendly step. The three in front again leaned against the straps with their chests, but those following them straightened up, using a short respite. This allowed Repin to show their faces and talk about each of them. Standing in front of the picture, the viewer sees all the barge haulers together and each separately. And when he peers at one, he sees him along with everyone else. Reminiscent of the playing of an orchestra: where each instrument has its own voice, but the music sounds when their voices merge together.

Society differently accepted the picture of the young painter. Upon his return to St. Petersburg, Repin showed his sketches to the academic authorities. "What is this? The greatest profanation of art!” grumbled the rector of the Academy of Arts, Professor Bruni. But at that time, he entered the conference room Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, Vice-President of the Academy. Sketches of the future picture caught the eye of a member imperial family. Surprisingly, beggars, emaciated barge haulers, from last strength pulling a heavy barge, interested the highest person! Especially one of the sketches, not the best. Repin himself was going to turn a completely different sketch into a picture. But the Grand Duke immediately wished to buy from him finished painting, and the work began to boil.

The painting “Barge Haulers on the Volga” was shown at the exhibition of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists in 1871, and then, after Repin’s second trip to the Volga, in its final and significantly modified form, at an academic exhibition in 1873. According to the leading Russian intelligentsia, "Barge haulers" awakened the conscience, forced to think about the fate of the people.

“It is impossible not to love them, these defenseless ones, it is impossible to leave without loving them.” It is impossible not to think that he owes, indeed, owes the people. All this "burlak" party will later be dreamed of in a dream, in 15 years it will be remembered, ”F. M. Dostoevsky expressed the feelings that gripped him.

At the academic exhibition, the picture appeared only before its closing, and then it became the property of the Grand Duke and turned out to be inaccessible to the public. In 1873, "Barge haulers on the Volga" was sent to Vienna for the World Exhibition. One of the ministers, not knowing that it belongs to the Grand Duke, took up arms against the artist: “Well, tell me, for God's sake, what kind of hard pull pulled you to paint this picture? You must be Polish? .. Well, shame on you - Russian! Why, this antediluvian method of transport has already been reduced to zero by me, and soon there will be no mention of it. And you paint a picture, you take it to the World Exhibition in Vienna and, I think, you dream of finding some stupid rich man who will get himself these gorillas, poor bast shoes.

It was not given to the minister to understand that before him were not miserable “bast shoes”, but a powerful, yet undiscovered force that could one day sweep away all the obstacles that had stood in its way for centuries.

Art and music critic-democrat Vladimir Vasilyevich Stasov became a great admirer of Repin. In the young painter, who had just graduated from the Academy, Stasov perspicaciously saw the future great master and humanist. Stasov and Repin were closely connected not only by the commonality of ideological and artistic interests but also personal friendship.

“The painting“ Barge haulers ”, writes Stasov in an article dedicated to Repin, - I find one of the most wonderful pictures Russian school, but as a picture on a national subject - it is definitely the first of all among us. No other can compare with her in the depth of content, in the historicity of the look, in the strength and truthfulness of the types, in the interest of the landscape and the external situation, in connection with actors; finally, by the originality of artistic performance. This was well felt not only by the majority of our public and feuilletonists who wrote about her in magazines, but also by foreigners who saw her ... in Vienna, on world exhibition. Both English, and German, and French art critics directly called "Barge haulers" the most remarkable and characteristic picture of the Russian department, and in terms of execution, coloring and brilliant lighting - "the most sunny picture» of the whole world exhibition.

And who created such a work, the beauty of our school? A young man who had barely left the academic bench, barely finished the classes. The picture was conceived and started back at the Academy, during the intermission between the 2nd and 1st gold medals.

Now the painting "Barge haulers on the Volga" is in St. Petersburg, in the State Russian Museum. Collector Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov also dreamed of buying it, for whom Repin created another version of the Barge Haulers.

Read the next story

"Barge haulers on the Volga" is one of the most famous paintings by the great Russian artist Ilya Repin (1844-1930). The painting was created in the period 1870-1873. Art historians define the genre of this painting as naturalism with elements of critical realism.

Burlak - hired worker in Russia XVI- the beginning of the 20th century, which, walking along the coast (along the so-called towpath), pulled a river vessel against the current with the help of a towline. In the 18th-19th centuries, the bark was the main type of vessel operated by barge workers. Burlatsky labor was seasonal. Boats were pulled along the "big water": in spring and autumn. To fulfill the order, barge haulers united in artels. The work of a barge hauler was extremely difficult and monotonous. The speed of movement depended on the strength of the tail or head wind. With a fair wind on the ship (bark), the sail was raised, which significantly accelerated the movement. Songs helped barge haulers maintain the pace of movement. One of the well-known burlak songs is "Oh, bludgeon, let's go," which was usually sung to coordinate the forces of the artel in one of the most difficult moments: breaking the bark from its place after lifting the anchor.

When Dostoevsky saw this painting by Ilya Repin "Barge haulers on the Volga", he was very happy that the artist did not put any social protest into it. In the Writer's Diary, Fyodor Mikhailovich noted: “... barge haulers, real barge haulers and nothing more. None of them shouts from the picture to the viewer: “Look how unhappy I am and to what extent you owe the people!”

The first impression of the canvas is that a group of emaciated people under the hot sun pulls a barge, overcoming the force of the flow of the great Russian river. There are eleven people in the gang, and each of them pulls a strap that cuts into the chest and shoulders. From the torn clothes, it becomes clear that only extreme poverty can push a person to such work. Some barge haulers have shirts so dilapidated that the strap simply rubbed them through. However, people stubbornly continue to drag the ship by the rope.

If you look closely at the characters individually, you can see that each has its own character. Someone completely resigned to a difficult fate, someone is philosophically calm, because he understands that the season will end, and with it the hard work. But the family after that will no longer need.

The composition of the picture is built as if barge haulers are going towards the viewer. However, people pulling the strap do not close each other, so you can see that one of the characters lights up, while the rest take on the entire load. Nevertheless, all the gang members are calm, apparently due to great fatigue. They will treat their comrade with the understanding that he now needs a little rest.

The central character walks with skill. This is an elderly barge hauler, apparently the main one in the gang. He already knows exactly how to calculate the forces, so he steps evenly. Despite the heat, he is wearing thick clothes, as he knows that a light shirt will quickly fray in such work. His gaze reflected both fatigue and even some hopelessness, but at the same time, the realization that the road would still be mastered by the walking one.

The then publicist Alexei Suvorin responded with numerous criticisms of Repin's work. Despite this, many colleagues and people of that time accepted the picture enthusiastically, for example, Kramskoy and Stasov. Nevertheless, at the world exhibition, the painting was awarded only a bronze medal. The painting was very much liked by Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, who bought it for three thousand rubles.

The main canvas has dimensions of 131.5 cm by 281 cm, the painting is in the Russian Museum in the city Saint Petersburg, a smaller canvas "Barge haulers wading", 1872, size 62 cm by 97 cm, is in the Tretyakov Gallery.

1. Towpath

A trampled coastal strip along which barge haulers walked. Emperor Paul forbade the construction of fences and buildings here, but limited himself to this. Neither bushes, nor stones, nor swampy places were removed from the path of barge haulers, so the place painted by Repin can be considered an ideal section of the road.

2. Bump - foreman of barge haulers

He became a dexterous, strong and experienced person who knew many songs. In the artel, which Repin captured, Kanin, a pop-cut, was the bump (the sketches were preserved, where the artist indicated the names of some characters). The foreman swooped, that is, fastened his strap, ahead of everyone and set the rhythm of movement. Every step the barge haulers did in sync with right foot, then pulling up the left. From this, the whole artel swayed on the move. If someone lost his stride, people collided with their shoulders, and the bump gave the command "hay - straw", resuming movement in step. To keep the rhythm on the narrow paths over the cliffs, the foreman required great skill.

3. Podshishelnye - the closest helpers of the bump, swooping to the right and left of it. By left hand from Kanin comes Ilka the sailor - the artel headman, who bought provisions and gave the barge haulers their salaries. In Repin's time it was 30 kopecks a day. So much, for example, it cost to cross all of Moscow in a cab, driving from Znamenka to Lefortovo (not so little - all of Moscow in a cab, that is, a taxi). Behind the backs of the podshishelnyh roamed those in need of special control.

4. "Bonds", like a man with a pipe, even at the beginning of the journey managed to squander the salary for the entire flight. Being indebted to the artel, they worked for food and did not try very hard.

5. The cook and falcon headman (that is, responsible for the cleanliness of the latrine on the ship) was the youngest of the barge haulers - the village guy Larka. Considering his duties more than sufficient, Larka sometimes quarreled and defiantly refused to pull the strap.

6. "Hackers"

In each artel there were also simply negligent ones. On occasion, they were not averse to shifting partcarry on the shoulders of others

.

7. "Overseer"

Behind them came the most conscientious barge haulers, goading the hacks.

8. Inert or inert

Inert or inert - the so-called barge hauler, closing the movement. He made sure that the line did not cling to the stones and bushes on the shore. Inert usually looked at his feet and moored apart so that he could go at his own pace. Experienced, but sick or weak, were chosen as inert ones.

9-10. Bark and flag

Type of bar. Elton salt, Caspian fish and seal fat, Ural iron and Persian goods (cotton, silk, rice, dried fruits) were transported up the Volga. The artel was recruited according to the weight of the loaded vessel at the rate of approximately 250 pounds per person. Cargo being pulled up the river 11 barge haulers, weighing at least 40 tons. The order of the stripes on the flag was not treated too carefully, and sometimes they were raised upside down, as here.

11 and 13. Pilot and water spout

A pilot is a person on the steering wheel, in fact, the captain of the ship. He earns more than the entire gang put together, gives instructions to barge haulers and maneuvers both the rudder and the blocks that regulate the length of the tow line. Now the bark is making a turn, bypassing the stranded.

Water dispenser - a carpenter who caulks and repairs the ship, monitors the safety of the goods, bears financial responsibility for it during loading and unloading. Under the contract, he does not have the right to leave the bark during the voyage and replaces the owner, leading on his behalf.

12. Becheva - a cable to which barge haulers rush. While the barge was being led along the steep, that is, near the shore, the line was etched for 30 meters. But then the pilot loosened it, the bark moves away from the shore. In a minute, the towline will stretch like a string and barge haulers will first have to restrain the inertia of the ship, and then pull with all their might. At this moment, the bump will drag out the chant: “Here, let's go and take it, / They stepped in with the right-left. / Oh, one more time, / One more time, one more time ... ”, etc., until the artel enters the rhythm and moves forward.

14. The sail was raised with a fair wind, then the ship went much easier and faster. Now the sail is removed, and the wind is contrary, so it is harder for barge haulers to walk and they cannot take a wide step.

15. Carving on bark

Since the 16th century, it was customary to decorate the Volga bark with intricate carvings. It was believed that she helped the ship to rise against the current. The best specialists in clumsy work in the country were engaged in bark work. When steamboats pushed wooden barges out of the river in the 1870s, the craftsmen dispersed in search of work, and in wooden architecture A thirty-year era of magnificent carved architraves has begun in Central Russia. Later, highly skilled carving gave way to more primitive stencil sawing.

IN Western Europe(for example, in Belgium, the Netherlands and France, as well as in Italy), the movement of river vessels with the help of manpower and draft animals continued until the thirties of the XX century. But in Germany, the use of manpower ceased already in the second half of the 19th century. There were also women's artels.

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1. Introduction

Theme of my research work"The warning character of Ilya Repin's painting "Barge Haulers on the Volga". Art is the medium of that which cannot be expressed. I think one of the most famous creations Ilya Efimovich Repin's painting "Barge haulers on the Volga" refers precisely to this phrase and has a warning character.

Katrina was written in 1870-1873, even before the revolution. It was written on the Volga in the village of Shiryaevo, Samara province. Every summer I visit the village of Shiryaevo with my family on a pilgrimage and admire the landscape where this painting was painted. I visited the Repin Museum, where the artist lived when he painted the picture (Appendix 1). The painting itself is in the Russian Museum of St. Petersburg. Last summer, I was lucky to see the painting during an excursion at the Russian Museum. The picture produced on me great impression(Appendix 2). I became interested in its history of creation, the history of that era. I believe that this topic is relevant to this day.

Target: to study the history of the creation of Ilya Repin's painting "Barge haulers on the Volga" and the history of the era.

Tasks:

1. study the biography of the artist Ilya Efimovich Repin;

2. find out the reasons that prompted the artist to paint the painting "Barge haulers on the Volga";

3. to analyze the picture;

4. to draw conclusions of the cautionary nature of the picture in that era.

Object of study: the history of the painting by I.E. Repin "Barge Haulers on the Volga".

Subject of study: painting by Ilya Repin "Barge Haulers on the Volga".

Relevance: I believe that the information component of this work is relevant for use for educational purposes, publications.

Research methods: research of printed sources of information, the Internet.

2. The main part.

2.1. Biography of the artist I.E. Repin.

Ilya Efimovich Repin was born in Chuguev, Kharkov province, in 1844. (Appendix 3). He grew up in a poor family. No one would have thought then that the boy would become a great Russian artist. His mother first drew attention to the skill of painting eggs in preparation for Easter. But there was no money for the development of talent in the family.

Ilya attended a local school, where they taught topography. Then he received the necessary skills in drawing in the workshop of the icon painter Ivan Bunakov. From the age of fifteen, Repin participated in the painting of many churches in nearby villages. After 4 years of painting churches and having saved up one hundred rubles, he went to St. Petersburg to enter the Academy of Arts. But he didn't. Without giving up, Repin at the Society for the Encouragement of Artists becomes a listener preparatory school. His first teacher at school was Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy. The following year, Ilya Efimovich was admitted to the Academy. In 1871 he graduated with honors and graduate work I. Repin's painting "The Resurrection of the Daughter of Jairus" was named the best for the entire existence of the Academy of Arts. Ilya Efimovich paid special attention to writing portraits. Many works have been written prominent personalities: chemist D.I. Mendeleev, M.I. Glinka, L.N. Tolstoy. He preferred to write a group portrait.

2.2. The history of writing the painting "Barge Haulers on the Volga".

The painting "Barge Haulers on the Volga" by I.E. Repin created at the age of 29, while still a student of the Academy of Arts. Maybe, random event led him to the idea of ​​writing Burlakov. In 1868, Ilya Repin and Konstantin Savitsky, with whom they studied together, went to write sketches in the village of Ust-Izhora, located at the confluence of the Izhora River with the Neva. Once, next to the festively dressed ladies and men walking along the shore, they saw a gang of barge haulers, ragged and blackened from the sun, pulling a heavy barge. “Oh God, why are they so dirty, ragged! - exclaimed the artist. - One has a torn trouser leg dragging on the ground, and his bare knee sparkles, the other's elbows have come out, some without caps; and shirts, shirts. Decayed - do not recognize the pink chintz hanging on them in stripes, and do not even make out either the color or the matter from which they are made. Here are the tatters that lay in the strap of the chest, were wiped red, exposed and turned brown from sunburn. The faces are gloomy, sometimes only a heavy look flashes from under a strand of stray hanging hair, sweaty faces shine, and the shirts have darkened through and through. Here is the contrast with this pure, fragrant gentlemen's flower garden.

All this impressed I. Repin so much that later he briefly, but emotionally wrote a sketch of the picture he saw. This plot has not reached our time, but the artist Fyodor Vasiliev saw it. Repin became interested in the theme of "Barge Haulers" for a long time.

To make the picture more truthful, in 1870 I.E. Repin went to the Volga to observe the life of the people, got acquainted with their work and life, in order to see the beauty of the Russian character. He wanted not only to look at barge haulers and draw them, but also to live among them, to get to know them better. The artist settled in the village of Shiryaevo, where he spent the whole summer. He paid attention to people difficult fate on the variety of their characters. Here he met one of his favorite heroes - Kanin, here he wrote many sketches for his "Barge haulers" and made many sketches. He dedicated his picture to these people, made them speak through his creation. Some of the artist's friends were sure that the images of tormented barge haulers would only arouse pity and sympathy in the viewer, that there would be nothing poetic. But the artist managed to express deep feelings and thoughts that captivate the viewer in his picture.

2.3. The cautionary nature of the picture.

The painting "Barge haulers on the Volga" was originally shown at the exhibition of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists in 1871, and then (after the second trip of I.E. Repin to the Volga) in its final, significantly modified form - at the academic exhibition in 1873 (Appendix 4).

With a picture, the artist tried to convey to the nobility and nobility what is the limit of the mood of the people. The first impression is that a group of emaciated people is pulling a barge up the Volga. Eleven people are pulling straps that cut into their chests, shoulders under the scorching sun. Barge haulers have shabby clothes, this tells us about the poverty of the people. But they stubbornly pull the ship by the rope. If you look closely at the barge haulers separately, you can see that each has its own character. Someone submitted to the will of a hard fate, someone is calm, realizing that at the end of the season, hard work will also end. I turned my attention to the third barge hauler. He literally glared at me with his eyes full of hatred.

The image of barge haulers shows the mood of the people in that era. But there are other signs in the picture that are of a warning nature. There is a flag on the ship that the barge haulers pull, it develops with the left wind. And on a sailboat, the sail also develops with the left wind. But the smoke passing by the steamer is directed in the other direction. This makes it clear that the opinion of the people has differences.

In the foreground, you can see a torn basket and a stone. A basket symbolizes prosperity, and a torn basket is a symbol of disaster. The stone is a symbol of the drowned man. This can be explained in such a way that prosperity is on the brink of disaster. The time will come and there will be a decline in those who have wealth.

The rope by which barge haulers pull the barge is tied to the top of the mast. It turns out a good lever, and if they pull the rope with force, they can capsize the ship or break the mast. This symbolizes great power people. The artist predicts a coup state power, given that the ship is a symbol of the state. Also, the inverted arrangement of the colors of the Russian flag on the ship's mast can also be attributed to the symbol of the coup.

In the picture, the artist shows the symbolic danger that hangs over Russian Empire. He provided an opportunity for the nobility to face the lower classes of society, to think in what appalling conditions haulers work. Although Repin chose not the most terrible story of the life of the poor. The artist was upset that the viewer did not perceive the warning nature of the picture.

3. Conclusion.

Working on a given topic, I learned a lot about the life and work of the great Russian artist Ilya Efimovich Repin. The history of the creation of the painting "Barge Haulers on the Volga" is described in detail in the autobiographical book of I.E. Repin "Far - close". Working with literature, looking at the picture, I plunged into my thoughts in the era of pre-revolutionary times. The potential of the revolution was felt both by poets and artists, in particular by Repin. And he expressed it in the painting "Barge Haulers on the Volga". But his contemporaries did not draw conclusions.

In 2014, on the occasion of the 170th anniversary of the birth of the Russian artist, a bronze monument "Barge haulers on the Volga" was erected on the embankment of Samara, which immortalizes famous painting Ilya Efimovich Repin. (Appendix 6). Author sculptural composition is the Samara artist Nikolai Kuklev.

My generation and I truly admire the creation of the artist, his courage to convey through art what could not be expressed.

Bibliography.

1. Repin I. Far close. Moscow: publishing house of the Academy of Arts of the USSR, 1960. p. 510.

2. Prorokova S. Repin, M .: Young Guard, 1960. p. 416.

3. Lyaskovskaya O. Repin. Life and art. M.: Art. 1982. p. 480.

4. Stasov V.V. Selected writings. M.: Art, 1952. p. 620.

5. http://samaratoday.ru/news/194933

Applications.

Annex 1.

In the house-museum of I.E. Repin with. Shiryaevo, Samara region.

Monument to I.E. Repin in the historical and museum complex with. Shiryaevo.

Appendix 2

Visit to St. Petersburg.

State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg.

Appendix 3

Ilya Efimovich Repin. Self-portrait.

Appendix 4

Painting by I.E. Repin “Barge haulers on the Volga”

Appendix 5

Bronze sculpture of a painting on the embankment of Samara.

Who are the burlaks? These are hired workers, whose work has been relevant since the 16th century until the invention of steam engines. Volga for a long time was the main transport artery of the country. Huge barks floated along it, which were pulled with the help of tow barge haulers. These people did deadly hard work. At least that's the impression everyone gets. famous picture Repin.

Yarygi

A superficial idea of ​​who barge haulers are, modern man has thanks to Fyodor Reshetnikov's essay "Podlipovtsy", the aforementioned canvas by Ilya Repin and other works of painting and literature. Such workers in the north of Russia were called yarygs.

Who is a burlak? This is a hard worker doing seasonal work. After the ice drift, the peasants from the villages located on the banks of large rivers united in artels. Who is a burlak? This is a desperate man who has lost his economy and interest in life. Lovers of free air and travel went to barge haulers.

Terms

Of course, the barge haulers also had a boss. This was the most experienced and authoritative worker who monitored the condition of the vessel and took responsibility for the safety of the cargo. It was called the Waterfall. The pilot was next in the hierarchy of barge haulers. Who is this and what did he do? The pilot made sure that the barge did not run aground, carried the cargo without incident through dangerous places. He was otherwise called "uncle" or "bulatnik".

Many others interesting words was present in Burlatsky terminology. For example, "bump". This is another important position in the artel of barge haulers. Who is it? "Bump" was called an advanced worker who was responsible for well-coordinated work their colleagues. Perhaps from Burlatsky slang it came to modern language a word meaning big boss.

The workers were divided into indigenous and additional. The first were hired for the entire season. The second was taken in some cases when additional assistance was required.

"Oh, bludgeon, let's go"

Burlaki - who is this? A group of hard workers pulling a ship with a rope. This work was extremely difficult and monotonous. Only a fair wind made the work of barge haulers a little easier. Among the representatives of this profession, a tradition has appeared at the most difficult moment to start a song. Probably, this made barge work less monotonous. The most famous song- "Oh, cudgel, let's go."

Russian composer Rachmaninoff based folk motives wrote "Burlatskaya". Work miraculously reflects the plight of wage earners. The bitter fate of the peasants pulling the strap (this expression in the 19-20th centuries was used specifically in relation to barge haulers) inspired and contemporary authors. For example, Boris Grebenshchikov. In the early nineties, the Russian Album was released, in which one of the songs is called Burlak.

Forced labor

Barge haulers traveled for many kilometers. From time to time they made stops: they rested, darned thin shirts. After them there was a smoldering fire, broken bast shoes, and sometimes rough-hewn grave cross. Hard work could not stand everyone physically strong man. Although among the representatives of this profession there were also women.

Documents were taken away from the barge hauler. He became forced labor. Until the very end of the route, the worker was in complete obedience to the owner of the ship. He got up at dawn, had to move throughout the day without the slightest delay. Often barge haulers met robbers, from whom they had to brutally fight back.

"Barge Haulers on the Volga"

In 1869, Repin worked on the painting Job and His Friends. He created sketches for it on the banks of the Neva River. There he saw barge haulers for the first time. These people made an indelible impression on the artist, primarily by their contrast with picturesque nature and cheerful gardeners. Then Repin made the first watercolor sketch. In 1870, the artist created a pencil drawing, which today is in one of the main museums in the country - the Tretyakov Gallery.

Based on this sketch, he wrote in 1873 oil painting"Barge Haulers on the Volga". The artist worked in Samara. He not only made sketches, but also communicated with local residents asked about their lives. True, later Repin admitted that their life was of little interest to him. He asked questions to make his case more serious. Repin was really struck by one of the haulers. It was a disrobed priest with sad eyes and a wonderfully tied rag on his head - one of the characters in the picture, which is now in the Russian Museum.

The truth about burlaks

There is a version that Repin exaggerated somewhat. The fate of the burlatskaya was not so hopeless, as he depicted it in one of his most famous paintings.

The images on Repin's canvas are lively, emotional. When you look at the picture, an unambiguous impression of burlachistvo is created. But in fact, the life of these hard workers was not so hard.

There was a drum on the barge. A rope was wound on it, to which anchors were attached. The movement began when people got into the boat, took the line with them and began to swim upstream. Barge haulers were on the barge. What the famous Russian artist described did not always happen. Only if one of the workers, namely the pilot, ran aground a barge.

Repin's painting depicts emaciated, exhausted people. They are dressed in old, torn clothes. It seems that barge haulers did hard work almost for free. In fact, the representatives of this profession were far from beggars. During the summer season they made good money.

Every day the burlak received bread, butter, meat, salt, sugar, tea, cereals and tobacco. After dinner I always rested. And most importantly, he worked voluntarily. After working for several months, he had the opportunity to do nothing in the winter.