Target: To reveal the figurative and meaningful meaning of the painting by A. I. Kuindzhi "Moonlight Night on the Dnieper"
Lesson objectives:
- analyze one of the best paintings by the outstanding Russian artist AI Kuindzhi, highlight the originality of his work;
- development of children's ability to analyze means of expression landscape painting and compositional construction paintings, figurative thinking;
- development of aesthetic taste and creativity students in the perception of works of art.
Methodological recommendations: This lesson is an integral part of the lessons on the analysis and perception of works landscape painting. It is necessary to organize the work in the lesson in such a way that it is communication with art, genuine beauty. And this can be done only by using a variety of forms and methods of teaching a lesson and, of course, using ICT. Lesson and is built taking into account the use of ICT. When preparing for a lesson, it is appropriate (yes, probably necessary!) To use a m/m presentation. I believe that a presentation made in Power Point format incorporates everything: visibility, colorfulness, accessibility. It allows you to analyze the picture in detail, to follow the stages of the artist's work. When preparing for the lesson, you can use the textual and illustrative material of the disk "Masterpieces of Russian Painting". If it is not possible to present this lesson using computer technology, then you can use the illustrative material from the "Application" folder.
Lesson design: m / m Power Point presentation “The history of one painting. Master wondrous light. A. Kuindzhi”, disk “Masterpieces of Russian Painting”, illustrative material.
Epigraph: "Kuindzhi is an artist of light. Light is charm, and the power of light, and its illusion were his goal. Of course, the whole essence of this phenomenon lay in Kuindzhi himself, in his phenomenality, personal innate originality. He listened only to his genius - the demon ... " I. E. Repin
Introductory speech of the teacher
An artist cannot create if his soul is dead and his heart is cold. He will not be a painter or sculptor if his feelings do not perceive the colors of life, the harmony of nature, if he is not touched by the fate of people.
Leonardo da Vinci called painting "silent poetry". The picture is silent. Sounds and words are only assumed by the viewer. The picture is still. True artist does not copy reality, but reproduces and interprets it in its own way.
In Russia, nature has always been a muse, both for poets and artists.
Regardless of the style of the artist, his technique or fantasy, a landscape painted from nature by the hand of a master will always be not just a frozen moment or a beautiful view - such a work “lives” out of time and place.
Why are great works of art so appreciated by people and do not die? This is the question that you and I must answer during today's lesson.
1. Biography of the artistArkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi was born on January 27, 1842 in Mariupol in the family of a poor shoemaker, a Greek by nationality. The surname Kuindzhi was given to him by the nickname of grandfather, which in Tatar means "goldsmith". It is curious that the elder brother of the artist generally Russified this surname and began to be called Spiridon Zolotarev.
Orphaned early, the boy lived with relatives, worked for strangers.
His love for drawing manifested itself in childhood, he painted wherever he had to - on the walls of houses, fences, scraps of paper. In Feodosia, he met Aivazovsky. According to the documents, Kuindzhi was listed as "a student of the Aivazovsky school." There is a certificate issued to "a student of the school of Professor Aivazovsky, Arkhip Kuindzhi, that he was recognized by the Council of the Academy for his good knowledge in painting landscapes as worthy of the title of a free artist."
Due to poor artistic training, he twice passed the exams and failed twice. In 1868, at an academic exhibition, he presented the painting "Tatar saklya", for which he received the title of a non-class artist. In the same year he was accepted as a volunteer at the Academy.
The 1882 exhibition was the last for the artist. came long years silence.
In 1898, at his own expense, Kuindzhi organized a trip abroad for young artists (the childless Kuindzhi treated his students like his own children) and donated one hundred thousand rubles to the Academy for this purpose. When the students decided to create a Society named after A.I. Kuindzhi, the artist transferred to his ownership all the paintings he had and cash, as well as the lands belonging to him in the Crimea.
One of his students - Nicholas Roerich - characterized the grandiose personality of his teacher: "The whole cultural Russia knew Kuindzhi. Even the attacks made this name even more significant. They know about Kuindzhi - about a great, original artist. They know how, after an unheard-of success, he stopped exhibiting; worked for himself. He is known as a friend of the youth and a mourner for the destitute. He is known as a glorious dreamer in an effort to embrace the great and reconcile everyone, who gave away all his millionth fortune. Known as a strict critic.
Each great master, introducing the viewer to Beauty, puts certain ideas into his works, creates certain forms in which he dresses these ideas.
What did Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi saturate his canvases with, what do his landscapes "speak" about?
Looking at the artist's paintings, even a superficial viewer feels the unusualness of the light depicted in them. “The illusion of light was his god, and there was no artist equal to him in achieving this miracle of painting,” I.E. wrote about Kuindzhi. Repin.
Kuindzhi during his lifetime was unusually popular. Collectors, ready to pay any money for his paintings, literally hunted for them. Repin recalled: “There were those who on their knees begged the author to give them some picture or, finally, a sketch of his work. or a sketch..." A special fate was destined for the painting "Moonlight Night on the Dnieper". (You can talk with the children about the first impression that the picture made on them, and then proceed to analyze the picture.)
2. Kuindzhi A. "Moonlit night on the Dnieper". Commentary on the analysis of the picture.
In the summer and autumn of 1880 A.I. Kuindzhi worked on new picture. Rumors about the enchanting beauty of the "Moonlight Night on the Dnieper" spread throughout the Russian capital. For two hours on Sundays, the artist opened the doors of his workshop to those who wished.
This picture has gained a truly legendary fame.
In the workshop of A.I. Kuindzhi came to I.S. Turgenev and Ya. Polonsky, I. Kramskoy and D.I. Mendeleev. "Moonlight Night on the Dnieper" was sold still smelling of fresh paint, right in the workshop. One Sunday, a naval officer inquired about its price. “Yes, why do you? Kuindzhi shrugged. “After all, don’t buy it anyway: it’s expensive.” - "And yet?" - “Yes, five thousand,” Arkhip Ivanovich called an incredible amount for those times, almost a fantastic amount. And suddenly he heard in response: “Good. I leave behind." And only after the officer left, the artist learned that Grand Duke Konstantin had visited him.
This painting has been going on for a long time. I went to the Dnieper, perhaps precisely for this plot. Days, weeks Kuindzhi hardly left the workshop. Work captured so much that even lunch, like a recluse, Vera Leontievna brought upstairs. The conceived picture - flickering, alive, stood before the artist's eyes. Worked on it autumn and winter. In the spring he finished his unusual creation.
The memoirs of Kuindzhi's wife are interesting: “Kuindzhi woke up at night. The thought is like an insight: “And if ...“ Moonlight Night on the Dnieper ”is shown in a dark room ?!” He jumped up, lit a kerosene lamp and, shuffling his slippers, ran up the stairs to the workshop. There he lit another lamp, put them both on the floor at the edges of the picture. The effect turned out to be striking: the space in the picture expanded, the moon shone surrounded by a shimmering radiance, the Dnieper played with its reflection. Everything is like in life, but more beautiful, more sublime.
Arkhip Ivanovich put a chair at what he thought was the right distance, sat down, leaned back and looked, looked, until it was light outside the huge window. Struck by the effect he found, he knew that it was necessary to show "Moonlight Night on the Dnieper" in a dark hall, alone ... "
The painting was exhibited on Bolshaya Morskaya Street in St. Petersburg. The performance of the artist with a solo exhibition, and even consisting of just one small painting, was an unusual event. Moreover, this picture interpreted not some unusual historical plot, but was a very modest landscape (105 x 144).
Knowing that the effect of moonlight would be fully manifested under artificial lighting, the artist ordered the windows in the hall to be draped and the picture to be illuminated with a beam of electric light focused on it. Visitors entered the semi-dark hall and, as if spellbound, stopped before the cold glow of moonlight. Kuindzhi knew how to win. Long lines lined up outside and people waited for hours to see the painting. To avoid a crush, the audience was allowed into the hall in groups. Arkhip Ivanovich put things in order, set the queue. A non-Russian surname, a thick black beard, eyes burning with happiness turned him into a mythical magician and sorcerer dressed in a secular costume.
What was revealed to the audience? What fascinated them? What attracted their attention first of all? What are some adjectives for landscape? (calm, sad, wide)
Before the audience a wide space stretching into the distance opened up; the plain, crossed by a greenish ribbon of a quiet river, almost merges at the horizon with a dark sky covered with rows of light clouds. Above, they parted a little, and the moon looked through the window that had formed, illuminating the Dnieper and the huts. And everything in nature fell silent, enchanted by the miraculous radiance of the sky and the Dnieper waters. The world was forgotten in a peaceful dream. The mighty, full-flowing Dnieper mysteriously flows and shines like fish scales. Clouds are floating, it is as if the moon is floating with them. The sparkling silvery-greenish disk of the moon flooded the earth immersed in night peace with its mysterious light. He was so strong that some of the viewers tried to look behind the picture to find a lantern or a lamp! But there was no lamp, and the moon continued to radiate its bewitching, mysterious light.
The waters of the Dnieper reflect this light like a smooth mirror, the walls of Ukrainian huts turn white from the velvety blue of the night. This majestic spectacle still immerses viewers in thoughts about eternity and the enduring beauty of the world. So up to A.I. Kuindzhi sang about nature only the great N.V. Gogol: "The Dnieper is wonderful in calm weather, when it freely and smoothly rushes through forests and mountains full of its waters, it neither rustles nor thunders. You look and you don’t know whether its majestic width is moving or not."
Pushkin's lines echo general mood paintings:
Quiet Ukrainian night.
The sky is transparent. The stars are shining.
Overcome your slumber
Doesn't want air...
The moon is calm from above
Above the White Church shines ...
And quiet, quiet all around...
3. Analysis of the painting "Moonlit night on the Dnieper"
Let's try to break the picture into scenes or episodes and analyze them.
What is interesting Moonlight? Why does it grab our attention? (You can quote from The Master and Margarita) Moonlight is the most amazing thing in this picture. Its ultimate naturalness is determined by the multi-layered glazing and the ability to use light and color contrasts.
glazing(transparent).
What archetype is the moon? Why is she needed?
archetypes
No houses are visible, only silhouettes are visible. The velvet of the night lies in the sky, blowing out the lights in the houses with dreams.
The moon tries not to disappear in order to save the souls of sleeping people and prevent eternal darkness from entering their hearts.
Can we draw a parallel between the moon and time? (Children's answers can be the most unexpected. Time flows through the clouds and flows like a moon, tying together a person's daily cycle. Foreshadowing the end of the night and the beginning of the day).
4. Commentary on the analysis of the painting
The bright silvery light of the moon is shaded by depth of blue color, and it transforms the traditional moon motif into an alluring and mysterious one. There were even suggestions about some unusual colors and even about strange artistic techniques that the artist allegedly used. Rumors about the secret of A.I. Kuindzhi, the secret of his colors was known during the life of the artist, some tried to convict him of tricks, even in connection with evil spirit.
He succeeds in such a combination of colors, which in the picture, with the dark tones of the coast and the sky, creates a feeling of the glow of the moon. He painted the moonlit shore more than once. (can be shown early paintings). Now wrote Luna! Usually, for painters, it remains outside the edge of the picture or is draped with clouds. Kuindzhi wrote it at the moment when the clouds briefly dissipated.
The unusually effective transmission of moonlight, color contrasts, compositional decorativeness of Kuindzhi's canvases broke the old pictorial principles. And all this was the result of his intense search. Kuindzhi was keenly interested in the works of professors of St. Petersburg University, physicist F. F. Petrushevsky and chemist D. I. Mendeleev. Petrushevsky explored the technology of painting, the ratio of basic and additional colors. He conveyed all this to the students of the Academy of Arts. Special interest called Kuindzhi's book "Light and color in themselves and in relation to painting", published in 1883. He himself in his own workshop constantly experimented with paints. Even the term "Kuindzhev spot" appeared. Artists sought to unravel the secret of his color effects, and the public met each new work as a special event.
Repin talked about the lessons given to artists by D. Mendeleev. At the lessons, Mendeleev talked about physical properties colors. Once he demonstrated a device that measured the sensitivity of the eye to subtle nuances of tones and invited them to "test." Kuindzhi had no equal!
The public was delighted with the illusion of natural moonlight, and people, according to I.E. Repin, in "prayerful silence" standing in front of the canvas by A.I. Kuindzhi, left the hall with tears in their eyes. Poet Y. Polonsky, friend of A.I. Kuindzhi, wrote then: “I positively don’t remember that before any picture they stagnated for so long ... What is it? A picture or reality? In a golden frame or through an open window we saw this month, these clouds, this dark distance, these "trembling lights of sad villages" and these play of light, this silvery reflection of the moon in the jets of the Dnieper, bending around the distance, this poetic, quiet, majestic night?
Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, who bought the painting, did not want to part with the canvas, even going to trip around the world. I.S. Turgenev, who was in Paris at that time (in January 1881), was horrified by this thought, about which he wrote indignantly to the writer D.V. Grigorovich: "There is no doubt that the picture ... will return completely ruined, thanks to the salty evaporation of the air, etc." He even visited the Grand Duke in Paris, while his frigate was in the port of Cherbourg, and hoped that he would be able to persuade him to leave the picture for an exhibition in the gallery, but he failed to persuade the prince.
Humid, salt-soaked sea air, of course, had a negative effect on the composition of paints, and the landscape began to darken. But the lunar ripples on the river and the radiance of the moon itself were conveyed by the brilliant A.I. Kuindzhi with such power that, looking at the picture even now, viewers immediately fall under the power of the eternal and Divine. (It is advisable to show both versions of the painting, stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum. The difference is obvious!).
5. Analysis of fragments of the picture. (Here it is best to show enlarged fragments of the picture)
The sky can be perceived as an independent picture. It is the main compositional link. It carries the moonlight, which connects the earth and sky into a single whole.
A windmill is a typical sign of a Ukrainian village. human world and the world of nature merge in this work into a holistic image, distinguished by philosophical depth and compositional thoughtfulness.
The smooth surface of the river sparkles and sways like a living thing - and here Kuijiev's illusionism is evident!
The whitewashed walls of peasant huts mirror the moonlight, and in this interaction the earthly and the heavenly are firmly connected.
What organizes the whole picture? What archetype are we talking about here? (rivers)
The movement of the river organizes the picture, its smooth bends expand and deepen the space. Against the background of the river, sparkling with moonlight, a windmill dear to Kuindzhi's heart. A close shot in the shade, on the second - several whitewashed huts. Treeless hills descend to the river. Everything is ordinary, unpicturesque according to the concepts of most landscape painters.
Working with the “Painting Composition” scheme (Slide)
How else can you interpret the composition of the picture? What does she look like? (Yes, this is our earthly home!)
The picture "Moonlight Night on the Dnieper" can be read in different ways. This picture is like time. The illuminated part of the river is the real thing, something we are always sure of. Water flows - the present is constantly moving towards the future. The foreground is the past. It recalls individual details: houses, a mill, gardens. Beyond the river is the future. It's unclear, but not intimidating. It bewitches and beckons. The moon is a beacon and lights the way there.
Yes, indeed, the solemn color of "Moonlight Night" tuned in to a high style, inspired philosophical reflections about life, about earthly existence, about the heavenly world, as if calmed down in the slow passage of time.
The artist's plastic novelty lies in achieving the ultimate illusion of light. This effect was achieved thanks to multi-layered glazing painting, light and color contrast. Kuindzhi also used additional colors in this picture. The warm color of the earth sets off the cold, emerald, display of moonlight on the surface of the Dnieper. The whole image is built on calm parallels, only in some places broken by verticals. The extraordinary balance of the composition imparts a smooth flow to the color, as if bewitching a person in a languid outpouring of his soul.
The mood of the picture, its glazing, superimposed on us? (This picture creates an amazing, fantastic mood, an expectation of adventure. This is not dawn and not evening, but night, a moonlit night. The mill, houses - everything is asleep. Everything is calm, only the moonlit path on the river creates a slightly disturbing expectation of something "Maybe the dawn of the next day, happiness. Or maybe future failures. But the mood of the picture is not sad).
Are there other visions of the painting?
It seems to me that every time you look at this picture, you see it differently. It may seem sad to a sad person, joyful to a joyful person. Everyone can see what they want here. Even looking at lunar path, you see it either bright or dark green.
The picture is alive or not: prove it. (Yes, she is alive, but peaceful.
There is no movement in this picture, but life is felt in everything. It doesn't even seem like the river is flowing. There is no wind. This gives the impression of a temporarily dormant world.)
What has the moon turned the river into?
The stormy river, as it were, turned into a baby, lulled by the moon and the cries of night birds, by the way, the picture is full of sounds. Let's try to listen...
Heroes of the picture, name them? (moon, river, darkness)
The darkness is mesmerizing, it seems that you can touch it. It is like a cloth thrown over the sky, and gently flowing down. The dark shore is covered by it, and if it were not black, it would not be noticeable. (When I look at this sky, it surprises me, I feel silence and relaxation. When I look at this picture of Kuindzhi, I want to enter it, as in open door and feel the beauty of the night and moonlight).
Moonlit night on the Dnieper" -paraphrase on his earliernocturnes.
Moonlit Night on the Dnieper" is also a Kuindzhev nocturne, one cannot but agree here!
PARAPHRASE, or paraphrase
. (Here it would be appropriate to show slides with earlier paintings by Kuindzhi, which depict moonlight, for example, "Night", etc.)
The French word "nocturne" as well as the Italian "notturno" in literal translation means - night. This term, used in various arts, appeared in music XVIII century. Then nocturnes were called pieces intended for performance on outdoors in nighttime.
6. Conclusion. And Kuindzhi, who is eternal, like moonlight breaking through the thickness of time, will help us to draw a conclusion.
He believed that “... An artist should perform at exhibitions as long as he, as a singer, has a voice. And as soon as the voice subsides, you must leave, do not show yourself, so as not to be ridiculed. So I became Arkhip Ivanovich, known to everyone, well, that’s good, and then I saw that I couldn’t do it anymore, that my voice seemed to begin to subside. Well, they will say: there was Kuindzhi, and Kuindzhi was gone! So I don’t want it like this, but to leave Kuindzhi alone forever. ” There is nothing more to add here!
Let's go back to the beginning of the lesson to the question asked by Kuindzhi's student N. Roerich, Kuindzhi's student, and answering it himself. “Why are great works of art so appreciated by people and do not die? Because they contain crystals of Light, put into them by the hands of the creator this work. The fiery spirit of the artist, sculptor, poet, composer, in the process of his creation, saturates with the elements of Light what he creates. And since the elements of Light are not subject to the usual destruction by time or oblivion, the duration of the life of great works of art goes far beyond the life of ordinary things and objects.
Questions and homework assignments: Write a miniature essay “Me and Kuindzhi Moonlight Night”
Lesson vocabulary
Glazing - thin transparent or translucent layers of paints that are applied to dried or semi-dry paint layers in order to change the color, to achieve its strengthening, weakening.
Smears can be covering (opaque) and glazing(transparent).
(Archetype (Greek) - prototype, origin, sample. Its content is made up of universal prototypes - archetypes(for example, the image of mother earth, a hero, a wise old man, a demon, etc.), the dynamics of which underlie myths, symbolism artistic creativity, dreams, etc.)
Paraphrase, or paraphrase(Greek παράφρασις - retelling), - stylistic term; 1) retelling in your own words literary work. This category of paraphrase also includes an abbreviated presentation of large works of art;
2) In music, common in the 19th century. designation of an instrumental virtuoso fantasy, mainly for the piano, on the themes of popular songs, opera arias, etc..
The French word "nocturne" as well as the Italian "notturno" literally means night. This term, used in various arts, appeared in the music of the 18th century. Then nocturnes were called pieces intended to be performed outdoors at night.
Kuindzhi's painting Moonlight Night on the Dnieper was painted by the artist in 1880. After painting Birch Grove and Kuindzhi's conflict with his colleague Klodt, Kuindzhi voluntarily withdrew from the membership of the artists of the Wanderers.
Visitors to the eighth exhibition of the Society for Contemporary Art Exhibition immediately noticed the absence of Kuindzhi's paintings, which caused considerable disappointment among his fans, on this occasion even Tretyakov P.M. wrote to the artist Kramskoy I., expressing his deep regret.
The work Moonlight Night on the Dnieper aroused considerable interest among the then public, while working on the picture, rumors quickly spread about the unusually lyrical beauty of Moonlight Night. There were so many people who wanted to see the picture that the artist, even while working on the Night, opened the workshop for visitors for 2 hours on Sundays. Among the first visitors were famous people Kramskoy I., Chistyakov P., Turgenev I. Mendeleev D. I. and others.
The painting quickly found its future buyer, who was not embarrassed high price 5 thousand rubles, at that time it was a lot of money, leaving the right to buy a moonlit night. Subsequently, Kuindzhi learned that it was none other than the Grand Duke Konstantin himself, who had long dreamed of such a picture.
It was decided to exhibit the painting Moonlight Night on the Dnieper in St. Petersburg on Bolshaya Morskaya Street. The uniqueness of this exposition was extraordinary, that is, only one painting was exhibited, especially the small canvas size of 144 cm by 105 cm.
Since the picture is executed in dark colors, the artist decided to demonstrate the Moonlit Night on the Dnieper under electric lighting, curtaining all the windows and directing a beam of light onto the canvas, in which the perception of the picture with the effect of moonlight was the most inviting.
All this spectacle delighted the guests of the exhibition, they admired both the painting itself and the uniqueness of the exposition. Some viewers even thought that a light source was placed under the canvas, the moon actually shone brightly.
It was rumored that Kuindzhi uses various illusionistic techniques when demonstrating a picture and even wanted to convict him of charlatanism, others thought that the artist was using unusual colors when writing the Moonlight Night, the secret of which they wanted to know, others gossiped about the artist’s connection with evil spirits.
In fact, the artist was always on a new quest and he often managed to find the right and right solutions in order to captivate the public, so Kuindzhi was sometimes also called the artist of light. The success of the painting Moonlight on the Dnieper was impressive, Kramskoy spoke very enthusiastically about the Moonlit Night and said that no one had ever painted like that.
The artist shows the viewer the night space that goes into the depths of the picture, the moon mysteriously shines surrounded by rare clouds. The calm and majestic Dnieper River meanders into the distance, magically reflecting the moonlight. Dilapidated Ukrainian houses are located on the banks of the full-flowing Dnieper. The quiet state of nature fascinates and gives ground for deep reflection on the unsurpassed beauty of nature, which he revealed in his picture wonderful artist Arkhip Kuindzhi.
Due to the huge popularity of the painting, Kuindzhi created two more copies of the Moonlit Night, the first painting is stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the other is in the Livadia Palace in Yalta and the third in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.
"Moonlit night on the Dnieper"(1880) - one of the most famous paintings Arkhipa Kuindzhi. This work made a splash and gained mystical fame. Many did not believe that the light of the moon could be conveyed in this way only artistic means, and looked behind the canvas, looking for a lamp there. Many silently stood for hours in front of the picture, and then left in tears. Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich bought the "Moonlight Night" for his personal collection and took it everywhere with him, which had sad consequences.
The artist worked on this painting in the summer and autumn of 1880. Even before the exhibition began, rumors spread that Kuindzhi was preparing something completely incredible. There were so many curious people that on Sundays the painter opened the doors of his workshop and let everyone in there. Even before the start of the exhibition, the painting was bought by Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich.
Kuindzhi has always been very zealous about exhibiting his paintings, but this time he surpassed himself. It was personal exhibition, and only one work was shown on it - “Moonlight Night on the Dnieper”. The artist ordered to drape all the windows and illuminate the canvas with a beam of electric light directed at it - in daylight Moonlight didn't look as impressive. Visitors entered the dark hall and, as if under hypnosis, froze in front of this magical picture.
In front of the hall of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists in St. Petersburg, where the exhibition was held, there was a queue for days on end. The public had to be allowed into the premises in groups to avoid a crush. O incredible effect the paintings were legendary. The glow of the moonlight was so fantastic that the artist was suspected of using some unusual mother-of-pearl paints brought from Japan or China, and even accused of having links with evil spirits. And skeptical viewers tried to find with reverse side linen hidden lamps.
Of course, the whole secret lay in the extraordinary artistic skill Kuindzhi, in the skillful construction of the composition and in such a combination of colors that created the effect of radiance and caused the illusion of flickering light. The warm reddish tone of the earth contrasted with the cold silvery hues, thereby deepening the space. However, even professionals could not explain the magical impression that the picture made on the audience by skill alone - many left the exhibition in tears.
I. Repin said that the audience froze in front of the picture “in prayerful silence”: “This is how the poetic spell of the artist acted on the chosen believers, and they lived at such moments with the best feelings of the soul and enjoyed the heavenly bliss of the art of painting.” The poet Y. Polonsky was surprised: “I positively do not remember that people stagnated for so long in front of any picture ... What is it? Picture or reality? And the poet K. Fofanov, impressed by this canvas, wrote the poem "Night on the Dnieper", which was later set to music.
I. Kramskoy foresaw the fate of the canvas: “Perhaps Kuindzhi put together such colors that are in natural antagonism with each other and after a certain time they will either go out, or change and decompose to the point that the descendants will shrug their shoulders in bewilderment: from what they came to the delight of the good-natured spectators? Here's how to avoid this unfair treatment in the future, I would not mind drawing up, so to speak, a protocol that his “Night on the Dnieper” is all filled with real light and air, and the sky is real, bottomless, deep.
Unfortunately, our contemporaries cannot fully appreciate the initial effect of the picture, since it has reached our times in a distorted form. And it's all to blame - special treatment to the canvas of its owner, Grand Duke Konstantin. He was so attached to this picture that he took it with him on a trip around the world. Upon learning of this, I. Turgenev was horrified: "There is no doubt that the picture will return completely ruined, thanks to the salty vapors of the air." He even tried to persuade the prince to leave the painting for a while in Paris, but he was adamant.
Unfortunately, the writer turned out to be right: the salt-soaked sea air and high humidity had a detrimental effect on the composition of the paints, and they began to darken. Therefore, now “Moonlight Night on the Dnieper” looks completely different. Although the moonlight still acts magically on the audience today, it arouses constant interest.
Plot
Before us is a landscape. The artist chose a point of view from a distance and from above, leaving most sky canvas. The shining moon paints the contours of the clouds in cold tones. The light fluctuates dark waters river, which, according to Kramskoy, "performs majestically its course."
"Moonlit night on the Dnieper". (wikipedia.org)
As in most of his other works, Kuindzhi wanted to convey natural phenomena that were not amenable to prolonged writing from nature. The artist had a unique vision - he memorized tones, due to which he captured for centuries those moments that last minutes in nature.
"After the Rain", 1879. (wikipedia.org)
“The illusion of light was his god, and there was no artist equal to him in achieving this miracle of painting,” wrote his friend and mentor Ilya Repin about Kuindzhi.
Context
Especially for Moonlight Night on the Dnieper, Kuindzhi organized an exhibition of one painting - the first of its kind in Russia. Even before her, rumors were circulating in St. Petersburg about the unprecedented beauty of the picture that Kuindzhi paints. Those wishing to see the canvas gathered under the artist's windows. Every Sunday, for two hours, he let all the curious into the workshop.
For greater effect, the windows in the hall were curtained, a ray of light fell only on the canvas. When visitors entered the semi-dark hall, they could not believe their eyes - the greenish moonlight flooded the entire room.
"Sea. Crimea", 1890s. (wikipedia.org)
People did not understand why such an unusual light comes from the picture. It seemed that only with the help of oil it is impossible to create such an effect. Some even tried to look behind the picture to see if there was a lamp. What rumors did not go around St. Petersburg! What Kuindzhi paints with "magic moon" paints from Japan. Someone even remembered the unclean. The hype rose such that the artist decided to go into seclusion for 20 years.
In fact, the secret was simple - many years of work. Kuindzhi was a passionate experimenter. He mixed not only paints, but also added to them chemical elements. Not without the hand of the chemist of all Russia Dmitry Mendeleev.
The painting was bought by Grand Duke Konstantin. He was so fascinated by the canvas that he even took it with him on a trip around the world.
The fate of the artist
Kuindzhi was born into the family of a poor shoemaker. Little Arkhip, who lost his parents early, studied very badly. He liked to draw more, so everything that seemed to him suitable for this was dotted with drawings.
The boy lived in great poverty, so with early childhood he was hired to tend geese, kept records of bricks at a construction site, and helped in a bakery. Once he was advised to go to the Crimea to Ivan Aivazovsky - to learn how to draw. What was his disappointment when Aivazovsky allowed him only to grind paint and paint the fence.
Arkhip Kuindzhi. Portrait by V. M. Vasnetsov, 1869. (wikipedia.org)
For the next almost 10 years, Kuindzhi retouched photographs, until one day he decided to take an exam at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. It only worked out the third time. At the academy, Arkhip met the Wanderers, under whose influence he painted the first successful, according to academicians, canvases.
Glory came to him with " moonlit night on the Dnieper. After exhibiting a few more paintings after her, Kuindzhi, unexpectedly for everyone, went into seclusion. “... An artist needs to perform at exhibitions as long as he, as a singer, has a voice. And as soon as the voice subsides, you have to leave, not show up so that they don’t ridicule. ”, Kuindzhi said.
For the next 20 years he painted, but did not show his work to anyone. Kuindzhi came out of seclusion in 1901. In November of the same year, the last public exhibition of the painter's works was arranged, after which no one saw new paintings until his death in 1910. Everything that he had, Kuindzhi handed over to the Society of Artists, which he organized shortly before his death.
