Description of Vasnetsov's paintings. Viktor Vasnetsov (artist)

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Sirin and Alkonost. Song of Joy and Sorrow

Oleg's farewell to the horse. Illustration for "The Song of the Prophetic Oleg" by A.S. Pushkin

Vasnetsov Viktor Mikhailovich (Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, 1848-1926), a great Russian artist, one of the founders of Russian Art Nouveau in its national romantic version.
Born in the village of Lopyal (Vyatka province) on May 3 (15), 1848 in the family of a priest. He studied at the seminary in Vyatka (1862-1867), then at the drawing school at the Society for the Encouragement of Arts in St. Petersburg (where Vasnetsov's mentor was Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy) and at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (1868-1875).

Vasnetsov is the founder of a special "Russian style" within the pan-European symbolism and modernity. The painter Vasnetsov transformed the Russian historical genre, combining the motifs of the Middle Ages with the exciting atmosphere of a poetic legend or fairy tale; however, the tales themselves often become the themes of his large canvases. Among these picturesque epics and fairy tales by Vasnetsov are the paintings "The Knight at the Crossroads" (1878, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg), "After the Battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsians" (based on the legend "The Tale of Igor's Campaign", 1880), "Alyonushka" (1881), "Three Heroes" (1898), "Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible" (1897; all paintings are in the Tretyakov Gallery). Some of these works ("Three Princesses of the Underworld", 1881, ibid.) present decorative panel paintings already typical of Art Nouveau, taking the viewer into the world of dreams. For his painting "Alyonushka" the artist could not find a model for a long time. None of the girls, according to the artist, resembled that fairy-tale sister Ivanushka, whom he so clearly imagined. But one day the artist realized that his heroine should have the eyes of Verochka Mamontova (the one with whom Serov wrote his "Girl with Peaches"). And he immediately rewrote the face again, asking the girl to sit motionless in front of him for at least half an hour.

Vasnetsov showed himself as a master of decorative painting in the panel "Stone Age" (1883-85), written for the Moscow Historical Museum, depicting the ancient ancestors of the Slavs on it. But his greatest achievement in the field of monumental art was the murals of the Kyiv Vladimir Cathedral (1885-96); striving to update the Byzantine canons as much as possible, the artist introduces a lyrical, personal beginning into religious images, framing them with folklore ornaments.

Vasnetsov's contribution to the history of architecture and design is also original. In the Russian style, he saw not just a pretext for imitating antiquity, but also the basis for reproducing such properties of ancient Russian architecture as organic, "vegetative" integrity and decorative richness of forms. According to his sketches, a church was built in Abramtsevo in the spirit of the medieval Pskov-Novgorod tradition (1881-82) and the playfully fairy-tale Hut on Chicken Legs (1883). He also developed a decorative composition for the facade of the Tretyakov Gallery (1906) with the coat of arms of Moscow (St. George defeating the dragon) in the center.

After 1917, the artist went entirely to the fairy-tale theme, as eloquently evidenced by the titles of the last major canvases: "The Sleeping Princess", "The Frog Princess", "Kashchei the Immortal", "Princess Nesmeyana", "Sivka-Burka", "Baba Yaga" , "Three princesses of the underworld", "Sirin and Alkonost" ... He existed on a pension provided to him, as an honored artist, by the Soviet authorities, to which he, in turn, was forced to sell the house, which is now a house-museum. In the upper room of this house, to this day, there is a heroic oak table with the image of a huge Double-headed Eagle in full breadth, which vividly illustrates the scale and spirit of Vasnetsov's monarchism. The importance of Vasnetsov for the development of the creative element of Russian monarchism can hardly be overestimated. It was in his paintings that a generation of future theoreticians of Russian autocracy was brought up (I. A. Ilyin, P. A. Florensky). It was Vasnetsov who gave rise to the national school in Russian painting (M. Nesterov, P. Korin, I. Bilibin). Black-and-white postcards with images of Vasnetsov's paintings, published in millions of copies during the First World War, contributed to the high patriotic upsurge of the Russian spirit. The influence of the artist on Soviet art and culture was no less great, it was during the Vasnetsov Budyonnovka (or, as they were originally called, the bogatyrs), developed by the artist for a single celebratory parade of the tsarist army, due to a special set of circumstances, that they became the form of the army, which in 1918-1922 restored the unity of the country and repulsed foreign intervention.

Vasnetsov died in Moscow in his studio, working on a portrait of the artist M.V. Nesterov.

The younger brother of the famous Viktor Vasnetsov, much less known, Appolinary Vasnetsov was also an artist - by no means was his timid shadow, but had a completely original talent. An excellent master landscape painter, A. M. Vasnetsov became famous as a connoisseur and inspired poet of old Moscow. It is rare for anyone, once seen, not to remember his paintings, watercolors, drawings, recreating the excitingly fabulous and at the same time so convincingly real image of the ancient Russian capital.

IN In 1900, Appolinary Vasnetsov became an academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, then led the landscape class of the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, and from 1918 headed the Commission for the Study of Old Moscow and conducted archaeological research during earthworks in the central part of the city.

The grandson of Viktor Vasnetsov, Andrey Vasnetsov, also became an artist, later - the founder of the so-called "severe style". In 1988-1992 Andrey Vasnetsov was the chairman of the Union of Artists of the USSR, a full member of the Russian Academy of Arts, since 1998 - a member of the Presidium. He was honorary chairman of the Vasnetsov Foundation.

Vasnetsov Viktor Mikhailovich (1848-1926) - a great Russian artist, one of the founders of Russian Art Nouveau in its national-romantic version. Probably the first of the great Russian artists enters our infant life with his epic paintings, fairy tale paintings and accompanies us throughout life, giving us impetus for reflection not only with the works of the named direction, but also with his genre paintings, portraits and religious painting that we discover. .

1. Reaper (1867)

Canvas, oil.

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov was born on May 15, 1848 in the distant Vyatka village of Lopyal into a large patriarchal family of a village priest. Soon the family moved to the village of Ryabov, where the artist spent his childhood. He began to draw early, but according to tradition, the sons were supposed to inherit their father's profession, and in 1858 the boy was sent to a religious school, and soon transferred to the Vyatka Theological Seminary. In the last year of the seminary, the young man decided that he would leave Vyatka for St. Petersburg and enter the Academy of Arts. Having performed two genre pictures - "The Milkmaid" and "The Reaper" (1867) - and playing them in the lottery, Vasnetsov travels to St. Petersburg with the proceeds and begins to study at the school of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, and in 1868 becomes a student of the Academy. Forced to earn money for a living, Vasnetsov gives private lessons, illustrates various publications.

2. Alyonushka (1881)

Canvas, oil. 121 x 173 cm. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

In 1881, in Abramtsevo, the estate of the Russian philanthropist Savva Mamontov near Moscow, Vasnetsov wrote one of his best works - Alyonushka - based on the plot of a Russian fairy tale. The touching tenderness and deep poetry of the tale excited the sensitive, sympathetic heart of the artist. Not a literal reproduction of a fairy tale plot, but a deep penetration into its emotional structure distinguishes Vasnetsov's painting. The frozen pose of the girl, the bowed head, the brown hair scattered over her shoulders, the look full of sadness - everything speaks of Alyonushka's longing and grief. Nature is in tune with her mood, she seems to mourn with the girl. Slender birch trees, young Christmas trees surrounding Alyonushka seem to protect her from the evil world. The painting "Alyonushka" is one of the first in Russian art, where the poetry of folk tales is inextricably merged with the poetry and sincerity of native Russian nature.

3. From flat to flat (1876)

Canvas, oil. 53.5 x 67.2 cm. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

Particular success fell to the share of the painting "From apartment to apartment", on which the artist worked since 1875. The fate of poor, lonely old people, thrown out into the street on a cold frosty day, looking for shelter, excited the artist. Deep sadness emanates from the picture, which tells about homeless old age, about the tragedy of useless people. "I think,- wrote Stasov, - each of us has met them. What poor people, what sad human nature!.. What a beautiful picture!”

4. Bookshop (1876)

Canvas, oil. 84 x 66.3 cm. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

The painting "Bookshop" secured for him the position of a genre painter who knows life, who knows how to reproduce it expressively and vividly.

5. Flying carpet (1880)

Canvas, oil. 165 x 297 cm. Nizhny Novgorod Art Museum

Vasnetsov is actively working on the introduction of folklore into Russian painting, reflecting the sides of the Russian national character (“Flying Carpet”, 1880). In his paintings based on fairy tales, the artist combines folk fantasy with religious teachings and a scientific view of the world.

6. Calm (1881)

Canvas, oil. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

V.A. Gilyarovsky. About the painting by V.M. Vasnetsov "Calm".

“The pines are dozing. They gave a nap.
Resting, the forest slumbers.
Fell into still waters
Heaven reflections.

I'm sitting under a pine tree in my thoughts ...
And calm and peace -
And in the whispering of gloomy needles
The joy of life is before me."

7. Knight at the Crossroads (1882)

Canvas, oil. 167x299 cm, timing.

"Oppositions of genre and history,- wrote V. Vasnetsov, - there has never been in my soul, and therefore there has never been a turning point or any kind of transitional struggle in me ... I have always been convinced that in genre and historical paintings ... in a fairy tale, song, epic, drama, the whole whole the appearance of the people, internal and external, with the past and present, and maybe the future ... That people is bad, which does not remember, does not appreciate and does not love its history.

8. Warriors of the Apocalypse (1887)

Canvas, oil.

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" is a term describing four characters from the sixth chapter of the Revelation of John the Evangelist, the last of the books of the New Testament. There is still no consensus on what exactly each of the riders represents, but they are often called the Conqueror (Plague, Disease), War, Famine and Death. God calls them and empowers them to sow holy chaos and destruction in the world. Horsemen appear strictly one after another, each with the opening of the next of the first four of the seven seals of the book of Revelation. The appearance of each of the horsemen is preceded by the removal of the seals from the Book of Life by the Lamb. After the removal of each of the first four seals, the tetramorphs exclaim to John - "come and see" - and the apocalyptic horsemen appear in front of him in turn.

In the picture, a rider on a white horse is a plague, on a red one - war, on a black one - hunger, on a pale one - death.

From the Revelation of John the Evangelist:

Rider on a white horse
"And I saw that the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures, saying as it were with a voice of thunder: Come and see. I looked, and behold, a white horse, and on it a rider having a bow, and He had a crown, and he went out victorious, and to overcome (Rev. 6:1-2)"

Rider on a red horse
"And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second animal say: Come and see. And another horse, red, went out; and it was given to him who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and a great sword was given to him. (Rev. .6:3-4)"

Rider on a black horse
"And when He opened the third seal, I heard a third animal saying, Come and see. I looked, and, behold, a black horse, and on it was a rider, having a measure in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four animals, saying: Chinix wheat for a penny, and three quinixes of barley for a penny, but do not harm the oil and wine (Rev. 6:5-6)"

Rider on a pale horse
"And when He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast, saying, Come and see. And I looked, and behold, a pale horse, and on it was a rider whose name was death; and hell followed him; and power over the fourth part of the earth - to kill with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, and with the beasts of the earth (Rev. 6:7-8)"

9. Sirin and Alkonost. Song of Joy and Sorrow (1896)

Canvas, oil. 133 x 250 cm. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

"Two faithful friends - Love and Separation - do not go one without the other." Bulat Okudzhava

Two birds of paradise were considered traditional Slavic symbols of joy and sadness: Sirin and Alkonost. In Orthodox bestiaries, the Sirins are said to be half-human, half-bird, bisexual, singing songs so sweet that the one who hears them loses his mind, goes to the voice, not noticing the path, falls into the water and dies.
According to another version: he forgets his life, goes into the desert and, getting lost, dies. Sirins or pitchforks are spirits of water sources that can fly. Subsequently, this tribe in the Russian lubok turns into one single bird.

In the legends of Western Europe, the Sirin bird is considered the embodiment of an unfortunate soul. Her name can be easily correlated with the Greek "sirens", the legends about which could be brought to Ancient Rus' by merchants who walked along the rivers from Byzantium and Greece itself. Sirens are predatory beauties with the head and body of a beautiful woman and clawed bird paws. They are the daughters of the lord of fresh waters Aheloy and one of the muses (Melpomene or Terpsichore). From their father they inherited a wild and vicious disposition, and from their mother a divine voice. With their magical singing, the sirens lured sailors to their island - they crashed ships on coastal reefs, and they themselves died in whirlpools or in the claws of temptresses. Sirens in ancient times were often depicted on tombstones and were called the Muses of the Underworld.

About Alconsta, in the Orthodox tradition, it is reported that this is a bird that lays its eggs in the depths of the sea in the middle of winter, and "these eggs are idle - they do not deteriorate and float up" as soon as the time comes. Alkonost does not take his eyes off the surface of the water and waits for the ascent, therefore it is very difficult to steal the Alkonost egg. If this succeeds, then people hang such an egg under the chandelier in the church, which is a symbol of the integrity and unity of all the people who come to it. The bird Alkonost is an example of God's Mercy and divine providence, therefore, in those seven days when Alkonost looks out for its children, the sea is calm. Shipbuilders value these days and call them Alkonost or Alcyone.

The singing of Alkonost is joyful as she promises Paradise. Sirin's singing, as medieval sources indicate, is painful, Sirin yearns for the lost Paradise, asks for a return to heaven. In modern culture, Sirin and Alkonost are inseparable; they are well-established symbols of Sorrowful and Joyful singing.

The symbolist poet A. A. Blok responded to the picture with a poem:

Throwing back the waves of thick curls,
Throwing your head back
Throws Sirin full of happiness,
Blessings of otherworldly full look ...
The other is all powerful sadness
Exhausted, exhausted...
Anguish everyday and all-night
The whole chest is full...
In the distance - crimson lightning,
The sky has faded turquoise...
And from a bloody eyelash
A heavy tear rolls down...

10. Bogatyrs (1898)

Canvas, oil. 295 x 446 cm. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

At his first solo exhibition in 1898, Vasnetsov showed "Bogatyrs", work on which lasted about twenty years. Solved in a monumental and decorative way, the picture recreates the images of the three most beloved heroes of the epic epic: Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. Each of them has individual characteristics. Striving for a monumental solution, Vasnetsov slightly raises the horizon line, and the viewer, as it were, looks down on the riders, whose clear silhouettes stand out against the background of light clouds. Bright and sonorous colors are subtly and noblely combined - green, brown, red, white, blue, giving a special decorative effect to the canvas. The landscape, with its boundless expanse, gently sloping hills, meadows overgrown with wild grass, is united by smooth and calm rhythms with the figures of heroes. Here, Vasnetsov's ability to create an epic canvas, consonant with folk poetic ideas, was manifested. In 1898, "Bogatyrs" took pride of place in the Tretyakov Gallery.

"I believe that Vasnetsov's Bogatyrs occupy one of the first places in the history of Russian painting", - expressed the general opinion of V. V. Stasov. Comparing Repin's Barge Haulers with Bogatyrs, Stasov wrote: "And here and there - all the strength and mighty power of the Russian people. Only this strength is there - oppressed and still trampled ... and here - the strength is triumphant, calm and important, fearing no one and doing by itself, of its own free will, what it she likes what she thinks is necessary for everyone, for the people.

The landscape backgrounds of V.'s works on fairy-tale and historical themes, imbued with a deeply national feeling of native nature, either remarkable for the lyrical immediacy of its perception ("Alyonushka"), or epic in character ("After the battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsians"), played an important role in the development Russian landscape painting. In 1883-85, V. completed the monumental panel "Stone Age" for the Historical Museum in Moscow, in 1885-96 - most of the murals of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. In the murals of the Vladimir Cathedral, V. tried to introduce spiritual content and emotionality into the traditional system of church monumental painting, which in the second half of the 19th century. fell into complete disrepair. The painting of V. in the mature period, distinguished by the desire for a monumental and decorative artistic language, the muffled sound of generalized color spots, and sometimes even an appeal to symbolism, anticipates the Art Nouveau style that later became widespread in Russia. V. also performed a number of portraits (A. M. Vasnetsova, 1878; Ivan Petrov, 1883; both - in the Tretyakov Gallery), illustrations for "The Song of the Prophetic Oleg" by A. S. Pushkin (watercolor, 1899, Literary Museum, Moscow) . According to his drawings, a church and the fabulous "Hut on chicken legs" were built in Abramtsevo (near Moscow; 1883), the facade of the Tretyakov Gallery was built (1902). In Soviet times, V. continued to work on folk fairy-tale themes (The Battle of Dobrynya Nikitich with the Seven-Headed Serpent Gorynych, 1918; Kashchei the Immortal, 1917-26; both paintings are in the V. M. Vasnetsov House-Museum in Moscow).
Lit .: Stasov V.V., Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov and his work, in his book: Articles and notes, vol. 2, M., 1954; Lebedev A. K., V. M. Vasnetsov. 1848-1926, M., 1955; Morgunov N., Morgunova-Rudnitskaya N., V. M. Vasnetsov, Moscow, 1962.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
Vasnetsov's work vividly represents various genres that have become stages of a very interesting evolution: from everyday writing to a fairy tale, from easel painting to monumental painting, from the mundaneness of the Wanderers to the prototype of the Art Nouveau style. At an early stage, everyday subjects dominated Vasnetsov's work, for example, in the paintings From Apartment to Apartment (1876), Military Telegram (1878), Bookshop (1876), Booths in Paris (1877). Later, the epic-historical became the main direction - “The Knight at the Crossroads” (1882), “After the Battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsians” (1880), “Alyonushka” (1881), “Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf” (1889), “Heroes "(1881-1898)," Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible "(1897). In the late 1890s, an increasingly prominent place in his work was occupied by a religious theme (works in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev and in the Church of the Resurrection (Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood) in St. Petersburg, watercolor drawings and, in general, preparatory originals of wall paintings for the cathedral St. Vladimir, murals of the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist on Presnya. Vasnetsov worked in a team of artists who designed the interior of the Alexander Nevsky memorial church in Sofia. Collaborated with artists M. V. Nesterov, I. G. Blinov and others. After 1917, Vasnetsov continued to work over folk fairy-tale themes, creating canvases “The Battle of Dobrynya Nikitich with the Seven-headed Serpent Gorynych” (1918); “Koschey the Immortal” (1917-1926)

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov

Today I want to tell you about the Russian artist Viktor Vasnetsov.

There was a time when his paintings entered the life of a young Russian from early childhood, and this name (as well as the paintings of the author) was known to anyone who graduated from a simple high school.

Artist Viktor Vasnetsov. Biography

The creative path of the artist Viktor Vasnetsov began in the 70s of the nineteenth century. It was a time when such famous peers and contemporaries of Vasnetsov worked as Repin I.E., Surikov V.I., Polenov V.D. and many others. In those days, the Russian public followed with great interest and enthusiasm the successes of the emerging "realistic art" and simply "felled" to the exhibitions of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions.

Great interest was not only in painting. Literature, science, music - everything was interesting, everything was warmed by the idea of ​​the revival of Russian culture and Russian traditions.

Artist Viktor Vasnetsov was born on May 15, 1848 in the remote Vyatka village of Lopatya, into the family of a village priest. A large family very soon, after the birth of Victor, moved to the village of Ryabovo, Vyatka province. In this God-forgotten village, the childhood of the future artist passed.

The life of the family of a rural priest differed little from the life of a simple peasant. The same garden, cattle, folk songs and fairy tales.

Soon the young man goes to Vyatka and becomes a student of the theological seminary. It was boring to study, and Victor began to take drawing lessons from the gymnasium teacher N.G. Chernyshov. Vasnetsov, with great joy and desire, painted from plasters and lithographs in the Vyatka Museum, got a job as an assistant to the artist E. Andriolli, who at that time was painting the cathedral in Vyatka.

In 1967, the future artist came to St. Petersburg and a year later entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Here he begins a completely different life: he became friends with Repin and Antokolsky, Stasov and Kramskoy. Countless meetings and literary parties, disputes about the development of Russian art and culture.

Many contemporaries of the artist recalled that at that time Vasnetsov became interested in reading Russian epics, studied national culture, folklore and folk art. However, his studies at the academy became simply formal - his father died and Vasnetsov devoted more time to the elementary struggle with poverty. I had to somehow live on my own and help my mother, who was left alone with young children in her arms. Maybe that's why, later recalling the years spent at the academy, Vasnetsov called his only teacher only one Chistyakov P.P., with whom Victor had friendly relations and to whom he very often turned for help and advice.

As a student, Vasnetsov became famous as the author of numerous drawings, which depicted genre scenes and urban types. In newspapers, critics praised the young author for his powers of observation and benevolent humor, democratic sympathy. And they predicted a great future for him as a typist (there was such a word. This is the one who draws types).

However, Vasnetsov sees himself as a serious artist and tries his hand at painting. His genre paintings are noticed by the public. Particular success fell on the picture "From apartment to apartment."

From apartment to apartment

This painting was purchased for his famous exhibition by P.M. Tretyakov.

Critics do not scold the artist, but note that his genre paintings do not differ in originality in composition and are modest in painting.

The picture “Preference” (1879) is of a completely different order.

Preference

She is called the best not only in the work of a young artist, but also in Russian genre painting of the second half of the nineteenth century. Here is what he said about this picture and about the artist Kramskoy:

The entire Russian school over the past 15 years has been telling more than portraying. At the present time, he will be right who really depicts it not as a hint, but live. You are one of the brightest talents in understanding type. Don't you really feel your terrible power in understanding character?

However, despite the undoubted success, genre painting did not bring complete satisfaction to Vasnetsov himself. I wanted something completely different, other types and images attracted the artist.

Repin calls Vasnetsov to Paris - to unwind and look around, to be fed with new ideas.

Vasnetsov has been living in Paris for a whole year, studying painting by contemporary French masters, and visiting museums. And he decides to return to Russia and settle in Moscow.

The desire to live in Moscow is not at all accidental - Moscow has long attracted the artist. Many years later he writes:

When I arrived in Moscow, I felt that I had come home and there was nowhere else to go - the Kremlin, St. Basil the Blessed made me almost cry, to such an extent all this breathed into the soul of my relatives, unforgettable.

It must be said that Moscow at that time attracted more than one Vasnetsov. Around the same time, Repin and Polenov moved to Moscow, Surikov moved from the capital. Artists were keenly interested in the ancient capital, as a miraculous oasis capable of imbuing art with life-giving forces. It should not be forgotten that the end of the nineteenth century was the time when interest in national history and national culture grew sharply.

It is in Moscow that Vasnetsov makes a "decisive and conscious transition from the genre." He suddenly clearly realized that all these years he had vaguely dreamed of Russian history and Russian epics, old Russian fairy tales.

And very soon the first canvas of the artist was born, as a result of these "historical dreams".

After the battle of Igor Svyatoslavovich with the Polovtsy

“After the battle of Igor Svyatoslavovich with the Polovtsy”, the public and critics met rather coolly. The “people” demanded an archaeologically accurate depiction of the battle, but they did not want to accept the “fairy tale and epic”.

The artist tried to explain that by borrowing the plot from The Tale of Igor's Campaign, he was not trying to create an illustration for the work. No. He deliberately removed the blood and dirt of a real battle from the canvas, and wanted to create a heroic picture that would reflect the Russian spirit and attract the viewer not with the terrible details of the past battle, but with hidden drama, and beauty, and the creation of a poetic artistic image.

Chistyakov wrote to Vasnetsov:

You, most noble, Viktor Mikhailovich, are a poet-artist! I smelled such a distant, such a grandiose and in its own way original Russian spirit that I just felt sad, I, a pre-Petrine eccentric, envied you.

The artist offered the public a completely new artistic language, which was initially neither understood nor heard.

But, not everyone felt that way. As soon as the painting appeared at the exhibition, it was immediately acquired by Tretyakov, who realized what opportunities the new direction opens up for Russian realism. And since then, the famous philanthropist and collector vigilantly followed every creative step of the artist.

Meanwhile, Vasnetsov's life in Moscow developed simply happily: he found good friends for himself, often visited Tretyakov's house. at famous musical evenings.

Another friend who played a big role in the fate of the artist was Savva Ivanovich Mamontov. The artist has always been a welcome guest both in the country house and in the famous Abramtsevo estate. Mamontov simply wholeheartedly loved Russian antiquity, folk art and supported young artists and writers. Very soon, thanks to the efforts of Vasnetsov, a friendly circle was formed in Abramtsevo, which consisted of young artists, musicians, artists, writers who saw the origins of their work in Russian culture, in its origins and its uniqueness.

Paintings by Viktor Vasnetsov

It was in "Abramtsevo" (where the artist lived for a long time) that the first cycle of Vasnetsov's fabulous paintings was born. The cycle was opened by three paintings that were commissioned by Mamontov: “Three princesses of the underworld”, “Alyonushka”, “Ivan Tsarevich on a gray wolf”.

Three princesses of the underworld Alyonushka Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf

Vasnetsov painted pictures with fairy tales all his life. With all their diversity (and even unequal value), all the paintings are united, first of all, by the desire to reveal the inner content of the Russian fairy tale, to create an atmosphere that is real and at the same time fantastic. Fabulous. With a special understanding of good and evil. And faith in justice and the triumph of good.

Carpet plane
Knight at the Crossroads

Already in the first works of the artist, a great love for the folk costume and attention to its details are visible. It was during this period that the participants of the Abramtsevo circle began to study in depth the ancient folk costume, forms and ornaments. And Vasnetsov uses the knowledge gained in writing his paintings.

sleeping princess Snow Maiden

A vivid example of the passion for folk costume was the artist's sketch "In the costume of a buffoon".

In a buffoon costume

In 1881, Vasnetsov wrote one of his best fairy-tale paintings, Alyonushka. He paints this picture in Abramtsevo. In the same place, in Abramtsevo, the artist began the artistic design of the play "The Snow Maiden".

Chambers of Tsar Berendey. Sketch of the scenery for the opera

The performance was originally staged in Mamontov's house, and later transferred to the professional stage.

With all the success of Alyonushka, the Bogatyrs became the most ambitious plan of the eighties. The artist painted this picture for almost twenty years (1881-1898). It must be said that during this period Vasnetsov wrote several large and very significant works.

The painting-frieze "Stone Age" (1882 - 1885) for the Moscow Historical Museum - 16 meters in length, consisting of three parts: the first is dedicated to the life and life of ancient people, the second is a scene of hunting for mammoths, the third is "Feast".

It was thanks to the "Stone Age" that the artist received a contract to paint the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv.

Sketches for the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral. Princess Olga and Nestor the chronicler

In 1891, the painting work was almost completed and the artist, together with his family, returned to Moscow. By this period, the financial situation of the family had improved so much that the Vasnetsovs were able to buy a small estate in Abramtsevo and build a small house with a workshop in Moscow. It is in this studio that the artist resumes work on The Heroes and, at the same time, begins to paint the painting Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible (with this painting in 1897 the artist will perform for the last time at the exhibition of the Wanderers).

Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible

In 1899, the first personal exhibition of the artist opens in Moscow. And the “Bogatyrs” become the central work of the exhibition.

Three heroes

In the last years of the 19th century, Vasnetsov was at the peak of his fame: the domestic and foreign press wrote a lot about the artist, and famous musicians, artists and writers visited his studio. Tretyakov in his gallery (already donated to Moscow) is building a special hall for the works of Vasnetsov.

During this period, the artist was suddenly fascinated by architecture. Many years ago, two small buildings were erected in Abramtsevo according to the sketches of the artist: a home church and the "Hut on Chicken Legs". Later - the facade of the Tretyakov Gallery and several private houses in Moscow.

Guslars

The great artist Vasnetsov Viktor Mikhailovich was born on May 15, 1848 in the village of Lopyal, in the family of Mikhail Vasilyevich Vasnetsov, a priest. The father predicted to his son the future of a clergyman, and in the early years of the formation of the young Vasnetsov, the young man obeyed his parents in everything and was already following in his father's footsteps. However, a few years later, his fate changed dramatically. The biography of the artist Vasnetsov contains pages of the formation and flowering of the talent of one of the most famous painters in the entire history of the Russian state.

He did not have students, as, for example, V. I. Surikov or other famous artists, but the skill of Viktor Vasnetsov was open to imitate any novice painter. And young artists tried to learn the "Vasnetsov" halftones that were present in his epic scenes, or the juicy cheerful colors that make the master's landscapes so bright.

Seminary and art

In 1858, at the insistence of his father, young Vasnetsov was assigned to a religious school, where he studied for four years, and then continued his studies at the Vyatka Theological Seminary. At the same time, he discovered the talent of a painter, and the future artist began to study drawing with N. G. Chernyshov, a gymnasium teacher. Then, with the good will of his father, he left the seminary and moved to St. Petersburg, where he entered the school of drawing and the development of arts, in the class of Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy. After studying at school for one year, Vasnetsov transferred to the Academy of Arts and continued painting there.

The artist exhibited his student works for public viewing even within the walls of the Academy, so that they would be assessed by recognized masters of the brush. Reviews of venerable artists on the work of the novice painter Vasnetsov were the most benevolent, many critics noted the work of the young artist as a new word in art.

Association of Wanderers

After graduating from the Academy of Arts in 1873, Vasnetsov the artist began to participate in exhibitions of the Wanderers organized in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The "Partnership" included twenty famous Russian artists, among whom were: I. N. Kramskoy, I. E. Repin, I. I. Shishkin, D., V. I. Surikov and others. Viktor Vasnetsov was presented in traveling exhibitions with two paintings: "The Knight at the Crossroads" and "Alyonushka".

Rise and fall

The goal of the Wanderers was to acquaint the broad masses of the people with Russian art. Exhibitions were held everywhere, in cities and large villages, the Wanderers developed and grew stronger. The heyday of the "Partnership" fell on the years 1870-1880. Later, the activities of the Wanderers began to fade for a number of objective reasons, and in 1922 their last exhibition took place.

Abramtsevo

The Russian artist Vasnetsov was a member of the "Abramtsevo Art Circle", organized by the industrialist and philanthropist Savva Mamontov, the owner. Meetings of artists, sculptors, writers and musicians were held under the roof of the hospitable house of Savva Ivanovich, and later the circle turned into a major center of Russian culture. Artists-painters came to Abramtsevo and lived there for months, creating their immortal canvases. Viktor Vasnetsov was also a frequent visitor, he was inspired by the unspoiled nature of the protected areas, primordial Russian values, fields, forests and village people as an integral part of the landscapes.

Academy of Arts

In 1893, Vasnetsov, the artist, joined the Academy of Arts and, already being a full member of the Academy, continued his fruitful work in the field of recreating Russian culture. The revolutionary movements at the beginning of the 20th century also affected the great artist. Vasnetsov did not directly participate in the activities of the Union of the Russian People, a right-wing monarchist organization, but indirectly supported the Black Hundred movement and even financed individual publications, such as Books of Russian Sorrow. In 1912 the artist was introduced into the nobility of the Russian Empire. And in 1915 he became an active member of the Society for the Revival of Rus', which brought together many artists of that time.

Variety of creativity

The work of the artist Vasnetsov is distinguished by a variety of styles, which cannot be said about other Russian painters. He created paintings using opposite genres, sometimes incompatible with each other. Paintings of a domestic nature with real characters were replaced by canvases with fairy tales. And yet, the epic-historical theme runs like a red thread throughout the entire creative period of the artist. It was in this genre that Vasnetsov created his main masterpieces: Bogatyrs (1898), Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible (1897), Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf (1889), Alyonushka (1881) , "The Knight at the Crossroads" (1882), "After the Battle of Igor Svyatoslavovich with the Polovtsy" (1880).

Church theme

On the eve of the 20th century, Vasnetsov, the artist whose "Bogatyrs", painted in 1998, became his hallmark, turns to a religious theme. He paints for the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv and the Church of the Ascension in St. Petersburg, known as the Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood on the Griboyedov Canal. Later, the artist took part in painting the interior of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is located in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. And for the Moscow Church of the Nativity on Presnya, Vasnetsov created sketches for the ceiling and wall paintings.

Artist's Civic Projects

Vasnetsov the artist in 1917 completely switched to the Russian folk epic, his fairy tale paintings "The Battle of Dobrynya Nikitich with the Seven-Headed Serpent Gorynych", written in 1918, and "Koschey the Immortal" in 1926 became the last works of the great artist.

In addition to brilliant paintings, Vasnetsov created a number of architectural and historical projects:

• In the Abramtsevo estate, the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands was built according to the sketches of Vasnetsov together with the artist V.D. Polenov and architect P.M. Samarin (1882)
• In Abramtsevo, a "hut on chicken legs" was built, a garden gazebo based on fairy tales (1883)
• The project of the tomb monument of Yuri Nikolayevich Govorukha-Otrok, Russian writer, in the necropolis of the Moscow Monastery of the Sorrowful (1896).
• Russian pavilion for the World Exhibition in Paris in 1898.
• The project of the mansion of I.E. Tsvetkov, together with the architect B.N. Schnaubert, in Moscow on Prechistenskaya embankment.
• Design project for the main entrance of the Tretyakov Gallery, with the participation of architect V.N. Bashkirova in Moscow, Lavrushinsky lane (1901).
• Project of a transitional tower from the Armory to the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow (1901).
• A commemorative cross that marks the place of death of the Great Prince Sergei Alexandrovich in Moscow (1908), which was destroyed and subsequently restored by the sculptor N.V. Orlov, and then transferred to the Novospassky Monastery.
• Tombstone V.A. Gringmut, a right-wing radical public figure, in Moscow, in the necropolis of the Sorrowful Monastery (1908).
• Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Moscow, together with the architect A.N. Pomerantsev (1911).
• Project for an artistic postage stamp created to raise funds for the victims of the war (1914).

Philately

Vasnetsov the artist and his works were widely represented in the philately of the USSR:

• Postage stamp "Tretyakov Gallery" by artist A.S. Pomansky was released in 1950. The stamp depicts the main facade of the Tretyakov Gallery, made in 1906 according to sketches by Viktor Vasnetsov.
• A series of postage stamps dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the death of the artist-painter Vasnetsov, author - artist I.I. Dubasov, 1951.
• Postage stamp depicting V.M. Vasnetsov in the painting by the artist I. Kramskoy", published in 1952 in the Marka ITC under No. 1649.
• Postage stamp "Bogatyrs" (based on a painting by Vasnetsov 1881-1898) ITC "Stamp" No. 1650.
• Postage stamp "The Knight at the Crossroads" (1882), issued in 1968, designed by artists A. Ryazantsev and G. Komlev, ITC "Stamp", No. 3705.
• The 150th anniversary of Vasnetsov's birth was celebrated in Russia by issuing a double postage stamp with a coupon.

For the entire creative life of the great artist, he painted several dozen canvases. 24 are included in the Golden Fund of Russian Art:

• Year 1871 - "Gravedigger".
• Year 1876 - "From apartment to apartment".
• Year 1878 - "The Knight at the Crossroads".
• Year 1879 - "Preference".
• Year 1880 -
• Year 1880 - "Alyonushkin Pond".
• Year 1880 - "Flying Carpet".
• Year 1881 - "Alyonushka".
• Year 1881 - "Three princesses of the underworld".
• Year 1887 - "Warriors of the Apocalypse".
• Year 1889 - "Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf".
• Year 1890 - "Baptism of Rus'".
• Year 1897 - "Gamayun".
• Year 1897 - "Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible".
• Year 1898 - "Bogatyrs".
• Year 1899 - "Guslars".
• Year 1899 - "Snow Maiden".
• Year 1899 - "Oleg's meeting with a magician".
• Year 1904 - "The Last Judgment".
• Year 1914 - "Ilya Muromets".
• Year 1914 - "Duel of Peresvet with Chelubey".
• Year 1918 - "The Frog Princess".
• Year 1918 - "The battle of Dobrynya Nikitich with the seven-headed Serpent Gorynych".
• Year 1926 -