Among the paintings with which mystical legends are associated, I would like to note the canvases of the artist Ivan Kramskoy. His works were highly appreciated by his contemporaries and caused a lot of rumors about his mystical influence on the viewer.

Ivan Kramskoy, Mermaids (1871)

The painting "Mermaids" was painted based on the story of Nikolai Gogol "May night or a drowned woman." The painting depicts drowned girls who, according to Slavic belief, became mermaids after their death.

Working on the canvas, the artist set himself the task of conveying the unique beauty of moonlight. “Everyone is trying to catch the moon at the present time ... The moon is a difficult thing ...”- wrote Kramskoy.

Superstitious contemporaries feared that Gogol's plot would drive the artist crazy. In his painting, the world of ghosts comes to life in the moonlight. Guests of another world - mermaids appear before the viewer at the pond. Kramskoy managed to create a fantastic picture.

“I am glad that with such a plot I didn’t finally break my neck, and if I didn’t catch the moon, then something fantastic came out ...”- said the artist.

"Extreme plausibility of a fantastic dream" - enthusiastically wrote critics.

The public, tired of fashionable satirical realism, accepted Kramskoy's work with interest.
“We are so tired of all these gray peasants, clumsy village women, drunken officials ... that the appearance of a work like “May Night” should make the most pleasant, refreshing impression on the public”

Soon the mysterious lunar picture had its own legends. It was said that at the exhibition next to "Mermaids" there was Savrasov's painting "Rooks", which suddenly fell off the wall at night.

At night, in the hall of the Tretyakov Gallery, who bought the painting, one could hear sad afterlife singing, and a sudden coolness was felt like from a night pond. It was said that the young ladies who looked at the picture for a long time went crazy and threw themselves into the river.

The old maid advised the master to hang the picture in a far corner so that no light would fall on it during the day. The old woman claimed that then the mermaids would stop scaring the living. Surprisingly, as soon as the picture was removed into the darkness, the afterlife singing stopped.

"Stranger" or "Unknown", (1883)

The picture caused a heated discussion - who is this mysterious person looking down on the public? An aristocrat or a demi-monde?

“Her outfit is a Francis hat trimmed with elegant light feathers, Swedish gloves made of the finest leather, a Skobelev coat decorated with sable fur and blue satin ribbons, a clutch, a gold bracelet - all these are fashionable details of a women's costume 1880- 1990s, claiming expensive elegance. However, this did not mean belonging to the high society, rather the opposite - a code of unwritten rules ruled out strict adherence to fashion in the highest circles of Russian society.

It is believed that Kramskoy was inspired to paint the picture by the story of the peasant woman Matryona Savishna, with whom the nobleman Bestuzhev fell in love. The young master came to the village to visit his aunt and was fascinated by the young maid Matrena, who was taken from the village. Bestuzhev decided to marry Matryona despite the condemnation of society. His relatives in St. Petersburg taught a simple girl etiquette and dancing. The former mistress once met Matryona in St. Petersburg, but the maid, who became a noble lady, proudly drove past her mistress.

The artist heard this story from Matryona when he was visiting the Bestuzhievs. "Oh, what a meeting I just had!" - Matryona boasted, talking about how she drove past the lady.

Portrait of Ivan Kramskoy by Ilya Repin

The artist decided to depict in the picture an episode when a former maid meets her mistress and gives her an arrogant look.

It was said that love for a "stranger" did not bring happiness to Bestuzhev, he often had to duel with obsessive admirers of his wife, and many unfortunate people committed suicide because of a proud beauty. She had an amazing magical effect on men.

Concerned relatives of Bestuzhev made sure that the marriage was annulled. The "stranger" returned to her native village, where she soon died.

The fatal glory of the painted "stranger" created a reputation for a damned picture.

It was said that the buyers of the painting were haunted by misfortunes - ruin, sudden death of loved ones, madness. The unfortunate owners claimed that the painting sucked all the vitality out of them. Even the philanthropist Tretyakov refused to buy the painting, fearing a curse. The painting entered the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery in 1925.

According to one of the legends, the kept woman of the industrialist Savva Morozov, who died under the wheels of a carriage, posed for Kramskoy for "The Stranger", and now her ghost roams the streets of Moscow.

It was claimed that the curse fell on the Kramskoy family, his sons died within a year after writing the fatal picture. If you look at the dates of the death of Kramskoy's children, this legend is easy to refute. The youngest son, Mark, died in 1876 long before The Stranger was written. The eldest sons: Nikolai (1863-1938) and Anatoly (1865-1941) survived their father.

"Inconsolable grief" (1884)

In memory of the deceased younger son, Kramskoy created the painting "Inconsolable Grief", which depicts a mourning woman in mourning at the coffin.

A woman in a black dress undeniably simply, naturally stopped at a box of flowers, one step away from the viewer, in the only fatal step that separates grief from the one who sympathizes with grief - amazingly visible and complete lay down in the picture in front of the woman this look only outlined emptiness.The look of a woman (the eyes are not tragically dark, but everyday reddened) imperiously attracts the gaze of the viewer, but does not respond to it.In the back of the room, on the left, behind the curtain (not behind the curtain-decoration, but the curtain - an ordinary and inconspicuous piece of furniture) ajar the door, and there is also a void, an unusually expressive, narrow, high void, pierced by the dull red flame of wax candles (all that remains of the light effect)"- wrote critic Vladimir Porudominsky.

sketch of a painting

Kramskoy donated the painting to the Tretyakov Gallery. “Accept this tragic picture from me as a gift, if it is not superfluous in Russian painting and finds a place in your gallery”- wrote the artist. The noble Tretyakov accepted the painting and persistently handed the fee to Kramskoy.

“I was in no hurry to purchase this painting in St. Petersburg, knowing, probably, that it would not find buyers in terms of content, but I then decided to purchase it”- wrote Tretyakov.

“It is quite fair that my painting “Inconsolable Sorrow” will not meet the buyer, I know this just as well, maybe even better, but after all, the Russian artist is still on the way to the goal, as long as he believes that serving art is his task until he has mastered everything, he is not yet corrupted and therefore still able to write a thing without counting on sales. Right or wrong, but in this case I only wanted to serve art. If no one needs a picture now, it is not superfluous in the school of Russian painting in general. This is not self-delusion, because I sincerely sympathized with maternal grief, I was looking for a clean form for a long time and finally settled on this form because for more than 2 years this form did not arouse criticism in me ... "- the artist argued.

sketch of a painting

“This is not a picture, but a reality”- Repin admired the depicted depth of feelings.

The legend of a ghostly woman in black who lost her child quickly spread in folklore.
She is mentioned in the poem "Moscow-Petushki" and pursues a frightened hero in a train car “A woman, all in black from head to toe, stood at the window and, looking indifferently at the darkness outside the window, pressed a lace handkerchief to her lips.”

"Moonlight Night" (1880)

Moonlight attracted the artist, who sought to "catch the moon." Interestingly, two ladies posed for the picture. The artist's first model was Anna Popova (Mendeleev's wife), and then Elena Matveeva (Tretyakov's wife) posed for the picture.

The play of moonlight in the picture simply captivates the viewer.

In conclusion, I want to add that Ivan Kramskoy created portraits of the royal family.

Portrait of Emperor Alexander III

Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna, wife of Alexander III

Portrait of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, mother of Alexander III

The tragic fate of "Moonlight Night on the Dnieper" October 18th, 2016

"Moonlight Night on the Dnieper" (1880) is one of the most famous paintings by Arkhip 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 by 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.

Which? This is what we now find out...

In the summer and autumn of 1880, during a break with the Wanderers, A.I. Kuindzhi worked on a new painting. 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 studio to those who wished, and the St. Petersburg public began to besiege her long before the completion of the work. This painting gained truly legendary fame. I.S. Turgenev and Y. Polonsky, I. Kramskoy and P. Chistyakov, D. I. Mendelev came to the workshop of A. I. Kuindzhi, the well-known publisher and collector K. T. Soldatenkov asked the price of the painting. Directly from the workshop, even before the exhibition, “Moonlight Night on the Dnieper” was bought for huge money by the Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich. And then the picture was exhibited in St. Petersburg. It was the first exhibition of one painting in Russia.

The work was exhibited in a separate hall of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists on Bolshaya Morskaya. At the same time, the hall was not illuminated, only a bright electric beam fell on the picture. The image from this "deepened" even more, and the moonlight became simply dazzling. And decades later, the witnesses of this triumph continued to recall the shock experienced by the audience, who “got it” to the picture. It was the “worthy ones” - during the exhibition days, Bolshaya Morskaya was densely packed with carriages, and a long queue lined up at the doors to the building and people waited for hours to see this extraordinary work. To avoid a crush, the audience was allowed into the hall in groups.

Roerich still found the servant Maxim alive, who received rubles (!) from those who tried to get to the picture out of turn. 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 a landscape of a very modest size. But AI Kuindzhi knew how to win. The success exceeded all expectations and turned into a real sensation.

A.I. Kuindzhi was always very attentive to the exposure of his paintings, placed them so that they were well lit, so that neighboring canvases did not interfere with them. This time, "Moonlight Night on the Dnieper" hung on the wall alone. 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, spellbound, stopped in front of the cold glow of moonlight. 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 peered through the resulting window, illuminating the Dnieper, the huts and the web of paths on the near bank.

And everything in nature fell silent, enchanted by the wonderful radiance of the sky and the Dnieper waters. The sparkling silvery-greenish disk of the moon flooded the earth immersed in night peace with its mysterious phosphorescent light. He was so strong that some of the spectators tried to look behind the picture to find a lantern or lamp there. 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 before A.I. Kuindzhi, only the great N.V. Gogol sang about nature. The number of sincere admirers of the talent of A.I. Kuindzhi grew, a rare person could remain indifferent to this picture, which seemed like witchcraft.

AI Kuindzhi depicts the celestial sphere majestic and eternal, striking the audience with the power of the Universe, its immensity and solemnity. Numerous attributes of the landscape - huts creeping along the slope, bushy trees, gnarled stalks of the tartar - are absorbed by darkness, their color is dissolved in a brown tone. The bright silvery light of the moon is shaded by the depth of blue. With his phosphorescence, he turns the traditional motif with the moon into such a rare, meaningful, attractive and mysterious that it transforms into poetic and excited delight. There were even suggestions about some unusual colors and even about strange artistic techniques that the artist allegedly used. Rumors about the secret of the artistic method of A.I. Kuindzhi, about the secret of his colors went around during the life of the artist, some tried to convict him of tricks, even in connection with evil spirits. Maybe this happened because A.I. Kuindzhi concentrated his efforts on the illusory transmission of the real effect of lighting, on the search for such a composition of the picture that would allow the most convincing expression of the feeling of wide spatiality.

Famous artist Arkhip Kuindzhi, 1907

And with these tasks he coped brilliantly. In addition, the artist defeated everyone in distinguishing the slightest changes in color and light ratios (for example, even during experiments with a special device, which were carried out by D.I. Mendeleev and others). Some have argued for the use of phosphorus-based chemistries. However, this is not entirely true. A decisive role in creating an impression is played by the unusual color structure of the canvas. Using complementary colors in the picture that reinforce each other, the artist achieves an incredible effect of the illusion of moonlight. True, it is known that the experiments still took place. Kuindzhi intensively used bituminous paints, but did not use phosphorus. Unfortunately, due to the careless mixing of chemically incompatible paints, the canvas darkened greatly.

Creating this canvas, A.I. Kuindzhi applied a complex pictorial technique. For example, he contrasted the warm reddish tone of the earth with cold silvery shades and thereby deepened the space, and small dark strokes in the illuminated places created a feeling of vibrating light. All newspapers and magazines responded to the exhibition with enthusiastic articles, reproductions of Moonlight Night on the Dnieper were distributed in thousands of copies throughout Russia. The poet Y. Polonsky, a friend of A. I. Kuindzhi, wrote then: “I positively do not remember that people stagnated in front of any picture for so long ... What is it? Picture or reality? In a golden frame or through an open window, did we see this month, these clouds, this dark distance, these “trembling lights of sad villages” and these play of light, this silvery reflection of the month in the jets of the Dnieper, bending around the distance, this poetic, quiet, majestic night? » The poet K. Fofanov wrote the poem "Night on the Dnieper", which was later set to music.

The audience was delighted with the illusion of natural moonlight, and people, according to I.E. Repin, who stood in “prayerful silence” in front of the canvas by A.I. Kuindzhi, left the hall with tears in their eyes: believers, and they lived in 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, in order to avoid such an unfair attitude 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 the reason for everything is the special attitude to the canvas of its owner, Grand Duke Konstantin.

Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, who bought the painting, did not want to part with the canvas, even going on a 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 vapors of the air, etc.” He even visited the Grand Duke in Paris, while his frigate was in the port of Cherbourg, and persuaded him to send the painting to Paris for a short time.

I.S. Turgenev hoped that he would be able to persuade him to leave the painting at the exhibition in the Zedelmeyer 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 are conveyed by the brilliant A.I. Kuindzhi with such force that, looking at the picture even now, the audience immediately falls under the power of the eternal and Divine.

In fairness, it should be noted that due to the huge popularity of the painting, Kuindzhi created two more copies of the Moonlight Night, the first painting is kept 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.

sources

1. Kuindzhi worked on the painting Moonlit Night on the Dnieper for about six months. A few months before the completion of the work, rumors spread around St. Petersburg about the incredible beauty of this work. Long queues lined up under the windows of his workshop. Everyone wanted at least a glimpse of this work of art. Kuindzhi went to meet the Petersburgers and lifted the veil of secrecy. Every Sunday, the artist opened the doors of his workshop for everyone for exactly 2 hours.

2. During this time, many great people of that time became guests of his workshop - I.S. Turgenev, D.I. Mendeleev, Ya.P. Polonsky, I.N. Kramskoy, P.P. Chistyakov. One Sunday, a modest naval officer came to the artist and inquired about the cost of the painting. Arkhip Ivanovich called an incredible amount for those times - 5 thousand rubles. He didn't expect him to agree. But the officer replied, “Okay. I'm leaving behind." It turned out that it was Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov, who bought the painting for his collection.

3. "Moonlight Night on the Dnieper" was exhibited on Bolshaya Morskaya Street in St. Petersburg, in the hall of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. It is important that this was the first exhibition of one painting in Russia. And people stood in queues for hours to see the work of the “artist of light”. That is how fans of his work began to call Kuindzhi.

4. Arkhip Kuindzhi approached the exhibition of his painting responsibly. The idea came to him in a dream: in order to achieve a greater effect, the artist asked to curtain all the windows in the hall and illuminate the picture with a beam focused on it. When visitors entered the semi-dark hall, they could not believe their eyes - the sparkling silvery-greenish disk of the moon flooded the entire room with its deep bewitching light. Many of them looked behind the picture in the hope of finding a lamp there in order to convict the author of charlatanism. But she wasn't.

5. In this picture, Kuindzhi managed to show all the beauty of the nature of a calm and serene Ukrainian night - the majestic Dnieper, dilapidated huts and the cold glow of moonlight. I.E. Repin recalled how dozens of people stood in front of the canvas “in prayerful silence” with tears in their eyes: “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.”

6. There were rumors that Kuindzhi paints with "magic moon" paints from Japan. Envious people contemptuously argued that it was not necessary to draw them with great intelligence. The superstitious did accuse the master of being in cahoots with evil spirits.

7. The secret of the "artist of light" was the artist's fantastic ability to play on contrasts and long experiments on color reproduction. In the process of creating a picture, he mixed not only paints, but also added chemical elements to them. Kuindzhi was helped in this by his close friend, D.I. Mendeleev.

8. The new owner, Grand Duke Konstantin, liked the painting so much that he decided not to part with it even when traveling. He placed the canvas on his yacht and went to sea. I.S. Turgenev was horrified by this. He wrote to D.V. Gigorovich: "There is no doubt that the picture ... will return completely ruined." He even personally persuaded the prince to leave the picture, but he was adamant. Of course, dampness, wind and salt-soaked air had a negative impact on the condition of the canvas. The paint is cracked and faded. But, despite this, the picture still captivates the viewer.

9. The painting was hugely popular. This prompted Kuindzhi to create two more author's copies of Moonlit Night on the Dnieper. They were written 2 years later - in 1882. The first is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the other is in the Livadia Palace in Yalta.

10. The glory that fell on Kuindzhi after “Moonlight Night on the Dnieper” almost “crushed” the artist. In the prime of his creative powers, the great creator took an unexpected step. He closed the doors of his workshop and ceased exhibition activities. He explained his action as follows: “... 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 as not to be ridiculed. For 30 years of "silence" there was not a day that the artist did not pick up a brush or pencil. Even before his death, he remained faithful to the cause of his life. Not having the strength to get out of bed, he lay down drawing pencil sketches.

11. The museum-apartment of a talented master is located in the famous "artist's house" in Birzhevoy Lane. The initiative to create a museum-apartment was made by Kuindzhi's student - Nicholas Roerich. Unfortunately, the exposition was opened only in 1991, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the artist.

REFERENCE KP

Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi Born January 27, 1842 in the family of a poor shoemaker. The surname Kuindzhi was given to him by the nickname of grandfather, which in Tatar means "goldsmith". In the 60s, the novice artist “failed” the exam 2 times and entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts only the third time. There he became friends with V.M. Vasnetsov and I.E. Repin, met I. N. Kramskoy, the ideologist of leading Russian artists. The artist's early works were written under the influence of Aivazovsky's style. Over time, he begins to think about themes, the style of writing, independently studying paints, color, lighting effects, and by the age of forty becomes famous. In the early 90s, Kuindzhi began a period of "silence" and for almost 30 years he painted "on the table." In the period 1894-1897, Kuindzhi directed the higher art school at the Academy of Arts. His students were A. Rylov, N. Roerich, K. Bogaevsky. In 1909 Kuindzhi organized the Society of Artists. He donated his money, land and paintings to this organization. The "Artist of Light" died in St. Petersburg on July 11, 1910.

08.05.2015

Description of the painting by Ivan Kramskoy “Moonlight Night”

Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy is a famous Russian artist. It is he who is the author of paintings that are still popular among connoisseurs of art. Ivan Nikolaevich painted many paintings, the plot of which unfolded in the evening or late at night. But one of the best paintings of this kind is considered to be a canvas called “Moonlight Night”. On this canvas, the beauty and romance of a summer night is very accurately conveyed. What could be more beautiful than a warm summer night, through the dusk of which, a ray of the full moon breaks through. The main character of the picture is a woman dressed in a fabulous white dress. A woman is sitting on a bench, and by her bowed head and thoughtful look, you can understand that she is thinking about something or dreaming.

The bench on which the woman sits is opposite the pond. Warlike poplars rise behind the miniature beauty. Poplars are not fully depicted in the picture - it seems that their tops go far beyond the borders of the picture. The woman, being in thought, looks at the pond. She is sad and very calm. It is noticeable that she is glad of the opportunity to retire from the endless everyday noise. Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy very well conveyed to the audience the naturalness of nature and the atmosphere that the place near the pond is saturated with. Basically, the exact transfer of the atmosphere of that place is facilitated by a large number of highlights that the painter used. Night calm and tranquility, the dreaminess of a woman sitting near a pond, and a moonbeam breaking through the trees - all this the artist was able to convey with great skill. No wonder that this work was noted by critics who lived at the same time as Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy. This canvas helped critics put Kramskoy on a par with such legends of Russian painting as

The painting by Ivan Kramskoy "Moonlight Night" was written in 1880. This is one of the most delightful paintings of the great Russian painter. Bright moonlight illuminates a wide wooden bench in the park with a charming young woman in a luxurious white dress sitting on it. There is enough moonlight to see the mirror-like surface of the pond with floating water lilies, the alley of the park with tall mighty trees, going deep into.

It is known that two models posed to create the image of the heroine of the canvas: Anna Popova, the future wife of the famous chemist Mendeleev, and Elena Tretyakova, wife of the philanthropist and art collector Sergei Tretyakov, who bought this painting. According to his will, after his death, the painting took its rightful place in the Tretyakov Gallery, created by his elder brother Pavel.

The artist managed to convey the calmness and serenity of the night, conducive to pleasant reflections, the amazing light of the moon, persistently striving to sanctify every corner of the park, the alluring mystery of poplars...

The artist originally wanted to name the painting "Old Poplars" or "Magic Night". But behind it the more romantic name "Moonlight Night" was established.

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Painting by Ivan Kramskoy Moonlit night: description, biography of the artist, customer reviews, other works of the author. A large catalog of paintings by Ivan Kramskoy on the website of the online store BigArtShop.

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Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy graduated from the Ostrogozhsk school by the age of 12 with certificates of merit in all subjects. At the same age, he lost his father, who worked as a clerk for the city council.

Ivan also practiced calligraphy, after the death of his father he served in the Duma as an intermediary for amicable land surveying. At the age of 15, he entered the Ostrogozhsk icon painter as an apprentice and spent about a year in his studio.

After 16 years, the opportunity presented itself to travel around half of Russia with a Kharkov photographer as a retoucher and watercolorist. The photographer filmed military exercises in Ostrogozhsk and, having met Ivan, invited him along.

In 1857, at the age of 20, Ivan Kramskoy decided to apply to the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, successfully passed the exams, and was accepted as a student of the Academy.

During his studies, he worked part-time in a photo studio, skillfully retouching photographs.

In 1863, on the eve of his graduation from the Academy, Kramskoy led the famous “revolt of 14”, when 14 graduates of the Academy were outraged that they were forbidden to write a competitive picture on a free topic, refused to take part in competitions for the Big Gold Medal and left the Academy.

Under the leadership of Kramskoy, they organized the Artel of Artists, which lasted until 1870. Since 1871, Kramskoy was carried away by the idea of ​​organizing a new art association, which included artists from Moscow and St. Petersburg. The organization subsequently became known as the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions. At this time, Kramskoy became friends with Pavel Tretyakov, becoming the chief adviser to the famous patron and executor of many of his orders.

Relations with the "Partnership" persisted for 10 years. In the early 1880s, numerous accusations from other Wanderers fell upon Kramskoy, both in the fact that he "betrayed the ideals" by accepting an order to complete portraits of members of the royal family, and in the luxury in which he allegedly immersed himself, and even in that he wears trendy red stockings.

Kramskoy felt insulted, apologies were received only seven years after his death, in 1894.

Kramskoy passed away at work, at the easel. On his last day, he painted a portrait of Dr. Rauchfuss. Since 1884, due to heart disease, he lived and was treated under the supervision of Russian doctors in a small French town, and in his free time from procedures he taught his daughter Sonya to draw, at the turn of the century she became a very popular artist.

The texture of the canvas, high-quality paints and large-format printing allow our reproductions of Ivan Kramskoy to be as good as the original. The canvas will be stretched on a special stretcher, after which the picture can be framed in a baguette of your choice.