Description
The State Russian Museum is one of the most visited museums in St. Petersburg, with a collection of more than 400,000 exhibits. In Russia, this is the largest museum presenting a collection of national fine arts.The history of the creation of the museum dates back to the 19th century. The building of the Mikhailovsky Palace, in which the Russian Museum was subsequently founded, was built according to the project of the architect Carl Rossi in 1819-1825, the architectural appearance of which is recognized as an outstanding example of a palace ensemble in the style of high classicism. The first owner of the palace was Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, the fourth son of Emperor Paul I.
In 19th-century Europe, public museums of fine art already exist, and the idea of opening a state museum of national art is being discussed among the educated elite of Russian society.
In 1889, Emperor Alexander III acquired I. Repin’s painting “Nicholas of Mirlikisky Saves Three Innocently Convicted from Death” - this event is associated with the sovereign’s idea, which he expressed about the foundation of a nationwide national museum.
The plan of Alexander III was carried out by his successor Emperor Nicholas II, in 1895 the Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander III was established. In the same year, the reconstruction of the halls of the Mikhailovsky Palace for the museum expositions began, under the guidance of architect V.F. Svinin.
The grand opening of the "Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander III" took place on March 7 (19), 1898.
The museum's collection was made up of works of art donated from the Hermitage, the Academy of Arts, the Gatchina and Tsarskoye Selo Alexander Palaces, as well as donated collections of private collectors.
According to the plan, the exposition of the museum was to be represented by three departments:
- a memorial department dedicated to the memory of Emperor Alexander III;
- ethnographic and art-industrial department;
- art department.
The construction of the premises of the Memorial Department was delayed and it was never opened.
The collection of the ethnographic department was exhibited in the Russian Museum, but in 1934 it was transferred to the newly opened State Museum of Ethnography of the Peoples of the USSR.
The collection of the art department was actively replenished and developed, as a result, the Russian Museum became the largest collection of national fine art.
By 1914, the halls of the Mekhailovsky Palace no longer contained the entire collection of the Russian Museum, and in 1914-1919 a new exhibition building was erected according to the project of architects L. Benois and S. Ovsyannikov, named after the author's name - the Benois building.
In the halls of the State Russian Museum, national art is widely represented, from ancient Rus' to our time.
Old Russian icons from the collection of the Russian Museum, the exposition of which began to form even at the foundation of the museum and was replenished during the 20th century, are not only monuments of ancient Russian art, but masterpieces of world significance.
When forming a collection of easel paintings, the best works of artists of the 18th-19th centuries served as the basis. These are portrait paintings by I. Vishnyakov, D. Levitsky, V. Borovikovsky, paintings of antique themes by F. Bruni, G. Ugryumov, the world-famous masterpiece by K. Bryullov “The Last Day of Pompeii” and his other great canvases, paintings by the unsurpassed marine painter I Aivazovsky and his famous "Ninth Wave". A special place in the collection of the Russian Museum is occupied by the paintings of the artists of the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries - A. Ivanov, V. Vasnetsov, K. Makovsky, I. Repin, K. Savitsky, V. Polenov, V. Vereshchagin, V. Surikov, M. Vrubel . Outstanding Russian landscape painters are widely represented in the museum - the well-known I. Shishkin, I. Levitan, A. Kuindzhi. Of particular interest are the works of artists of the "World of Art" association, who worked not only in the direction of easel art, but also in theatrical art, creating scenery and theatrical costumes.
In the post-revolutionary period, the collection of the Russian Museum is replenished by nationalized private collections and works created by artists of the "new trends".
On the ground floor of the Benois building, a large collection of works of the Soviet period is exhibited and thematic exhibitions are held.
Nowadays, the museum collection is constantly replenished not only through government purchases, but also through donations of private collections to the museum.
Today, the State Russian Museum is a museum complex and includes the Mikhailovsky, Marble and Stroganov palaces, the Mikhailovsky (Engineering) castle, the House of Peter I, garden and park ensembles - the Summer Garden with the Summer Palace of Peter I and the Mikhailovsky Garden.
The highest decree on the establishment of the "Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander III" in the Mikhailovsky Palace in St. Petersburg was signed 120 years ago, on April 13, 1895.
Currently, the State Russian Museum is the largest museum of Russian art in the world. His collection includes 407.5 so-called storage units. On the eve of the memorable date, the site recalled 10 masterpieces of painting that can be seen in the Russian Museum.
Arkhip Kuindzhi. "Moonlit night on the Dnieper". 1880
River bank. The horizon line runs down. The silvery-greenish light of the moon is reflected in the water. “Moonlight Night on the Dnieper” is one of the most famous paintings by Arkhip Kuindzhi.
The magic of the landscape captivated the Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, who bought it for a lot of money directly from the artist's studio. The prince did not want to part with his favorite painting even during his round-the-world trip. As a result, his whim almost ruined Kuindzhi's masterpiece - because of the sea air, the composition of the paint changed, the landscape began to darken. But, despite this, the picture to this day has a magical appeal, forcing the audience to peer into it for a long time.
The magic of the landscape captivated Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich. Photo: www.russianlook.com
Karl Bryullov. "The last day of Pompeii". 1830-1833
“The last day of Pompeii became the first day for the Russian brush!” - so the poet Yevgeny Baratynsky wrote about this picture. And the British writer Walter Scott called the picture "unusual, epic."
The canvas measuring 465.5 × 651 cm was exhibited in Rome and Paris. It was at the disposal of the Academy of Arts thanks to Nicholas I. The painting was presented to him by the famous philanthropist Anatoly Demidov, and the emperor decided to exhibit it at the Academy, where it could serve as a guide for novice painters.
It is worth noting that Karl Bryullov portrayed himself against the backdrop of a collapsing city. The artist's self-portrait can be seen in the left corner of the painting.
Karl Bryullov portrayed himself against the backdrop of a crumbling city. The artist's self-portrait can be seen in the left corner of the painting. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Ilya Repin. "Barge Haulers on the Volga". 1870-1873
The summer of 1870, spent by the artist on the Volga, 15 versts from Samara, had a great influence on the work of Ilya Repin. He begins work on the canvas, in which many later saw a philosophical meaning, the embodiment of obedience to fate and the strength of the common people.
While among the barge haulers, Ilya Efimovich Repin met the former priest Kanin, from whom he would later create many sketches for the painting.
“Something about him was oriental, ancient. But the eyes, the eyes! What a depth of gaze, raised to the eyebrows, also tending to the forehead ... And the forehead is a large, smart, intelligent forehead; this is not a simpleton, ”the master said about him.
"Something in him was oriental, ancient. But the eyes, the eyes!" Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Ilya Repin. The Cossacks write a letter to the Turkish Sultan. 1880-1891
“You are the Turkish shaitan, the damned devil’s brother and comrade, and the secretary of Luciper himself!” According to legend, this is how the letter began, which the Zaporizhzhya Cossacks wrote in 1675 in response to the proposal of Sultan Mahmud IV to become subordinate to him. A well-known plot formed the basis of the famous painting by Ilya Repin.
A well-known plot formed the basis of the famous painting by Ilya Repin. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Viktor Vasnetsov. "Knight at the Crossroads". 1878
The poetic spirit of folk legends is masterfully conveyed in the work of Viktor Vasnetsov. For the first time the canvas was presented to the audience in 1878 as part of a traveling exhibition.
The artist worked on the painting for several years. In the first versions, the hero was facing the viewer, but later the composition was changed. The Russian Museum has a later version of the painting - 1882. The first version of 1878 is in the Serpukhov Museum of History and Art.
It is worth noting that the plot of "The Knight at the Crossroads" is reproduced on the tombstone of the artist, who is buried at the Vvedensky cemetery.
The artist worked on the painting for several years. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Ivan Aivazovsky. "The Ninth Wave". 1850
Created in 1850, the painting "The Ninth Wave" was acquired by Nicholas I.
The ninth wave, in the view of navigators, is the most crushing. It is he who is to be experienced by the heroes of the picture, who were shipwrecked.
Created in 1850, the painting "The Ninth Wave" was acquired by Nicholas I. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Valentin Serov. Portrait of Ida Rubinstein. 1910
The famous dancer and actress Ida Rubinstein inspired many artists: Kees van Dongen, Antonio de la Gandara, André Dunoyer de Segonzac, Leon Bakst and Valentin Serov.
The Russian painter, who is considered the master of the portrait, saw her for the first time on the Paris stage. In 1910 he creates her portrait.
“There is monumentality in her every movement, just a revived archaic bas-relief,” the artist admired her grace.
The famous dancer and actress Ida Rubenstein inspired many artists. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Valentin Serov. The abduction of Europe. 1910
The idea to write "The Abduction of Europe" was born by Valentin Serov during a trip to Greece. A visit to the Palace of Knossos on the island of Crete made a great impression on him. In 1910, the painting, which was based on the legend of the abduction by Zeus of Europe, the daughter of the Phoenician king Agenor, was completed.
According to some evidence, Serov created six versions of the painting.
The idea to write "The Abduction of Europe" was born by Valentin Serov during a trip to Greece. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Boris Kustodiev. Portrait of F.I. Chaliapin. 1922
“I knew a lot in the life of interesting, talented and good people. But if I have ever seen a truly great spirit in a person, it is in Kustodiev, ”famous singer Fyodor Chaliapin wrote about the artist in his autobiographical book Mask and Soul.
Work on the painting was carried out in the painter's apartment. The room where Chaliapin posed for Kustodiev was so small that the picture had to be painted in parts.
The artist's son later recalled the funny moment of the work. According to him, in order to capture Fyodor Ivanovich’s beloved dog on canvas, he had to use a trick: “To make the pug stand with his head up, they put a cat on the closet, and Chaliapin did everything possible so that the dog looked at her.”
The workshop where Chaliapin posed for Kustodiev was so small that the picture had to be painted in parts. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Kazimir Malevich. Black circle. 1923
One of the most famous paintings by the founder of Suprematism - Kazimir Malevich - has several options. The first of them, created in 1915, is now kept in a private collection. The second - created by Malevich's students under his direction - is exhibited in the St. Petersburg Russian Museum.
Experts note that the "Black Circle" for Kazimir Malevich was one of the three main modules of the new plastic system, the style-forming potential of the new plastic idea - Suprematism.
Guests of the Russian Museum can learn interesting details from the history of the creation of canvases right in the exhibition halls. To do this, just install the Artefact augmented reality application on your phone and point the gadget’s camera at the exhibit. Now available - curious facts about five of them are told by the Kultura.RF portal.
Barnyard by Alexei Venetsianov, 1822
The painting was first shown at the XV exhibition of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions in 1887. There it was acquired by Emperor Alexander III. For some time the canvas was in the Winter Palace, but in 1897 it moved to the newly formed Russian Museum.
"The ceremonial meeting of the State Council on May 7, 1901, on the day of the centennial anniversary of its establishment" Ilya Repin, 1903
Ilya Repin received an order for the painting in April 1901 from the Russian emperor. The painter was assisted by Boris Kustodiev and Ivan Kulikov.
“The master himself remained the master, commander and true creator, the students were only his obedient hands.”
Igor Grabar
Even before the anniversary, the artists created sketches of the interior in the Round Hall of the Mariinsky Palace. And on the day of the solemn meeting, Ilya Repin took photographs and sketches here - the painters used all the materials while working on the picture. The canvas was written for three years.
In the center of the plot of the picture is Nicholas II and representatives of the imperial house: the younger brother of the Tsar Mikhail, Grand Dukes Mikhail Nikolaevich and Vladimir Nikolaevich, who was then president of the Imperial Academy of Arts. Next to them are persons who held the most important posts in the state. In total, the picture depicts 81 people.
Continuing our acquaintance with the cultural heritage of the Northern capital, we decided to head to the State Russian Museum....
We note right away that this brand unites five buildings - the Mikhailovsky Palace with the Benois Wing, the Marble Palace, the Mikhailovsky (Engineering) Castle, the Summer Palace of Peter I , the Stroganov Palace and several park areas, including the Summer Garden and the Mikhailovsky Garden....
In this case, we will talk about the main building of this museum complex - the Mikhailovsky Palace with the Benois exhibition building, which is located at Inzhenernaya st. d.4...
The history of the world's largest museum of Russian art originates from the Named Imperial Decree of Nicholas II "On the establishment of a special institution called the Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander III "and on the provision for this purpose of the Mikhailovsky Palace acquired to the treasury with all the outbuildings, services and gardens belonging to it," signed in April 1895 ...
In 1898 the museum was officially opened. The basis of the museum's collection at that time was the donated works of art from the Winter Palace, the Hermitage, and some private collections....
Strange as it may seem, the main increase in the museum's collection was after 1917... This is primarily due to the nationalization of private property, which fully affected numerous collectors...
At present, according to official sources, the museum's collection consists of 408 thousand exhibits, which we will get to know today...
Our acquaintance begins with the lobby of the main building.... We go up the wide front staircase to the second floor....
Before us is a monument to Alexander III....
The gallery of the second floor is decorated with 18 grand Corinthian columns.
and numerous sculptures.
In the corner is a model of the monument to the famous historiographer N.M. Karamzin, made by S.I. Galberg for Simbirsk...
In order not to get lost in the numerous halls of the museum, we carefully study its plan
and head to the first hall, which presents icons of the 12th-13th centuries...
Here we can get acquainted with the works of various icon-painting schools: Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov, etc...
Here, for example, we have a fresco "Prophet Samuel" (1112) from St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv....
In the next exhibition hall, we have the opportunity to get acquainted with the icons of the Russian North....
"St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, with life" (14th century) - came here from the St. Nicholas Church in the village. Ozerovo Leningrad region....
Icon from the Church of Varvara in Pskov "St. Demetrius of Thessalonica" (15th century)....
The Royal Doors with the image of the Annunciation and Saints Basil the Great and John Chrysostom from St. Nicholas Church in the distant village of Gostinopolye on the river. Volkhov (15th century).....
Another exhibit of the Novgorod school of icon painting is "St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with Selected Saints" (13th century)...
The next room displays icons from the 15th-16th centuries. Among them are the works of Andrei Rublev "The Apostle Paul" and "The Apostle Peter", which are located in the center of the hall....
Hall No. 4... Icons of the 16th-17th centuries have already been placed here. ....
"I believe ..." (1668) from the Church of St. Gregory of Neokessaria on Polyanka in Moscow....
"Prophet Daniel" .... (from the iconostasis of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Tver)
The icons are over and we move on to the next room, which is associated with a new period in the history of Russia...
This is the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th centuries. The reign of Peter I ... The time of great changes not only in politics, but also in art .... Icon painting is leaving the background, and preference is given to the portrait genre .... Peter I sends a number of artists to study in Italy, among whom was Ivan Nikitich Nikitin....
It is his work that is presented in this room ...
Before us is one of his famous works - a portrait of Princess Natalya Alekseevna. (1716)...
Also during this period, the art of sculpture began to develop rapidly .... The largest master of this period is B.K. Rastrelli. Therefore, it is no coincidence that in this hall there is a cast-iron bust of Peter I, cast in the author's form in 1810...
We see the continuation of the Petrine era in the next hall of the museum....
These are, first of all, the works of Ivan Vishnyakov - portraits of brother and sister Fermor...
Painting by B.V. Sukhodolsky "Painting" (1754)....
Among the works exhibited in this hall is the "Head of an old man" (Master Matvey Vasiliev, 1769)....
In the center of the next hall, we meet the monumental sculptural group "Anna Ioannovna with a black child" - the work of B.K. Rastrelli...
The walls of the hall are decorated with magnificent tapestries (trellises) of the St. Petersburg Tapestry Manufactory, founded on the initiative of Peter I in 1716...
The portrait genre has been especially popular in Russia for many centuries. A prominent representative of this trend in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. was Fedor Rokotov, whose works are presented in the next room...
The portrait genre is being replaced by the historical one... It was this genre that was established by the Russian Academy of Arts from the middle of the 18th century...
One of the first representatives of this genre in Russia was A.P. Losenko with his famous painting "Vladimir and Rogneda", which reflects a completely historical fact: Prince Vladimir is trying to marry the daughter of the Polotsk prince Rogneda ...
And here is his other work - "Wonderful Catch", which he made in Paris during an internship .... The painting of the same name by J. Jouvenet (kept in the Louvre) was taken as the basis .... The plot of the painting is directly related to the Bible and reflects the process of Christ's participation in the unprecedented fishing on the boat of Simon Peter....
The exposition of the next room is dedicated to the work of Dmitry Levitsky - according to experts - the brightest Russian portrait painter of the era of enlightenment classicism....
But before we get acquainted with his work, let's take a quick look at the ceiling of this room.
and on the sculpture located in its center....
The Russian Museum has a unique collection of works by Fedot Ivanovich Shubin, an outstanding master of sculptural portraits of the 2nd half of the 18th century. In 1789, by order of Prince G.A. Potemkin-Tavrichesky sculptor made a ceremonial portrait-statue of Catherine II for the Tauride Palace...
Here she is in front of us - "Catherine II - legislator...
Well, now you can return to Levitsky ....
Portrait of Ekaterina Ivanovna Molchanova (1776)...
Portrait of Alexandra Petrovna Levitskaya.....
Our further path passes through the White (White Column) Hall....
Once upon a time there was a music salon in which the Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna (Princess Frederick Charlotte Maria of Württemberg) arranged musical and poetic evenings....
Today, this hall presents a unique palace interior of the early 19th century, to which K.I. Rossi, A. Vigi, J.B. Scotty and other famous sculptors and painters...
The White Hall is one of the few rooms in the palace that has retained its original decoration to this day...
From the White Hall we get to the exhibition of works by V. L. Borovikovsky, a recognized master of portraiture....
However, the artist prefers chamber portraits, in which, in his opinion, it is possible to convey the variety of innermost feelings and experiences of the depicted person...
In the same hall, armchairs from a furniture set for the Karamzin living room of the Mikhailovsky Palace, designed by K.I. Russia......
Well, now we get into hall number 14 .... Remember these numbers. In our opinion, this is one of the best halls of the museum in terms of the paintings presented in it.
The famous works of Aivazovsky and Bryullov are exhibited here...
Let's start with the works of I.K. Aivazovsky - the world-famous Russian marine painter ...
Before us is one of his famous paintings of his "The Ninth Wave" .... People were shipwrecked after a severe storm and are trying to escape on the wreckage of the mast, but the biggest wave is ready to fall on them - the ninth wave ...
The size of the picture is 221x332 cm, and therefore it is better to look at it comfortably sitting on a soft sofa, standing in the center of the hall....
But to see how clearly all the details are drawn, you have to use the optics of the camera...
The next painting by Aivazovsky, which we see in this room - "Wave" (1889)...
In the last years of his life, Aivazovsky was completely absorbed in creating the image of the sea element. Many of his paintings of this period are essentially a variant of the same plot, but nevertheless, each of them has something special, individual...
Picture details....
Here we can also find earlier works by the master, for example, "Russian squadron in the Sevastopol roadstead" (1846) ..
or "Brig" Mercury "after defeating two Turkish ships meets with the Russian squadron" (1848)....
The second half of the hall is dedicated to the works of another famous artist - Karl Pavlovich Bryullov - a representative of academicism in art...
The central place in the exhibition rightfully belongs to the canvas "The Last Day of Pompeii" - a plot from ancient history (the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the death of the city of Pompeii) (1833)....
The painting "Crucifixion" (1838)... The image was painted for the Lutheran Church of St. Peter and Paul, which was built according to the project of the artist's brother - Alexander Pavlovich...
Portrait of Yu.P. Samoilova with her adopted daughter Amalia (1842)...
Portrait of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna with her daughter (1830).....
Portrait of U.M. Smirnova (1837)....
Portrait of Princess E.P. Saltykova (1841)....
"The appearance of three angels to Abraham at the oak of Mamre" (1821) .... This painting was painted by Bryullov on the instructions of the Academy of Arts and was awarded a gold medal...
In general, in hall No. 14 you can sit comfortably on the couch and enjoy the works of our great masters for hours....
Of course, it’s good to sit, but the museum does not end in this hall .... So we continue to explore further ...
In the next room, we offer to our attention the works of professors of the Academy of Arts of the first half of the 19th century...
Among the presented exhibits, the work of A.A. Ivanov "The Appearance of Christ to the People"
This is a kind of reporting work of the author for the state pension in Italy ...
The plot of the picture is based on the events from the 3rd chapter of the Gospel of Matthew ... We see a crowd of Jews who came to the banks of the Jordan after the prophet John the Baptist to be baptized .... Pointing to the figure of Christ that appeared in the distance, John explains to the audience that this man brings them a new truth, a new dogma...
While preparing for his masterpiece, which we talked about above, Ivanov paints a series of sketches of naked boys against a diverse landscape... The painting "Three Naked Boys", which is shown below, is one of them...
Another work of A.A., full of subtle harmony. Ivanova - "Apollo, Hyacinth and Cypress, engaged in music and singing" (1831)...
The picture of F.A. is also impressive. Bruni "The Bronze Serpent" (1841), which also presents a biblical story related to the 40-year wandering of the people of Israel in the desert .... People doubted the ability of Moses to lead them out of the desert, then God sent a rain of poisonous serpent .... After many people died, the Lord ordered Moses to put out a bronze serpent and those who looked at him with faith remained to live ...
Before us is his creation "Socrates in the battle of Potidaea defends Alquiad" (1828)....
"Dmitry Donskoy on the Kulikovo field" (1824) - the author is a former serf Count N.P. Rumyantsev - V.K. Sazonov...
By the way, in this hall, as well as in the previous one, you can get acquainted with the closed (in the truest sense of the word) exposition... If you have noticed, there are small tables covered with velvet along the walls of the hall... So, if you lift this rag , then under it you will see various sketches, drawings of famous masters from private collections ... Many visitors do not know about this and pass by ... And they close all this from prying eyes with only one purpose - so as not to take pictures ... It’s worth it just lift the curtain - the caretaker of the hall in the pose of an attacking cobra will relentlessly follow your movements ...
Following the paintings by S. Shchedrin and M. Lebedev
we fall "into the hands" of O. Kiprensky and a collection of his portraits...
Portrait of O.A. Ryumina (1826)...
In the same room, a model of the statue for the fountain in the Catherine Park of Tsarskoe Selo "The Milkmaid with a Broken Jug" by P.P. Sokolova (1807-1810)....
In the next room, we are witnessing the work of A.G. Venetsianov... If before that the heroes of the canvases were famous or noble people, then Venetsianov's images of peasants, their way of life and everyday life come to the fore...
Paintings "Peeling the Beets" (1820),
"Reaper" (1826) and
"Fortune-telling on the cards" (1842) is a vivid confirmation of the above....
At the window we see the project of the tombstone of the monument to M.I. Kozlovsky by S.S. Pimenov (1802)...
We get acquainted with the work of Vasily Grigorievich Perov in the next room....
We see the plot relevant to the present time in his work "Hunters at Rest" (1877)...
The procedure of the monastery dinner is reflected in all details by Perov in his work "Meal" (1865)...
The aspirations of a lonely person, his thoughts, problems and ways to solve them are reflected in the painting "Guitarist-bobyl" (1865)...
Before us are the works of the famous landscape painter - I.I. Shishkin...
"Pine Forest" (1883),
"Forest (Shmetsk near Narva)" (1888)...,
"Ship Grove"....
In the neighborhood with Shishkin, we see the works of M.K. Klodt - masters of realistic landscapes of the Russian village.....
Here is one of his works - "A herd by the river at noon" (1869)....
The "gaps" between the paintings are filled with the works of E.A. Lansere - Russian sculptor-animalist...
All his life he was fascinated by horses, so it is no coincidence that these animals are present in many of his creations....
Before us is the ebb of the bronze "Arab with lion cubs" (1879)....
In the second half of the 19th century, the neo-Greek style became popular in painting, which is expressed in the form of spectacular multi-figure spectacles, bloody dramas, etc.
This is exactly what we had to face in the next hall of the museum...
Picture G.I. Semiradsky's "Phryna at the Feast of Poseidon in Eleusis" (1889) is a vivid example of this trend in art...
From the same "series" and full of dramatic expression, the painting by K.D. Flavitsky "Christian martyrs in the Colosseum" (1862)....
On the way to the next room, we again come across the work of E.A. Lansere - "Kyrgyz shoal on vacation" (1880)...
After some time, we find ourselves in the "captivity" of the Russian folk epic .... And all this thanks to the fairy-tale battle works of V.M. Vasnetsov:
- "Battle of the Scythians with the Slavs" (1882)
and "The Knight at the Crossroads" (1882)...
We are going to get acquainted with the work of our next famous artist - V.I. Surikov...
Slowly we pass by "Stepan Razin" ....
We linger a bit at the painting "Salome brings the head of John the Baptist to her mother Herodias" (1872) (it is not so often to see a head on a tray...)
and stop at the canvas "View of the monument to Peter I on the Senate Square in St. Petersburg" (1870)
We pass to the next hall - here is the continuation of Surikov's exposition....
We sit comfortably on the sofa so that we can slowly, in silence, admire "Suvorov's Crossing the Alps" and "Ermak's Conquest of Siberia"
but then a gang of Nakhimovites appeared from somewhere ....
We had to hurriedly retreat to another hall and we already examined the details of these paintings in the hotel through the camera ....
We did it in a timely manner, because in the next, small hall, a monumental painting by I.E. Repin with a "short" title "Ceremonial meeting of the State Council on May 7, 1901, on the day of the centennial anniversary of its establishment" (1903).
To fulfill this government order, the artist first individually painted 60 portraits of statesmen, and then, with the help of his students (B.M. Kustodiev and I.S. Kulikov), transferred them to a large canvas ...
Our acquaintance with Repin's work continues in the following rooms....
Painting "Seeing the recruit",
"Nicholas of Myra saves three innocently condemned from death" (1888),
"Barge haulers on the Volga" (1870),
"On a turf bench" (1876),
"Cossacks" (1880) - all this is only a small part of the works of the outstanding artist of his era, Ilya Efimovich Repin ...
The next room and in front of us are the works of not only a unique painter, but also a traveler, a man who relentlessly accompanied the Russian army in military operations in Japan, Central Asia and other "hot spots" - V.V. Vereshchagin...
The painting "At the door of the mosque" (1873) is one of the numerous works of the Turkestan series, reflecting the customs of the Central Asian states...
During one of his last travels, and it was Japan, Vereshchagin was struck by its monuments of classical culture, originality, originality of costumes...
The canvas "Japan. Shinto shrine in Nikko" (1904) was just written based on the impressions received....
By the way, when the Russo-Japanese War began, the artist rushed into the thick of things and tragically died on March 31, 1904, together with Vice Admiral Makarov, while on the flagship Petropavlovsk (the ship was blown up by a mine on the roadstead of Port Arthur)...
Continuing our further journey through the Russian Museum, we find ourselves in a hall with works by I.I. Levitan - masters of "mood landscape"...
"Golden Autumn. Slobodka" (1889),
"Gloomy Day" (1895),
"Lake. Rus'" (the main work of the late Levitan: the artist died, leaving it unfinished...),
"Early Spring" (1898)....
Of course, these are not his masterpieces like "March", "Golden Autumn" or a series of works about Plyos, but still ....
In the same hall we see the works of K.A. Korovin "Lilac" (1915),
and K.F. Bogaevsky "Ships. Evening sun"....
The next hall of the museum....
I.I. Brodsky "Portrait of the Artist's Wife" (1908),
A.N. Benois "Flora's Pool" ....
K.A.Somov and his most famous painting "Winter Skating Rink" (1915)... (According to experts in painting, this picture perfectly executed the landscape, which can really be seen in St. Petersburg in winter...)
Exposition of works by Andrey Petrovich Ryabushkin - a representative of the historical genre...
One of his best works: "Moscow street XVII century on a holiday "(1895),
"They are coming! (The people of Moscow during the entry of a foreign embassy into Moscow at the end XVII century)"
Somehow, obviously deep in thought and deeply immersed in art, we did not notice how we ended up in some kind of corridor ...
But even here the walls were not empty...
In addition to any advertising posters, there were also historical photographs (for example, this one is called "The war is over. The rise of the sculpture of B.K. Rastrelli "Anna Ioanovna with a black-haired child" from a hiding place in the Mikhailovsky Garden, 1945.")
and even sculptures that could not find a place in the main halls of the museum ("Alexander III "work by M.M. Antokolsky 1897)
Realizing that there was nothing more to see in the corridor, we returned to the main halls of the museum and ended up at an exhibition of works by A.I. Kuindzhi, one of the famous Russian landscape painters, a student of Aivazovsky...
"Sea. Crimea" (1898),
"Moonlit night on the Dnieper",
"Sunset"....
How great is this??? As they say, there are no comrades for taste and color ... Experts have their own opinion, but we, as people far from high matters, have a slightly different opinion: if you like a picture, then it is good, but look for strokes, nuances of mood in the canvas artist, his vision of what is happening is not for us .... Sorry if someone was offended ...
According to the plan - we are in room number 32 ...
Here sits thoughtfully "Spinoza" by M.M. Antokolsky...
Well, we are "captured" by V.D. Polenov - one of the outstanding Wanderers artists....
The central place in his exposition is occupied by the painting "Christ and the Sinner" (1888), in which he depicted a plot from the Gospel....
In order for everything to turn out realistically, Polenov had to visit Syria, Egypt, Palestine ...
Less large-scale works of the artist: "Sick" (1879),
And he returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit...
The next room presents the works of G.G. Myasoedov - "a bright representative of Russian realism of the second half of the 19th century, the founder of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions" (quote from Wikipedia)
All right. What is not realistic about his painting "The Passionate Time. Mowers"?
Here we can also see the works of K.A. Savitsky (the painting "To the War" - reflects the events associated with the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877),
and I.M. Pryanishnikov ("The procession"),
and K.E. Makovsky: ("The overnight house" 1889),
"Family portrait",
"People's festivities during Shrove Tuesday on Admiralteyskaya Square in St. Petersburg" (1869);
and H.P. Platonov "Naymichka", and N.P. Bogdanov-Belsky "At the door of the school" (1897)...
When moving to another building, we come across the works of M.M. Antokolsky "Ermak"
and "Tiger and Sinai" by A.L. Ober....
From the Mikhailovsky Palace we move to the Benois building ...
In the first hall of this building, M.A. is "waiting" for us. Vrubel is "... one of the brilliant creators of Russian modernity, whose work is marked by high artistic skill and the desire to create works of great style. According to the master, art should "awake the soul from the details of everyday life with majestic images" (quote from the annotation to his work, posted in the exhibition hall)....
After such a "briefing" it's time to look at the paintings of the master...
Work "Bogatyr" (1898)....
Art connoisseurs call Vrubel the mysterious genius of painting...
His masterpiece is "Morning"....
"The atmosphere of mystery is also saturated with his painting" Flying Demon "..." (opinion of experts...)
Again, we are not experts. Maybe everything in Vrubel's works is mysterious, but for some reason they did not wake our "soul from everyday little things" ....
In the next hall of the museum, paintings by M.V. Nesterov...
Before proceeding with their inspection, we get acquainted with the opinion of professionals ...
"Mikhail Nesterov creates images of great spiritual power and significance. They are saturated with subtle lyricism, detached from earthly concerns, full of contemplation and religious reflection. The artist shows the complex spiritual life of his heroes, the richness of their intellectual and moral abilities, the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. Definition" Nesterovsky landscape" - peaceful, quiet, pale green - has entered the modern Russian lexicon".
Let's look at all this with the eyes of the layman ....
Painting "Great tonsure" (1898)...,
"Holy Rus'" (1905),
"Reverend Sergius of Radonezh" (1899)...,
"Thoughts" (1900)...
In this case, oddly enough, but our opinion about Nesterov's work almost coincided with the opinions of experts ...
Hall number .... Already lost count ....
In general, this room housed the works of V.A. Serov...
"The largest Russian portraitist V.A. Serov created a brilliant pictorial gallery of his contemporaries, diverse in character and social status. In the second half of the 1880s - 1890s, he painted lyrical contemplative portraits using the techniques of impressionistic writing. The artist is objective and truthful in the image, careful in choosing a pose, gesture, turning the head of the model .... "
It's time to put it all into practice...
"Portrait of Princess Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova" (1902),
"Portrait of S.M. Botkina, wife of P.D. Botkin" (1899),
"Portrait of Princess O.K. Orlova" (1911)
And this is already a work from the "other opera" ....
Bathing horses...
In our opinion, after all, Serov's portraits look more attractive than the works of another genre (at least when compared with those paintings exhibited in the Russian Museum)...
In the next room, we have the opportunity to get acquainted with the work of Boris Kustodiev...
"Portrait of F.I. Chaliapin" (1922) (The artist did this work already being paralyzed. He painted in parts, while the canvas was tilted over his chair)
"Merchant for tea" (1918)...
"Balagany" (1917)...
In the works of B.M. Kustodiev, for the most part, displays the originality of provincial life with its significant moments: bazaars, folk festivals, fairs, etc.
The next pair of halls (exhibition of works by B.D. Grigoriev, I.I. Mashkov) we examined quickly and fluently ...
Of course, when the number of halls examined exceeds the seventh dozen, one feels a certain tiredness, weariness, a desire to finish all this as soon as possible...
In our opinion, the organizers of the expositions, having obviously foreseen all these human factors, also met the visitors of the museum halfway: the closer to the exit, the softer and more cultured it would be to say... In general, the paintings become simpler in terms of the traditional perception of the surrounding reality.. .
Especially from the last exhibitions, we were heartily pleased with the direction in art called "primitivism"...
Museum staff describe this direction as follows: "the involvement of Russian peasant art, urban folklore in the circle of current artistic traditions, a deep interest in the art of self-taught artists was almost ubiquitous in the 1910s. The conscious simplification of the art form did not have the character of imitation, but it was an attempt to give the images of the reality transformed by the artist that clarity, simplicity and at the same time semantic capacity, with which folk art was endowed by its nature ... "
Now let's see how it all looks....
For example, a series of paintings by M.F. Larionov (as he painted in his youth)....
And here is his later masterpiece - "Venus" .... (You will, of course, excuse us, but at the sight of this canvas, for some reason, indecently loud laughter burst out of us simultaneously. It's good that there were few visitors ...) Probably experts from painting at the sight of this work, they will take a thoughtful look, make a smart facial expression, after which for several tens of minutes, using professional slang, they will enthusiastically tell you that this is a true masterpiece...
In our unenlightened view, in kindergarten, children will draw more beautifully ...
"Cyclist" by N.S. Goncharova ... (all tangled in silks, threads and thoughts of the artist ...)
Another masterpiece .... Haven't you guessed who is in front of you? Yes, this is the "Portrait of a Philosopher" by L.S. Popov. Something reminiscent of the "checkered" from the movie "The Adventures of Prince Florizel."
It seems that we are not the only ones in this hall who are "enthusiastic" ....
Well, now we have to evaluate the most grandiose masterpieces of primitivism with you ... Although no, it is already called differently - Suprematism (which means, translated into simple Russian, "an early manifestation of abstract art of modern times")
We are standing in front of the works of the classic of this genre K.S. Malevich ... Paintings "Black Circle" (1923), "Black Cross" (1923) and "White Radiator" ... (Sorry, the radiator turned out to be real. - I was confused by the plate located on it, where indicated, that it can not be photographed with a flash) ...
It is a pity that the "Black Square" is not represented here.... After all, as Malevich said: "The square is the germ of all possibilities..."
Some time later, colored paints apparently appeared in Malevich's arsenal. In 1928, he was already beginning to use them ....
At least in the picture "To the Harvest (Martha and Vanka)" this is already visible ...
By the way, in Malevich's arsenal there is one more phrase: "He who feels painting sees the object less, who sees the object, he feels the picturesque less ..." So, regarding his "cool" works, everything is elementary - you see the object (for example, a square, circle), but the painting does not "smell" ...
And finally, the great theoretician of the new art once said: "Art must renounce yesterday." Here he (Malevich) renounced real art...
In the same room, canvases in 3 D picture....
In the paintings exhibited in this room, one can already find the beginnings of realism....
"Three at the table" P.N. Filonov (1914)...
Next room....
Here we can get acquainted with the works of K.S. Petrov-Vodkin...
"Herring" (1918),...
"Fantasy" (1925),
Then we find ourselves in the art of the 1920s - 1930s, which "reflected the political and social changes in society. The themes of labor and sports become dominant. The portrait in which the image of a contemporary acquires a collective character is just as relevant. In its desire to embody in picturesque canvases, the ideals of the new time, artists widely refer to the traditions of monumental art - panels and frescoes .... "
The collective nature of the Russian woman of that time can be seen in the painting "Woman with Buckets" (V.V. Pakulin, 1928)
And here is a picture about sports
and his admirers (A.N. Samokhvalov "Girl in a T-shirt" 1932)...
Very relevant for that era, the painting "Paramilitary Komsomol" (A.N. Samokhvalov 1932) (Now it is clear where we see such things from Chinese or Korean colleagues)
The following halls - and a new temporary era in art ...
Famous painting by A.A. Deineka "Defense of Sevastopol" (1942)
More "peaceful" canvases:
"Noon" A.A. Plastov 1961,
"Morning" A.A. Mylnikov 1972,
"Buffoons" O.V. Bulgakova 1979....
"Collectors" Ya.I. Krestovsky 1975,
A very topical topic for the late 80s and early 90s of the last century was reflected in the painting by A.A. Sundukov "Queue" (1986)
And again an attempt to return to primitive things ....
V.N. Nemukhin "Interior No. 3. Diptych" (1997)
"Point in its own space" F. Infante-Arana (1964)
Well, it seems we have reached the right point in the space of the Russian Museum, which is called exit...
A breath of fresh air won't hurt us....
Anyone who loves Russian painting must have been to the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg (opened in 1897). Of course have . But it is in the Russian Museum that the main masterpieces of such artists as Repin, Bryullov, Aivazovsky are kept.
If we think of Bryullov, we immediately think of his masterpiece The Last Day of Pompeii. If about Repin, then the picture “Barge haulers on the Volga” appears in my head. If we remember Aivazovsky, we will also remember The Ninth Wave.
And this is not the limit. "Night on the Dnieper" and "Merchant". These iconic paintings by Kuindzhi and Kustodiev are also in the Russian Museum.
Any guide will show you these works. Yes, and you yourself are unlikely to pass by them. So I just have to tell about these masterpieces.
Adding a couple of my favorites, albeit not the most “hyped” ones (“Akhmatova” by Altman and “The Last Supper” by Ge).
1. Bryullov. The last day of Pompeii. 1833
Karl Bryullov. The last day of Pompeii. 1833 State Russian Museum 4 years of preparation. Another 1 year of continuous work with paints and brushes. A few fainting spells in the workshop. And here is the result - 30 square meters, which depict the last minutes of the life of the inhabitants of Pompeii (in the 19th century the name of the city was feminine).
For Bryullov, everything was not in vain. I think there was no such artist in the world whose picture, just one picture, would have made such a splash.
Crowds of people burst into the exhibition to see the masterpiece. Bryullov was literally carried in his arms. He was christened revived. And Nicholas I honored the artist with a personal audience.
What so struck Bryullov's contemporaries? And even now it will not leave the viewer indifferent.
We see a very tragic moment. In a few minutes, all these people will be dead. But that doesn't turn us off. Because we are fascinated by... Beauty.
The beauty of the people. The beauty of destruction. The beauty of disaster.
Look how harmonious everything is. The red hot sky goes well with the red attire of the girls on the right and left. And how effectively two statues fall under a lightning strike. I'm not talking about the athletic figure of a man on a rearing horse.
On the one hand, the picture is about a real disaster. Bryullov copied the poses of people from those who died in Pompeii. The street is also real, it can still be seen in the city cleared of ashes.
But the beauty of the characters makes it look like an ancient myth. As if beautiful gods were angry at beautiful people. And we are not so sad.
2. Aivazovsky. Ninth shaft. 1850
Ivan Aivazovsky. Ninth shaft. 221 x 332 cm. 1850 Russian Museum, St. Petersburg. wikipedia.orgThis is the most famous painting by Aivazovsky. Which even people who are far from art know. Why is she so famous?
People are always fascinated by the struggle of man with the elements. Preferably with a happy ending.
There is more than enough of this in the picture. There is nowhere more poignant. The six survivors cling desperately to the mast. A big wave rolls nearby, the ninth wave. Another one follows her. People are facing a long and terrible struggle for life.
But it's already dawn. The sun breaking through the ragged clouds is the hope of salvation.
The element of Aivazovsky, just like that of Bryullov, is stunningly beautiful. Of course, sailors are not sweet. But we can't help but admire the transparent waves, the sun's reflections and the lilac sky.
Therefore, this picture produces the same effect as the previous masterpiece. Beauty and drama in one bottle.
3. Ge. The Last Supper. 1863
Nicholas Ge. The Last Supper. 283 x 382 cm. 1863 State Russian Museum. Tanais.info The two previous masterpieces of Bryullov and Aivazovsky were received with enthusiasm by the public. But with Ge's masterpiece, everything was more complicated. Dostoevsky did not like her, for example. She seemed too down to earth.
But most of all, the clergy were dissatisfied. They were even able to achieve a ban on the production of reproductions. That is, the general public could not see it. Until 1916!
Why such a mixed reaction to the picture?
Remember how the Last Supper was portrayed before Ge. At least . The table along which Christ and the 12 apostles sit and dine. Judas among them.
Nikolai Ge is different. Jesus lies down. Which is exactly the same as the Bible. This is how the Jews took food 2000 years ago, in the oriental way.
Christ has already made his terrible prediction that one of the disciples will betray him. He already knows that it will be Judas. And he asks him to do what he has planned, without delay. Judas leaves.
And just at the door, we seem to run into him. He puts on a cloak to go into the darkness. Both literally and figuratively. His face is almost invisible. And his ominous shadow falls on the rest.
Unlike Bryullov and Aivazovsky, there are more complex emotions here. Jesus deeply but humbly experiences the disciple's betrayal.
Peter is outraged. He has a hot temper, he jumped up and stares in bewilderment after Judas. John cannot believe what is happening. He is like a child who is faced with injustice for the first time.
And there are less than twelve apostles. Apparently, for Ge it was not so important to fit everyone. For the church, this was essential. Hence the censorship.
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4. Repin. Barge Haulers on the Volga. 1870-1873
Ivan Repin. Barge Haulers on the Volga. 131.5 x 281 cm. 1870-1873 State Russian Museum. wikipedia.org Ilya Repin saw barge haulers on the Niva for the first time. And he was so struck by their miserable appearance, especially in contrast to the vacationers nearby summer residents, that the decision to paint the picture immediately matured.
Repin did not write well-groomed summer residents. But the contrast is still present in the picture. The dirty rags of barge haulers are contrasted with the idyllic landscape.
Maybe for the 19th century it did not look so defiant. But for a modern person, this kind of worker seems depressing.
Moreover, Repin depicted a steamer in the background. Which could be used as a tugboat, so as not to torment people.
In reality, barge haulers were not so destitute. They were well fed, after dinner they were always allowed to sleep. And during the season they earned so much that in winter they could feed themselves without working.
Repin took for the picture a canvas strongly elongated horizontally. And he chose the right angle. Barge haulers are coming towards us, but at the same time they do not block each other. We can easily consider each of them.
And the most important barge hauler with the face of a sage. And a young guy who can't get used to the webbing. And the penultimate Greek, who looks back at the goner.
Repin was personally acquainted with everyone in the team. He had long conversations with them about life. Therefore, they turned out to be so different, each with its own character.
5. Kuindzhi. Moonlit night on the Dnieper. 1880
Arkhip Kuindzhi. Moonlit night on the Dnieper. 105 x 144 cm. 1880 State Russian Museum. Rusmuseum.ru “Moonlight Night on the Dnieper” is Kuindzhi's most famous work. And no wonder. The artist himself very effectively introduced her to the public.
He organized a solo exhibition. The exhibition hall was dark. Only one lamp was pointed at the only painting in the exhibition, Moonlit Night on the Dnieper.
People looked at the picture in awe. The bright greenish light of the moon and the lunar path hypnotized. The outlines of a Ukrainian village are visible. Only part of the walls, illuminated by the moon, protrudes from the darkness. The silhouette of the windmill against the backdrop of the illuminated river.
The effect of realism and fantasy at the same time. How did the artist achieve such “special effects”?
In addition to mastery, Mendeleev also had a hand in this. He helped Kuindzhi to create a composition of paint, especially shimmering in the twilight.
It would seem that the artist has an amazing quality. Know how to promote your own work. But he did it unexpectedly. Almost immediately after this exhibition, Kuindzhi spent 20 years as a recluse. He continued to paint, but did not show his paintings to anyone.
Even before the exhibition, the painting was bought by Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich (grandson of Nicholas I). He was so attached to the painting that he took it on a trip around the world. Salty moist air contributed to the darkening of the canvas. Alas, that hypnotic effect cannot be returned.
6. Altman. Portrait of Akhmatova. 1914
Nathan Altman. Portrait of Anna Akhmatova. 123 x 103 cm. 1914 State Russian Museum. Rusmuseum.ru “Akhmatova” by Altman is very bright and memorable. Speaking of the poetess, many will remember this particular portrait of her. Surprisingly, she herself did not like him. The portrait seemed strange and “bitter” to her, judging by her poems.
In fact, even the sister of the poetess admitted that in those pre-revolutionary years Akhmatova was like that. A true representative of modernity.
Young, slim, tall. Her angular figure is perfectly echoed by “shrubs” in the style of cubism. A bright blue dress is successfully combined with a sharp knee and a bulging shoulder.
He managed to convey the appearance of a stylish and extraordinary woman. However, he was like that.
Altman did not understand artists who can work in a dirty workshop and not notice the crumbs in their beards. He himself was always dressed to the nines. And he even sewed underwear to order according to his own sketches.
It was also difficult for him to refuse eccentricity. Once he caught cockroaches in his apartment, he painted them in different colors. He painted one of them gold, called him the “laureate” and let him go with the words “Here his cockroach will be surprised!”
7. Kustodiev. Merchant for tea. 1918
Boris Kustodiev. Merchant for tea. 120 x 120 cm. 1918 State Russian Museum. Artchive.ru "Merchant" Kustodiev - a cheerful picture. On it we see a solid, well-fed world of merchants. The heroine with skin lighter than the sky. A cat with a muzzle similar to the face of the hostess. Pot-bellied polished samovar. Watermelon on a rich platter.
What might we think of the artist who painted such a picture? That the artist knows a lot about a well-fed life. That he loves curvy women. And that he is clearly a lover of life.
And here's how it really happened.
If you paid attention, the picture was painted in the revolutionary years. The artist and his family lived extremely poorly. Thinking only about bread. Hard life.
Why such abundance when there is devastation and famine all around? So Kustodiev tried to capture the irrevocably gone beautiful life.
And what about the ideal of female beauty? Yes, the artist said that thin women do not inspire him to work. Nevertheless, in life he preferred just such. His wife was slender too.
Kustodiev was cheerful. What is amazing, because by the time the picture was written, he had already been chained to a wheelchair for 3 years. He was diagnosed with bone tuberculosis in 1911.
Kustodiev's attention to detail is very unusual for a time when the avant-garde flourished. We see every drying on the table. Walking by the gostiny dvor. And a young man trying to keep a galloping horse. All this is like a fairy tale, a fiction. Which once was, but ended.
Summarize:
If you want to see the main masterpieces of Repin, Kuindzhi, Bryullov or Aivazovsky, you should visit the Russian Museum.
“The Last Day of Pompeii” by Bryullov is about the beauty of the catastrophe.
“The Ninth Wave” by Aivazovsky is about the scale of the elements.
"The Last Supper" Ge - about the realization of imminent betrayal.
"Barge haulers" Repin - about a hired worker of the 19th century.
“Moonlight Night on the Dnieper” is about the soul of light.
“Portrait of Akhmatova” by Altman is about the ideal of a modern woman.
"Merchant" Kustodiev - about an era that cannot be returned.
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