Understanding art is not as difficult as it seems. For this, it is not necessary to study for several years as an art critic. It is enough to talk with connoisseurs who will tell about the famous paintings in such a way that later in the museum they can be seen from an unexpected angle.
Lecturer educational project Level One, a certified art historian Natalya Ignatova revealed the secrets of the five most mysterious paintings Tretyakov Gallery.
"Bogatyrs", Viktor Vasnetsov, 1898
Viktor Vasnetsov devoted a significant part of his life to the picture with three heroes of epics and fairy tales. The canvas is one of the Tretyakov Gallery's record holders in terms of the number of years spent on its creation. The artist made the first sketch in 1871, and completed his masterpiece only in 1898.Contrary to popular belief that the heroes went to the field just to take a walk and survey the surroundings, they are ready to rush into battle. The enemy stands in the distance, as it were, behind the back of the viewer, thickening clouds, hawks that look forward to prey testify to his presence, but the main thing is the extended sword of Dobrynya Nikitich and the bow in the hands of Alyosha Popovich, ready to shoot. The emperor became the prototype of Ilya Muromets Alexander III, the artist wrote Dobrynya Nikitich from himself, but the prototype of Alyosha Popovich is not known for certain, it could be a commoner - Vasnetsov, in the process of working on the picture, painted many portraits of peasants, cabbies and blacksmiths, who, it seemed to him, were somewhat similar to the famous fairy tale characters.
"Unequal marriage", Vasily Pukirev, 1862
The plot for the picture was suggested to Vasily Pukirev by his friend, artist Pyotr Shmelkov. He knew well the manners of the wealthy and influential people for whom arranged marriages were commonplace. Pukirev thanked his friend for the idea by depicting him on the right behind the bride's back. The painter himself is also present in the picture: he painted himself in profile in the form of the bride's best man with crossed arms. Initially, the artist did not plan to place himself on the canvas: in his place was a friend whose lover was married to an elderly man. Moreover, Pukirev's friend, due to family circumstances, was forced to attend that wedding, which was unpleasant for himself, precisely as a best man.Subsequently, a friend asked the artist to remove him from the canvas so that mutual friends and relatives would not remember this story once again. Then Pukirev wrote himself instead of him. If you visually divide the canvas diagonally from the upper right corner to the lower left, then the bride and her two friends will be on the right side. While on the left are the relatives and friends of the groom, deliberately depicted unpleasant people. Thus, the canvas is divided into two semantic parts, as if personifying good and evil. Moreover, the priest is on the side of evil. This technique testifies to the artist's commitment to the principles of realism, thus he raises the question of the role of the church in society.
"Morning in a pine forest", Ivan Shishkin, Konstantin Savitsky, 1889
Not all lovers of sweets know what is over famous painting, which was then replicated on chocolate candy wrappers, was the work of two artists. Shishkin was responsible for the forest, and Savitsky was responsible for the bears. Moreover, the plot of the picture was invented by Savitsky. Initially there were two bears, but then their number increased. Collector Pavel Tretyakov bought the painting for 4,000 rubles.However, it is believed that the collector did not like Savitsky's work. According to legend, Tretyakov said: “What terrible bears!” And the name of Savitsky on the canvas was smeared: according to one version, Tretyakov did it, and according to another, the artist himself, who was offended by not enduring criticism from the gallery owner. Shishkin's skill is expressed in the illumination of the forest: on the tops of the pines, the first rays of the sun are masterfully written out, which the audience usually does not notice, being distracted by the figures of bears.
"The Appearance of Christ to the People", Alexander Ivanov, 1857
the first meaningful picture on biblical story Alexander Ivanov wrote in 1834. It was "The Appearance of the Risen Christ to Mary Magdalene". And three years later, in 1837, he began to create the main work of his life - the epochal canvas "The Appearance of Christ to the People." The artist worked on the painting for 20 years in Italy. In the process of creating the canvas, he made more than 500 studies and sketches. All connoisseurs of painting in Russia knew that Ivanov was working on a monumental canvas. In May 1858, the painter decided to send the painting to St. Petersburg. According to legend, during the journey, the ship was overtaken by a strong storm. The artist turned the canvas into a tube and raised it over his head - he preferred not to see the death of his creation, but to drown himself if the ship went under water.However, the canvas nevertheless arrived in St. Petersburg, where it was exhibited in one of the halls of the Academy of Arts. The public took the picture coldly - there were complaints about the too small figure of Christ, and the water, depicted not in an academic manner, but in free strokes. It is curious that Ivanov was ahead of his time in this sense, because later the Impressionists would work in a similar manner. In addition, the canvas was unfinished. On the left side, an old man is seen in a white loincloth, which is reflected in the water as a red spot. In the sketches, the bandage was really red, and the artist, apparently, simply forgot to repaint it. A month after the presentation of the work, Ivanov died, and a few hours after his death, Emperor Alexander II purchased the painting for 15,000 rubles. Despite the fact that the amount was substantial, initially the artist, who devoted half of his life to this work, counted on a much larger fee, but, unfortunately, did not manage to receive even this money.
"Moscow courtyard", Vasily Polenov, 1878
The picture of the Wanderer Vasily Polenov is closely connected with his other work called "Grandma's Garden". Both canvases depict the same house in the Arbat area, only with different sides. Polenov wrote his own famous work, having moved to Moscow from St. Petersburg and settled in one of the apartments of the house at the intersection of Durnovsky and Trubnikovsky lanes near the Church of the Savior on Sands.The view depicted in the picture opened from his window. Moreover, it took Polenov quite a bit of time to create a masterpiece: in fact, this is a sketch painted from life. For the first time in the history of Russian painting, the artist combined two genres - domestic and landscape. The public, tired of the gloomy and depressing paintings of the Wanderers, took a cheerful sunny picture with delight. No one was even embarrassed by the garbage dump depicted in the lower left corner, which most viewers mistake for a well.
Understanding art is not as difficult as it seems. For this, it is not necessary to study for several years as an art critic. It is enough to talk with connoisseurs who will tell about the famous paintings in such a way that later in the museum they can be seen from an unexpected angle. Lecturer of the educational project Level One, a certified art historian Natalya Ignatova revealed the secrets of the five most mysterious paintings of the Tretyakov Gallery. We thank the Level One project for the material provided. Thanks to the work of the guys, many will learn to understand the beautiful and get high from it.
"Bogatyrs", Viktor Vasnetsov, 1898
Viktor Vasnetsov devoted a significant part of his life to the picture with three heroes of epics and fairy tales. The canvas is one of the Tretyakov Gallery's record holders in terms of the number of years spent on its creation. The artist made the first sketch in 1871, and completed his masterpiece only in 1898.
Contrary to popular belief that the heroes went to the field just to take a walk and survey the surroundings, they are ready to rush into battle. The enemy stands in the distance, as it were, behind the back of the viewer, thickening clouds, hawks that look forward to prey testify to his presence, but the main thing is the extended sword of Dobrynya Nikitich and the bow in the hands of Alyosha Popovich, ready to shoot. Emperor Alexander III became the prototype of Ilya Muromets, the artist wrote Dobrynya Nikitich from himself, but the prototype of Alyosha Popovich is not known for certain, it could be a commoner - Vasnetsov, in the process of working on the picture, painted many portraits of peasants, cabbies and blacksmiths, which, as it seemed to him, were somewhat similar to the famous fairy-tale characters.
"Unequal marriage", Vasily Pukirev, 1862
The plot for the picture was suggested to Vasily Pukirev by his friend, artist Pyotr Shmelkov. He knew well the morals of wealthy and influential people, for whom marriages of convenience were commonplace. Pukirev thanked his friend for the idea by depicting him on the right behind the bride's back. The painter himself is also present in the picture: he painted himself in profile in the form of the bride's best man with crossed arms. Initially, the artist did not plan to place himself on the canvas: in his place was a friend whose lover was married to an elderly man. Moreover, Pukirev's friend, due to family circumstances, was forced to attend that wedding, which was unpleasant for himself, precisely as a best man.
Subsequently, a friend asked the artist to remove him from the canvas so that mutual friends and relatives would not remember this story once again. Then Pukirev wrote himself instead of him. If you visually divide the canvas diagonally from the upper right corner to the lower left, then the bride and her two friends will be on the right side. While on the left are the relatives and friends of the groom, deliberately depicted as unpleasant people. Thus, the canvas is divided into two semantic parts, as if personifying good and evil. Moreover, the priest is on the side of evil. This technique testifies to the artist's commitment to the principles of realism, thus he raises the question of the role of the church in society.
"Morning in pine forest”, Ivan Shishkin, Konstantin Savitsky, 1889
Not all lovers of sweets know that two artists worked on the famous canvas, which was then replicated on candy wrappers. Shishkin was responsible for the forest, and Savitsky was responsible for the bears. Moreover, the plot of the picture was invented by Savitsky. Initially there were two bears, but then their number increased. Collector Pavel Tretyakov bought the painting for 4,000 rubles.
However, it is believed that the collector did not like Savitsky's work. According to legend, Tretyakov said: “What terrible bears!” And the name of Savitsky on the canvas was smeared: according to one version, Tretyakov did it, and according to another, the artist himself, who was offended by not enduring criticism from the gallery owner. Shishkin's skill is expressed in the illumination of the forest: on the tops of the pines, the first rays of the sun are masterfully written out, which the audience usually does not notice, being distracted by the figures of bears.
"The Appearance of Christ to the People", Alexander Ivanov, 1857
Alexander Ivanov painted the first significant painting on a biblical story in 1834. It was "The Appearance of the Risen Christ to Mary Magdalene". And three years later, in 1837, he began to create the main work of his life - the epochal canvas "The Appearance of Christ to the People." The artist worked on the painting for 20 years in Italy. In the process of creating the canvas, he made more than 500 studies and sketches. All connoisseurs of painting in Russia knew that Ivanov was working on a monumental canvas. In May 1858, the painter decided to send the painting to St. Petersburg. According to legend, during the journey, the ship was overtaken by a strong storm. The artist turned the canvas into a tube and raised it over his head - he preferred not to see the death of his creation, but to drown himself if the ship went under water.
However, the canvas nevertheless arrived in St. Petersburg, where it was exhibited in one of the halls of the Academy of Arts. The public took the picture coldly - there were complaints about the too small figure of Christ, and the water, depicted not in an academic manner, but in free strokes. It is curious that Ivanov was ahead of his time in this sense, because later the Impressionists would work in a similar manner. In addition, the canvas was unfinished. On the left side, an old man is seen in a white loincloth, which is reflected in the water as a red spot. In the sketches, the bandage was really red, and the artist, apparently, simply forgot to repaint it. A month after the presentation of the work, Ivanov died, and a few hours after his death, Emperor Alexander II purchased the painting for 15,000 rubles. Despite the fact that the amount was substantial, initially the artist, who devoted half of his life to this work, counted on a much larger fee, but, unfortunately, did not manage to receive even this money.
"Moscow courtyard", Vasily Polenov, 1878
The picture of the Wanderer Vasily Polenov is closely connected with his other work called "Grandma's Garden". Both canvases depict the same house in the Arbat area, only from different sides. Polenov wrote his most famous work, having moved to Moscow from St. Petersburg and settled in one of the apartments of the house at the intersection of Durnovsky and Trubnikovsky lanes near the Church of the Savior on Sands.
The view depicted in the picture opened from his window. Moreover, it took Polenov quite a bit of time to create a masterpiece: in fact, this is a sketch painted from life. For the first time in the history of Russian painting, the artist combined two genres - domestic and landscape. The public, tired of the gloomy and depressing canvases of the Wanderers, accepted the cheerful sunny picture with delight. No one was even embarrassed by the garbage dump depicted in the lower left corner, which most viewers mistake for a well.
Understanding art is not as difficult as it seems. For this, it is not necessary to study for several years as an art historian. It is enough to talk with connoisseurs who will tell about the famous paintings in such a way that later in the museum they can be seen from an unexpected side.
Lecturer of the educational project Level One, a certified art historian Natalya Ignatova revealed the secrets of the five most mysterious paintings of the Tretyakov Gallery.
News and facts publishes this amazing material for his reader.
"Bogatyrs", Viktor Vasnetsov, 1898
Viktor Vasnetsov devoted a significant part of his life to the picture with three heroes of epics and fairy tales. The canvas is one of the Tretyakov Gallery's record holders in terms of the number of years spent on its creation. The artist made the first sketch in 1871, and completed his masterpiece only in 1898.
Contrary to popular belief that the heroes went to the field just to take a walk and survey the surroundings, they are ready to rush into battle. The enemy stands in the distance, as it were, behind the back of the viewer, thickening clouds, hawks that look forward to prey testify to his presence, but the main thing is the extended sword of Dobrynya Nikitich and the bow in the hands of Alyosha Popovich, ready to shoot.
Emperor Alexander III became the prototype of Ilya Muromets, the artist wrote Dobrynya Nikitich from himself, but the prototype of Alyosha Popovich is not known for certain, it could be a commoner - Vasnetsov, in the process of working on the picture, painted many portraits of peasants, cabbies and blacksmiths, which, as it seemed to him, were somewhat similar to the famous fairy-tale characters.
"Unequal marriage", Vasily Pukirev, 1862
The plot for the picture was suggested to Vasily Pukirev by his friend, artist Pyotr Shmelkov. He knew well the morals of wealthy and influential people, for whom marriages of convenience were commonplace. Pukirev thanked his friend for the idea by depicting him on the right behind the bride's back. The painter himself is also present in the picture: he painted himself in profile in the form of the bride's best man with crossed arms. Initially, the artist did not plan to place himself on the canvas: in his place was a friend whose lover was married to an elderly man. Moreover, Pukirev's friend, due to family circumstances, was forced to attend that wedding, which was unpleasant for himself, precisely as a best man.
Subsequently, a friend asked the artist to remove him from the canvas so that mutual friends and relatives would not remember this story once again. Then Pukirev wrote himself instead of him. If you visually divide the canvas diagonally from the upper right corner to the lower left, then the bride and her two friends will be on the right side. While on the left are the relatives and friends of the groom, deliberately depicted as unpleasant people. Thus, the canvas is divided into two semantic parts, as if personifying good and evil. Moreover, the priest is on the side of evil. This technique testifies to the artist's commitment to the principles of realism, thus he raises the question of the role of the church in society.
"Morning in a pine forest", Ivan Shishkin, Konstantin Savitsky, 1889
Not all lovers of sweets know that two artists worked on the famous canvas, which was then replicated on candy wrappers. Shishkin was responsible for the forest, and Savitsky was responsible for the bears. Moreover, the plot of the picture was invented by Savitsky. Initially there were two bears, but then their number increased. Collector Pavel Tretyakov bought the painting for 4,000 rubles.
However, it is believed that the collector did not like Savitsky's work. According to legend, Tretyakov said: “What terrible bears!” And the name of Savitsky on the canvas was smeared: according to one version, Tretyakov did it, and according to another, the artist himself, who was offended by not enduring criticism from the gallery owner. Shishkin's skill is expressed in the illumination of the forest: on the tops of the pines, the first rays of the sun are masterfully written out, which the audience usually does not notice, being distracted by the figures of bears.
"The Appearance of Christ to the People", Alexander Ivanov, 1857
Alexander Ivanov painted the first significant painting on a biblical story in 1834. It was "The Appearance of the Risen Christ to Mary Magdalene". And three years later, in 1837, he began to create the main work of his life - the epochal canvas "The Appearance of Christ to the People." The artist worked on the painting for 20 years in Italy. In the process of creating the canvas, he made more than 500 studies and sketches. All connoisseurs of painting in Russia knew that Ivanov was working on a monumental canvas. In May 1858, the painter decided to send the painting to St. Petersburg. According to legend, during the journey, the ship was overtaken by a strong storm. The artist turned the canvas into a tube and raised it over his head - he preferred not to see the death of his creation, but to drown himself if the ship went under water.
However, the canvas nevertheless arrived in St. Petersburg, where it was exhibited in one of the halls of the Academy of Arts. The public took the picture coldly - there were complaints about the too small figure of Christ, and the water, depicted not in an academic manner, but in free strokes. It is curious that Ivanov was ahead of his time in this sense, because later the Impressionists would work in a similar manner. In addition, the canvas was unfinished. On the left side, an old man is seen in a white loincloth, which is reflected in the water as a red spot. In the sketches, the bandage was really red, and the artist, apparently, simply forgot to repaint it. A month after the presentation of the work, Ivanov died, and a few hours after his death, Emperor Alexander II purchased the painting for 15,000 rubles. Despite the fact that the amount was substantial, initially the artist, who devoted half of his life to this work, counted on a much larger fee, but, unfortunately, did not manage to receive even this money.
"Moscow courtyard", Vasily Polenov, 1878
The picture of the Wanderer Vasily Polenov is closely connected with his other work called "Grandma's Garden". Both canvases depict the same house in the Arbat area, only from different sides. Polenov wrote his most famous work, having moved to Moscow from St. Petersburg and settled in one of the apartments of the house at the intersection of Durnovsky and Trubnikovsky lanes near the Church of the Savior on Sands.
The view depicted in the picture opened from his window. Moreover, it took Polenov quite a bit of time to create a masterpiece: in fact, this is a sketch painted from life. For the first time in the history of Russian painting, the artist combined two genres - domestic and landscape. The public, tired of the gloomy and depressing canvases of the Wanderers, accepted the cheerful sunny picture with delight. No one was even embarrassed by the garbage dump depicted in the lower left corner, which most viewers mistake for a well.
Today, in every museum you can listen to wonderful guides who will tell you in detail about the collection and the artists represented in it. At the same time, many parents know that it is difficult for most children to spend even an hour in a museum, and stories about the history of painting tire them rather quickly. So that children in the museum do not get bored, we offer a "cheat sheet" for parents - ten entertaining stories about paintings from the Tretyakov Gallery, which will be of interest to both children and adults.
1. Ivan Kramskoy. Mermaids, 1871
Ivan Kramskoy is primarily known as the author of the painting "Unknown" (she is often mistakenly called "The Stranger"), as well as a number of beautiful portraits: Leo Tolstoy, Ivan Shishkin, Dmitry Mendeleev. But it is better for children to start acquaintance with his work with magic picture"Mermaids", with which this is the story.
In August 1871, the artist Ivan Kramskoy was visiting the country estate of his acquaintance, art lover and famous philanthropist Pavel Stroganov. Walking in the evenings, he admired the moon and admired its magical light. During these walks, the artist decided to write night landscape and try to convey all the charm, all the magic of a moonlit night, "catch the moon" - in his own words.
Kramskoy began work on the painting. Appeared on the river bank moonlit night, a hillock and a house on it, surrounded by poplars. The landscape was beautiful, but something was missing - the magic was not born on the canvas. Nikolai Gogol's book "Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka" came to the aid of the artist, or rather the story called "May Night, or the Drowned Woman" is fabulous and a little creepy. And then the mermaid girls appeared in the picture, illuminated by moonlight.
The artist worked so carefully on the picture that he began to dream about it and he constantly wanted to finish something in it. A year after it was bought by the founder of the Tretyakov Gallery - Pavel Tretyakov - Kramskoy in Once again I wanted to change something in it and made small changes right in the exhibition hall.
Kramskoy's canvas was the first "fabulous" painting in the history of Russian painting.
2. Vasily Vereshchagin. "Apotheosis of War", 1871
It so happened that people always fought. From time immemorial, brave leaders and powerful rulers equipped their armies and sent them to war. Of course, they wanted distant descendants to know about their military exploits, so poets composed poems and songs, and artists created beautiful paintings and sculptures. In these pictures, the war usually looked like a holiday - bright colors, fearless warriors going into battle...
The artist Vasily Vereshchagin knew firsthand about the war - he took part in the battles more than once - and painted many paintings in which he depicted what he saw with his own eyes: not only brave soldiers and their commanders, but also blood, pain and suffering.
Once he thought about how to show all the horrors of war in one picture, how to let the audience understand that war is always grief and death, how to let others look at its disgusting details? He realized that it was not enough to paint a picture with a battlefield dotted with dead soldiers - such canvases were before. Vereshchagin came up with a symbol of war, an image, just by looking at which, everyone can imagine how terrible any war is. He painted a scorched desert, in the middle of which rises a pyramid of human skulls. Around - only dry, lifeless trees, and only crows flock to their feast. A dilapidated city can be seen in the distance, and the viewer can easily guess that there is no more life there.
3. Alexey Savrasov. "The Rooks Have Arrived", 1871
Everyone knows the picture “Rooks Have Arrived” since childhood, and for sure everyone wrote on it. school essays. And today teachers will definitely tell the children about lyrical landscapes Savrasov and about the fact that already in the very title of this picture one can hear a joyful harbinger of the morning of the year and everything in it is full of deep, close to heart meaning. Meanwhile, few people know that the famous "Rooks ...", as well as all the other works of Savrasov, could not exist at all.
Alexei Savrasov was the son of a petty Moscow haberdasher. The boy's desire to paint did not cause delight in the parent, but nevertheless, Kondrat Savrasov let his son go to the Moscow School of Painting and Sculpture. Both teachers and classmates recognized talent young artist and predicted a great future for him. But it so happened that, without having studied for even a year, Alexei, apparently due to his mother's illness, was forced to stop his studies. His teacher Karl Rabus turned for help to the chief police chief of Moscow, Major General Ivan Luzhin, who helped the talented young man get an art education.
If Luzhin had not taken part in the fate of the young artist, one of the most famous paintings in the history of Russian art would never have been born.
4. Vasily Polenov. "Moscow courtyard", 1878
Sometimes in order to write beautiful picture, the artist travels a lot, long and meticulously looking for the most beautiful views, in the end, finds the cherished place and over and over again comes there with a sketchbook. And it also happens that in order to create wonderful work, he just needs to go to his own window, look at a completely ordinary Moscow courtyard - and a miracle happens, an amazing landscape appears, filled with light and air.
It was precisely such a miracle that happened to the artist Vasily Polenov, who looked out of the window of his apartment in the early summer of 1878 and quickly wrote what he saw. Clouds glide easily across the sky, the sun rises higher and higher, heating the earth with its warmth, lighting up the domes of churches with brilliance, shortening thick shadows ... It would seem that a plain picture, which the artist himself did not take seriously at first: he painted and almost forgot about it. But then he was invited to take part in the exhibition. He did not have anything significant, and Polenov decided to exhibit "Moscow Courtyard".
Oddly enough, it was this “insignificant picture” that brought Vasily Polenov fame and glory - both the public and critics loved it: it has both warmth and bright colors, and its characters can be considered endlessly, inventing a story about each of them.
5. Ivan Shishkin. "Morning in a pine forest", 1889
“Morning in a Pine Forest” by Ivan Shishkin is probably the most famous painting from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery. In our country, everyone knows her, thanks to reproductions in school textbooks, or maybe thanks to the Mishka kosolapy chocolates.
But not everyone knows that Shishkin himself painted only a morning forest in a foggy haze, and has nothing to do with bears. This picture is the fruit of the joint work of Shishkin and his friend, the artist Konstantin Savitsky.
Ivan Shishkin was consummate master portray all sorts of botanical subtleties - critic Alexander Benois he was pretty scolded for his addiction to photographic accuracy, called his paintings lifeless and cold. But the artist was not friends with zoology. They say that this is why Shishkin turned to Savitsky with a request to help him with the bears. Savitsky did not refuse his friend, but he did not take his work seriously - and did not sign it.
Later, Pavel Tretyakov purchased this painting from Shishkin, and the artist suggested that Savitsky leave a signature on the painting - after all, they worked on it together. Savitsky did just that, but Tretyakov did not like it. Declaring that he bought the painting from Shishkin, and did not want to know anything about Savitsky, he demanded a solvent and with my own hands removed the "extra" signature. And so it happened that today in the Tretyakov Gallery indicate the authorship of only one artist.
6. Viktor Vasnetsov. "Bogatyrs", 1898
Viktor Vasnetsov is considered the most "fabulous" artist in the history of Russian painting - it is his brushes that belong to such notable works like "Alyonushka", "Knight at the Crossroads", " Bogatyrsky lope" and many others. But his very famous picture- "Bogatyrs", which depicts the main characters of Russian epics.
The artist himself described the picture as follows: “Bogatyrs Dobrynya, Ilya and Alyosha Popovich at the heroic exit - they notice in the field, is there a thief somewhere, are they offending anyone somewhere?”
In the middle, on a black horse, Ilya Muromets, looks into the distance from under his palm, in one hand the hero has a spear, in the other a damask club. On the left, on a white horse, Dobrynya Nikitich, takes out a sword from its scabbard. On the right, Alyosha Popovich, on a red-colored horse, holds a bow with arrows in his hands. A curious story is connected with the heroes of this picture - more precisely, with their prototypes.
Viktor Vasnetsov thought for a long time what Ilya Muromets should look like, and for a long time he could not find the “right” face - bold, honest, expressing strength and kindness at the same time. But one day, quite by chance, he met with the peasant Ivan Petrov, who came to Moscow to work. The artist was amazed - on the Moscow street he saw the real Ilya Muromets. The peasant agreed to pose for Vasnetsov and ... remained for centuries.
In the epics, Dobrynya Nikitich is quite young, but for some reason Vasnetsov's painting depicts a middle-aged man. Why did the artist decide to act so freely with folk tales? The answer is simple: in the image of Dobrynya, Vasnetsov portrayed himself, it is enough to compare the picture with portraits and photographs of the artist.
7. Valentin Serov. "Girl with peaches. Portrait of V. S. Mamontova, 1887
"Girl with Peaches" is one of the most famous portraits in the history of Russian painting, written by the artist Valentin Serov.
The girl in the portrait is Verochka, the daughter of the philanthropist Savva Mamontov, in whose house the artist often visited. It is interesting that the peaches lying on the table were not brought from warm regions, but grew up not far from Moscow, right in the Abramtsevo estate, which was quite unusual in the 19th century. Mamontov worked as a gardener-wizard - in his skillful hands fruit trees bloomed even in February, and the harvest was already in early summer.
Thanks to Serov's portrait, Vera Mamontova went down in history, but the artist himself recalled how difficult it was for him to persuade a 12-year-old girl to pose, who was distinguished by an extremely restless character. Serov worked on the painting for almost a month, and every day Vera sat quietly in the dining room for several hours.
The work was not in vain: when the artist presented the portrait at the exhibition, the public liked the picture very much. And today, more than a hundred years later, The Girl with Peaches delights visitors to the Tretyakov Gallery.
8. Ilya Repin. "Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan on November 16, 1581", 1883-1885
Looking at this or that picture, you often wonder what was the source of inspiration for the artist, what prompted him to write just such a work? In the case of Ilya Repin’s painting “Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan on November 16, 1581”, guess about true reasons quite difficult.
The painting depicts a legendary episode from the life of Ivan the Terrible, when in a fit of anger he inflicted death blow to his son Tsarevich Ivan. However, many historians believe that in fact there was no murder and the prince died of illness, and not at all at the hands of his father. It would seem that what can make an artist turn to such a historical episode?
As the artist himself recalled, the idea to paint the painting "Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan" came to him after ... a concert at which he heard the music of the composer Rimsky-Korsakov. It was symphonic suite"Antar". The sounds of music took possession of the artist, and he wanted to embody in painting the mood that he created under the influence of this work.
But not only music has become a source of inspiration. Traveling through Europe in 1883, Repin attended a bullfight. The sight of this bloody spectacle impressed the artist, who wrote that, “infected ... with this bloodiness, upon arrival home, he immediately set to the bloody scene“ Ivan the Terrible with his son ”. And the picture of blood was a great success.”
9. Mikhail Vrubel. "Seated Demon", 1890
Sometimes the title of a picture means a lot. What does the viewer see at the first glance at Mikhail Vrubel's painting "Seated Demon"? A muscular young man sits on a rock and looks sadly at the sunset. But as soon as we pronounce the word "demon", the image of a magical unkind creature immediately arises. Meanwhile, the demon of Mikhail Vrubel is not an evil spirit at all. The artist himself said more than once that the demon is a spirit "not so much evil as suffering and mournful, but for all that, an imperious spirit, ... majestic."
This picture is interesting painting technique. The artist applies paint to the canvas not with the usual brush, but with a thin steel plate - a palette knife. This technique allows you to combine the techniques of a painter and a sculptor, literally “sculpt” a picture with the help of paints. This is how a “mosaic” effect is achieved - it seems that the sky, the rocks, and the hero’s body itself are not painted with paint, but are lined with carefully polished, perhaps even precious stones.
10. Alexander Ivanov. "The Appearance of Christ to the People (The Appearance of the Messiah)", 1837-1857
Alexander Ivanov's painting "The Appearance of Christ to the People" is a unique event in the history of Russian painting. It is not easy to talk about it with children, especially 6-7-year-olds, but they must see this monumental canvas, on which the artist has been working for more than 20 years and which has become the work of his whole life.
The plot of the picture is based on the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew: John the Baptist, baptizing the Jewish people on the banks of the Jordan in the name of the expected Savior, suddenly sees the One walking in whose name he baptizes people. ABOUT compositional features paintings, about its symbols and about artistic language the kids will find out later. During the first meeting, it is worth talking about how one picture became the work of the artist’s whole life.
After graduating from the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, Alexander Ivanov was sent "for an internship" to Italy. "The Appearance of Christ to the People" was supposed to be a reporting work. But the artist takes his work very seriously: he carefully studies Holy Bible, history, for months in search of the desired landscape, an endless amount of time looking for an image for each character in the picture. The money that was allocated to him for work is running out, Ivanov leads a beggarly existence. Painstaking work on the picture led to the fact that the artist spoiled his eyesight and had to be treated for a long time.
When Ivanov completed his work, the Italian public enthusiastically accepted the picture, this was one of the first cases European recognition Russian artist. In Russia, it was not immediately appreciated - only after the death of the artist did real fame come to him.
While working on the painting, Ivanov created more than 600 sketches. In the hall where it is exhibited, you can see some of them. It is interesting to use these examples to trace how the artist worked on the composition, landscape, and images of the characters in the picture.
Post selection
Lecturer of the educational project Level One, a certified art historian Natalya Ignatova revealed the secrets of the five most mysterious paintings of the Tretyakov Gallery.
Faktrum publishes this amazing material for his reader.
"Bogatyrs", Viktor Vasnetsov, 1898
Viktor Vasnetsov devoted a significant part of his life to the picture with three heroes of epics and fairy tales. The canvas is one of the Tretyakov Gallery's record holders in terms of the number of years spent on its creation. The artist made the first sketch in 1871, and completed his masterpiece only in 1898.
Contrary to popular belief that the heroes went to the field just to take a walk and survey the surroundings, they are ready to rush into battle. The enemy stands in the distance, as it were, behind the back of the viewer, thickening clouds, hawks that look forward to prey testify to his presence, but the main thing is the extended sword of Dobrynya Nikitich and the bow in the hands of Alyosha Popovich, ready to shoot.
Emperor Alexander III became the prototype of Ilya Muromets, the artist wrote Dobrynya Nikitich from himself, but the prototype of Alyosha Popovich is not known for certain, it could be a commoner - Vasnetsov, in the process of working on the picture, painted many portraits of peasants, cabbies and blacksmiths, which, as it seemed to him, were somewhat similar to the famous fairy-tale characters.
"Unequal marriage", Vasily Pukirev, 1862
The plot for the picture was suggested to Vasily Pukirev by his friend, artist Pyotr Shmelkov. He knew well the morals of wealthy and influential people, for whom marriages of convenience were commonplace. Pukirev thanked his friend for the idea by depicting him on the right behind the bride's back. The painter himself is also present in the picture: he painted himself in profile in the form of the bride's best man with crossed arms. Initially, the artist did not plan to place himself on the canvas: in his place was a friend whose lover was married to an elderly man. Moreover, Pukirev's friend, due to family circumstances, was forced to attend that wedding, which was unpleasant for himself, precisely as a best man.
Subsequently, a friend asked the artist to remove him from the canvas so that mutual friends and relatives would not remember this story once again. Then Pukirev wrote himself instead of him. If you visually divide the canvas diagonally from the upper right corner to the lower left, then the bride and her two friends will be on the right side. While on the left are the relatives and friends of the groom, deliberately depicted as unpleasant people. Thus, the canvas is divided into two semantic parts, as if personifying good and evil. Moreover, the priest is on the side of evil. This technique testifies to the artist's commitment to the principles of realism, thus he raises the question of the role of the church in society.
"Morning in a pine forest", Ivan Shishkin, Konstantin Savitsky, 1889
Not all lovers of sweets know that two artists worked on the famous canvas, which was then replicated on candy wrappers. Shishkin was responsible for the forest, and Savitsky was responsible for the bears. Moreover, the plot of the picture was invented by Savitsky. Initially there were two bears, but then their number increased. Collector Pavel Tretyakov bought the painting for 4,000 rubles.
However, it is believed that the collector did not like Savitsky's work. According to legend, Tretyakov said: “What terrible bears!” And the name of Savitsky on the canvas was smeared: according to one version, Tretyakov did it, and according to another, the artist himself, who was offended by not enduring criticism from the gallery owner. Shishkin's skill is expressed in the illumination of the forest: on the tops of the pines, the first rays of the sun are masterfully written out, which the audience usually does not notice, being distracted by the figures of bears.
"The Appearance of Christ to the People", Alexander Ivanov, 1857
Alexander Ivanov painted the first significant painting on a biblical story in 1834. It was "The Appearance of the Risen Christ to Mary Magdalene". And three years later, in 1837, he began to create the main work of his life - the epochal canvas "The Appearance of Christ to the People." The artist worked on the painting for 20 years in Italy. In the process of creating the canvas, he made more than 500 studies and sketches. All connoisseurs of painting in Russia knew that Ivanov was working on a monumental canvas. In May 1858, the painter decided to send the painting to St. Petersburg. According to legend, during the journey, the ship was overtaken by a strong storm. The artist turned the canvas into a tube and raised it over his head - he preferred not to see the death of his creation, but to drown himself if the ship went under water.
However, the canvas nevertheless arrived in St. Petersburg, where it was exhibited in one of the halls of the Academy of Arts. The public took the picture coldly - there were complaints about the too small figure of Christ, and the water, depicted not in an academic manner, but in free strokes. It is curious that Ivanov was ahead of his time in this sense, because later the Impressionists would work in a similar manner. In addition, the canvas was unfinished. On the left side, an old man is seen in a white loincloth, which is reflected in the water as a red spot. In the sketches, the bandage was really red, and the artist, apparently, simply forgot to repaint it. A month after the presentation of the work, Ivanov died, and a few hours after his death, Emperor Alexander II purchased the painting for 15,000 rubles. Despite the fact that the amount was substantial, initially the artist, who devoted half of his life to this work, counted on a much larger fee, but, unfortunately, did not manage to receive even this money.
"Moscow courtyard", Vasily Polenov, 1878
The picture of the Wanderer Vasily Polenov is closely connected with his other work called "Grandma's Garden". Both canvases depict the same house in the Arbat area, only from different sides. Polenov wrote his most famous work, having moved to Moscow from St. Petersburg and settled in one of the apartments of the house at the intersection of Durnovsky and Trubnikovsky lanes near the Church of the Savior on Sands.
The view depicted in the picture opened from his window. Moreover, it took Polenov quite a bit of time to create a masterpiece: in fact, this is a sketch painted from life. For the first time in the history of Russian painting, the artist combined two genres - domestic and landscape. The public, tired of the gloomy and depressing canvases of the Wanderers, accepted the cheerful sunny picture with delight. No one was even embarrassed by the garbage dump depicted in the lower left corner, which most viewers mistake for a well.
