Spain has full right be called motherland the greatest people past and present. This country has given the world many amazing and talented people, including architects, artists, actors, directors, athletes and singers.

Among the artists it is Diego Velazquez, which identifies the top of the Spanish painting XVIII century, Pablo Ruiz Picasso- the founder of cubism, the famous artist, graphic artist, sculptor and ceramist, Francisco José de Goya - famous painter and engraver Salvador Dali- worldwide famous artist, graphic artist, painter, sculptor, writer and director.

Among Catalan artists, other than Salvador Dali, the world-famous are Joan Miro and Anthony Tapies.

Salvador Dali(1904-1989, full name- Salvador Domenech Felip Jacinte Dali and Domenech, Marquis de Dali de Pubol) - one of the most famous representatives of surrealism.

Salvador Dali with his beloved ocelot Babou in 1965.

Salvador Dali was born in Spain on May 11, 1904 in the city of Figueres (province of Girona, northern Catalonia) in the family of a wealthy notary. By nationality, he was a Catalan, he perceived himself in this capacity and insisted on this feature of his. Dali was an unusually outrageous person.

Salvador was the third child in the family (he also had a brother and sister). His older brother died of meningitis before he was 2 years old, and the parents named the baby, born 9 months after his death, Salvador - "Savior". Five-year-old Dali was told by his mother that he was the reincarnation of his brother.

The future artist grew up very capricious and arrogant, he liked to manipulate people with the help of public scenes and hysterics.

His talent for fine arts manifested itself already in childhood. At the age of 6 he wrote interesting pictures, at the age of 14 he had his first exhibition in Figueres. Dali got the opportunity to improve his skills at the municipal art school.

In 1914-1918, Salvador studied in Figueres at the Academy of the Order of the Marists. Education at the monastic school did not go smoothly, and at the age of 15, an eccentric student was expelled for indecent behavior.

In 1916, a landmark event took place for Dali - a trip to Cadaqués with the family of Ramon Pisho. There he met contemporary painting. AT hometown the genius studied under Joan Nunez.

At the age of 17 - in 1921 - future artist graduated from the institute (as the secondary school was called in Catalonia).

After that, in 1921, Salvador went to Madrid and entered the Academy there fine arts. He didn't like teaching. He believed that he himself could teach his teachers the art of drawing. He stayed in Madrid only because he was interested in communicating with his comrades.

At school fine arts at the Academy, he became close to the literary and artistic circles of Madrid. in particular with Luis Buñuel and Federico Garcia Lorca. Although Dali did not stay at the Academy for a long time (he was expelled for some too bold ideas and misbehavior in 1924), this did not prevent the artist from organizing the first small exhibition of his works and quickly becoming famous in Spain.

Dali returned to the Academy again a year later, but he was expelled again in 1926 (Salvador was 22 years old) and already without the right to reinstatement. The incident that led to this situation was simply amazing: at one of the exams, the professor of the Academy asked to name 3 of the greatest artists in the world. Dali replied that he would not answer such questions, because not a single teacher from the Academy had the right to be his judge.

Dali proclaimed complete freedom from any aesthetic or moral coercion and went to the very limits in any creative experiment. He did not hesitate to implement the most provocative ideas and wrote everything from love and the sexual revolution, history and technology to society and religion.

One of Dali's famous paintings is The Persistence of Memory.

Picture "Dream".

Painting "The Great Masturbator".

Painting "Phantom of Sexual Attractiveness".

Painting "Galatea with spheres".

In 1929, Dali found his muse. She became Gala Eluard. It is she who is depicted in many paintings by Salvador Dali. At the age of 30 - in 1934 - Dali unofficially marries Gala, who was older than the artist for 10 years (the real name of the woman is Elena Dyakonova, was born in Kazan. Because of her passion for Dali, she left her husband, a French poet. Fields of Eluard and 16-year-old daughter Cecile). However, the religious ceremony of Dali's marriage to Gala took place only 24 years later - in 1958.

Salvador and Gala lived in a small village Cadaqués(province of Girona) in the port of Ligat - there was Dali's only own dwelling, which he, already married, after returning from Paris, acquired for himself and his wife Gala. At that time it was a small hut where local fishermen kept their gear, with a total area of ​​22 square meters. meters.

Over time, the Dali house in Cadaques, over the 40 years of the Impressionist family living in it, became larger and more beautiful: the artist acquired neighboring shacks, restored them and combined them into a single building. It was in this way that the workshop appeared in the bay, where the great impressionist created most of his masterpieces.

House Museum of Salvador Dali in the village of Cadaqués.

Spain boasts brilliant artists. But if they were not, no one would be surprised.

After all, this country has almost always been conservative. And where there is excessive moral inertia, and even more so the Inquisition, there innovators do not survive or simply are not born.

Therefore, I was always amazed at how these artists managed to present their innovations to the world!

How El Greco was 300 years ahead of his time by working in the style of expressionism. And Velasquez 200 years earlier and began to create in!

I propose to take a closer look at these talented and brilliant Spaniards.

1. El Greco (1541-1614)

El Greco. Portrait of an old man (presumably a self-portrait). 1600 Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The Greek Spaniard or Spanish Greek Dominicos Theotokopoulos almost single-handedly turned Spanish Renaissance. If the Italians had a whole galaxy of masters. Then the Spaniards can exhale: they also had a renaissance. Thanks to El Greco.

Creating mostly religious paintings, he boldly destroyed the proposed canons.

It is enough to look at the canvas "Removing the clothes from Christ."

El Greco. Taking off the clothes of Christ (Espolio). 1579 Cathedral of Toledo in Spain

Instead of a few figures - a whole crowd. Instead of perspective, there is an impenetrable wall of characters.

Instead of easily read emotions - complicated feelings. Take a look at the uncomprehending look of St. Mary. She didn't seem to realize what was about to happen. Psychologists would call this a defensive reaction to extreme stress.

But El Greco is not enough. A few years later, he created an even more amazing work. Not a picture, but the universe. From the smallest embroidered stories in the attire of saints. Until a clear division of the world into two halves: worldly and heavenly.

This is me, of course, about the "Burial of Count Orgaz."

El Greco. Burial of Count Orgaz. 1588 Church of San Tome in Toledo

And we immediately notice elongated bodies. Rather, El Greco spied on such a distortion of forms from the mannerists. At least the same Parmigianino. Perhaps the experience of creating Byzantine icons was also superimposed (after all, he was from Greek Crete).

Over time, he exaggerated this feature even more. This is clearly visible in his late work"Laocoon".

El Greco. Laocoon. 1614 Washington National Gallery

The artist intuitively understood that through a change in form, his characters can tell us about their feelings and experiences. After all, they are motionless.

Did you notice that the cityscape in the background is also very unusual? He is closer to Van Gogh and Cezanne than to the aesthetics of the Renaissance.

No one before El Greco in Western painting so distorted forms. And after him, the artists strove for realistic proportions. That is why they considered him an eccentric and clumsy for 300 years.

He was forgotten and not remembered. And only at the end of the 19th century it dawned on everyone how much he was ahead of his time. Now a newfound El Greco in the history of art forever.

2. Diego Velazquez (1599-1660)

Diego Velazquez. Meninas (detail with self-portrait). 1656

Velasquez's innovations amaze to the core. Not only did he live in a very conservative society, he was also a court painter!

And this means that he had picky customers who do not care about innovation. If only it was "beautiful and similar." In such conditions, any innovation easily languishes.

But not Velasquez. By some miracle, the customers forgave him everything, apparently intuitively understanding that thanks to this artist they would be remembered even in 500 years. And they were not wrong.

However, even to Velasquez, the cruel Inquisition was not going to make concessions in everything. Painting nudes was considered a serious crime.

Yet Velazquez managed to create a masterpiece with a beautiful naked body even in such conditions.

Diego Velazquez. Venus in front of a mirror. 1647-1651 National Gallery London

True, he wrote his beautiful "Venus" while in Italy. Then he secretly brought it to Spain and handed it over to an influential minister for safekeeping. And the Inquisition did not just break into his house in search of nudity.

Already on this "Venus" it is clear why Velasquez stood out so much. With its vitality. After all, there is no doubt that this is a real woman. Beautiful but real. Her posture is so relaxed and natural.

Presumably, this is the Italian beloved of the artist. He prudently secured her by turning his back to us. And his face was reflected in a cloudy mirror.

In the same place in Italy, Velasquez painted the legendary portrait of Pope Innocent X.

Diego Velazquez. Portrait of Pope Innocent X. 1650. Doria Pamphili Gallery, Rome

Velasquez managed to very accurately convey the tough and treacherous nature of the Pope.

It would seem that the 75-year-old pontiff appears to us in the most majestic form. But the prickly strong-willed look, compressed lips and the poisonous red color of the mantle speak of true values this person.

How did Velasquez again manage to achieve vitality even in a formal portrait?

The fact is that Velasquez was lucky enough to meet the Pope, passing through one of the galleries of the Vatican. He walked alone and his face did not have the usual “mask” for tricks. It was then that Velasquez understood his character and transferred his impression to the canvas.

Returning from Italy, Velazquez continued to perform the duties of a courtier.

But do not think that Velasquez was unhappy. He himself aspired to become the king's artist, as he was vain. Therefore, he resignedly painted countless portraits of aristocrats, and did not even disdain to take out the chamber pot for His Highness.

But among these works of the same type there is an extremely unusual portrait of the royal family: Las Meninas.

Diego Velazquez. Meninas. 1656

This picture has a very unusual idea.

Velazquez decided to show us what his world looks like on the other side of the canvas. We see what is happening through the eyes of those who ... pose for the artist.

We see how the artist is working on a portrait of the King and his wife. And they stand in our place (or we stand in their place) and look at the artist. And then the princess, their daughter, came into the workshop with her retinue to visit her parents.

Something like "random frames". When the artist preferred to write his characters not on stage, but behind the scenes.

We notice one more feature in "Menin". These are fast, vibrating strokes. At the same time, the artist does not distinguish between the background and the characters. Everything is woven as if from a single matter. This is exactly how the Impressionists will write 200 years later, the same and.

Yes, skill knows no bounds... not afraid of either the Inquisition or inert morality. Imagine what Velázquez could have done had he lived in a freer era! In , for example.

3. José de Ribera (1591-1652)

Giuseppe McPherson. Portrait of José de Ribera. 1633-1656 Royal Collection, London

"Little Spaniard" (as he was also called) Jose de Ribera moved to Italy at the age of 14. But his painting has always remained Spanish, not much like Italian academicism.

Here, in Italy, he was struck by painting. And, of course, I could not resist not to work in the tenebroso technique. It is when main character is in the dark and only a dim light is snatched out of it.

This technique of Caravaggio was very suitable general style Ribera. He simply adored action-packed biblical and mythological stories. And it is tenebroso that brings this action to a climax.

Its main characters are those who accept suffering for the sake of high purpose. Like Prometheus, for example.

José de Ribera. Prometheus. 1830 Private collection

From the naturalism of Ribera takes aback. And it's not just a very accurate transfer of a real body. And also in how the wounds look and how emotionally the hero reacts to his suffering.

The fact is that Ribera visited prisons and witnessed the torture of convicts with his own eyes. Here is one from the 17th century. Only Degas went to the theater to spy on ballerinas. And this Spaniard went around the places of detention and looked for plausibility for his martyrs.

After some time, the master begins to move away from caravaggism. However, fighters for high ideals are still its main characters. And one of these masterpieces is the Martyrdom of Saint Philip.

José de Ribera. Martyrdom of Saint Philip. 1639 Prado Museum, Madrid

We see the saint a few seconds before he is put on the rack. There is no the most terrible in the physical plan. But there is an opportunity to empathize with the impending inevitable end and admire the humility of a saint.

Ribera enhances the drama by depicting the martyr strictly diagonally. His figure, lean and long, barely fits into the picture. As if Gulliver (in spiritual terms) was captured to be torn to pieces by small, miserable people.

Ribera also became famous for painting people with anomalies. Limps, dwarfs and women with beards are also frequent heroes of his paintings.

But do not think that this was his morbid desire. Such were the manners at court. The aristocracy liked to keep such people as jesters and, in fact, slaves. And the artists painted them again for the amusement of the guests.

One of the most famous such works of the master is “Magdalena with her husband and son”.

José de Ribera. Magdalena Ventura with her husband and son (The Bearded Woman). 1631 Taber Hospital in Toledo, Spain

A woman at the age of 37 experienced a hormonal failure, as a result, her beard began to grow. The customer demanded to draw her with a baby in her arms. Although by that time she was already over 50. Her sons had grown up a long time ago, and her breasts were clearly not so magnificent. But the baby and the breast made this mistake of nature more eloquent.

But unlike customers, Ribera only sympathized with such people. And the eyes of the unfortunate woman express the true attitude of the artist towards her.

4. Francisco Goya (1746-1828)

Vicente Lopez Portana. Portrait of Francisco Goya. 1819 Prado Museum, Madrid.

Goya's mother told her son, “You were not born a rose, but an onion. You will die with a bow." This is it about the obstinate and pugnacious nature of the son. Yes, Francisco Goya was a very temperamental person.

The stories about how he left his signature on ... the dome of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome, and also kidnapped and seduced a nun from the monastery - they say a lot.

He received a superficial education and wrote with errors all his life. But this did not prevent him from becoming the greatest artist. He was able to achieve the almost impossible.

He painted a naked woman, but did not fall into the clutches of the Inquisition. However, Velazquez did this trick first.

He managed to remain a court painter almost all his life. But at the same time he actively expressed his civic position in his works. And the monarchs did not seem to notice anything.

He seduced one beautiful aristocrat after another, despite his poor health and deafness.

This is one of the most daring artists, whose brush is like a sword, and the colors are bold words. However, Goya also participated in real duels and verbal skirmishes more than once.

Let's take a look at his most outstanding work.

Thinking of Goya, of course, we immediately remember his Nude Maja.

Francisco Goya. Maha naked. 1795-1800 Prado Museum, Madrid.

For the first time, the nude appeared not like Velasquez, stealthily and stealthily, but in all its shameless splendor. No cuteness, but only sensuality and outright eroticism.

Goya worked at court for a long time, however, he did not tolerate fawning and lies. Just look at his canvas.

Francisco Goya. Portrait of the family of Charles IV. 1800 Prado Museum, Madrid.

How much irony in relation to the monarchs! In the center, the author depicts Queen Mary, clearly hinting that she, and not Charles, rules the country.

It is amazing how the artist was allowed to create such a contrast: between the attire of the royal couple and their faces! The luxury and brilliance of gold cannot hide the mediocrity of the heroes and the frank "simplicity" of the king.

And of course, you can not pass by his work "Execution on May 3". This is a picture of the heroism of ordinary Spaniards during the occupation by Napoleonic troops.

Francisco Goya. May 3, 1808 in Madrid. 1814 Prado, Madrid

In the moment before the salvo, each of the doomed rebels looks different: someone humbly waits, someone prays, someone cries.

But one Spaniard in a white shirt is ready to face death without fear. The artist put him on his knees. And if you imagine that he will get up, it will turn out to be just a giant. And the guns of the French soldiers seem to be directed only at him.

So Goya first showed feat and courage common man. Before him, far from common people were portrayed as heroes. It's perfect A New Look for historical painting.

Undoubtedly, Goya still amazes with his courage, eccentricity and humanism. It was a master with a special attitude.

He is an artist of special power for us, as a spiritual leader. Who will not flatter those in power, will not ignore the heroism of the common man, and will not turn away from beauty, even if it is considered sinful and vile.

5. Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)

Pablo Picasso. Self-portrait. 1907 National Gallery of Prague

Picasso is considered the most famous artist in the world. True, most know him as a cubist. Although in the style of pure cubism, he did not work for long. He was both an expressionist and a surrealist. It was a chameleon artist.

It doesn't really matter what style he worked in. Its main feature is numerous experiments with the form. He crumpled the form, stretched it, squeezed it, crumbled it and showed it from all sides.

He began with careful experiments, imitating El Greco. It was from him that he peeped the deformed forms. And just like El Greco, he pulled out his figures during his.

Pablo Picasso. Two sisters. 1902 Hermitage

Cezanne was looking for opportunities to express the essence of a thing in color, form and perspective. Picasso, with the help of cubism, brought this idea to the end.

With the help of different angles of view and elements of the subject, he tried to launch an associative array in the viewer: to show the essence of the thing, and not its image.

Pablo Picasso. Composition with cut pear. 1914 Hermitage

In the picture "Pear" we do NOT see the image of a pear. But we see mottled bits of canvas: we have a memory of a similar texture of pear pulp. Delicate beige and brown are also associated with pear. Not to mention the characteristic arc.

All these fragments of the image of a pear evoke in us not only a visual memory of a pear, but also about its taste and how it feels to the touch.

It is this concept of expressing the essence, and not the image, that is leading in Picasso's painting. Even when he moves away from the typical "cubes" and writes in a style close to surrealism.

These include portraits of Marie-Therese Walter.

Pablo Picasso. Dream. 1932 Private collection

During an exhausting and crumbling marriage to Khokhlova, Picasso accidentally met the young Marie-Therese.

He always depicted her as colorful and wavy, with elements of cubism. After all, her face is shown simultaneously from two points of view: both in profile and full face.

Thus, he turns inside out all her sensuality and tenderness, extreme femininity. And this despite the fact that there was something masculine in her figure. But after all, the forms are to emphasize the essence, and not to depict the outer shell of the model.

Picasso is a great experimenter. His main test subject is the form. She underwent changes in huge number artist's works. After all, he was also one of the most prolific artists in the world. As he himself said about himself: "Give me a museum, and I will fill it with my paintings."

Five great painters, five Spaniards are among the creators contemporary art. Despite the fact that most of them lived 200-300 years ago.

Inspired by their work contemporary artists. They give an impulse that still fuels world culture.

It remains for us to be grateful, to preserve their legacy and, of course, to admire.

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Picture - A dream caused by the flight of a bee around a pomegranate, a second before awakening.
Year of creation - 1944,
Oil on canvas 51×40.5 cm
Tisenna-Barnemisza Museum, Madrid

If you believe the stories of Dali, he dozed at the easel, holding a key, brush or spoon in his hand. When the object fell out and hit a plate that had been placed on the floor in advance, the roar woke the artist. And he immediately set to work until the state between sleep and reality disappeared.

About the painting, Dali said this: “The goal was for the first time to depict the type of long connected sleep discovered by Freud, caused by an instantaneous impact, from which awakening occurs.”
Freud described it as a dream, the plot of which is caused by some kind of stimulus from the outside: the subconscious of a sleeping person identifies this stimulus and turns it into images that have a certain resemblance to the source of irritation. If the irritant carries a threat in reality, then in a dream it will take on a threatening appearance that will provoke awakening.

At the bottom of the picture is a sleeping naked woman, as if hovering over a stone slab, which is washed by the sea. The sea in Dali's work means eternity. Freud compared the human psyche to an iceberg, nine-tenths submerged in the sea of ​​the unconscious.
The woman in the picture is Gala, whom the artist considered his inspiration and second self. She sees a dream depicted in the picture, and is on the border of two worlds - real and illusory, being simultaneously present in both.
A woman hears in a dream the buzzing of a bee over a pomegranate. The image of a pomegranate in ancient and Christian symbolism means rebirth and fertility.
“All life-giving biology arises from a burst pomegranate,” the artist himself commented on the picture.
The subconscious signals that the insect might be dangerous, and the brain reacts by bringing up images of snarling tigers. One animal jumps out of the mouth of another, and then in turn arises from the open mouth of a fish emerging from a huge pomegranate that hung over the sleeping one. Sharp claws and teeth are a symbol of fear of the sting of an insect, like a gun with a bayonet that is about to pierce a woman's hand.

“Bernini’s elephant in the background carries an obelisk and attributes of the pope,” the artist alluded to a dream about the funeral of the pope, which Freud had a dream because of the bell ringing and cited by a psychiatrist as an example of a bizarre connection between the plot and an external irritant.
The elephant from Piazza Minerva in Rome, created by the baroque master Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini as a pedestal for an ancient Egyptian obelisk, was later depicted by Dali more than once in paintings and in sculpture. Thin jointed legs are a symbol of the unsteadiness and unreality inherent in sleep.

Pablo Picasso, Guernica

Painting - Guernica
Year of creation - 1937.
Canvas, oil. 349 x 776 cm
Reina Sofia Art Center, Madrid

The painting was painted in May 1937 by order of the government of the Spanish Republic for the Spanish pavilion at the World Exhibition in Paris.
Picasso's expressive canvas became a public protest against the Nazi bombardment of the Basque city of Guernica, when several thousand bombs were dropped on the city in three hours; as a result, the six thousandth Guernica was destroyed, about two thousand inhabitants were under the rubble.

Picasso's painting is full of personal feelings of suffering and violence.
On the right side of the picture, the figures run away from the burning building, from the window of which a woman falls; on the left, a sobbing mother holds her child in her arms, and a triumphant bull tramples fallen warrior.
The broken sword, the crushed flower and dove, the skull (hidden inside the horse's body), and the crucifixion-like posture of the fallen warrior are all generalized symbols of war and death.
On the hands of a dead soldier, stigmata are visible (painful bleeding wounds that open on the body of some deeply religious people - those who "suffered like Jesus" The bull symbolizes evil and cruelty, and the horse symbolizes the suffering of the innocent.
Some Spaniards interpret the bull, a symbol of traditional Spanish bullfighting, as Spain itself, which turned its back on what is happening in Guernica (a reference to the fact that Franco allowed the bombing of his city).
Together, these frantic figures form a kind of collage, silhouetted against a dark background, brightly lit by a woman with a lamp and an eye with an electric bulb instead of a pupil. Monochrome painting, reminiscent of newspaper illustrations, and a sharp contrast of light and dark enhance the powerful emotional impact.

Francisco de Goya, Nude Maja

Painting - Nude Maha
Year of creation - 1795-1800.
Canvas, oil. 98x191cm
Prado Museum, Madrid

In the image of mahi, a Spanish townswoman of the 18th-19th centuries, the artist, contrary to strict academic canons, embodied a type of attractive, natural beauty. Maha is a woman whose meaning of life is love. Seductive, temperamental swings personified the Spanish understanding of attractiveness.
Goya created the image of the new Venus of his contemporary society, skillfully showing youth, lively charm, the mysterious sensuality of a seductive model.
The young woman is depicted against a dark background, so all the viewer's attention is drawn to the defiant nakedness of her silky skin, which, in fact, becomes the main and only theme of the picture.

By expression French writer and art historian André Malraux, this work "is not so much voluptuous as erotic, therefore it cannot leave indifferent any more or less sensual person."

The painting was commissioned by Manuel Godoy, the first minister of Spain, a favorite of Queen Maria Luisa, wife of Charles IV. For a long time he hid it in his office. She was also paired with a second canvas - Macha dressed, which Godoy hung over the Nude.
Obviously, one of the shocked guests denounced the voluptuary, and in 1813 the Inquisition confiscated both paintings from Godoy, simultaneously accusing Goya of immorality and demanding that the artist immediately give the name of the model who posed for him. Goya, despite any threats, flatly refused to give the name of this woman.
With the light hand of the writer Lion Feuchtwanger, the author of the novel "Goya, or the Hard Way of Knowledge", the legend went around the world that the naked maha is Maria Cayetana de Silva, the 13th Duchess of Alba, with whom the artist allegedly had a love affair .
In 1945, in order to refute this version, the Alba family opened the tomb to measure the bones of the duchess and prove that its proportions did not match those of Macha, but since the grave had already been opened and the body of the duchess was thrown out by Napoleonic soldiers, in its current state measurement failed.
Currently, most art historians are inclined to believe that the paintings depict Pepita Tudo, Godoy's mistress.

Diego Velazquez, Las Meninas

Picture - Las Meninas
Year of creation - 1656.
Canvas, oil. 318 x 276 cm
Prado Museum, Madrid

Probably Las Meninas is the most famous and recognizable painting by the artist, which is known to almost everyone. This large canvas is one of the best works artist. The picture impresses with its scale and versatility.

To expand the space, several workshops were used at once. artistic techniques. The artist placed the characters in a spacious room, in the background of which there is a door with a gentleman in black clothes standing on the illuminated steps. This immediately indicates the presence of another space outside the room, visually expanding its dimensions, depriving it of two-dimensionality.

The whole image is slightly shifted to the side due to the canvas facing us with the back side. The artist stands in front of the canvas - this is Velasquez himself. He paints a picture, but not the one that we see in front of us, since the main characters are facing us. These are three different plans. But even this seemed not enough to the master and he added a mirror, which reflects the royal couple - King Philip IV of Spain and his wife Marianna. They lovingly look at their only child at that time - Infanta Margarita.

Although the painting is called Las Meninas, that is, ladies-in-waiting at the Spanish royal court, the center of the image is a little princess, the hope of the whole family of the Spanish Habsburgs at that time. Five-year-old Margarita is calm, self-confident and even arrogant beyond her age. She, without the slightest excitement and change in facial expression, looks at those around her, and her tiny baby body is literally shackled in the hard shell of a magnificent court toilet. She is not embarrassed by noble ladies - her meninas - who squat before her in a deep bow in accordance with the severe etiquette adopted at the Spanish court. She is not even interested in the palace dwarf and the jester who put his foot on a large dog lying in the foreground. This little girl carries herself with all possible grandeur, personifying the centuries-old Spanish monarchy.

The background of the room seems to dissolve in a light grayish haze, but all the details of the complex outfit of little Margarita are written out with the smallest details. The artist did not forget himself. Before us appears an imposing middle-aged man, with lush curly locks, in black silk clothes and with a cross of Sant'Iago on his chest. Because of this distinction, which only a full-blooded Spaniard could receive without a drop of Jewish or Moorish blood, a little legend arose. Since the artist received the cross only three years after painting the canvas, it is believed that the king of Spain himself completed it.

El Greco, Burial of the Count of Orgaz

Painting - Burial of Count Orgaz
Year of creation - 1586-1588.
Canvas, oil. 480 x 360 cm.
Church of Sao Tome, Toledo

The most famous picture the great and mysterious El Greco belongs to the heyday of his work. By this time, the artist had already developed his own style of writing, which cannot be confused with the styles of other painters.
In 1586, the master began to decorate the church of Sao Tome in Toledo. The legend of the Toledo saint, Don Gonzal Ruiz, aka Count Orgaz, who lived in the 13th-14th centuries, was chosen as the central plot. A pious devout Christian, he became famous for his charitable work, and when he died in 1312, Saint Stephen himself and Blessed Augustine descended from heaven to give the earth a worthy deceased.
The picture is visually divided into two parts: "earthly" and "heavenly". The strict rhythm of the lower "floor" is opposed to the baroque "top". And there, at different heavenly levels, the soul of the count is met by John the Baptist, the Virgin Mary, angels and cherubs. Christ sits in the center. The flying angel is highlighted in white - it is he who elevates the count's soul to heaven.
Christ, the angel departed soul and nobleman below form a vertical axis. Geometric lines in the construction of the composition were very characteristic of El Greco.
The expositional climax is shifted to the bottom of the work, to where Stefan and Augustine, bowing down, lower Orgaz into the ground. The saints are dressed in golden outfits, which echo the figure of an angel and the clothes of Peter in the upper zone. Thus, with golden color, the artist connected the heroes of the work, related to the world of heaven, the other world.

The painting was a huge success in Spain at the time of the artist. El Greco was later forgotten and rediscovered by the Impressionists. Expressive emotional work has a huge impact on the viewer. According to eyewitnesses, Salvador Dali even lost consciousness near the canvas. Perhaps this characterization is exhaustive.

Spain. Country bright sun, warm sea and fine wine. This is a country that has given us many famous names in various fields- in sports, cinema, literature. But Spain can also rightfully be proud of its artists. El Greco, Velazquez, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Francisco Goya - they all made an invaluable contribution to the development of world art.

For true connoisseurs of the works of Spanish masters, we offer a 3-day tour of the main museums dedicated to these great people.

1 day. Let's start with the capital and main city of the country - Madrid. Why is he interesting? For example, the fact that here you can find unique works by Francisco Goya. You will be able to visit the church best known as "Goya's Pantheon". It is significant in that the master's frescoes have been preserved on its walls. First of all, you should pay attention to the dome of the church, where Goya depicted an unusual religious story - the resurrection from the dead. In addition, the artist decorated the vaults of the chapel with amazing decorative compositions, in which the central place is given to angels. Also here are the remains of the great painter, transferred from France.

Next stop in Madrid is San Francisco El Grande, the temple late XVIII in. Here you will see the painting "The Sermon of St. Bernardine of Siena", located in the chapel of San Bernardino. It is worth taking a closer look at this work: you will see the image of Goya, captured by him at the very last moment before handing over the work.

The rest of the time you can devote to walking through the cozy streets of Madrid or getting to know national cuisine in one of the many restaurants in the city.

Day 2 Flight to Barcelona. Another city and another, no less famous, artist - Pablo Picasso. It is here that the Picasso Museum is located - the largest collection of works by the master, where you can enjoy his work, and mainly early period(from 1895 to 1904).

It is interesting to note that this collection was originally created by a friend of the artist, Jaime Sabartes, after whose death Picasso personally donated more than 2.5 thousand of his works (engravings, drawings, ceramics) to continue his work.

Day 3 From Barcelona you will go to the wonderful city of Figueres (Spanish: Figueres), where the Theater-Museum of the famous surrealist Salvador Dali is located. The journey will take place by train, which will allow you to enjoy the picturesque views of Catalonia. The museum itself is a unique complex built according to the design of the artist himself on the ruins of the old municipal theater.

As conceived by Dali, it was supposed to be a kind of surreal labyrinth in which visitors could better understand the artist's intentions, as well as break away from the usual reality. In fact, the interior arrangement of the museum combines several architectural styles and various tricks that deceive human vision with the help of optical illusions. In addition, it contains the largest collection of works by the great Spanish genius, not only in painting, but also in sculpture, and even in jewelry.

It is more than beautiful pictures is a reflection of reality. In the works of great artists, you can see how the world and the consciousness of people have changed.

Art is also an attempt to create an alternative reality where you can hide from the horrors of your time, or the desire to change the world. The art of the 20th century rightfully occupies a special place in history. The people who lived and worked in those days survived social upheavals, wars, and the unprecedented development of science; and all this found an imprint on their canvases. Artists of the 20th century took part in creating the modern vision of the world.

Someone's names are still pronounced with a breath, and someone's unfairly forgotten. Someone was so conflicted creative way that we still cannot give him an unambiguous assessment. This review focuses on the 20 greatest artists of the 20th century. Camille Pizarro- french painter. An outstanding representative of impressionism. The artist's work was influenced by John Constable, Camille Corot, Jean Francois Millet.
Born July 10, 1830 in Saint Thomas, died November 13, 1903 in Paris.

Hermitage in Pontoise, 1868

Opera passage in Paris, 1898

Sunset at Varengeville, 1899

Edgar Degas - French artist, one of the greatest impressionists. On the work of Degas, the influence of Japanese graphics was traced. Born July 19, 1834 in Paris, died September 27, 1917 in Paris.

Absinthe, 1876

Star, 1877

Woman combing her hair, 1885

Paul Cezanne - French artist, one of the greatest representatives post-impressionism. In his work, he sought to reveal the harmony and balance of nature. His work had a huge impact on the worldview of artists of the XX century.
Born January 19, 1839 in Aix-en-Provence, France, died October 22, 1906 in Aix-en-Provence.

Gamblers, 1893

Modern Olympia, 1873

Still life with skulls, 1900

Claude Monet- an outstanding French painter. One of the founders of impressionism. In his works, Monet sought to convey the richness and richness of the world around him. His late period is characterized by decorativeism and
The late period of Monet's work is characterized by decorativeism, the increasing dissolution of objective forms in sophisticated combinations of color spots.
Born November 14, 1840 in Paris, died December 5, 1926 in Zhverny.

Welk Cliff at Pourville, 1882

After lunch, 1873-1876

Etretat, sunset, 1883

Arkhip Kuindzhi - famous Russian artist, master of landscape painting. He lost his parents early. FROM early years began to show love for painting. The work of Arkhip Kuindzhi rendered a huge impact to Nicholas Roerich.
Born on January 15, 1841 in Mariupol, died on July 11, 1910 in St. Petersburg.

"Volga", 1890-1895

"North", 1879

"View of the Kremlin from Zamoskvorechye", 1882

Pierre Auguste Renoir - French painter, graphic artist, sculptor, one of the prominent representatives of impressionism. He was also known as a master of secular portraiture. Auguste Rodin became the first impressionist to become popular among wealthy Parisians.
Born February 25, 1841 in Limoges France, died December 2, 1919 in Paris.

Pont des Arts in Paris, 1867

Ball at the Moulin de la Galette, 1876

Jeanne Samary, 1877

Paul Gauguin- French artist, ceramic sculptor, graphic artist. Along with Paul Cezan and Vincent van Gogh, he is one of the most prominent representatives of post-impressionism. The artist lived in poverty because his paintings were not in demand.
Born June 7, 1848 in Paris, died May 8, 1903 on the island of Hiva Oa, French Polynesia.

Breton landscape, 1894

Breton village in the snow, 1888

Are you jealous? 1892

Saints Day, 1894

Wassily Kandinsky - Russian and german artist, poet, art theorist. Considered one of the leaders of the avant-garde of the 1st half of the 20th century. One of the founders of abstract art.
Born November 22, 1866 in Moscow, died December 13, 1944 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.

Couple on horseback, 1918

Motley life, 1907

Moscow 1, 1916

In grey, 1919

Henri Matisse - one of the greatest French artists and sculptors. One of the founders of the Fauvist movement. In his work, he sought to convey emotions through color. In his work, he was influenced by the Islamic culture of the western Maghreb. Born December 31, 1869 in the city of Le Cateau, died November 3, 1954 in the town of Cimiez.

Square in Saint-Tropez, 1904

Outline of Notre Dame at night, 1902

Woman with a hat, 1905

Dance, 1909

Italian, 1919

Portrait of Delectorskaya, 1934

Nicholas Roerich- Russian artist, writer, scientist, mystic. During his life he painted over 7,000 paintings. One of the outstanding cultural figures of the 20th century, the founder of the "Peace through Culture" movement.
Born October 27, 1874 in St. Petersburg, died December 13, 1947 in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Overseas guests, 1901

Great Spirit of the Himalayas, 1923

Message from Shambhala, 1933

Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin - Russian artist, graphic artist, theorist, writer, teacher. Was one of the ideologists of the reorganization art education in the USSR.
Born November 5, 1878 in the city of Khvalynsk, Saratov province, died February 15, 1939 in Leningrad.

"1918 in Petrograd", 1920

"Playing Boys", 1911

Bathing a red horse, 1912

Portrait of Anna Akhmatova

Kazimir Malevich- Russian artist, founder of Suprematism - a trend in abstract art educator, art theorist and philosopher
Born February 23, 1879 in Kyiv, died May 15, 1935 in Moscow.

Rest (Society in top hats), 1908

"Peasant women with buckets", 1912-1913

Black Suprematist square, 1915

Suprematist painting, 1916

On the boulevard, 1903

Pablo Picasso- Spanish painter, sculptor, sculptor, ceramist designer. One of the founders of cubism. The work of Pablo Picasso had a significant impact on the development of painting in the 20th century. According to a poll of readers of Time magazine
Born October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain, died April 8, 1973 in Mougins, France.

Girl on a ball, 1905

Portrait of Ambroise Vallor, 1910

Three Graces

Portrait of Olga

Dance, 1919

Woman with a flower, 1930

Amadeo Modigliani - italian artist, sculptor. One of the brightest representatives of expressionism. During his lifetime, he had only one exhibition in December 1917 in Paris. Born July 12, 1884 in Livorno, Italy, died January 24, 1920 from tuberculosis. World recognition received posthumously Worldwide recognition received posthumously.

Cellist, 1909

Spouses, 1917

Joan Hebuterne, 1918

Mediterranean landscape, 1918

Diego Rivera- Mexican painter, muralist, politician. He was the husband of Frida Kahlo. Leon Trotsky found shelter in their house for a short time.
Born December 8, 1886 in Guanajuato, died December 21, 1957 in Mexico City.

Notre Dame de Paris in the rain, 1909

Woman at the well, 1913

Union of Peasants and Workers, 1924

Detroit industry, 1932

Marc Chagall- Russian and French painter, graphic artist, illustrator, theater artist. One of the greatest representatives of the avant-garde.
Born on June 24, 1887 in the city of Liozno, Mogilev province, died on March 28, 1985 in Saint-Paul-de-Provence.

Anyuta (Portrait of a sister), 1910

Bride with fan, 1911

Me and the village, 1911

Adam and Eve, 1912

Mark Rothko(real Mark Rotkovich) - American artist, one of the founders of abstract expressionism and the founder of color field painting.
The first works of the artist were created in a realistic spirit, however, then by the mid-40s, Mark Rothko turned to surrealism. By 1947, an important turning point occurs in the work of Mark Rothko, he creates own style- abstract expressionism, which departs from subject elements.
Born on September 25, 1903 in the city of Dvinsk (now Daugavpils), died on February 25, 1970 in New York.

Untitled

Number 7 or 11

orange and yellow

Salvador Dali- painter, graphic artist, sculptor, writer, designer, director. Perhaps the most famous representative surrealism and one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.
Designed by Chupa-Chups.
Born May 11, 1904 in Figueres, Spain, died January 23, 1989 in Spain.

Temptation of Saint Anthony, 1946

The Last Supper, 1955

Woman with a Head of Roses, 1935

My wife Gala, naked, looking at her body, 1945

Frida Kahlo - Mexican artist and graphic artist, one of the brightest representatives of surrealism.
Frida Kahlo started painting after a car accident that left her bedridden for a year.
She was married to the famous Mexican communist artist Diego Rivera. Leon Trotsky found refuge in their house for a short time.
Born July 6, 1907 in Coyoacan, Mexico, died July 13, 1954 in Coyoacan.

The Embrace of Universal Love, Earth, Me, Diego and Coatl, 1949

Moses (Creation Core), 1945

Two Fridas, 1939

Andy Warhole(real. Andrey Varhola) - American artist, designer, director, producer, publisher, writer, collector. The founder of pop art, he is one of the most controversial personalities in the history of culture. Several films have been made based on the life of the artist.
Born August 6, 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, died in 1963 in New York.