Vasnetsov Viktor Mikhailovich all paintings. Paintings by Vasnetsov on fairy tales

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

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
In the work of Vasnetsov are clearly represented different genres, which have become stages of a very interesting evolution: from everyday writing to a fairy tale, from easel painting to the monumental, from the earthiness of the Wanderers to the prototype of the Art Nouveau style. On early stage Vasnetsov's works were dominated by everyday subjects, for example, in the paintings From Apartment to Apartment (1876), Military Telegram (1878), Bookshop (1876), Booths in Paris (1877). Later, the epic-historical becomes the main direction - “The Knight at the Crossroads” (1882), “After the Battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsians” (1880), “Alyonushka” (1881), “Ivan Tsarevich on gray wolf"(1889), "Heroes" (1881-1898), "Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible" (1897). In the late 1890s, a religious theme occupied an increasingly prominent place in his work (works in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev and in the Church of the Resurrection (Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood) in St. Petersburg, watercolor drawings and, in general, preparatory originals of wall painting for the Cathedral of St. Vsky in Sofia, collaborated with artists M. V. Nesterov, I. G. Blinov and others.

Viktor Vasnetsov. Alyonushka.
1881. Oil on canvas. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

An important role in the life of the artist was played by his acquaintance with the Moscow family of a major industrialist and entrepreneur, the famous philanthropist Savva Ivanovich Mamontov, who managed to unite the largest Russian artists around him into a commonwealth, later called the Abramtsevo Circle. Musical evenings, staging live pictures and evening readings dramatic works and monuments of folk epics, conversations about the problems of art and the exchange of news side by side in the Mamontovs' house with lectures by the historian Vasily Klyuchevsky about the past of Russia. In the mammoth community Vasnetsov with new force felt the aesthetic value of Russian culture..

If the portraits of loved ones helped Vasnetsov in creating the ideal of national beauty, the national type, then in Abramtsevo and its environs with their oak, spruce, birch forests and groves characteristic of central Russia, the Vorey river, whimsically winding with dark backwaters, ponds overgrown with sedge, deaf ravines and cheerful lawns and hillocks, a type of national landscape was developed.

Here, many of the artist's works were conceived and implemented in whole or in part. Alyonushka was also painted here, a picture in which Vasnetsov most fully and soulfully embodied the lyrical poetry of his native people. “Alyonushka,” the artist later said, “as if she had been living in my head for a long time, but in reality I saw her in Akhtyrka when I met one simple-haired girl who struck my imagination. There was so much melancholy, loneliness and purely Russian sadness in her eyes ... Some kind of special Russian spirit emanated from her. "Vasnetsov turned to the tale of Alyonushka and her brother Ivanushka, in his own way, creatively translating it into painting. By folk tales, nature comes to life at the end of the day, gaining the ability to feel in harmony with man. Similar feelings in to a large extent were inherent in the artist himself, which is why the state of nature in Alyonushka was so organically coordinated with the feelings of the heroine. The figure of Alyonushka, thinking about her bitter fate, is echoed, as it were, by the pale gray sky, and the surface of the pool, frightening with its darkness, with yellow leaves frozen on it, and the faded gray tones of the drooping foliage of the aspens, and the dark deep green of the Christmas trees.

Viktor Vasnetsov. Archangel Michael defeats the devil.
1914-1915. Canvas, oil. 292.2 x 129. House-Museum of V.M.Vasnetsov, Moscow, Russia.

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov had a deep knowledge of complex Orthodox symbolism. Like many generations of the Vasnetsovs, he studied at the theological seminary. Later, he used the acquired knowledge in monumental painting and in his temple paintings. Just as pagan and Christian beliefs were intricately intertwined in the minds of the people, the artist managed to reconcile these two worldviews in his paintings.

The painting "Archangel Michael" was preceded by the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv, sketches of paintings for St. George's Church in Gus-Khrustalny, for the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg, for the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, by order royal family for the church of st. Magdalene in Darmstadt. A believer, Viktor Vasnetsov saw his true calling in working for the church.

In 1915-1916, at the 13th exhibition of the Union of Russian Artists, Vasnetsov presented a large canvas, Archangel Michael. This majestic and formidable image is widespread in religious art. Archangel Michael (in Greek - the supreme commander) is dressed in chain mail and armed with a sword, shield or spear, or both. Wings spread behind his back testify to his angelic nature, belonging to the heavenly Hierarchy. Satan - either in half-human form or in the form of a dragon - is prostrate under the feet of the Saint, who is ready to kill him.

In Rus', Archangel Michael has always been considered the patron saint of warriors fighting for a just cause. Often his winged figure adorned the helmets of the ancient Russian army.

In the Old Testament, Archangel Michael is one of the seven archangels of the Lord, the guardian angel of Israel, his name comes from the Hebrew "who is like God." Christian tradition describes him as standing at the head of a host of heavenly angels, the protector of the world from the prince of darkness. Michael led the heavenly host to victory over Lucifer and the fallen angels. In the Book of Revelation (12:7-9) it is written like this: “And there was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought against them, but they did not stand, and there was no longer a place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was cast down, the ancient serpent (...) "

Viktor Vasnetsov. Heroes (Three heroes).
1898. Oil on canvas. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

Already during his studies at the Academy of Arts, Vasnetsov's attraction to folk origins was manifested. In those years, he completed about two hundred illustrations for the "Folk Alphabet", "Soldier's Alphabet" by Stolpyansky, and "Russian Alphabet for Children" by Vodovozov. He illustrated the fairy tales "Humpbacked Horse", "Firebird" and others. In 1871, a pencil sketch of the future famous painting"Heroes", and since then this story has not left the artist.

In the spring of 1876, Vasnetsov left for Paris for a year, where I.E. Repin and V.D. Polenov. Thanks to Repin, Vasnetsov, upon his arrival in Paris, was immediately involved in the study and understanding of the intense, filled with sharp struggle artistic life French capital. Disputes, heated debates started at exhibitions were transferred to the workshop of A.P. Bogolyubov, where Russian painters often gathered. All this intensively inspired Russian artists to think about a national school of painting. Repin's Parisian canvas "Sadko in the Underwater Kingdom" (1876), where Vasnetsov posed for Sadko, although he remained single in this subject, clearly spoke of the possible paths of national searches. In turn, Vasnetsov, having once entered Polenov's Parisian studio, quickly wrote the famous sketch of "Bogatyrs" (1876), splashing out his "dream" about epic Russian history as a fully mature and established one. Vasnetsov presented this sketch to Polenov, but he agreed to accept the gift only after the large canvas was completed. This event took place in 1898, and since that time the sketch has been in the collection of Polenov's paintings in the museum organized by him.

At the beginning of 1885, Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov received from A.V. Prakhov, an invitation to take part in the painting of the newly built Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. Vasnetsov had a peculiarity that more than once surprised the people around him. He could simultaneously perform a wide variety of seemingly incompatible tasks. So, in the midst of hard work on the murals of the Vladimir Cathedral, he found time to reflect on the huge canvas "Bogatyrs", which he brought with him from Moscow to Kiev, and to work on the painting "Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf", which he showed in 1889 at the exhibition of the Association of Wanderers in St. Petersburg; performed theater sketches and did book illustrations, not to mention the numerous landscapes and portraits painted by him during the years of "sitting in Kyiv".

Viktor Vasnetsov. Ivan Tsarevich on a gray wolf.
1889. Oil on canvas. 249 x 187. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

It so happened that almost three decades passed between the first pencil sketch (1871), more than two decades - between the Parisian sketch and the canvas "Bogatyrs" (1898), crowning the heroic cycle of the painter's works.

“I worked on the Bogatyrs, maybe not always with due intensity ... but they were always relentlessly in front of me, my heart was always drawn to them and my hand reached out! They ... were my creative duty, an obligation to my native people ...”, the artist recalled.

"Bogatyrs" - the largest, most significant picture of Viktor Vasnetsov - is a powerful epic song of Russia, its great past - a picture designed to express the spirit of the Russian people.

Vasnetsov "breathed Russian antiquity, the Russian ancient world, the Russian ancient warehouse, feeling and mind," critic V. Stasov noted. And here the artist demonstrates his deep understanding of Ancient Rus', the characters of the ancient Russians.

In accordance with epic images Vasnetsov developed the characters of his characters. In the center - Ilya Muromets. Ilya Muromets is simple and powerful, he feels calm, confident strength and wisdom life experience. Strong in body, he, despite his formidable appearance - in one hand, tensely raised to his eyes, he has a club, in the other a spear - is full of "goodness, generosity and good nature." The bogatyr on the right, the youngest, "brave" - ​​Alyosha Popovich. A young handsome man, full of courage and courage, he is a "guy soul", a great inventor, singer and harpman, he has a bow and a spear in his hands, and a harp is attached to the saddle. The third hero - Dobrynya Nikitich - in accordance with the epics is representative and majestic. Fine facial features emphasize Dobrynya's "knowledge", his knowledge, culture, thoughtfulness and foresight. He can carry out the most complex assignments that require the resourcefulness of the mind and diplomatic tact.

Heroes, as was customary in realistic painting and according to the creative principle of Vasnetsov, are specific, historically accurate costumes, weapons, chain mail, stirrups. Bogatyrs are endowed with a memorable appearance, bright features character. Only these characters are not genre, but heroic.

You see the heroes at once all together. They are filed, as it were, from below, from the ground, and from this they look solemn, monumental, personify the strength of the people.

The artist did not stint on the details, every detail in the picture has its own meaning. Bogatyrs stand on the border of the field and the forest. An excellent master of the "inspired" landscape, Vasnetsov brilliantly conveys the state of nature, consonant with the mood of the heroes. And the movements of the horses, horse manes fluttering in the wind, are echoed by yellow feather grass. Heavy white clouds swirl in the sky. The free wind collects them in clouds, walks on the land scorched by the sun. A bird of prey hovering over the edge of the forest and gray imperial eagles add an additional intonation of danger. But the whole appearance of the heroes speaks of the reliability of these defenders of the Russian land.

In ancient epics and songs, most often the hero is not only a warrior, but also a charitable person, "a hero in humility, in squalor." Such are the heroes of Vasnetsov, people's saints.

The very painting of Vasnetsov in "Bogatyrs", its monumental forms, noble decorative qualities moved to a different than before, counting the merits in art, to the birth of new conquests of his "revelations and secrets". It can be said that Russian painting of the twentieth century came out of Vasnetsov's Bogatyrs.

In April 1898 Vasnetsov was visited by Pavel Tretyakov. For several minutes he silently stared at the picture that covered the entire right wall of the artist's studio, and the issue of acquiring "Bogatyrs" for the gallery was resolved. The painting took its toll permanent place in the Tretyakov Gallery. It was one of the last acquisitions of Pavel Mikhailovich.

With the end of the picture, the thought of personal exhibition artist. Such an exhibition was organized in March-April 1899 at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. It featured thirty-eight works of art. The center was the most "capital", according to Stasov, the work - "Bogatyrs". 

Viktor Vasnetsov. Knight at the crossroads.
1882. Oil on canvas. 167x299.
State Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Pencil sketches and sketches for the painting appeared in the early 1870s. In 1877, Vasnetsov wrote the sketch "Warrior in a helmet with chain mail" from his brother Arkady. The plot of the picture arose under the influence of the epic "Ilya Muromets and the robbers."

In 1877, work was completed on the first version of the painting. Vasnetsov exhibits it at the VI Traveling Exhibition of 1878.

The final version of the painting was written in 1882 for Savva Ivanovich Mamontov.

The inscription on the stone corresponds to the epic texts, but is not completely visible. In a letter to Vladimir Stasov, Vasnetsov writes:

“It is written on the stone: “How to go straight - I live not to be - there is no way for either a passer-by, or a passer-by, or a span.” The following inscriptions: “to the right to go - to be married; go to the left - be rich" - they are not visible on the stone, I hid them under the moss and erased part of them. These inscriptions were found by me in public library with your kind assistance."

Critic Stasov praised the picture.

In the initial sketches, the knight was turned to face the viewer. IN latest version the size of the canvas was increased, the composition was flattened, the figure of the knight became more monumental. In the initial versions of the painting, there was a road, but Vasnetsov removed it in the 1882 version for greater emotionality, so that there was no other way out than indicated on the stone.

Vasnetsov also addressed the epic theme in the early watercolor Bogatyr (1870) and more. late paintings"Bogatyrs" (1898) and "Bogatyrsky lope" (1914)

The pictures are painted in oil on canvas. The 1882 version is kept in the State Russian Museum. The 1878 version is kept in the Serpukhov Historical and Art Museum.

The plot of "The Knight at the Crossroads" is reproduced on the artist's tombstone at the Vvedensky cemetery.

Viktor Vasnetsov. Warriors of the Apocalypse.
1887. Oil on canvas. Sketch of the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. State Museum history of religion, St. Petersburg, Russia.

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" is a term describing four characters from the sixth chapter of the Revelation of John the Evangelist, the last of the books of the New Testament. Scholars still disagree about what exactly each horseman represents, but they are often referred to as the Conqueror (Antichrist), War, Famine, and Death. God calls them and empowers them to sow holy chaos and destruction in the world. Horsemen appear strictly one after another, each with the opening of the next of the first four of the seven seals of the book of Revelation.
Riders

The appearance of each of the horsemen is preceded by the removal of the seals from the Book of Life by the Lamb. After removing each first four Tetramorphs exclaim to John - “come and see” - and the apocalyptic horsemen appear in front of him in turn.
Rider on a white horse

And I saw the Lamb break the first of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four beasts say as it were with a voice of thunder, Come and see. I looked, and behold, a white horse, and on it a rider who had a bow, and a crown was given to him; and he went forth victorious, and to conquer. — Revelation 6:1-2

The white color of the horse is usually seen as the personification of either evil or righteousness.
Rider on a red horse

And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second animal say, come and see. And another horse came out, red; and it was given to him that sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and a great sword was given to him. — Revelation 6:3-4

The second rider is usually called the War (“Swearing”), and he administers judgment in the name of God himself. He often represents war. His horse is red, in some translations - "fiery" red or red. This color, like the great sword in the hands of the rider, means the blood shed on the battlefield. The second horseman can also personify a civil war, as if in contrast to the conquest that the first horseman can personify.

In the opinion of St. Andrew, Archbishop of Caesarea, this refers to the apostolic teaching preached by the martyrs and teachers. By this teaching, after the spread of the sermon, nature was divided into itself, the peace of the world was broken, for Christ said "I did not come to bring peace (on earth), but a sword" (Matthew 10:34). Through the confession of this teaching, the victims of the martyrs were raised up on the highest altar. The red horse means either shed blood, or the jealousy of the heart of the martyrs for the name of Christ. The words “it is given to him who sits on it to take peace from the earth” point to the wise will of God, which sends trials for the faithful in misfortunes.
Rider on a black horse

And when He opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. I looked, and behold, a black horse, and a rider on it, having a measure in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four animals, saying: A quinix of wheat for a denarius, and three quinixes of barley for a denarius; Thou shalt not break the oil and the wine." - Revelation 6:5-6

The third rider rides a black horse and is generally considered to represent hunger. The black color of the horse can be seen as the color of death. The rider carries a measure or scales in his hand, signifying the method of dividing bread during a famine.

Of all the four horsemen, black is the only one whose appearance is accompanied by a spoken phrase. John hears a voice coming from one of the four animals, which speaks of the price of barley and wheat, while speaking of the undamaged oil and wine, it is understood that due to the famine rushing by the black horseman, the price of grain will rise sharply, but the price of wine and oil will not change. This can naturally be explained by the fact that cereals tolerate drought worse than olive trees and vine bushes, which take deep roots. This saying can also mean an abundance of luxury items with an almost complete depletion of essential goods such as bread. On the other hand, the preservation of wine and oil can symbolize the preservation of Christian believers who use wine and oil for communion.

The black horse can also mean crying for those who have fallen away from faith in Christ because of the severity of the torment. Libra is a comparison of those who have fallen away from the faith, either because of the inclination and fickleness of the mind, or because of vanity, or because of the weakness of the body. A measure of wheat per dinar, perhaps, means sensual hunger. In a figurative sense, the measure of wheat, estimated by a denarius, means all those who have legally labored and preserved the image of God given to them. Three measures of barley may be those who, for lack of courage, submitted to the persecutors because of fear, but then brought repentance.
Rider on a pale horse

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

The fourth and final horseman is called Death. Among all the riders, this one is the only one whose name appears directly in the text. However, it is also called differently: "Plague", "Pestilence", based on various translations of the Bible (for example, the Jerusalem Bible). Also, unlike the rest of the riders, it is not described whether the last rider carries any object in his hand. But hell follows. However, he is often depicted in illustrations carrying a scythe, or sword, in his hands.

The color of the horse of the last rider is described as khl?ros (??????) in Koine, which translates as "pale", but translations are also possible as "ashy", "pale green" and "yellow green". This color represents the pallor of the corpse. Other real suits, such as mouse, piebald, may also be suitable for this color.

In some translations, power is not given to him, but power is given to them, which can be interpreted in two ways: either given to them is Death and Hell, or it can sum up the destiny of all horsemen; Scholars here disagree.

Viktor Vasnetsov. Gamayun, a prophetic bird.
1897. Oil on canvas. 200x150.
Dagestan Art Museum, Makhachkala, Russia.

Gamayu? n - by Slavic mythology a prophetic bird, the messenger of the god Veles, his herald, singing divine hymns to people and foreshadowing the future for those who can hear the secret. Gamayun knows everything in the world about the origin of the earth and sky, gods and heroes, people and monsters, birds and animals. When Gamayun flies from sunrise, a deadly storm comes.

Initially - from eastern (Persian) mythology. Depicted with a female head and chest.

The collection of myths "Songs of the bird Gamayun" tells about the initial events in Slavic mythology - the creation of the world and the birth of pagan gods.

The word "gamayun" comes from "gamayunit" - to lull (obviously, because these legends also served as bedtime stories for children). In the mythology of the ancient Iranians there is an analogue - the bird of joy Humayun. "Songs" are divided into chapters - "Tangles".

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov was the first among painters to turn to epic-fairy stories, convinced that "in fairy tales, songs, epic stories, drama and other things, the whole whole image of the people, internal and external, with the past and present, and maybe the future, is reflected."

"Carpet-flying" - the very first fabulous picture Vasnetsov, written by him after the famous painting "After the Battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsy".

Vasnetsov chose an unseen for visual arts motive. He expressed the people's long-standing dream of free flight, giving the picture a poetic sound. In the wonderful sky of his childhood, Vasnetsov depicted a magic carpet soaring like a fabulous bird. The victorious hero in elegant attire proudly stands on the carpet, holding by the golden ring a cage with the obtained Firebird, from which an unearthly radiance emanates. Everything is executed in bright colors and speaks of the brilliant decorative abilities of the young artist. Vasnetsov appeared here as a master of subtle landscape-mood. The earth goes to sleep. Coastal bushes are reflected in the river, and these reflections, and fog, and the light of the moon evoke lyrical feelings.

This painting was commissioned to Vasnetsov by Savva Ivanovich Mamontov, a major industrialist and philanthropist, who contributed to the unity of talented people in a creative artistic union, called the Abramtsevo circle. Being the chairman of the board of the Donetsk railway, he ordered the artist three canvases, which were supposed to decorate the premises of the government office with paintings that serve as fabulous illustrations to the awakening of a new railway in the rich Donetsk region. One of the themes of the paintings was "Flying Carpet" - a fabulously fast vehicle.

“Through questions and conversations, having found out what I dream about,” the artist later said, “Savva Ivanovich suggested that, supposedly for the walls of the board of the future road, I simply write what I wanted.” The board did not agree to have the paintings, considering them inappropriate for the office space, and then Mamontov bought two canvases himself - "Flying Carpet" and "Three Princesses of the Underworld", and his brother purchased "Battle of the Scythians with the Slavs".

"Flying Carpet" was shown at the VIII exhibition of the Wanderers, causing a storm of magazine, newspaper and audience disputes. None of the leading Wanderers listened to such polar opinions, often coming from the same circle, regarding their work. It cannot be said that Viktor Mikhailovich was indifferent to both popularity and criticism. But the inner strength felt by everyone in him, as it were, raised him above both praise and blasphemy. He was called "a true hero of Russian painting."

Later, Vasnetsov again refers to this plot when working on his "Poem of Seven Fairy Tales". Here Ivan is depicted with his betrothed Elena the Beautiful (in the variants of fairy tales - Elena the Wise, Vasilisa the Beautiful, etc.) The picture is full of romanticism and tenderness. Loving hearts unite, and the heroes, after many trials, finally find each other.

The “Poem of Seven Tales” includes seven paintings: the Sleeping Princess, Baba Yaga, the Frog Princess, Kashchei the Immortal, the Nesmeyana Princess, Sivka Burka, and the Flying Carpet. These paintings were created by the artist exclusively for the soul, and at present they are an adornment of the V.M. Vasnetsov Memorial House-Museum in Moscow.

Flying carpets have been known in literature almost since biblical times. Although the idea dominated Middle Eastern literature, the popularity of the tales of the Thousand and One Nights carried it into Western civilization. IN different options flying carpet is also found in Russian fairy tales.

Viktor Vasnetsov. After the battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsians.
1880. Oil on canvas. 205 x 390. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

In 1880, Vasnetsov completed one of his most significant paintings - "After the Battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsians." For the audience, everything was new in this picture, and the new is not accepted immediately. "In front of my picture they stand more with their backs," Viktor Mikhailovich grieved. But I. Kramskoy, who quite recently persuaded Vasnetsov not to leave household genre, called "After the battle ..." "an amazing thing ... which will not soon be truly understood." The artist and outstanding teacher Pavel Petrovich Chistyakov understood the essence of the picture more deeply than anyone, he felt Ancient Rus' itself in it and in a letter to Viktor Mikhailovich exclaimed excitedly: "I smelled of an original Russian spirit!"

The theme of the picture was the field after the battle and the death of the regiments of Igor Svyatoslavich, who became a heroic outpost on the frontiers native land when "Igor's banners fell and the Russians perished on an unknown field." The graphic rhythm of the picture is close to the epic sound of "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". In the tragic pathos of death, Vasnetsov wanted to express the greatness and selflessness of feelings, to create an enlightened tragedy. The bodies of not dead warriors were scattered on the battlefield, but, as in Russian folklore, "forever asleep." In restrainedly strict poses and faces of the fallen, Vasnetsov emphasizes significance and majestic calmness. Corresponds to the "Word" and the nature of the picturesque images recreated by Vasnetsov. They are majestic and sublimely heroic. A penetratingly lyrical note in the solemn structure of the picture sounds the image of a beautiful youth-prince, inspired by the description of the death of the young prince Rostislav. The poetic stanzas of the Word about the death of the courageous Izyaslav are inspired by the image of the hero resting nearby - the embodiment of the valor and greatness of the Russian army. For the picture, the artist used everything that appeared before him in the Historical Museum, when he studied here the decorated ancient armor, weapons, and clothes. Their forms, patterning and ornamentation create beautiful additional motifs of the decorative composition on the Vasnetsov canvas, helping to convey the aroma of an epic tale.

The Vasnetsov canvas was shown at the VIII exhibition of the Wanderers, and opinions about it were divided. Differences in the assessment of the picture for the first time marked the difference in views among the Wanderers on the essence of the Russian artistic process and further ways of development of Russian art. For Repin, who unconditionally accepted Vasnetsov's painting, it was "an extraordinarily wonderful, new and deeply poetic thing. Such things have never happened before in the Russian school" "1. But other artists, for example, Grigory Myasoedov, who saw the tasks of realistic art in the genre-everyday reproduction of reality and the truthful and accurate reflection of life and types in a historical plot, not only did not accept the painting, but also strongly protested against accepting it for the exhibition. However Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov did not pass by the canvas and bought it for his gallery from the VIII exhibition of the Wanderers.

Viktor Vasnetsov. Sirin and Alkonost. Bird of Joy and Bird of Sorrow.
1896. Oil on canvas. 133 x 250. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

Alkono?st (alkonst, alkonos) - in Russian and Byzantine medieval legends, the bird of paradise-maiden of the sun god Khors, bringing happiness, in apocrypha and legends, a bird of light sadness and sadness. The image of Alkonost goes back to the Greek myth of Alcyone, who was turned by the gods into a kingfisher. This fabulous bird of paradise became known from monuments ancient Russian literature(Palea of ​​the 14th century, alphabet books of the 16th-17th centuries) and popular prints.

According to the legend of the 17th century, Alkonost is near paradise, and when he sings, he does not feel himself. Alkonost consoles the saints with his singing, proclaiming to them future life. Alkonost lays eggs on the seashore and, plunging them into the depths of the sea, makes it calm for 7 days. The singing of Alkonost is so beautiful that the one who hears it forgets about everything in the world.

Alkonost is depicted in Russian popular prints as a half-woman, half-bird with large multi-colored feathers (wings), human hands and body. A maiden's head, overshadowed by a crown and a halo, in which a brief inscription is sometimes placed. He holds heavenly flowers or an unfolded scroll with an explanatory inscription in his hands. In some descriptions of Alkonost, the Euphranius River is mentioned as his habitat.

There is a caption under one of the popular prints depicting her: “Alkonost stays near paradise, sometimes it happens on the Euphrates River. When in singing he emits a voice, then he does not feel himself. And whoever is close then will forget everything in the world: then the mind departs from him, and the soul leaves the body. Only the Sirin bird can compare with Alkonost in sweetness.

The legend about the Alkonost bird echoes the legend about the Sirin bird and even partially repeats it. The origins of these images should be sought in the myth of the sirens.

Si?rin [from Greek. seir?n, cf. siren] - bird-maiden. In Russian spiritual verses, she, descending from paradise to earth, enchants people with singing, in Western European legends she is the embodiment of an unfortunate soul. Derived from the Greek sirens. In Slavic mythology, a wonderful bird whose singing disperses sadness and melancholy; is only for happy people. Sirin is one of the birds of paradise, even its very name is consonant with the name of paradise: Iriy. However, these are by no means bright Alkonost and Gamayun. Sirin is a dark bird, a dark force, a messenger of the ruler of the underworld.

1879. First version. Canvas, oil. 152.7 x 165.2. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

In 1880-1881, Savva Mamontov ordered three paintings from Viktor Vasnetsov for the office of the board of the Donetsk railway. Vasnetsov wrote "Three Princesses of the Underworld", "Flying Carpet" and "Battle of the Scythians with the Slavs". A fairy tale is taken as the basis of the picture. The painting “Three princesses of the underworld” personifies the richness of the bowels of the Donbass, for which the plot of the fairy tale is slightly changed - it depicts the princess of coal. Members of the board did not accept Vasnetsov's work on a fairy tale theme as inappropriate for the office space. In 1884, Vasnetsov wrote another version of the painting, while slightly changing the composition and color. The painting is acquired by the Kyiv collector and philanthropist I.N. Tereshchenko. In the new version, the position of the hands of the princess of coal has changed, now they lie along the body, which gives the figure calmness and majesty. In the painting "Three princesses of the underworld" one of the characters - the third, younger princess - will receive further development V female images. The hidden spiritual sadness of this humbly proud girl will be found both in his portraits and in fictional images.

Three princesses of the underworld.
1884. The second option. Canvas, oil. 173 x 295. Museum of Russian Art, Kyiv, Ukraine.

V.M. Vasnetsov and the religious-national trend in Russian painting of the end XIX-beginning XX centuries

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov is loved by many as an artist of Russian epics and fairy tales, who managed to penetrate their wonderful, full of mysteries, world. But few people remember that Vasnetsov also expressed his selfless devotion to the Fatherland in religious painting, where he sang the glory of the Russian land - the guardian of Orthodoxy.

Viktor Vasnetsov was born on May 3/15, 1848 in the village of Lopyal, Vyatka province, into the family of a priest who, according to the artist, "infused into our souls a living, indestructible idea of ​​the Living, truly existing God!"

After studying at the Vyatka Theological Seminary (1862-1867), Vasnetsov entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, where he seriously thought about the place of Russian art in world culture.

In 1879, Vasnetsov joined the Mamontov circle, whose members arranged readings in the winter, painted and staged performances in the house of the outstanding philanthropist Savva Mamontov on Spasskaya-Sadovaya Street, and in the summer went to his country estate Abramtsevo.

In Abramtsevo, Vasnetsov took the first steps towards a religious-national direction: he designed a church in the name of the Savior Not Made by Hands (1881-1882) and painted a number of icons for it.

The best was the icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh is not canonical, but deeply felt, taken from the very heart, dearly loved and revered image of a humble wise old man. Behind him stretch the boundless expanses of Rus', you can see the monastery he founded, and in the sky - the image of the Holy Trinity.

In 1885, the famous historian and artist, professor of St. Petersburg University, A.V. Prakhov invited Vasnetsov to paint icons and paint the main nave of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. The artist accepted this order as an opportunity to serve God and fulfill his duty. He plunged headlong into the work that E.G. Mamontova, the wife of a philanthropist, called "the path to the light."

The author of the painting project, Prakhov, believed that the interior decoration of the cathedral should give it "the significance of a monument of Russian art" and embody "an ideal that inspires the generation," so Vasnetsov was entrusted with a special mission - the creation of new painting, which pictorially expressed the religious, ethical and aesthetic ideals of the time.

The central place in the work of Vasnetsov belongs to the image of the Savior. While working on the image of the Almighty in the dome of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv, the artist treated with particular care the search for a worthy form to convey a deep spiritual content. In a letter to E. G. Mamontova, he wrote: "... I truly believe that it is the Russian artist who is destined to find the image of the World Christ."

After analyzing the iconographic achievements of past times, Vasnetsov noted the obvious prosperity of Russian artists, and also singled out "Christ of Ravenna and Palermo", the "personal" image created by Leonardo da Vinci and Titian, the "completely impersonal" Raphael and Michelangelo, and he called the image of Christ in the paintings of I. Kramskoy, N. Ge and V. Polenov "folk". The best example in Europe over the past century, combining Byzantine and folk features, Vasnetsov considered the image of Christ created by A.A. Ivanov.

Vasnetsov's work was crowned with success. The face of the Kyiv Almighty is comparable to the mosaic images in Sophia Cathedral(2nd half of the 13th century) and the Church of Chora (14th century) in Constantinople. They are united by a single state - spiritual calmness, but in general the compositions differ.

The figure of Christ in the dome of the Vladimir Cathedral is covered by vortex dynamics, which gave the image a vivid expressiveness. General movement begins in the image of ribbon-like clouds, then develops in a spiral in the folds of the himation and reaches its highest point in the closed fingers of Christ's right hand. All expression comes down to this point - the blessing of the Lord - the key point of iconography. Blessing people from heaven, Christ calls them to embark on the true path to gain eternal life. This is evidenced by the opened Gospel with the text "I am the light of the whole world. Walk on me, not have to walk in darkness, but have the light of the animal" (John 13-46) in the left hand of the Savior. Metropolitan Hilarion believed that the image in the dome of Vladimir Cathedral concluded main idea throughout the painting - the distribution of the gospel source to believers.

At the beginning of the twentieth century. Vasnetsov performed the mosaic "The Savior Not Made by Hands" on the grave of General Min (Admiral Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich). Later, the artist repeated this icon above the gate with a belfry leading to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in St. Petersburg ("The Savior on the Waters") - a temple-monument to the sailors who died in the Tsushima battle. In this image, Vasnetsov reflected a personal experience for the fate of Russia and its people. The tragedy of the Russo-Japanese War shocked the artist, and he considered the death of the battleship "Petropavlovsk" a catastrophe that "can hardly be endured."

The revolution of 1905 became "the main pain and wound of the soul" of the artist. "May God forgive our sins and help our poor motherland suffering so hard! Send good people! God help the erring to come to their senses!" - wrote the artist after a few days after the "Bloody Sunday".

Vasnetsov's Christ was represented shoulder-to-shouldered in a crown of thorns, in a blood-red chiton, against the backdrop of sunset. His face, marked by unbearable suffering, suggests that the artist depicted a fragment of the scene of the "Crucifixion" and showed the Lord at the moment of his crucifixion. An inextinguishable lampada was burning in front of the icon. The mosaic image has not been preserved. In 1932 the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was blown up. Vasnetsov did not live to see this sad event.

Victor Vasnetsov's contemporaries called him "the creator of the Russian Madonna". The image of the Queen of Heaven sounds like the leitmotif of all his religious work. The first icon of the Mother of God, carrying the Christ Child in front of her, was painted by Vasnetsov for the Abramtsevo Church. Already in this small work, that monumental iconography of the Blessed Virgin is outlined, to which the artist will be faithful until the end of his days, and which can be called "Vasnetsov's". Vasnetsov repeated it, but on a larger scale, in the altar of the Vladimir Cathedral.

The iconography of the Most Holy Theotokos, carrying the Christ Child in her arms and giving Him into the world, was the result of a creative search by Vasnetsov perfect image Mother of God. The preliminary sketch "The Mother of God walks through the clouds, surrounded by seraphim and cherubs" the artist signed as follows: "Quasi una fantasia" ("As if one fantasy").

The artist depicted the Queen of Heaven against a golden background, walking through the clouds towards everyone who entered the temple. With both hands She embraces, as if wishing to protect from the coming evil, the Son, in which the features of the son of the artist Misha are guessed. The wave of his hands - a natural gesture of small children, open to a new world for them, is taken from life: one morning, the wife carried her son out of the house, and the child joyfully reached out to the surrounding nature with his arms. But the face of the Infant Christ is not childishly serious and concentrated.

The whole figure of the Virgin is covered by the same movement as the Almighty in the dome. S. Flerov, correspondent of the Moskovskie Vedomosti newspaper, drew attention to this: “If you raise your eyes to this image (of the Almighty. - V. G.) and then lower them to the image of the Mother of God right in front of you, you will experience an amazing feeling: you will suddenly see that the Mother of God is quietly rushing up, there, to the Savior ... ".

The Mother of God is surrounded by nine cherubs. Their number corresponds to the hour in which the execution of Christ took place. They anxiously look at the Most Pure Virgin and the Child in Her arms, as if foreseeing His fate.

In the image of the Mother of God, Vasnetsov showed the national ideal of motherhood and intercession, "the essence of moral duty and the idea of ​​achievement ... self-denial, which is a national feature of the Russian character with its ideal simplicity in the implementation of the necessary and due."

The altarpiece of the Vladimir Cathedral became Vasnetsov's best ecclesiastical work, "a symbol of his faith in Orthodoxy, in Russia, in its revival." The Mother of God knows that Her Son will become an atoning sacrifice in the name of saving people. Depicted above the altar of the Vladimir Cathedral, She humbly and submissively brings the Child to this altar. Having endured heart anguish at the Crucifixion, mourning the death of Christ, but believing in His resurrection, She became an intercessor for the people. At the Last Judgment, the Most Pure Virgin grieves and asks Christ to have mercy on sinners. This is how the Mother of God is represented in the composition "The Last Judgment" on the western wall of the Vladimir Cathedral. Her eyes are filled with tears, with one hand She clasped her head, the other lightly touches the shoulder of the Son, trying to soften His anger. The image of the Mother of God, engulfed in great sorrow for the people, contributes to the overall dramatic and intense structure of iconography " doomsday"a bright note - hope for the mercy of the Lord and His forgiveness.

Vasnetsov performed three more altar images of the Mother of God for the Russian Church of St. Mary Magdalene Equal-to-the-Apostles in Darmstadt (1901), the St. George Church in Gus-Khrustalny (1895-1904) and the Cathedral of St. Prince Alexander Nevsky in Warsaw (1904-1912).

On the Darmstadt mosaic, the artist presented the Most Holy Theotokos enthroned in the clouds with two angels standing before Her, hovering over a swampy landscape, and in the other two he developed his own compositions of the plot "Rejoices in You ...".

One of them, in the Warsaw Cathedral, reflects Vasnetsov's desire to glorify the centuries-old history of Orthodox Russia. The composition of the sketch is stretched horizontally and divided into the earthly and celestial spheres by long ribbons of clouds. In the center - the Mother of God on the throne, with the Child on her knees. On either side of Her, in the celestial sphere, angels are symmetrically represented, and above Her is a three-domed temple. Below are Orthodox saints according to their hierarchical position. To the right of the Mother of God are representatives of the Ecumenical Church: Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine with a cross and Elena, John of Damascus with the text of the hymn, kneeling Roman the Melodist, Nicholas the Wonderworker, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Athanasius the Great and others. Behind them are the Old Testament prophets. To the left of the Virgin Mary are representatives of the Russian Church: Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir with a cross and Olga, Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves, Sergius of Radonezh, Moscow saints Peter, Jonah and Alexy, Cyril and Methodius, Nestor the Chronicler and others. Behind them are the apostles.

Vasnetsov wrote about the creation of the image of the Mother of God with the Child: "... I do not risk competing with the holy icon painters, but I consider it necessary to seek inspiration from them. "Rejoices in You" - this time the Mother of God with the Child will be sitting, and based on her image I take "Tenderness", which touches me to the depths of my soul. "

In stories from Holy Scripture the artist developed his own iconographic line, based on the rich experience of his predecessors. Vasnetsov created his own "passion cycle", which included: the mosaics "The Crucifixion", "Carrying the Cross", "Descent from the Cross" and "Descent into Hell" on the facade of the Church of the Resurrection and the now lost frescoes "Praying for the Chalice" and "Carrying the Cross" from the Church of the Savior on the Waters in St. Petersburg; painting "Golgotha" for St. George's Church in Gus-Khrustalny.

In these compositions, Vasnetsov merged icon-painting motifs with the techniques of a monumental painting or panel. Striving for maximum authenticity in showing events, the artist often overloaded the plot with narrative details, elements of costume and landscape. But, even taking into account all the shortcomings, Vasnetsov's works attract people with their emotional mood and the ability of the master to convey spiritual meaning the event shown to them. The works of Vasnetsov's "Passion Cycle" are polyphonic. They hear the sound of the steps of the tortured Christ and the ringing of Roman spears ("Carrying the Cross"), the quiet weeping of the Virgin and the unrestrained sobbing of Mary Magdalene ("The Crucifixion"), the jubilation of the righteous and the singing of angels ("The Descent of Christ into Hell").

The iconography of "Golgotha" has no prototypes in ancient Russian painting. The basis of the composition was a creative reworking of the famous plot "The Crucifixion". The composition of "Golgotha" is overflowing with characters, each of which is marked by a special mood from hatred and anger to silent sorrow and despair. All shades of the state of mind of the people who were present during the execution of the Lord are conveyed exclusively by plastic means. The hands of the depicted characters express more emotions than their faces. In the center are the outstretched arms of Christ, resembling the wings of a wounded bird, next to it a broken line depicts a crucified robber, the arms of Mary Magdalene limply lowered to the foot of the cross, raised in an angry exclamation and fists clenched in powerless torment in the crowd.

The pinnacle of Vasnetsov's religious work and Russian church art of the late nineteenth century. can be considered the iconography of the Last Judgment.

The artist addressed the theme of the Day of Judgment twice - in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv and in the St. George Church in Gus-Khrustalny. In terms of artistic expressiveness, Kiev painting surpasses the picture for the Gusev church, for which it was highly appreciated by contemporaries. This once again confirms the idea that Russian society end of XIX - beginning of XX century. needed a new interpretation of the plots of the Holy Scriptures, which was given by Vasnetsov's painting.

The composition of The Last Judgment on the western wall of the Vladimir Cathedral is balanced by a clear ratio of masses and color spots and has a clearly marked center - a semantic knot in which an angel with scales and a scroll is depicted. Vasnetsov uses here his favorite technique of horizontal division of the composition into the heavenly and earthly spheres.

In the heavenly sphere, on the clouds, the Lord is represented with a cross and the Gospel, full of a formidable impulse towards sinners, the Mother of God grieving on His shoulder and the kneeling prophet John the Baptist. They are surrounded by symbols of the evangelists, apostles and angels.

Below, to the right of Christ - the righteous, in prayer looking at heaven, to the left - sinners, overthrown by a chaotic stream into the fiery abyss, from which the Serpent breaks out. Trumpeting angels - the messengers of the Apocalypse - are the connecting links of the upper and lower parts of the composition.

The righteous rising from the graves in clear groups follow St. Macarius of Egypt, the founder of monasticism, and aspire to Christ. Vasnetsov deliberately lengthened the proportions of their bodies, likening burning candles.

The figures of sinners are twisted by a whirlwind of throwing and passions. Among them there are characters in royal and church attire. By this, Vasnetsov showed the equality of all before the Court of God. At the doorway of the temple, the artist placed the figure of a righteous woman looking up, contrasting it with the general chaos of sinners. Here Vasnetsov depicted the moment of parting of souls, one of which goes to the righteous, and the other drowns in a sinful whirlpool. Hands reaching out to each other, mourning faces bring universal human experiences into this grandiose theme.

The contrasting combination of colors: blue at the top, white in the center and blood red at the bottom creates a mystical mood. Here fear, horror, immense sadness and holiness merged together.

Vasnetsov's "Last Judgment" has a strong emotional impact on those in the temple. This is not just a reminder of the coming end of the world. The scene seems to pull the viewer inside and makes you feel what is happening.

The painting was enthusiastically received in society, but Vasnetsov was not satisfied with what had been achieved. He thought over the composition of the next picture for the western wall of St. George's Church for many years, constantly studying the ancient Russian samples of the Apocalypse.

In 1895, having started work on the canvas, he wrote: "The composition is very complex, it must be developed according to the images of the "Court" in ancient Orthodox iconography." Vasnetsov refused the offer of the customer Yu. S. Nechaev-Maltsev to visit Rome again to be inspired by the paintings of Michelangelo and Raphael. He wondered: "Shouldn't we rather avoid seeing them, so as not to succumb to the charms of these great sorcerers in the world of images?" He made 21 preparatory sketches, choosing watercolors for work, with the help of which the coloristic effects of a fresco can be achieved on paper. Vasnetsov painted the final work in oil on canvas. In it, he tried to most accurately reproduce the ancient iconography, but the choice of oil painting technique did not allow him to achieve a successful result in this.

This picture was less expressive than the painting in the Vladimir Cathedral, but it also made a "stunning impression" on the public. “This is not Vasnetsov’s composition, it is the sum of painfully passionate religious fantasies of Christian artists of all times and peoples. Here are the great Italians, and the decadents, and Byzantium, and most importantly, our old Moscow icons.

Another grandiose in scale and design painting in the Vladimir Cathedral deserves attention - "The Only Begotten Son of the Word of God" on the vault. The main idea of ​​the plot is the atonement of human sins by Jesus Christ and the victory of the Lord over death, on which Vasnetsov focused his attention.

The Crucifixion became the central element of his composition. Vasnetsov presented Christ at the moment of death, surrounded by angels covering His body with wings. Two angels support the cross, trying in vain to relieve the suffering of the Lord. The background is a blood-red glow in the sky after the eclipse.

The scene following the "Crucifixion" above the choirs of the cathedral depicts "God the Word" in the form of Emmanuel, sitting on the clouds with a cross and a scroll in his hands, surrounded by a tetramorph. On the scroll are written the words of the prayer "Only begotten Son, the Word of God...". Instead of a mandorla around Christ, Vasnetsov depicted the disk of the rising sun, from which light emanates. This gives the impression that the painting is illuminated from the inside with a tabor, divine light.

On the other side of the "Crucifixion" Vasnetsov unfolded the iconography "God Sabaoth". He addressed her twice - in the Vladimir Cathedral and in the Alexander Nevsky Church in Warsaw.

On the vault of the Vladimir Cathedral, Vasnetsov imagined God the Father sitting on a rainbow in the Universal Cosmos, surrounded by fiery seraphim and angels. The Holy Spirit is depicted in a golden ball on His chest. Host of Vasnetsov is wise, stern and sad. Seraphim reverently bow to Him, angels bow before Him. He is the Creator of the world, who gave His creation to people and sees its defilement. In order to save people who have sinned before Him, He sends His Son with boundless love as an atoning sacrifice and mourns for Him. This is how God the Father is shown on the vault of the Kyiv temple.

This image, with minor changes, was repeated in the plot "The Trinity Lord Himself in Persons" in the Warsaw Cathedral. The painting has been lost, but the preparatory cardboard has been preserved. The image is inscribed in a circle formed by the intertwined wings of seraphim, to the left and right of which a fiery and black seraphim fall. The gray-haired Sabaoth in fluttering white robes sits on a rainbow and blesses in a bishop's way - with both hands. Around His head is an octagonal nimbus, characteristic of the first hypostasis of the Trinity. On the left knee of God the Father sits the youth Christ in a golden tunic and himation with an open Gospel in his hands. He, as before, is endowed with portrait features of the artist's son. Next to Him in the ball is the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.

Unlike the image of God the Father in the Vladimir Cathedral, the Warsaw image is endowed with severity and asceticism, which brings it closer to the ancient renditions.

A special place in the religious work of Vasnetsov is occupied by the images of saints. The artist developed many iconographies, but Russian saints were the best for him.

"In these images - all Ancient Rus', all the religious symbolism of its history: the bishop, St. princess, a lonely monk-chronicler and prince heir to the Varangians..." - wrote about the works of Vasnetsov, his contemporary, art critic S. Makovsky.

The host of ascetics, noble princes, saints and reverends, created in the interior of the Vladimir Cathedral, became a kind of hymn to the entire Christian world and its center - Orthodox Rus'. If the decoration of a medieval temple was called by researchers a "bible for the illiterate", then Vasnetsov's church painting can rightly be called an "encyclopedia of asceticism", and the artist himself - the creator of the gallery of Russian holiness.

The works of Vasnetsov show the saint and the era in which he lived. Unlike the canonical hagiographies, in the hallmarks of which individual episodes are recorded, Vasnetsov's icons convey the spirit of the times. The artist deliberately focused on the transfer of time and place of action, because he wanted his painting to glorify the feat "For the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland", accomplished in Holy Rus'. The images of saints reflect the religious and patriotic worldview of most of Russian society. Here, the religious-national direction proposed by Vasnetsov was fully embodied.

In painting icons, Vasnetsov was guided by hagiographic literature and documentary descriptions. Executed by him on the pillar of the Vladimir Cathedral, the image of St. Alypiy, the Kiev-Pechersk icon painter, fully corresponds to the icon-painting original of the 18th century, but for better recognition Vasnetsov introduced additional narrative details into the iconography. He depicted the saint in an icon-painting workshop, and placed jars of paints at his feet.

These techniques, which are also characteristic of other plots, became decisive in recognizing the saints. Nestor the Chronicler is shown writing in his cell at an open window, behind which a landscape with city towers and churches stretches. Procopius of Christ for the sake of the holy fool is presented against the background of a terrible cloud hanging over Veliky Ustyug, and the enlightener of the Vyatichi Kuksha is depicted with a cross and an open Gospel in his hands, indicating his preaching activity in Vasnetsov's homeland in Vyatka.

Vasnetsov endowed some saints with portrait features of his contemporaries (for example, Prince Vladimir in "The Baptism of Rus'" and "The Baptism of Vladimir" recalls Vladimir Solovyov, famous philosopher and poet of the turn of the XIX-XX centuries). This trend was characteristic of the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, when a portrait became a kind of icon of a particular person, and an icon, on the contrary, a portrait of a saint. But the images of saints, filled with Vasnetsov, still cannot be attributed to such icons. Rather, the artist followed the concept of the "sacred ideal type", to which "the Russian people expressed their ideas about human dignity"and to whom" along with prayer, he turned as models and leaders in his life.

In the icons of Vasnetsov, warmth of the heart ("Procopius of Ustyug", "Sergius of Radonezh"), spiritual wisdom ("Nestor the Chronicler", "Alypy the icon painter"), courage and steadfastness ("Andrei Bogolyubsky", "Princess Olga"), qualities characteristic of Russian saints were found in the icons of Vasnetsov. To enhance the monumentality of the composition, the artist practically abandoned the main and waist images and presented full-length figures with an extremely low horizon line.

Vasnetsov's works are replete with numerous narrative details (books with bookmarks at the feet of Nestor the chronicler, small crutches of Procopius of Ustyug, a rosary and a candle in the hands of St. Evdokia, all kinds of ornaments). National decorative motifs are present even in those works where they are not appropriate at all. For example, in the central iconostasis of the Vladimir Cathedral, Mary Magdalene is shown against the backdrop of epic architecture. Obviously, Vasnetsov's enthusiasm for folk art had an effect here. Brought up in primordially Russian traditions, the artist was imbued with folk art with all his heart. It was this that inspired him to depict the epic images of saints, the real pillars of the Orthodox faith.

The religious painting of Vasnetsov was highly appreciated by his contemporaries. The artist himself was modest and did not talk about his merits. Today, few people know that in 1896 he was awarded the Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir of the 4th degree for painting the Vladimir Cathedral.

On June 13, 1912, Vasnetsov was elevated to the hereditary nobility for his work in the Warsaw Church, and on December 31, 1913, Emperor Nicholas II granted the artist the rank of real state councilor outside the order of service.

The beginning of the First World War was perceived by the artist with great excitement. He felt personally responsible for the fate of Russia and decided to transfer the annual rent of 1,500 rubles assigned to him by the emperor for the needs of the wounded soldiers. "No matter what you say, no matter what you think, but in your soul all the time there is a great unforgettable heavy thought - war!" Vasnetsov wrote.

In 1914, he took part in an exhibition organized by the "Artist to Comrade Soldiers" Committee, which was headed by his brother Apollinary Vasnetsov. He presented the drawing "Vityaz", made by him for the evening of the All-Russian Zemstvo Union of Aid to the Wounded, and the poster painting "Fight of Ivan Tsarevich with the Sea Serpent", painted for the city bazaar for helping the wounded. The image of the glorious knight Ivan Tsarevich, bravely fighting a hated villain, had a strong impact on people who stood up to defend their homeland, because it gave a vivid example of an epic story, an example of courage, stamina and righteousness.

The October Revolution of 1917 introduced big changes into the life of an artist. Vasnetsov did not accept a new political system and called it "social-Pugachevshchina".

In the post-revolutionary years, he lived in Moscow in his house on Troitsky (now Vasnetsovsky) Lane, which he personally designed in 1893-1894. According to the apt remark of F. I. Chaliapin, Vasnetsov's house was "something in between a modern peasant hut and an ancient princely tower."

Here, leading a quiet life, the artist continued to write fairy tales. The magical world of the Russian fairy tale brightened up last years Vasnetsov, and he completely devoted himself to his beloved art.

Throughout his career, the artist turned to the legendary and heroic images of Russian legends, whether it be paintings, illustrations, costumes or scenery. The theme of fabulously epic Rus' sounds like the leitmotif of Vasnetsov's work, while work in churches has become "the work of a lifetime."

July 23, 1926 Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov died suddenly. Shortly before his death, the artist painted a cross with a crucifix for the church of Adrian and Natalia, of which he was a parishioner.

Throughout his life, Vasnetsov, the artist, burned with one desire - to embody the "Russian original spirit" in his works, regardless of their genre. For this, he often deliberately deviated from the rules and canons.

Vasnetsov dreamed of the reunion of the intelligentsia and people who did not understand each other under the vaults of a temple built and decorated to the glory of the Orthodox faith and Russian history. This dream led him to create a unique religious-national direction, which pictorially reflected the aesthetic, ethical and theological aspirations of Russian society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Eclectic in nature, the new direction was based on the national heritage, but expressed exclusively in a new form, the main feature of which was beauty.

Church works by Vasnetsov became an example of the pictorial decoration of Orthodox churches of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, because they reflected not only the teaching Orthodox Church about the Lord, but also the ideas of the believing people about Russia with its heroic history and unique culture, imbued with the light of true faith.

Victoria Olegovna Gusakova,
Head of the cycle "Culture and Art" of the St. Petersburg Cadet Rocket and Artillery Corps,
Ph.D. in History of Arts.

Architecture, like design, fascinated Vasnetsov, the reason for this was his participation in the Abramtsevo artistic mug, which zealously sought to create modern synthetic art. In Abramtsevo, Vasnetsov became an architect. Church of the Savior […]

The canvas "Christ the Almighty" was created by Vasnetsov for 9 years, from 1885 to 1896. The artist depicted the image of Jesus Christ, enclosed in a circle of ideal shape, in the central part of the composition, Vasnetsov […]

State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. The painting "The Shroud" (otherwise it is called "The Laying in the Coffin") was painted by Viktor Vasnetsov in 1901. It depicts the gospel scene of the funeral of the crucified Jesus Christ. In the center of the canvas is depicted Christ […]

1885; watercolor; State Tretyakov Gallery. A connoisseur of Russian folklore, a lover of dramatic fairy tale plots, Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov appears in a role that is not the most familiar to him. Watercolor sketch called "Spring-Red" - not individual work, […]

In 1873 Alexander Ostrovsky wrote his famous play"Snow Maiden", which was staged on the theater stage. Many masters of that time were engaged in the scenery for the production, but the work of Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov occupies a special place. […]

Vasnetsov is known for his artwork on fabulous and epic themes. However, the list of topics of his work is extensive. He painted portraits, paintings on everyday and religious themes. Painting portraits of loved ones helped Vasnetsov create […]

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

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

Seminary and art

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

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

Association of Wanderers

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

Rise and decline

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

Abramtsevo

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

Academy of Arts

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

Variety of creativity

The work of the artist Vasnetsov is distinguished by a variety of styles, which cannot be said about other Russian painters. He created paintings using opposite genres, sometimes incompatible with each other. Paintings of a household nature with real characters were replaced by canvases with fairy tales. And yet a red thread throughout creative period the artist is epic-historical themes. It was in this genre that Vasnetsov created his main masterpieces: "Heroes" (1898), "Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible" (1897), "Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf" (1889), "Alyonushka" (1881), "The Knight at the Crossroads" (1882), "After the Battle of Igor Svyatoslavovich with the Polovtsians" (18 80 year).

Church theme

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

Artist's Civic Projects

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

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

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

Philately

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

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

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

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

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov can truly be called a people's artist. The main direction of his paintings refers to The artist is one of the most famous in the world. There is not a single educated person who does not know the name of Vasnetsov's paintings.

Painting "Ivan Tsarevich on a gray wolf"

The work was written in 1889. Inspired by the story of the same name. The picture depicts a wolf that carries away the Tsarevich and Elena the Beautiful, who was saved by him, from the chase. Ivan cautiously looks around, and the girl, subdued and frightened by what is happening, does not look up.

Attention is attracted by the human look of the wolf. He is full of courage, will and hope for victory. In the fairy tale, the wolf plays the role of a positive character who is a true friend of Ivan Tsarevich. He hovers over the swamps, carrying a couple in love from danger. A blooming apple tree and lilies that grow in the middle of a swampy area seem a little strange. Thus, the author of the canvas sends us to get acquainted with the plot of the fairy tale. After all, it was from the beginning of the adventures of the main characters.

The canvas, like many other works of the artist, is in the Moscow State Tretyakov Gallery. Here you can touch the wonderful world of painting, enjoy amazing works, find out the name of Vasnetsov's paintings. The guides will tell you the story of each painting.

"Heroes"

There is no other artist who would be so devoted to painting, in which Vasnetsov painted pictures. The names of most of them are associated with Russian folk tales and epics. For example, the author has been working on the canvas “Bogatyrs” for about 30 years. Vasnetsov made his first pencil sketch in 1871. It was completed in 1898. Soon P. M. Tretyakov bought it for his gallery.

Three epic heroes look at us from the canvas: Dobrynya Nikitich, Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich. Large figures of warriors symbolize the strength and power of the Russian people. The impressive size of the painting itself (295x446 cm) also contributes to the overall impression.

Dobrynya Nikitich, according to legend, was an educated man with delicate, aristocratic features. He was also credited unusual abilities, it was believed that the armor on his shoulders was charmed from an enemy sword.

Ilya Muromets, located in the middle of the canvas, is not only an epic character, but also a real historical person. His biography and exploits are events that actually happened.

Alyosha Popovich is the youngest and most slender among the heroes. A harp is tied to his saddle, which indicates that he is not only a brave warrior, but also a musician and a merry fellow by nature.

"Alyonushka"

Visit if possible Tretyakov Gallery with kids. own fantasy will easily take the child to a fairy tale, even if it is written in oil. Tell them the name of Vasnetsov's paintings. Children especially like the canvas, which depicts Alyonushka.

The author was inspired to create this work by the fairy tale “About sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka”. Vasnetsov himself said that the image of a very young girl had long settled in his head. The picture was born after he met a similar person in Akhtyrka. Simple haired, modest dressed girl with longing and loneliness in her eyes struck the painter. The original title of the painting is "Fool Alyonushka". In those days, this word did not mean a lack mental capacity, but total orphanhood.

Vasnetsov's paintings are loved and known all over the world. Photos with names are brought from Russia by foreign tourists. Reproductions often decorate the walls of kindergartens and clinics. “Princess Nesmeyana”, “Gamayun”, “The Frog Princess”, “Bookshop”, “Flying Carpet” and many others are not just fairy tales, but the name of the paintings. Vasnetsov did not care about the originality of the name of the canvas. He was more concerned about how much his work could take you to the magical world.