Architect Vasnetsov. Viktor Vasnetsov (artist). The life path and work of the most famous Russian artist of the 19th century. Projects and buildings

“The desire for Russian poetic antiquity, for epics, lay deep in nature Vasnetsova, lay there since childhood, back in my homeland, in Vyatka,” wrote critic Stasov. This is how the Russian folk tale, in the person of Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, finds its artist. He was one of the first who penetrated into the past, embodied it on canvas and showed it to people, making them, as it were, eyewitnesses of events.

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov born in Vyatka province in large family village priest. Vasnetsov's father, himself widely educated person, tried to give children a diverse education. Everyone in the family drew: grandfather, grandmother, brothers. WITH early years Viktor Vasnetsov was imbued with the poetry of folk legends, moreover, he recognized them first hand: “I lived in a village among men and women and simply loved them as my friends and acquaintances, listened to their songs and fairy tales, listened to them while sitting on the stove in the light and the crackle of a torch.” All this laid the moral and spiritual foundations of the personality of the future artist. Vasnetsov received his education at the Theological Seminary. Here he studied chronicles, chronographs, lives of saints, and parables. Old Russian literature and its poetics directed the young man’s interest in Russian antiquity. Later he said: “I have always lived only in Russia.”

Painting classes captivated young Vasnetsov, so much so that he decided to enter the Academy of Arts. With his father's permission and blessing, he left his penultimate year of seminary. An art lottery was organized in the city, at which Vasnetsov’s paintings were raffled off, and with the money raised from the lottery he went to St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg is the center of political, literary and artistic thought– met Viktor Vasnetsov with diversity creative life. Ivan Kramskoy became Vasnetsov’s friend and advisor. But the future painter dropped out of his studies at the Academy. He explained the reason for leaving as follows: “I wanted to paint pictures on themes from Russian epics and fairy tales, but they, the professors, did not understand this desire. So we parted.” The most cherished dream pursued Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov - to tell people the beauty of the Russian folk epic. In his soul, unknown and unseen and unwritten canvases were ripening - fairy tales, epics.

At the beginning of his creative career, Vasnetsov widely covered various phenomena of life, creating works on everyday topics. For a considerable time he created illustrations, to which he was driven by the constant need to earn money. During the years of his life in St. Petersburg, young Vasnetsov created about two hundred illustrations for the “People's ABC”, for the “Russian ABC for Children”, illustrations for books, etc... He reads a lot on Russian history and cultural history, gets acquainted with the monuments of ancient Russian literature, folk poetry and epic. There is an increasingly growing need for expression in the art of fundamental national traits of the Russian people in all their depth and originality.

In 1876 Vasnetsov was in Paris. Like many Russian artists, he sought to go beyond the boundaries of the canons of academic art and the subject matter of the paintings of the Wanderers.

In 1878, Vasnetsov moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow. The monumental city on the Neva did not make much impression on him. And in Moscow, the passion for antiquity arose even more. He later wrote: “A decisive and conscious transition from the genre took place in Moscow with the golden-domed one, of course. When I arrived in Moscow, I felt that I had arrived home and had nowhere else to go - the Kremlin, St. Basil’s made me almost cry, to such an extent all this breathed on my soul as family, unforgettable.” And Vasnetsov plunged into Moscow life. With friends Repin and Polenov, we spent all our free time getting to know the city and its sights. In these walks, according to the painter, he “gained the Moscow spirit.”

Vasnetsov meets the family of Pavel Tretyakov and attends musical evenings in their house. Acquaintance with the famous philanthropist Savva Ivanovich Mamontov played an important role in the artist’s life. A major industrialist and entrepreneur, Mamontov, managed to unite the largest Russian artists around him into a community, later called the Abramtsevo circle. Mamontov had the talent to create a creative atmosphere of search around himself, to infect everyone with new ideas. It was in this society that Vasnetsov felt with renewed vigor the aesthetic value of Russian culture. Friendship with the Tretyakov and Mamontov families finally convinced the artist of the correctness of his chosen path.

Vasnetsov became the discoverer of the wonderful world of folk poetry, introducing the viewer to the kingdom of fairy tales, epics, and historical legends; he found visual means equivalent to epic-fairy-tale speech patterns and images. Skillfully introducing into the paintings the real, but at the same time colored determined by mood the landscape (the blood-red moon rising over the battlefield, drooping grass, forest wilds, etc.) touched deep emotional strings, forcing the viewer to empathize with what was depicted. Vasnetsov’s painting is marked by monumental and decorative features and often gravitates towards symbolism, sometimes as if anticipating works written in the Art Nouveau style.

In the painting “TSIREVICH IVAN ON THE GRAY WOLF” (1889, State Tretyakov Gallery), Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov wonderfully conveyed the anxiety and mystery of the moment. Everything that the artist took from the people is shown simply and naturally, like in a fairy tale. The wisdom of a strong-willed people was reflected in the plot of the fairy tale about the search for a beautiful princess. Overcoming cunning and difficult obstacles, Ivan achieves his cherished goal.

Vasnetsov painted the picture in Kyiv, while working at St. Vladimir Cathedral. He recalled his childhood, the mysterious fabulousness of the dense forest, his beloved, such a magically beautiful Russian folk tale. IN fairy tales Much is taken from the life of nature, in which all human life is connected. In ancient times, there was a cult of the wolf, and in legends it helps the hero; he was often depicted with the wings of birds - he could move so fast - veneration in such tales is associated with the solar element.

When the painting appeared at the exhibition, viewers stood in front of it for a long time. They seemed to hear the rustling of the forest, the rustling of leaves under the wolf’s feet. “I have now returned from a traveling exhibition and I want to express to you what I feel under my first impression,” Savva Mamontov wrote to Vasnetsov. “Your Prince Ivan on the Wolf” delighted me, I forgot everything around me, I went into this forest, I breathed in this air, smelled these flowers. All this is my dear, good! I just came to life! Such is the irresistible effect of true and sincere creativity.” Tretyakov bought the painting, and since then it has been hanging there, in the Vasnetsov Hall, almost opposite “ALENUSHKA”. Vasnetsov embodied the praise of perseverance and endurance of the Russian people, the hymn of bright and strong love in a fairy tale.

Painting “ALENUSHKA” (1881, State Tretyakov Gallery) V.M. Vasnetsova became one of his most touching and poetic creations. In the summer of 1880, the artist lived in the village of Akhtyrka, several places from Abramtsevo. It was here that he became convinced of what he had long felt, that the country’s landscape is an expressive element of national culture. He begins to write landscape sketches that convey the sad state of nature. Alyonushka - the name that captivated him, he gives to the girl who personified the image of almost all the heroines of Russian folklore. Vasnetsov formed her image under the impression of a chance meeting with a simple peasant girl, who struck him with an expression of “purely Russian sadness.” A girl sits on the shore of a dark pool, sadly bowing her head in her hands. In nature, everything around is sad, sympathizes with the heroine. Vasnetsov revealed the subtle connection between human experiences and the state of nature, which is superbly conveyed in folk poetry. Personification of Russian female share, and perhaps even Russia itself. The whole picture is full of a single mood of sorrow, expressing love and compassion for the unfortunate woman. This amazing connection between human experiences and nature, this commonality of images of folk poetry, was sensitively perceived and subtly conveyed by the artist. She became the leitmotif of his painting. The image he created is simple and natural. Such a poor girl could often be seen in the old days. Vasnetsov created a deeply poetic, generalized image in the film, expressing through the means of painting the poetry that is characteristic of Russian fairy tales and songs about bitter fate.

Vasnetsov looked for prototypes of heroes for his paintings in reality. I wrote a sketch for Elena the Beautiful based on Mamontov’s niece, young Natalia Mamontova. He looked for such a similarity in the model that could be expressed through pose and general mood. Vasnetsov's female images are captivating. He wrote only to people close to him. The female image rises to a divine sound; the heavenly and earthly are intertwined in it. Fictional images of heroines and portraits of women close to Vasnetsov: wife, daughters, nieces, Vera and Elizaveta Mamontov from different sides highlight what is called Russian female soul. They are the personification of the Motherland, Russia.

Folk poetic motifs were known to Vasnetsov from a young age; even in Ryabov he heard them from the old woman nanny and in the village. Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov recalled them as a long-gone dear childhood and sweet youth. These motives were close to him and memorable in the subsequent years of his further artistic mastery.

Oral folk art- not only a source of wisdom and beauty, but also faith in heroic greatness and a wonderful future. And Vasnetsov in his canvases shows the strength of the people, the ability to fight, which made the Russian people powerful and great. This is a powerful epic song to Russia, its great past. Defense of the Motherland is one of the main themes of folk art. The warrior, hero, defender of the Russian land is a favorite image of legends, epics and historical songs.

Bylinas - Russians folk songs. If a fairy tale was told, then an epic was sung. They were conveyed to the listener by singer-storytellers in a solemn, stately, slow and calm tone of narration, i.e. chant. These songs glorified the heroes and their exploits. They defended the Russian land, defeated countless hordes of enemies, and overcame any obstacles. In many fairy tales and epics, the hero is faced with a choice of which road to continue on. And he always chooses the path that leads through danger. He fearlessly overcomes all obstacles and emerges victorious.

The painting “VITYAZ AT THE CROSSROADS” was inspired by the epic “Ilya Muromets and the Robbers”. In the thoughts and experiences of the hero one can discern the thoughts of the artist himself about the choice of his future creative path. What is supported general mood paintings, epic landscape.

Epics tell about events of the distant past. They depict battles with the enemies of the Russian land. They preserve the memory of the past of our Motherland. This is real. The hero of the epic, as already mentioned, is a hero. He is distinguished by extraordinary strength, courage and boldness, enormous growth (fiction). The hero embodies the power of the Russian people, he is an ideal hero. Every battle ends with the victory of a Russian warrior. The need to protect the native land is the main idea of ​​the epics. An example would be the following painting. The largest and most significant work, “BOGATYRS” (1898, State Tretyakov Gallery) took more than 20 years to create. Tretyakov acquired the painting. The Vasnetsov Hall was built in the gallery, in which the canvas was hung. It is still there now. Vasnetsov perceived the painting of this picture as a civic duty, an obligation to his native people. It was very difficult and sad to part with her. She was his favorite child, “his heart was always drawn to her, and his hand reached out to her.”

The Bogatyrskaya outpost is on the border of a forest and a field - neither an enemy nor an animal can pass, a bird cannot fly by. Ilya Muromets - “great ataman, peasant son.” His horse is huge, arches his neck like a wheel, and sparkles with a red-hot eye. You won’t be lost with something like this: “He jumps from mountain to mountain, jumps from hill to hill.” Ilya turned heavily in the saddle, took his leg out of the stirrup, and put his hand in a patterned mitten to his eyes. Vigilantly, sternly looking into the distance, looking closely to see if there is an enemy somewhere. On the right hand, on a white shaggy horse, Dobrynya Nikitich takes out his long, sharp treasure sword from its scabbard, and his shield is on fire, shimmering with pearls and gems. To the left of Ilya is Alyosha Popovich. He looks slyly with beautiful, clear eyes, took an arrow from a colored quiver, and attached it to the thin string of a tight bow. Samoguda harp hangs by the saddle. He holds his whip ready to whip his horse. The characters' gazes are directed in the direction where the danger comes from. The horses became wary and turned their heads to the right - they smelled the enemy. They sniff the air with thin nostrils, strain their ears - they are ready for battle. Thoroughbred horses are strong and have powerful riders. How much weight do heroes have?! Shield, helmet, armor - not light clothing, and also weapons: sword, shield, bow, club. A heavy burden for a horse, but heroic horses are strong and fast, just like their knights. The mighty hand of Ilya Muromets easily holds the club. There was a legend about it among the people, its weight is 90 pounds: “When Ilya waves it straight, he’ll make a street; if he waves it to the left, he’ll make a side street.” Vasnetsov managed to express the heaviness of the club and the enormous physical strength Ilya. The horses are a match for heroes, this expresses the feeling of the reality of the past, when the horse was everything for the rider: support, faithful assistant in battle and in life.

Vasnetsov shows the main thing in heroes - devotion to the homeland, readiness to serve it. An unusually strong, courageous, courageous, enormously tall hero always emerges victorious. It embodies the power of the Russian people, the defender of the Russian land. People defended the borders of their homeland together; it was in those distant times that the proverb appeared: “Alone in the field is no warrior.” A warrior, a hero, a defender of the Russian land is a favorite image of epics. The plots, images, and poetics of epics are reflected in Russian literature. Epics were a source of inspiration not only for artists (Vasnetsov), but also for composers, directors, etc...

In Vasnetsov’s paintings, as in Russian folk art, the truth about the people is embodied, love for the Russian people and faith in his best, highest qualities are expressed, giving him the right to a great future. Using stories from fairy tales and epics as an example, Vasnetsov’s work tells about goodness and truth, about strength and courage, about the best qualities of a Russian person.

After the revolution, Vasnetsov continued to work on fairy tales. In 1883-1885 he performed the monumental panel Stone Age in the Round Hall of the Historical Museum in Moscow. In 1886, the scenery for The Snow Maiden was staged at the Russian Private Opera by Savva Mamontov. In 1885-1886 he painted the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv, where Nesterov also worked and led it artwork. Based on Vasnetsov's drawings, the church and the Hut on chicken legs were built in Abramtsevo (1883), facade Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. (1901), etc. He also made sketches for furniture and other works of decorative and applied art. In all works he strictly follows the traditions of Russian art. N. Ge saw in his works “a synthesis of ancient Russian and Byzantine features, the art of the Pre-Raphaelites and even Michelangelo... but the main thing is the Russian national spirit.”

St. Basil the Blessed is a monument of ancient Russian architecture. The cathedral, built by order of Ivan the Terrible in memory of the capture of Kazan.

Ryabovo is a village in the Vyatka province, eighty kilometers from the provincial town. The artist Vasnetsov spent his childhood there.

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov

Today I want to tell you about the Russian artist Viktor Vasnetsov.

There was a time when his paintings entered the life of a young Russian from early childhood, and this name (like the author’s paintings) was known to anyone who graduated from a simple high school.

Artist Viktor Vasnetsov. Biography

The creative path of the artist Viktor Vasnetsov began in the 70s of the nineteenth century. This was the time when such famous peers and contemporaries of Vasnetsov as I.E. Repin, V.I. Surikov, V.D. Polenov were working. and many others. In those days, the Russian public followed the successes of the emerging “realistic art” with great interest and delight and simply “flocked” to the exhibitions of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions.

There was a huge interest not only in painting. Literature, science, music - everything was interesting, everything was warmed by the idea of ​​​​the revival of Russian culture and Russian traditions.

Artist Viktor Vasnetsov was born on May 15, 1848 in the remote Vyatka village of Lopatya, in the family of a rural priest. Big family very soon, after the birth of Victor, she moved to the village of Ryabovo, Vyatka province. The future artist spent his childhood in this God-forgotten village.

Family life rural priest differed little from the life of a simple peasant. The same vegetable garden, cattle, folk songs and fairy tales.

Soon the young man goes to Vyatka and becomes a student at the theological seminary. Studying was boring, and Victor began taking drawing lessons from the gymnasium teacher N.G. Chernyshova. Vasnetsov, with great joy and desire, painted from plaster and lithographs in the Vyatka Museum, and got a job as an assistant to the artist E. Andriolli, who at that time was painting the cathedral in Vyatka.

In 1967, the future artist came to St. Petersburg and a year later entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Here he began a completely different life: he became friends with Repin and Antokolsky, Stasov and Kramskoy. Countless meetings and literary parties, debates about the ways of development of Russian art and culture.

Many of the artist’s contemporaries recalled that at that time Vasnetsov became interested in reading Russian epics and studied national culture, folklore and folk art. However, his training at the academy became simply formal - his father died and Vasnetsov devoted more time to the elementary fight against poverty. I had to somehow live on my own and help my mother, who was left alone with young children in her arms. Perhaps that is why, later recalling the years spent at the academy, Vasnetsov called his only teacher only one P.P. Chistyakov, with whom Victor developed friendly relations and to whom he very often turned for help and advice.

As a student, Vasnetsov became famous as the author of numerous drawings depicting genre scenes and urban types. In newspapers, critics praised the young author for his powers of observation, friendly humor, and democratic sympathy. And they predicted a great future for him as a typist (there was such a word. This is someone who draws types).

However, Vasnetsov sees himself as a serious artist and tries his hand at painting. His genre paintings are noticed by the public. The film “From Apartment to Apartment” was a particular success.

From apartment to apartment

This painting was purchased for his famous exhibition by P.M. Tretyakov.

Critics do not criticize the artist, but note that his genre paintings are not distinctive in composition and are modest in painting.

The painting “Preference” (1879) is of a completely different order.

Preference

She is called the best not only in creativity young artist, but also Russian genre painting of the second half of the nineteenth century. Here's what he said about this painting and about the artist Kramskoy:

Over the past 15 years, the entire Russian school has told more than it has depicted. Nowadays, he will be right who really portrays it not in a hint, but in reality. You are one of the brightest talents in understanding type. Don't you really feel your terrible power in understanding character?

However, despite the undoubted success, genre painting did not bring complete satisfaction to Vasnetsov himself. I wanted something completely different; other types and images attracted the artist.

Repin invites Vasnetsov to Paris - to unwind and look around, to be imbued with new ideas.

Vasnetsov whole year lives in Paris, studies the paintings of contemporary French masters, and visits museums. And he decides to return to Russia and settle in Moscow.

The desire to live in Moscow is not at all accidental - Moscow has long been attracting artists. Many years later he would write:

When I arrived in Moscow, I felt that I had arrived home and had nowhere else to go - the Kremlin, St. Basil's made me almost cry, to such an extent all this breathed on my soul, family, unforgettable.

It must be said that Moscow at that time attracted more than one Vasnetsov. Around the same time, Repin and Polenov moved to Moscow, and Surikov moved from the capital. Artists were keenly interested in the ancient capital, as a miraculous oasis capable of imbuing art with life-giving forces. We must not forget that the end of the nineteenth century was a time when interest in Russian history and national culture grew sharply.

It was in Moscow that Vasnetsov made a “decisive and conscious transition from the genre.” He suddenly clearly realized that all these years he had been vaguely dreaming of Russian history and Russian epics, old Russian fairy tales.

And very soon the artist’s first painting appeared as a result of these “historical dreams”.

After the massacre of Igor Svyatoslavovich with the Polovtsians

“After the massacre of Igor Svyatoslavovich with the Polovtsians” the public and critics greeted it quite coolly. The “people” demanded an archaeologically accurate depiction of the battle, but did not want to accept “fairy tales and epics”.

The artist tried to explain that while borrowing the plot from “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” he was not trying to create an illustration for the work. No. He deliberately removed the blood and dirt of a real battle from the canvas, and wanted to create a heroic picture that would reflect the Russian spirit and attract the viewer not with the terrible details of the past battle, but with hidden drama, beauty, and the creation of a poetic artistic image.

Chistyakov wrote to Vasnetsov:

You, most noble, Viktor Mikhailovich, poet-artist! The Russian spirit smelled so distant, so grandiose and in its own way original, that I simply became sad, I, a pre-Petrine eccentric, envied you.

The artist offered the public a completely new artistic language, which was initially not understood or heard.

But not everyone felt this way. As soon as the painting appeared at the exhibition, Tretyakov immediately acquired it, who realized what opportunities the new direction opened up for Russian realism. And from then on, the famous philanthropist and collector vigilantly followed every creative step of the artist.

Meanwhile, Vasnetsov’s life in Moscow was simply happy: he found good friends and often visited P.M. Tretyakov’s house. at famous musical evenings.

Another friend who played a big role in the artist’s fate was Savva Ivanovich Mamontov. The artist was always a welcome guest and country house, and in the famous Abramtsevo estate. Mamontov simply selflessly loved Russian antiquity, folk art and supported young artists and writers. Very soon, thanks to the efforts of Vasnetsov, a friendly circle formed in Abramtsevo, which consisted of young artists, musicians, actors, writers who saw the origins of their creativity in Russian culture, in its origins and its uniqueness.

Paintings by artist Viktor Vasnetsov

It was in “Abramtsevo” (where the artist lived for a long time) that the first cycle of Vasnetsov’s fairy-tale paintings originated. The cycle opened with three paintings that were painted by order of Mamontov: “Three Princesses of the Underground Kingdom”, “Alyonushka”, “Ivan Tsarevich on a Gray Wolf”.

Three princesses of the underworld Alyonushka Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf

Vasnetsov wrote paintings with fairy-tale scenes all his life. With all their diversity (and even unequal value), all the paintings are united, first of all, by the desire to reveal the inner content of a Russian fairy tale, to create an atmosphere that is real and at the same time fantastic. Fabulous. With a special understanding of good and evil. And faith in justice and the triumph of good.

Carpet plane
Knight at the crossroads

Already in the artist’s first works one can see a great love for folk costume and attention to its details. It was during this period that the participants of the Abramtsevo circle began to engage in in-depth study of ancient folk costume, forms and ornaments. And Vasnetsov uses the acquired knowledge in painting his paintings.

Sleeping Princess Snow Maiden

A striking example of his passion for folk costume was the artist’s sketch “In the Costume of a Buffoon.”

In a buffoon costume

In 1881, Vasnetsov painted one of his best fairy-tale paintings - “Alyonushka”. He painted this picture in Abramtsevo. There, in Abramtsevo, the artist began decoration play "The Snow Maiden".

Chambers of Tsar Berendey. Set design for an opera

The performance was initially staged in Mamontov's house, and subsequently transferred to the professional stage.

With all the success of "Alyonushka" the most grandiose plan in the eighties they became “Bogatyrs”. The artist painted this picture for almost twenty years (1881-1898). It must be said that during this period Vasnetsov wrote several large and very significant works.

The frieze painting “Stone Age” (1882 – 1885) for the Moscow Historical Museum is 16 meters long, consisting of three parts: the first is dedicated to the life and everyday life of ancient people, the second is a scene of a mammoth hunt, the third is “The Feast”.

It was thanks to the “Stone Age” that the artist received a contract to paint the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv.

Sketches for painting the Vladimir Cathedral. Princess Olga and Nestor the Chronicler

In 1891, the painting work was almost completed and the artist, together with his family, returned to Moscow. By this period, the family’s financial situation had improved so much that the Vasnetsovs were able to buy a small estate in Abramtsevo and build a small house with a workshop in Moscow. It was in this workshop that the artist resumed work on “Bogatyrs” and, at the same time, began to paint the painting “Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible” (with this painting in 1897, the artist last time will perform at the exhibition of the Itinerants).

Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible

In 1899, the artist’s first personal exhibition opened in Moscow. AND central work exhibitions become “Bogatyrs”.

Three heroes

In the last years of the 19th century, Vasnetsov was at the peak of his fame: the domestic and foreign press wrote well about the artist, his workshop was visited by famous musicians, artists and writers. Tretyakov in his gallery (already donated to Moscow) is building a special hall for Vasnetsov’s works.

During this period, the artist suddenly became fascinated by architecture. Many years ago, in Abramtsevo, two small buildings were erected according to the artist’s sketches: a house church and a “Hut on Chicken Legs”. Later - the facade of the Tretyakov Gallery and several private houses in Moscow.

Guslars

A master of historical and mythological painting, he wrote more than 30 works on the themes of Russian fairy tales, songs, epics, historical events. “I have always lived in Russia,” said Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov. He became famous for such works as “Bogatyrs”, “The Knight at the Crossroads”, “Alyonushka” and others. They can be called picturesque poetic tales about the native Russian people, about the glorious national antiquity and its immortal Russian heroes.

Vasnetsov spent his childhood and early youth in a semi-patriarchal family, in the distant Vyatka side, in the small village of Ryabovo. The father, a village priest, himself taught his sons to read and write. For a long time winter evenings children loved to listen to fairy tales about Alyonushka and Kashchei the Immortal. And little Vitya loved to draw - the blue sea, sailing ships floating on the heaving waves. Victor’s brother, Appolinary Vasnetsov, was also involved in drawing in the family.

Victor first studied in Vyatka, at a theological seminary. But he was more interested in drawing. And after graduating from the seminary, Viktor Vasnetsov went to study in St. Petersburg, at the Academy of Arts. He earned the money for the trip himself. I didn’t enter the Academy right away; I studied at the Drawing School.

While studying at the Academy, there was always a shortage of money, and Vasnetsov worked part-time as an illustrator in magazines and cheap publications. His illustrations were popular, full of lively observation, sincere, sometimes humorous, and earned a bronze medal at the World's Fair in London.

Vasnetsov began working in everyday genre, having gained fame with such films as “The Beggar Singers”, “The Book Shop” and others. In them, the artist showed without embellishment the life of the poor, social injustice in Russian society.

At the turn of the 70s - 80s, a turning point occurred in Vasnetsov’s art. He becomes a master of Russian historical and mythological painting. In 1878, Vasnetsov moved to Moscow, which greatly influenced the artist’s work - with its patriarchal streets, ancient Kremlin, and ancient churches, it inspired and inspired him.

In Moscow, the Vasnetsov brothers actively participated in the Mamontov circle of artists and art lovers, who gathered at Mamontov’s estate in Abramtsevo. It included such Russian artists as Repin, Polenov, Levitan, Nevrev, Vrubel and many others. And this also contributed to the flourishing of the talent of artist Viktor Vasnetsov.

No one, like Vasnetsov, drew so widely and freely from the world of ancient, Russian folk, nameless creativity and left so many wonderful works to its glory.

He was a believer and painted many paintings on religious themes. He himself wrote about it this way: “As for my religious painting, I will also say that I, as an Orthodox Christian and as a sincere Russian believer, could not help but light a penny candle for the Lord God. Maybe this candle is made of rough wax, but it was delivered from the heart,"

In his paintings, Vasnetsov glorified the Russian people, their heroic prowess, courage, their kindness and nobility. He painted sets for theatrical performances and came up with sketches for costumes. The project he created for the facade of the Tretyakov Gallery, made in the spirit of ancient Russian buildings, became a true masterpiece.

The first picture painted by Vasnetsov in St. Petersburg was “Beggar Singers.” The plot arose from childhood memories of those beggar singers who usually crowded around the Ryabov church on holidays and sat on the ground. As a child, these beggars evoked in him some kind of painful, melancholy feeling. And so the preparation for the film began. Vasnetsov drew, made sketches, wrote etudes. Work on the painting progressed slowly, but Vasnetsov’s perseverance and hard work took their toll and the work was completed. And although many praised the picture, Vasnetsov himself already saw all its shortcomings.

In the first hungry months of his life in St. Petersburg, when he wandered around the city, looking for where he could eat cheaply and sit warm, he more than once went into a run-down tavern and a teahouse. I watched for a long time, listened to the conversations of different visitors, and sometimes made sketches. This is how the idea for the picture came about.

The door to the teahouse is open. To the right of the door, a group of peasants is sitting at a table, apparently this is an artel of carpenters who came to St. Petersburg to earn money. They are resting after work. On the table there are two teapots, as was customary then, one large - with boiling water, the other small, colorful - for tea. They drink tea slowly and sedately. The guy younger than the others has already taken a sip of tea, knocked over the cup, and is listening to what the artillery scribe, who has a newspaper in his hand, is reading. To the left of the door, an old man sits at a table; he is deep in thought, and he has such an exhausted face that you can immediately tell that he has lived hard life. A boy, a tavern servant, stopped at the door; he looks at a lonely old man, to whom he is probably carrying a teapot and saucer of sugar. And behind the boy’s back is a new visitor, who looks like a tipsy artisan.

The painting was exhibited at the third traveling exhibition, where it made a good impression on the audience.

A gloomy St. Petersburg winter day. Grey sky. The Neva is frozen, and two people are walking through the dirty snow across the Neva - an old man and an old woman. They walk slowly, bent over, their faces are sad, submissive. In my hands are bundles of miserable rags and a coffee pot. With them the old little dog is a faithful companion both in sorrow and in joy. This must not be the first time, like this, in the middle of winter, they move to new apartment cheaper.

The picture is painted in grayish-brown tones, and this color scheme, which conveys the idea of ​​the picture so well, perhaps for the first time Vasnetsov managed to find such a subtle sincerity.

This is Vasnetsov’s latest work in the everyday genre. Here the artist showed the philistine life, devoid of bright impressions, too leisurely, too petty. The insignificance of human characters and interests clearly stands out in contrast to the poetic life of nature - the beauty of a summer night visible through the door open to the balcony. The painting "Preference" completes the cycle of Vasnetsov's everyday paintings. A decisive turning point occurs in the artist’s work.

A Russian hero, a knight in rich armor, wearing a helmet, with a spear in his hand, stopped at a roadside stone on a powerful white horse. The endless steppe with boulders scattered across it goes into the distance. The evening dawn is burning down; a reddish stripe brightens on the horizon, and the last weak ray of the sun slightly gilds the knight’s helmet. The field where Russian soldiers once fought is overgrown with feather grass and the bones are white. dead people, and above the field there are black crows. The Knight reads the inscription on the stone:

"How can I drive straight - I'll never be there:
There is no way for the passer-by, the passer-by, or the flyover.”
Further the lines are hidden under grass and moss. But the knight knows what they are talking about:
"To go in the right direction - to be married,
To the left - to be rich."

What path will the knight choose? Vasnetsov is confident that the audience will “finish” the picture themselves. The glorious Russian knight does not look for easy ways, he will choose a difficult but direct path. All other paths are closed to him. Now he will shake off unnecessary thoughts, raise the reins, spur his horse, and his horse will carry him to battle for the Russian land, for truth.

A large historical canvas, written to the tune of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” The epigraph to Vasnetsov’s work is lines from “The Lay”...:

"From dawn to evening, the whole day,
From evening to light arrows fly,
Sharp sabers rattle on helmets,

With a crash, spears break damask steel...
...They have been fighting for three days now;
The third day is already approaching noon;
Here Igor’s banners fell!

The brave Russians are no longer
There's bloody wine for the feast,
They got the matchmakers drunk, and they themselves
They died for their father's land."

The painting is not just an image of a battle, but an epically majestic and enlightened poetic work that evokes deep admiration for the heroic death of the heroes who fell for the Motherland, for Holy Rus'. The painting depicts a field after a battle, the artist talks about how brave Russians know how to die defending their native land.

The battle is over; The moon slowly rises from behind the clouds. Quiet. On the field lie the bodies of killed Russian knights, the Polovtsians lie. Here, with his arms spread wide, the Russian hero sleeps in eternal sleep. Next to him is a beautiful fair-haired young man, struck by an arrow - he seems to be sleeping. In the depths of the field, on the right, solemnly and calmly, lies the murdered hero, the bow still clutched in his hand. The flowers - blue bells, daisies - have not even had time to wither, and vulture eagles are already hovering over the field, sensing prey. In the foreground on the left is an eagle preening its feathers. The horizon is covered with blue clouds, the red moon, as if washed in blood, hangs over the steppe. Dusk falls on the steppe. Deep sadness is spread throughout the Russian land.

Like a heroic outpost, Igor’s regiments stood on the border of their land and died for its honor and inviolability - such is the content of this epically majestic and deeply lyrical picture.

The canvas "The Last Judgment" was created in 1896 - 1904, among other works, for St. George's Cathedral in the city of Gus-Khrustalny, Vladimir Region, by order of the largest manufacturer and philanthropist Yu.S. Nechaev-Maltsev, who built this cathedral. The artist completed several works on a religious theme, but “The Last Judgment” was to occupy a central place in the cathedral.

The artist made a large number of sketches for the painting, so acquaintances and friends who saw these sketches in Vasnetsov’s studio showed great interest in the painting in advance. At first, the artist was offered to exhibit the painting in the Tretyakov Gallery, but this idea was unsuccessful, since the dimensions of the painting significantly exceeded the size of the room. Nevertheless, such an exhibition took place in February 1904 at the Historical Museum in Moscow. The new work evoked numerous responses in the press, mostly enthusiastic. Later, the painting, along with others made for the cathedral, was exhibited twice more: in the halls of the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg and again in the Historical Museum in Moscow.

Finally, in 1910, the paintings were delivered to their destination and mounted on the walls of St. George's Cathedral, where they briefly found peace.

And soon after October revolution the service in the cathedral was stopped. In February 1923, the authorities made a decision: “...the empty premises of St. George’s Cathedral should be transferred to a cultural and educational institution...” On the very first Sunday, dances were organized in the temple premises, a brass band played... Debates were held on the topic: “Is there God?" Subsequently, the cathedral was used either for workshops or for a cinema.

Meanwhile, the paintings were taken to the Vladimir Assumption Cathedral. They took them out as they had to, without any caution. Moreover, the painting “The Last Judgment” was rolled onto a large pole, torn at the bottom and hastily sewed up with twine. Before that, it had been folded several times and was frayed on the folds.

In the 80s of the last century, it was decided to restore the St. George Cathedral in Gus-Khrustalny, and also to return Vasnetsov’s paintings to their original place.

The Last Judgment was in in serious condition. Therefore, it was assigned to be restored by a team of Leningrad restorers under the leadership of the greatest specialist A.Ya. Kazakov, known for restoring the paintings of St. Isaac's Cathedral, Peterhof and Tsarskoye Selo. The colossal dimensions required a large room, so the canvas was restored in the Catherine Palace in Pushkin.

The work carried out by specialists was unique in scope and complexity. The solid canvas measuring 700X680 centimeters was punctured in more than 70 places, there were numerous tears at the edges and breakthroughs. The canvas was seriously deformed, resulting in scree and peeling paint. Hard work was carried out for about a year. And so a special commission accepted the work with an “excellent” rating. In 1983, the painting took its place in St. George's Cathedral.

The artist embodied the idea of ​​free moral choice man between good and evil. The work was not just an illustration of a religious plot. In front of it, everyone could feel themselves in the place of an unknown soul awaiting the verdict of the highest court. The people who came to the cathedral had to think and make their choice of “path in life” with “free will.” Vasnetsov eloquently makes it clear that the scales in the hand of an angel come into action not only at the moment Last Judgment. The entire middle part of the picture is perceived as huge scales, on the scales of which are crowds of righteous and sinners, light and darkness... “The entire history of mankind is the struggle of the beast man with the spiritual man...”, the artist wrote.

Good and evil in the film are personified in characters from Russian and Christian history. Among the righteous, the figures of the Byzantine emperors Constantine and Helen, Princess Olga and Prince Vladimir, Alexander Nevsky and Sergius of Radonezh are distinguishable. Among the sinners are Emperor Nero, the conqueror Batu, oriental despots and Roman cardinals... At the same time, many allegorical characters were introduced: Faith, Hope, Love, Sophia, Mercy and others - on the one hand, and on the other - Greed, Drunkenness, Robbery, Anger, etc. Texts and inscriptions are actively used.

Religion, history, and folklore are intricately intertwined here. Thus, the miser swallows gold coins - he is somewhat similar to Repin’s Ivan the Terrible... Among the righteous are depicted an old man and an old woman, as if transported to the Judgment from a Russian folk tale, and the harlots placed behind the Devil resemble characters from salon paintings...

One of the critics wrote this for many years: “The Last Judgment” is a series of symbols, sometimes powerful, sometimes weak, but generally irresistible. This is a terrible oratorio beyond time and space. But this is one of those few truly artistic creations that are worth seeing once to remember forever." And he was right...

The hero of this picture is Ivanushka the Fool - beautiful prince. His older brothers always laugh at him. And when trouble comes, he overcomes all obstacles, and his smart, kind heart conquers evil as the sun conquers darkness. He manages to wake up the sleeping beauty, make Princess Nesmeyana laugh, and get the firebird, which brings happiness to people.

A flying carpet flies high in the sky and Tsarevich Ivan tightly holds the firebird in a golden cage. Like a huge bird, the magic carpet spread its wings. Night owls fly away in fear from an unknown bird...

When Vasnetsov painted this picture, he remembered that first Russian man, a lordly serf, who, on wings he made himself, back in the time of Ivan the Terrible, tried to fly into the sky from a high tower. And even if he died, even if people ridiculed him then for his daring attempt, but proud dreams of flying into the sky will never disappear, and the magic flying carpet will always inspire people to exploits.

The plot of this picture arose in Vasnetsov’s head by accident, when he saw in the town of Akhtyrka, not far from Abramtsevo, a bare-haired girl who captured the artist’s imagination. There was so much melancholy, loneliness and purely Russian sadness in her eyes that Vasnetsov immediately imagined the picture. I wandered around the area for a long time, looking for a suitable landscape, drawing sketches, writing sketches...

This is one of the most touching, sincere images in Russian painting, exciting the soul with its heartfelt lyricism, in tune with a fairy tale and folk song about the bitter fate of a defenseless orphan.

A thin, fragile girl with the affectionate Russian name Alyonushka yearns for the river. She bowed her head sadly, clasped her knees with her thin arms, and thought, perhaps, about her bitter lot or about brother Ivanushka. Rough bare feet, old, sometimes faded clothes - it would seem unattractive, but for an artist who sympathizes with his heroine, here the whole world beauty, just like in the modest Russian landscape - dark fir trees, pale sky, ordinary thin-trunked aspens and birches, as if protecting Alyonushka’s peace. Deep sorrow lurks in the soul of the suffering teenage girl; it shows through in the helplessly drooping figure, and in the pale face with parched lips, and in big eyes full of unshed tears.

Alyonushka is shown by Vasnetsov sitting on a gray “flammable” stone, surrounded by her native nature - on the edge of the forest. This modest and simple Russian landscape, with its thoughtful, sensitive silence, broken only by the vague rustling of the yellowed leaves of aspens and birches, trembling with every movement of air, answers state of mind orphans.

The picture is based on the plot of a Russian folk tale, which Vasnetsov heard more than once in childhood. Three brothers were looking for a bride. The elder brother searched but did not find it. I looked for the middle one and couldn’t find it. And the youngest, Ivanushka the Fool, found the treasured stone, moved it away and fell into underground kingdom, where three princesses lived - Gold, Precious Stones and the Princess of Copper.

Three princesses are standing by a dark rock. The elders are in rich outfits studded with precious stones; the youngest is in a black dress, and on her head, in her black hair, a coal is burning as a sign that the lands of the Donetsk region are inexhaustible (the picture was painted by order of the Donetsk railway). Vasnetsov took some liberties here and turned Princess Copper into Princess Coal. According to the fairy tale, the younger sister marries Ivanushka the Fool.

Another “fairy-tale” painting by Vasnetsov. When she appeared at the exhibition, spectators stood in front of her for a long time. It seemed that they heard the dull rustling of the dense forest, the gentle rustling of the pale pink flowers of the wild apple tree, the rustling of the leaves under the feet of the wolf - here he is, a strong, kind giant wolf, out of breath, saving Ivan Tsarevich and Helen the Beautiful from pursuit. And curious birds sit on a branch and look at them.

“Your “Ivan the Tsarevich on the Wolf” delighted me, I forgot everything around me, I went into this forest, I breathed in this air, smelled these flowers. All this is mine, dear, good! I simply came to life! Such is the irresistible effect of the true and sincere creativity." - This is what Savva Ivanovich Mamontov, an industrialist, famous philanthropist and great lover of art, an exceptionally gifted person, wrote to Vasnetsov after the exhibition of the painting.

A bright, wonderful picture. Here she is, the sweet, light Snow Maiden - the child of Frost and Spring - comes out of the dark forest alone, to the people, to the sunny country of the Berendeys.

Young lady! Is she alive? - Alive!
In a sheepskin coat, in boots, in mittens!

Before us is a portrait of Ivan the Terrible, the image of one of the most controversial rulers of the Russian state. Ivan the Terrible is presented in full height, so that the viewer is forced to look up at him, as it were, which gives the image special significance and grandeur. As if in a hard, reliable case, the figure of the king is dressed in heavy, tightly buttoned, woven golden clothing (feryaz), in patterned mittens and chobots, studded with pearls. And in this barbaric pomp, with a carved staff imperiously clutched in his sinewy hand, he seems like some kind of pagan deity.

Peering into the pale and thin face of Ivan the Terrible, which clearly stands out in the dim space of the stairs, you see in it traces of the stormy, unbridled passions of the autocrat. Before us is a passionate, frantic and contradictory nature.

Vasnetsov worked on this painting for almost 25 years, and finally, in 1898, this large epic canvas was completed.

strong heroic outpost Three heroes stand in defense of Holy Rus' - Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. In the middle, on a black horse, is “great ataman Ilya Muromets, peasant son.” His horse is huge, arches his neck like a wheel, and sparkles with a red-hot eye. You won’t be lost with such a horse: “He leaps from mountain to mountain, jumps from hill to hill.” Ilya turned heavily in the saddle, took his leg out of the stirrup, put his hand in a patterned mitten to his eyes, and on his hand was “a damask club of forty pounds.” Vigilantly, sternly, he looks into the distance, looking closely to see if there is an enemy somewhere. On his right hand, on a white shaggy horse, is the hero Dobrynya Nikitich, taking out his long, sharp treasure sword from its scabbard, and his shield is burning, adorned with pearls and gems. To the left of Ilya - on a golden horse - the most junior hero, Alesha Popovich. He looks slyly with his beautiful, clear eyes, took an arrow from his colored quiver, and attached it to the ringing string of a tight bow. and a samogud harp hangs near the saddle.

The heroes are dressed in rich clothes, beautiful clothes, clad in strong armor, they have helmets on their heads. Autumn day, gray - the sky is low, clouds are moving across the sky; The grass is trampled under the horses' feet, the fir trees are tenderly green. The free Russian steppe stretched wide before the heroes, and behind them were dense forests, hills and mountains, cities and villages - the entire native country of Rus'.

Do not let enemies ride across our land,
Do not trample Russian land with their horses,
They will not outshine our red sun...

“The language of this picture-ballad is simple, majestic and powerful; every Russian will read it with pride, every foreigner with caution if he is an enemy, with a feeling of calm faith in such power - if he is a friend,” he said so very well Soviet artist V.N.Yakovlev.

O Bayan, O prophetic songwriter,
Nightingale of times long past...

Here he is, the “prophetic songwriter” Bayan, sitting on a high burial mound, among field herbs and flowers, fingering his harp, composing and singing songs. Around the princely squad and the prince himself with his little prince, and clouds swirl and float across the sky.

A decorative, widely painted picture, it caused a lot of the most controversial rumors! But in this simple and at the same time complex picture Vasnetsov’s amazing sense of proportion, taste, and sincerity was reflected.

Vasnetsov Viktor Mikhailovich, Russian painter.

He studied in St. Petersburg at the Drawing School of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts (1867-68) with I. N. Kramskoy and at the Academy of Arts (1868-75), of which he became a full member in 1893. Since 1878, a member of the Association of Itinerants. Visited France (1876) and Italy (1885). Lived in St. Petersburg and Moscow. During his studies, he made drawings for magazines and cheap folk products (“The People's Alphabet” by Stolpyansky, published in 1867; “Taras Bulba” by N.V. Gogol, published in 1874).

In the 1870s. performed small genre paintings, carefully painted mainly in grayish-brown color scheme. In street scenes and home life Vasnetsov captured small merchants and officials, the urban poor and peasants with great observation Various types contemporary society (“From Apartment to Apartment”, 1876, “Military Telegram”, 1878, both in the Tretyakov Gallery).

In the 1880s, leaving genre painting, created works on topics national history, Russian epics and folk tales, devoting almost all of his further work to them. One of the first Russian artists to turn to Russian folklore, Vasnetsov sought to give an epic character to his works, in poetic form embody age-old folk ideals and high patriotic feelings.

Vasnetsov created the paintings “After the Battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsy” (1880), “Alyonushka” (1881), imbued with sincere poetry, “Ivan the Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf” (1889), “Bogatyrs” (1881-98), filled with faith in heroic forces people, “Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible” (1897, all in the Tretyakov Gallery).

With a general focus easel painting Vasnetsov 1880-1890s. His work for the theater is closely related. The scenery and costumes for the fairy tale play “The Snow Maiden” by A. N. Ostrovsky (staged in home theater S. I. Mamontov in 1882) and the opera of the same name by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov (in the Moscow private Russian opera of S. I. Mamontov in 1886), performed according to Vasnetsov’s sketches, - an example of the creative interpretation of genuine archaeological and ethnographic material - had great influence on the development of Russian theatrical and decorative art in the late 19th - early 20th centuries.

Landscape backgrounds of Vasnetsov's works on fabulous and historical topics imbued with a deeply national feeling native nature, sometimes remarkable for the lyrical spontaneity of her perception (“Alyonushka”), sometimes epic in character (“After the massacre of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsians”), played an important role in the development of Russian landscape painting.

In 1883-85 Vasnetsov completed the monumental panel “Stone Age” for the Historical Museum in Moscow, in 1885-96 - most paintings of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. In the paintings of the Vladimir Cathedral, Vasnetsov tried to introduce spiritual content and emotionality into the traditional system of church monumental painting, which in the 2nd half of the 19th century. came into complete decline.

Vasnetsov’s painting in his mature period, distinguished by his desire for a monumental and decorative artistic language, the muted sound of generalized color spots, and sometimes an appeal to symbolism, anticipates the “modern” style that later became widespread in Russia. Vasnetsov also painted a number of portraits (A. M. Vasnetsov, 1878; Ivan Petrov, 1883; both in the Tretyakov Gallery), illustrations for “Song of the Prophetic Oleg” by A. S. Pushkin (watercolor, 1899, Literary Museum, Moscow).

Based on his drawings, the church and the fabulous “Hut on Chicken Legs” were built in Abramtsevo (near Moscow; 1883), and the facade of the Tretyakov Gallery was built (1902). In Soviet times, Vasnetsov 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).

Vasnetsov Viktor Mikhailovich was born on May 3, 1848 in the village of Lopyal, Vyatka province, into the family of a priest. Due to his origin, the future painter received his education at a theological school, and later continued it at a theological seminary. During his studies, the gifted young man began taking drawing lessons from the gymnasium teacher N.G. Chernysheva. Even Victor’s father noted his ability to draw and allowed him to leave his studies at the seminary for last year for admission to the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. There the painter’s style was fully formed and honed, the foundations of which were laid back in art school, where the young man studied with I.N. Kramskoy.

The beginning of a creative journey

Even while studying at the academy, the paintings of the young artist Vasnetsov began to be exhibited. They were first presented in 1869, first at the Academy, and later in other galleries thanks to the artist’s collaboration with a traveling exhibition partnership. Already in early work The artist’s signature style and his penchant for the Art Nouveau style were noticeable.

Features of creativity

Since 1893, as it says short biography Vasnetsov, he becomes a full member of the Russian Academy of Arts. He also collaborated with the Union of the Russian People, participating in the illustration of monarchist publications, the most famous of which is the “Book of Russian Sorrow.”

At the early stage of Viktor Mikhailovich’s work, a search for plots and motives is noted. His early paintings characteristic everyday stories, reflected in the canvases “War Telegram”, “Booths in Paris”, “From Apartment to Apartment”, “Book Shop”.

Range of creative interests outstanding artist consisted of historical, folklore, and later religious themes. One of the most famous paintings of the great Russian painter are paintings based on epics and works for children: “Bogatyrs”, “Alyonushka”, “Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf”, “Koshchey the Immortal”, “Fight of Dobrynya Nikitich with the seven-headed Serpent Gorynych”.

The religious themes of Vasnetsov’s heritage were reflected in examples of wall painting in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv, the Church of the Resurrection (Savior on Spilled Blood) in St. Petersburg, and the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist on Presnya. Vasnetsov’s talent manifested itself not only in creating paintings and wall painting in churches and cathedrals, but also in the development of projects for architectural structures, in particular, the mansion of I.E. Tsvetkov, the extension of the main entrance of the hall to the building of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Cathedral of St. Alexander Nevsky in Moscow and other buildings.

Death. In memory of the artist

The creative heritage of the great Russian artist Vasnetsov, the biography of whom ends on July 23, 1926 in Moscow, occupies a significant place in the history of the national artistic arts. The memory of the artist is preserved through the opening and functioning of four museums: in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kirov and the village of Ryabovo, Kirov region. The latter also houses a monument to Victor and Appolinary Vasnetsov, outstanding figures of Russian artistic art.

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