The story of the Snow Maiden was born relatively recently in comparison with other well-known myths, but at the same time the winter beauty entered the fairy-tale pantheon along with other heroines of world mythology.
It is generally accepted that in folk legends the story of the Snow Maiden is associated with the image of the goddess Kostroma, whose effigy was once burned at the stake in the name of the coming bountiful harvest.
In 1873, A. N. Ostrovsky published his play “The Snow Maiden,” in which he combined ancient Russian tales about a snowy girl who melted in the spring, and other images of winter from folklore.

Since then, the story of the Snow Maiden has gained real fame.
A real Fairy Tale was born, which over time everyone came to know and love.

In 1882, the opera “The Snow Maiden” by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov was staged at the Mariinsky Theater based on Ostrovsky’s play.
The triumphal procession of the snowy beauty began, whose until then hazy image gradually acquired the features given to her by the best artists of that time.

Snow Maiden Vasnetsova

Vrubel's Snow Maiden

Perov’s sketch “The Melting Snow Maiden”

Snow Maiden Bilibina

For the first time, the Snow Maiden was portrayed in a sundress and with a hoop on her head by Vasnetsov, who created sketches of costumes for the opera.

Roerich designed costumes for both the play and the opera about the Snow Maiden, and they were such a success with the public that elements of the costumes became fashionable.

At various times, the leading actresses and beauties of their time performed the roles of the Snow Maiden in Rimsky-Korsakov's opera.

N.I.Zabela-Vrubel as the Snow Maiden. Photography from the 1900s

Antonina Nezhdanova

Irina Maslennikova

The image of the granddaughter of old man Frost finally entered modern mythology and began to be directly associated with the celebration of the New Year.

Snow Maiden 1917

After the revolution, the first duet consisting of Father Frost and Snow Maiden appeared in 1937 at the New Year celebration in the House of Unions, and since then the couple has become inseparable.
The new Soviet Snow Maiden was very different from the old one, who fell victim to her love. This Snow Maiden was cheerful, full-blooded and breathed optimism, like Santa Claus from the Zarya company - with hangover fumes.

Snow Maiden skier in Deineka's 1954 painting

But the legend was not forgotten.
In 1952, a surprisingly poetic cartoon based on Ostrovsky's old play with music by Rimsky-Korsakov appeared.
The Snow Maiden has regained her fragile beauty.

In 1968, based on Ostrovsky's play, actor and director Pavel Kadochnikov staged a full-length film about the Snow Maiden, for which a life-size real Berendeyev Posad was built in Kostroma - the town in which the events of history developed.
This was the first appearance of the Snow Maiden in cinema.
The role of the main character was played by actress Evgenia Filonova.

Already in 1971, history repeated itself in the film “Spring Tale,” where the Snow Maiden was played by actress Natalya Bogunova.

The Snow Maiden's fame was immeasurable by that time.
Her image has become one of the most popular in folk art.

Zhostovo tray

Palekh box

Of course, the Snow Maiden was the favorite heroine of New Year's cards.

Postcard by artist Zarubin

The Snow Maiden was depicted both as a young girl and as a little girl.

One of the classic images of the Snow Maiden was the image of a beauty in an outfit with elements of a folk costume in the colors of winter - white, blue, silver and blue.

But over time, the imagination of artists gave it more and more new features.

Snow Maiden by Kazimir Stabrovsky

Winter Beauty in Western Vision

Snow maiden with surrealistic features

One of the most common Snow Maiden costumes is a fur-trimmed coat, high boots and a fur-trimmed hat.

Artists and photographers who capture the Snow Maiden, in one way or another, try to convey the image of translucent, watercolor beauty in cold colors.

During the celebration of Christmas and New Year, the image of the Snow Maiden does not lose its relevance.

It can be created using “frozen”, shiny, cold shades for makeup, sparkling like ice and snow.

Snegurochka, Blizzard, Snowflake, Lady Winter, Santa Claus's assistant, and the merry Christmas elf proudly walk along fashion catwalks, always bringing with them the spirit of the holiday.

Victoria Secrets collection show

D&G collection show

Since her birth, the Snow Maiden has evolved from a nameless snow girl to a tragic heroine and then into the embodiment of a cheerful holiday.
The story of the melted Snow Maiden is sad, but still it had its own hope.
After all, having melted, she flew to heaven like an angel.

Joseph Cornell, 1933 drawing

The Snow Maiden is our purely Russian heritage, the product of the great and generous truly Russian spirit.
In no other New Year's mythology, except Russian, is there a female character. In Japanese folklore, there is a snow woman - Yuki-Onna, but this is a different type - a demonic character personifying a snow storm.
The life of the Snow Maiden is shrouded in secrets and legends. It’s not even very clear where this young companion of Santa Claus came from. In Russian folk tales, the Snow Maiden is in no way connected with him. According to one source, the Big Spruce gave birth to her. The girl suddenly appeared from under a fluffy spruce branch, according to
to others, she is the daughter of Spring Red and Frost, and perhaps she was fashioned from snow by childless old men Ivan and Marya. They sculpted it for their own joy, but they couldn’t save it...
The Snow Maiden fell in love with many and soon became the constant companion of Father Frost. Only their family ties underwent some changes over time - from a daughter she turned into a granddaughter, but she did not lose her charm.
The appearance of the Snow Maiden, which is familiar to us, arose thanks to three great artists:
V.M. Vasnetsov, M.A. Vrubel and N.K. Roerich.
All the tales about the Snow Maiden were collected, recorded and studied by folklore collector A. N. Afanasyev. His
the book inspired the writer A. N. Ostrovsky, who wrote the famous play “The Snow Maiden” in 1873. However, the play was not successful with the public of that time and was forgotten for a decade, until the world-famous philanthropist Savva Ivanovich took it under his wing Mamontov, who decided to re-stage it on the stage of the Abramtsevo circle in Moscow. The play premiered on Christmas Day, January 6, 1882. It is noteworthy that the sketches of the costumes for the play were prepared by Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov. A moonlit winter night... The stars are twinkling... In a snow-white clearing of a dark, cold forest, in a painted brocade fur coat and hat, stands a confused girl - the daughter of Spring-Red and Santa Claus, going into the world of people...

This work has become one of the artist's most recognizable paintings. In 1881, Moscow philanthropist
Savva Mamontov decided to stage Ostrovsky’s play “The Snow Maiden” on his home stage. He invited Vasnetsov to write the scenery and make sketches of the costumes. In a miraculous way, fairy-tale characters and people who lived in Rus' in ancient times and worshiped the god Yaril were intertwined in Ostrovsky’s play. Vasnetsov, following the author, created an amazing gallery of images of the ancient Russian people. Half a century later, the artist Grabar will say: “The drawings for the Snow Maiden”, in the sense of the penetration and flair of the Russian spirit, have not yet been surpassed, despite the fact that a whole half century separates them from our days... The painting was completed in 1899. The model for the Snow Maiden was Mamontov's daughter Sashenka.The artist liked the smart and nimble girl Sasha, who most of all loved to ride a sleigh with the wind...
The painting is in the State Tretyakov Gallery
In 1898, Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel created the image of the Snow Maiden on a decorative panel in the house of A.V. Morozova.

This is how Vrubel’s Snow Maiden has come down to us, which he wrote with his wife, N.I. Zabela-Vrubel, who performed the role of the Snow Maiden in Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera of the same name.

Nadezhda Ivanovna remained for Vrubel an alluring mystery, the “Stranger,” the embodiment of that elusive mystery that always seemed to him in nature, and in music, and in the states of the human soul.
The painting is also in the State Tretyakov Gallery
A little later, in 1912, N.K. Roerich wrote his own vision of the Snow Maiden while working on staging a dramatic play about the Snow Maiden in St. Petersburg. But not all of the artist’s plans were successfully implemented. It happened that in Roerich’s absence, the sketches fell into the hands of irresponsible artisans who distorted his plan. Nicholas Konstantinovich Roerich
The spring fairy tale of Ostrovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov captivated him even in his youth and, according to the artist himself, was very close to him.

He also painted individual paintings on the themes of his favorite fairy tale, and on the pages of the artist’s diaries and essays we will more than once encounter deep reflections evoked by the images of “The Snow Maiden.”
The drawings are in the State Russian Museum of St. Petersburg
The theme of the Snow Maiden is also very popular among modern artists and guardians of ancient crafts.

Vrubel perfected his drawing system. He was equally brilliant in all graphic materials. This is confirmed by illustrations for “The Demon” by M.Yu. Lermontov. What brought the artist closer to the poet was that both cherished in their souls the ideal of a proud, rebellious creative character. The essence of this image is dual. On the one hand, the greatness of the human spirit, on the other - immeasurable pride, an overestimation of the strength of the individual, which turns into loneliness. Vrubel, who took the burden of the “demonic” theme on his fragile shoulders, was the son of an unheroic time. Vrubel's "Demon" has more melancholy and anxiety than pride and greatness..."

God's Grace Painter

In the history of world painting, there are few artists endowed with the divine gift of color. Vrubel takes a worthy place in this unique list. His gift for painting has been highlighted since his studies at the Academy of Arts. Vrubel throughout his life deepened and complicated his color palette and found new, previously unknown combinations on it. He was strongly influenced by the Italians: Bellini and Carpaccio, early Byzantine mosaics and ancient Russian frescoes..."

Vrubel's pedagogical activity

Almost nothing is known about Vrubel’s pedagogical activity, but, fortunately, the story of the artist M.S. Mukhin, who studied with M.A. Vrubel at the Stroganov School, has miraculously reached us. He reveals a new, unknown facet of the master’s talent. The artist was invited to the Stroganov School by his director N.V. Globa, who did a lot for the rise of artistic and industrial education in Russia. So, at the turn of the century, M.A. Vrubel finds himself within the walls of Stroganovka. Here is the story of M.S. Mukhin...

2. The image of the Snow Maiden by M. Vrubel

Vrubel Mikhail Alexandrovich (1856-1910) is a legend of Russian painting. Not just a bright name, a great genius, an odious personality, but a phenomenon surrounded by a huge number of myths and mystical phenomena. Snow Maiden Vasnetsov Vrubel Roerich

A large number of images of the actress, as well as Mikhail Alexandrovich’s wife Nadezhda Ivanovna Zabela, were preserved. She also acted as his Muse, the Sea Princess, and also Spring. The most colorful among the Artist’s images is the canvas “The Snow Maiden”, painted in 1895 (Fig. 2). Vrubel vividly captured the girl’s loose curls and the image of her face that he liked. A girl against the backdrop of a snow-white forest, with somewhat drowsy eyes and a slightly languid smile. Snow-covered spruce branches embraced shadows with a bluish tint. The Snow Maiden is not afraid of cold and frost, because she is the mistress of this fairy-tale forest, a little sorceress with amazing eyes. Here the Snow Maiden is presented to us as the personification of confidence and a certain looseness. She is in a static pose, which forces you to pay attention to her appearance and look at the details. And yet, before us, a modest young Russian beauty with large eyes full of purity.

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Vrubel

Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel, one of the most remarkable Russian artists, was born on March 5, 1856 in Omsk, where his father (later a general) served in the military-legal department. Due to his father's frequent movements...

Vrubel

Vrubel’s fertility at this time of his life is extraordinary, i.e. from 1990, when he moved to Moscow, until a terrible attack of mental illness. Vrubel, exquisitely delicate...

Dionysian mysticism in ancient society

Having gone through a considerable evolutionary path of religious views, the image of the deity, which was previously Proto-Dionysian, takes on its most formulated form in the person of Dionysus himself. Initially an orgiastic, more Thracian deity...

Life and work of M. Vrubel

No matter how great the significance of “The Seated Demon” is for M. Vrubel himself, this is for him only a threshold, a premonition of the present Demon. This painting was only the beginning of Vrubel’s work on his Demoniana. Although the planned tetralogy was never written...

The art of dance

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Vasily Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1848-1926) is a great Russian artist, one of the founders of Russian Art Nouveau. He is the founder of a special “Russian style” within the pan-European symbolism and modernity...

Production of "The Snow Maiden" (V. Vasnetsov, M. Vrubel, N. Roerich)

Nikolamy Konstantinovich Remrikh (1874-1947) Russian artist, set designer, mystic philosopher, writer, traveler, archaeologist, public figure. He repeatedly created design sketches for the famous play “The Snow Maiden” by N. A. Ostrvsky. Three times N...

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Art Nouveau style

The idea of ​​synthesis as a panacea for the bourgeois crushing of the arts embraced creators in various fields of culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the field of entertainment and music, the theory and work of Richard Wagner has become widespread...

Theater as an art form

The stage image - here only the image created by the art of cinema can be compared with it - is perceived by us as the most authentic of all images existing in art. The most authentic, despite its obvious conventionality...

Vrubel was born in Omsk in 1856. He lost his mother early, she was replaced by his stepmother and partly his older sister Anna Alexandrovna, who supported the artist throughout his life and became his constant nurse during his illness. Father, military lawyer...

The theme of the demon in the works of M.A. Vrubel and M.Yu. Lermontov

Spring 1881. Before he could graduate from the Academy, Vrubel went to Kyiv, where his independent artistic life began. For two years Vrubel worked for the church, in an atmosphere of religiosity, which was also little consistent with the surrounding...

The theme of the demon in the works of M.A. Vrubel and M.Yu. Lermontov

Meanwhile, Vrubel was not like Lermontov either in his mental makeup or in his worldview. But there are strange coincidences of events in life, incomprehensible coincidences of circumstances, significant dates...

One of the most popular New Year's characters and the most beloved by children, starting from the end of the 19th century. and still remains Snow Maiden– a unique image of Russian culture. There are no such female characters in the New Year and Christmas mythology of other peoples of the world. Russian writers, artists, composers, and directors often depicted her in their works. Over the course of a century and a half, the image of the Snow Maiden has changed significantly - from the innocent granddaughter of Father Frost to sexually aggressive characters from erotic films.

The literary father of the girl who was molded from snow is considered to be A. N. Ostrovsky, who published the play “The Snow Maiden” in 1873. He drew this image from a Russian folk tale. In 1882, an opera by N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov was staged based on this play at the Mariinsky Theater. In Ostrovsky's play, the Snow Maiden was not the granddaughter of Father Frost, but his assistant. Later, she was traditionally portrayed as his granddaughter, but her age constantly varied - sometimes she was a little girl, sometimes an adult girl. To some, she looked like a peasant woman, to others, to the Snow Queen.

The image of the Snow Maiden attracted many artists. V. M. Vasnetsov, while developing costume sketches for the production at the Russian Private Opera of Savva Mamontov, first depicted her in a sundress, bast shoes and with a hoop. Later, in the painting of the same name, he dressed her in a fur coat, mittens and a hat. A. Benois said that it was in this picture that Vasnetsov managed to discover the “law of ancient Russian beauty.”

Sketches and costumes for N. Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “The Snow Maiden” were also created by Mikhail Vrubel, and his wife Nadezhda Zabela was the performer of the main opera role. Nicholas Roerich also turned to the design of “The Snow Maiden” for opera and dramatic scenes four times; he created dozens of sketches and drawings for this production. In the work of 1921, the artist unexpectedly combines Slavic mythology and Eastern influences on it: in the work “Lel and the Snow Maiden” he created an Asian ethnic type of characters. The image of the Snow Maiden was captured in their works by many other artists: K. Korovin, B. Kustodiev, V. Perov, I. Glazunov and others.

The image of the Snow Maiden received its modern form in 1935, when the Soviet authorities allowed the celebration of the New Year, which had previously been considered a bourgeois relic, and the Snow Maiden was officially recognized. It was then decided that Snegurochka was Father Frost’s granddaughter. And in 1937, the characters appeared on stage together in the House of Unions and since then have become inseparable.

The role of the Snow Maiden in cinema was first performed by actress Evgenia Filonova in 1968. Three years later, the same role was played by Natalya Bogunova in the film “Spring Tale”. The most attractive actresses of Soviet cinema played the role of the Snow Maiden, creating the image of an unearthly, otherworldly beauty.