Pictures of Russian artists with the names of portraits. The most famous paintings by Russian artists
The page contains the most famous paintings by Russian artists of the 19th century with names and descriptions
The varied painting of Russian artists since the beginning of the 19th century attracts with its originality and versatility in the domestic fine arts... Painting masters of that time never ceased to amaze with their unique approach to the plot and reverent attitude to the feelings of people, to their native nature. In the 19th century, portrait compositions were often painted with an amazing combination of an emotional image and an epic calm motive.
The paintings of Russian artists are magnificent in skill and truly beautiful in perception, amazingly accurately reflecting the breath of their time, the unique character of the people and their desire for beauty.
Canvases of Russian painters, which are the most popular: Alexander Ivanov is a bright representative of the picturesque biblical direction, in paints telling us about the episodes of the life of Jesus Christ.
Karl Bryullov - a painter popular at one time, his direction historical painting, portrait subjects, romantic works.
Marine painter Ivan Aivazovsky, his paintings are magnificent and one can say simply unsurpassedly reflect the beauty of the sea with transparent rolling waves, sea sunsets and sailing ships.
The works of the famous Ilya Repin, who created genre and monumental works reflecting the life of the people, stand out for their distinctive versatility.
Very picturesque and large-scale paintings by the artist Vasily Surikov, a description of Russian history is his direction, in which the artist emphasized episodes in paints life path of the Russian people.
Each artist is unique, for example, Viktor Vasnetsov, a picturesque master of fairy tales and epics, unique in his style, is always juicy and bright, romantic canvases, the heroes of which are all of us famous heroes folk tales.
Each artist is unique, for example, Viktor Vasnetsov, a picturesque master of fairy tales and epics, unique in his style - these are always juicy and bright, romantic canvases, the heroes of which are the well-known heroes of folk tales. Very picturesque and large-scale paintings by the artist Vasily Surikov, the description of Russian history is his direction, in which the artist in paints emphasized the episodes of the life of the Russian people.
In Russian painting of the 19th century, such a trend as critical realism, emphasizing in the plots ridicule, satire and humor. Of course, this was a new trend, not every artist could afford it. In this direction, such artists as Pavel Fedotov and Vasily Perov decided
The landscape painters of that time also occupied their niche, among them Isaac Levitan, Alexei Savrasov, Arkhip Kuindzhi, Vasily Polenov, the young artist Fedor Vasiliev, the picturesque master of the forest, forest glades with pines and birches with mushrooms Ivan Shishkin. All of them colorfully and romantically reflected the beauty of Russian nature, the variety of forms and images of which is associated with the colossal potential of the surrounding world.
According to Levitan, in every note of Russian nature there is a unique colorful palette, hence there is a huge scope for creativity. Perhaps this is the mystery that the canvases created in the endless expanses of Russia stand out with some exquisite severity, but, at the same time, they attract with a discreet beauty, from which it is difficult to look away. Or the painting by Levitan Dandelions, which is not at all intricate and rather not catchy, as if encourages the viewer to think and see the beautiful in the simple.
The mysterious world of art may seem confusing to an inexperienced person, but there are masterpieces that everyone should know. Talent, inspiration and painstaking work on each stroke give rise to works that are admired centuries later.
It is impossible to collect all the outstanding creations in one selection, but we tried to select the most famous paintings that collect giant queues in front of museums around the world.
The most famous paintings by Russian artists
"Morning in a pine forest", Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky
Year of creation: 1889Museum
Shishkin was an excellent landscape painter, but he rarely had to draw animals, so the figures of the bear cubs were drawn by Savitsky, an excellent animal painter. At the end of the work, Tretyakov ordered to erase Savitsky's signature, believing that Shishkin had done a much more extensive work.
"Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan on November 16, 1581", Ilya Repin
Years of creation: 1883–1885Museum: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
To create the masterpiece, better known as "Ivan the Terrible Kills His Son", Repin was inspired by the symphony "Antar" by Rimsky-Korsakov, namely, its second part entitled "The Sweetness of Revenge". Influenced by the sounds of music, the artist depicted a bloody scene of murder and subsequent repentance in the eyes of the sovereign.
Sitting Demon, Mikhail Vrubel
Year of creation: 1890Museum: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
The painting was one of thirty illustrations drawn by Vrubel for the anniversary edition of M.Yu. Lermontov. "Demon seated" personifies the inherent doubts human spirit, subtle, elusive "mood of the soul." According to experts, the artist was to some extent obsessed with the image of a demon: this picture was followed by "Demon Flying" and "Demon Defeated".
"Boyarynya Morozova", Vasily Surikov
Years of creation: 1884–1887Museum: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
The film is based on the plot of the Old Believers' life "The Tale of Boyar Morozova". Understanding key image came to the artist when he saw a raven, a spot spreading black wings on a snowy canvas. Later, Surikov was looking for a prototype for the face of the boyar for a long time, but he could not find anything suitable, until one day he met an Old Believer woman with a pale, frenzied face at the cemetery. The portrait sketch was completed in two hours.
"Heroes", Viktor Vasnetsov
Years of creation: 1881–1898Museum: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
The future epic masterpiece was born in a small pencil sketch in 1881; For further work on the canvas, Vasnetsov painstakingly collected information about the heroes from myths, legends and traditions for many years, and also studied the original ancient Russian ammunition in museums.
Analysis of Vasnetsov's painting "Three heroes"
"Bathing the Red Horse", Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin
Year of creation: 1912Museum: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Initially, the picture was conceived as an everyday sketch from the life of a Russian village, but during the work the artist's canvas was overgrown with a huge number of symbols. By the red horse, Petrov-Vodkin meant "the fate of Russia"; after the country's accession to the First world war he exclaimed: "So that's why I painted this picture!". However, after the revolution, pro-Soviet art critics interpreted the key figure of the canvas as "a harbinger of revolutionary fires."
"Trinity", Andrei Rublev
Year of creation: 1411Museum: Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
The icon that laid the foundation for the tradition of Russian icon painting in the 15th – 16th centuries. The canvas depicting the Old Testament trinity of angels who appeared to Abraham is a symbol of the unity of the Holy Trinity.
"The Ninth Wave", Ivan Aivazovsky
Year of creation: 1850Museum
A gem in the "painting" of the legendary Russian seascape painter, who without hesitation can be considered one of the most famous painters in the world. We can see how the mariners who miraculously survived after the storm cling to the mast in anticipation of a meeting with the "ninth wave", the mythical climax of all storms. But the warm shades prevailing on the canvas give hope for the salvation of the victims.
"The Last Day of Pompeii", Karl Bryullov
Years of creation: 1830–1833Museum: Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Completed in 1833, Bryullov's painting was originally exhibited in the largest cities of Italy, where it caused a real sensation - the painter was compared with Michelangelo, Titian, Raphael ... At home, the masterpiece was greeted with no less enthusiasm, securing the nickname "Charlemagne" for Bryullov. The canvas is truly great: its dimensions are 4.6 by 6.5 meters, which makes it one of the largest paintings among the creations of Russian artists.
The most famous paintings by Leonardo da Vinci
"Mona Lisa"
Years of creation: 1503–1505Museum: Louvre, Paris
A masterpiece of Florentine genius that needs no introduction. It is noteworthy that the painting received its cult status after the incident with the kidnapping from the Louvre in 1911. Two years later, the kidnapper, who turned out to be a museum employee, tried to sell the canvas to the Uffizi Gallery. The events of the high-profile case were covered in detail in the world press, after which hundreds of thousands of reproductions went on sale, and the mysterious La Gioconda became an object of worship.
Years of creation: 1495–1498Museum: Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan
Five centuries later, the classical fresco on the wall of the refectory of the Dominican monastery in Milan is recognized as one of the most mysterious paintings in history. As conceived by Da Vinci, the picture depicts the moment of the Easter meal, when Christ notifies the disciples about the imminent betrayal. Great amount hidden characters gave rise to an equally huge variety of studies, allusions, borrowings and parodies.
"Madonna Litta"
Year of creation: 1491Museum: Hermitage, St. Petersburg
Also known as "Madonna and Child", the painting was kept in the collection of the Dukes of Litta for a long time, and in 1864 it was bought by the St. Petersburg Hermitage. Many experts agree that the figure of the baby was not painted personally by da Vinci, but by one of his students - a pose that was too uncharacteristic for a painter.
The most famous paintings by Salvador Dali
Year of creation: 1931Museum: Museum of Modern Art, New York
Paradoxically, the most famous work of the genius of surrealism was born of the thought of Camembert cheese. One evening, after a friendly dinner that ended with a snack with cheese, the artist plunged into reflections on the "spreading pulp", and his imagination drew a picture of a melting clock with an olive branch in the foreground.
Year of creation: 1955Museum: National Gallery arts, Washington
Traditional plot, which received a surreal canvas using arithmetic principles studied by Leonardo da Vinci. At the forefront, the artist put a kind of magic of the number "12", moving away from the hermeneutic method of interpreting the biblical plot.
The most famous paintings by Pablo Picasso
Year of creation: 1905Museum: Pushkin Museum, Moscow
The painting became the first sign of the so-called "pink" period in the work of Picasso. Rough texture and simplistic style are combined with a sensitive play of lines and colors, a contrast between the massive figure of an athlete and a fragile gymnast. The canvas was sold along with 29 other works for 2 thousand francs (in total) to the Parisian collector Vollard, changed several collections, and in 1913 it was acquired by the Russian philanthropist Ivan Morozov, already for 13 thousand francs.
Year of creation: 1937Museum: Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid
Guernica is the name of a city in the Basque country that was bombed by German bombers in April 1937. Picasso had never been to Guernica, but was stunned by the scale of the catastrophe like a "blow of a bull's horn." The artist conveyed the horrors of war in an abstract form and showed the real face of fascism, veiling it with bizarre geometric shapes.
The most famous paintings of the Renaissance
The Sistine Madonna by Raphael Santi
Years of creation: 1512–1513Museum: Gallery of Old Masters, Dresden
If you look closely at the background, which at first glance consists of clouds, you will notice that in fact Raphael depicted the heads of angels there. The two angels located at the bottom of the picture are known almost more than the masterpiece itself, due to its widespread replication in mass art.
The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli
Year of creation: 1486Museum: Uffizi Gallery, Florence
The painting is based on the ancient Greek myth of the birth of Aphrodite from sea foam... Unlike many masterpieces of the Renaissance, the canvas has survived to this day in excellent condition thanks to the protective layer of egg yolk, with which Botticelli prudently covered the work.
The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo Buonarotti
Year of creation: 1511Museum: Sistine Chapel, Vatican
One of the nine frescoes on the ceiling Sistine Chapel, illustrating the chapter from Genesis: "And God created man in his own image." It was Michelangelo who first portrayed God as a wise old man with gray hair, after which this image became archetypal. Modern scientists believe that the contours of the figure of God and angels personify the human brain.
"Night Watch", Rembrandt
Year of creation: 1642Museum: State Museum, Amsterdam
The full title of the painting is "Speech by the rifle company of Captain Frans Banning Kok and Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburg". The painting received its modern name in the 19th century, when it was found by art critics, who, because of the layer of mud that covered the work, decided that the action in the painting takes place under the cover of night darkness.
"Garden of Earthly Delights", Hieronymus Bosch
Years of creation: 1500–1510Museum: Prado Museum, Madrid "Black Square"
Malevich wrote Black Square for several months; legend has it that under a layer of black paint hides pictorial canvas- the artist did not have time to finish the work on time and, in a fit of anger, blurred the image. There are at least seven copies of the "Black Square" made by Malevich's hand, as well as a kind of "continuation" of the Suprematist squares - "Red Square" (1915) and "White Square" (1918).
The Scream, Edvard Munch
Year of creation: 1893Museum: National Gallery, Oslo
Due to the inexplicable mystical impact on the viewer, the painting was stolen in 1994 and 2004. It is believed that the painting created at the turn of the 20th century anticipated the many catastrophes of the coming century. Scream's deep symbolism has inspired many artists, including Andy Warhol.
This canvas still causes a lot of controversy. Some art critics believe that the excitement around the painting, painted in the proprietary spray technique, was created artificially. The canvas was not sold until all the other works of the artist were bought, respectively, the price for a pointless masterpiece skyrocketed. "Number Five" sold for $ 140 million, becoming the most expensive painting in history.
Diptych Marilyn by Andy Warhol
Year of creation: 1962Museum: Tate Gallery, London
A week after the death of Marilyn Monroe scandalous artist began work on the canvas. 50 stencil portraits of the actress, stylized in the genre of "pop art" from a photograph of 1953, were applied to the canvas.
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In almost every significant work of art there is a riddle, a "double bottom" or secret history that you want to reveal.
Music on the buttocks
Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1500-1510.
Fragment of a part of a triptych
Controversy over the meanings and hidden meanings of the most famous work Dutch artist do not subside from the moment of its appearance. On the right wing of the triptych entitled "Musical Hell" are depicted sinners who are tortured in the underworld with the help of musical instruments... One of them has notes imprinted on the buttocks. Oklahoma Christian University student Amelia Hamrick, who studied painting, put 16th-century notation into a modern twist and recorded "a 500-year-old song from hell out of hell."
Mona Lisa nude
The famous "La Gioconda" exists in two versions: the nude version is called "Monna Vanna", it was painted by the little-known artist Salai, who was a student and model of the great Leonardo da Vinci. Many art critics are sure that he was the model for Leonardo's paintings "John the Baptist" and "Bacchus". There are also versions that dressed in a woman's dress, Salai served as the image of Mona Lisa herself.
Old Fisherman
In 1902 Hungarian artist Tivadar Kostka Chontvari painted the painting "The Old Fisherman". It would seem that there is nothing unusual in the picture, but Tivadar laid in it a subtext that was never revealed during the artist's life.
Few people have the idea to put a mirror to the middle of the picture. Each person can be like God (duplicated right shoulder The old man) and the Devil (duplicated the left shoulder of the old man).
Was there a whale?
Hendrik van Antonissen "Scene on the Shore".
It would seem that, ordinary landscape... Boats, people on the shore and the deserted sea. And only an X-ray study showed that people gathered on the shore for a reason - in the original, they examined the carcass of a whale washed ashore.
However, the artist decided that no one would want to look at the dead whale and rewrote the picture.
Two "Breakfasts on the Grass"
Edouard Manet, Breakfast on the Grass, 1863.
Claude Monet, Breakfast on the Grass, 1865.
The artists Edouard Manet and Claude Monet are sometimes confused - after all, they were both French, lived at the same time and worked in the style of impressionism. Even the name of one of the most famous paintings by Manet "Breakfast on the Grass" Monet borrowed and wrote his "Breakfast on the Grass".
Doubles on "The Last Supper"
Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper, 1495-1498.
When Leonardo da Vinci wrote “ The last supper", He gave special meaning two figures: Christ and Judas. He was looking for models for them for a very long time. Finally, he managed to find a model for the image of Christ among young singers. It was not possible to find a model for Judas Leonardo for three years. But one day he came across a drunkard on the street who was lying in a gutter. It was a young man who had grown old by unrestrained drunkenness. Leonardo invited him to a tavern, where he immediately began to write Judas from him. When the drunkard regained consciousness, he told the artist that he had already posed for him once. It was several years ago, when he sang in the church choir, Leonardo wrote Christ from him.
"Night Watch" or "Day Watch"?
Rembrandt, " The night Watch", 1642.
One of the most famous paintings by Rembrandt "Performance of the rifle company of Captain Frans Banning Kok and Lieutenant Willem van Ruutenbürg" hung in different rooms for about two hundred years and was discovered by art critics only in the 19th century. Since the figures seemed to appear against a dark background, it was called "Night Watch", and under this name it entered the treasury of world art.
And only during the restoration, carried out in 1947, it was discovered that in the hall the painting had managed to become covered with a layer of soot, which distorted its color. After clearing out the original painting, it was finally revealed that the scene presented by Rembrandt actually takes place during the day. The position of the shadow from Captain Kok's left hand indicates that the action lasts no more than 14 hours.
Inverted boat
Henri Matisse, The Boat, 1937.
The New York Museum of Modern Art in 1961 exhibited a painting by Henri Matisse "The Boat". Only after 47 days did someone notice that the painting was hanging upside down. The canvas depicts 10 purple lines and two blue sails on a white background. The artist painted two sails for a reason, the second sail is a reflection of the first on the surface of the water.
In order not to be mistaken in how the picture should hang, you need to pay attention to the details. The larger sail should be at the top of the painting, and the peak of the painting should be towards the top right corner.
Deception in self-portrait
Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait with a Pipe, 1889.
There are legends that van Gogh allegedly cut off his own ear. Now the most reliable version is that van Gogh's ear was damaged in a small scuffle with the participation of another artist - Paul Gauguin.
The self-portrait is interesting in that it reflects reality in a distorted form: the artist is depicted with a bandaged right ear, because he used a mirror during his work. In fact, the left ear was affected.
Stranger bears
Ivan Shishkin, "Morning in the Pine Forest", 1889.
The famous painting belongs not only to Shishkin's brush. Many artists, who were friends with each other, often resorted to the "help of a friend", and Ivan Ivanovich, who painted landscapes all his life, feared that touching bears would not turn out as he needed. Therefore, Shishkin turned to the familiar animal painter Konstantin Savitsky.
Savitsky painted some of the best bears in the history of Russian painting, and Tretyakov ordered to wash his name off the canvas, since everything in the picture "from design to execution, everything speaks of the manner of painting, of the creative method peculiar to Shishkin."
The innocent story of "Gothic"
Grant Wood, " American gothic", 1930.
Grant Wood's work is considered one of the strangest and most depressing in history. American painting... The painting with the gloomy father and daughter is replete with details that indicate the severity, puritanism and retrogradeness of the people depicted.
In fact, the artist did not intend to depict any horrors: during a trip to Iowa, he noticed a small house in gothic style and decided to portray those people who, in his opinion, would ideally fit as inhabitants. Grant's sister and his dentist are immortalized in the form of characters that the people of Iowa took offense at.
Revenge of Salvador Dali
The painting "Figure at the Window" was painted in 1925, when Dali was 21 years old. Then Gala had not yet entered the artist's life, and his sister Ana Maria was his muse. The relationship between brother and sister soured when he wrote on one of the paintings "sometimes I spit on a portrait of my own mother, and it gives me pleasure." Ana Maria could not forgive such shocking.
In her 1949 book, Salvador Dali through the Eyes of a Sister, she writes about her brother without any praise. The book infuriated El Salvador. For another ten years after that, he angrily remembered her at every opportunity. And so, in 1954, the painting "A young virgin, indulging in the sin of Sodom with the help of the horns of her own chastity" appears. The woman's pose, her curls, the landscape outside the window and the color scheme of the picture clearly echo the "Figure at the Window". There is a version that Dali took revenge on his sister for her book in this way.
Two-faced Danae
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Danae, 1636-1647.
Many secrets of one of the most famous paintings by Rembrandt were revealed only in the 60s of the twentieth century, when the canvas was enlightened x-rays... For example, the shooting showed that in the early version the face of the princess, who had a love affair with Zeus, looked like the face of Saskia, the wife of the painter, who died in 1642. In the final version of the picture, it began to resemble the face of Gertier Dierks, Rembrandt's mistress, with whom the artist lived after the death of his wife.
Van Gogh's yellow bedroom
Vincent Van Gogh, The Bedroom at Arles, 1888 - 1889.
In May 1888, Van Gogh acquired a small workshop in Arles, in the south of France, where he fled from Parisian artists and critics who did not understand him. In one of the four rooms, Vincent is setting up a bedroom. In October, everything is ready, and he decides to paint "Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles". For the artist, the color and coziness of the room were very important: everything had to suggest the idea of rest. At the same time, the picture is sustained in alarming yellow tones.
Researchers of Van Gogh's work explain this by the fact that the artist took foxglove, a remedy for epilepsy, which causes serious changes in the patient's perception of color: the entire surrounding reality is painted in green-yellow tones.
Toothless perfection
Leonardo da Vinci, "Portrait of Madame Lisa del Giocondo", 1503-1519.
The generally accepted opinion is that Mona Lisa is perfection and her smile is beautiful in its mystery. However, the American art critic (and part-time dentist) Joseph Borkowski believes that, judging by the expression on her face, the heroine has lost a lot of teeth. Examining enlarged photographs of the masterpiece, Borkowski also found scars around her mouth. “She smiles so much precisely because of what happened to her,” the expert said. "Her expression is typical of people who have lost their front teeth."
Major on face control
Pavel Fedotov, The Major's Matchmaking, 1848.
The audience, who first saw the painting "The Major's Matchmaking", laughed heartily: the artist Fedotov filled it with ironic details, understandable to viewers of that time. For example, the major is clearly not familiar with the rules of noble etiquette: he appeared without the required bouquets for the bride and her mother. And the bride herself was discharged by her merchant parents in the evening ball gown, although it is day outside (all the lamps in the room are out). The girl clearly tried on a low-cut dress for the first time, she is embarrassed and tries to run away to her room.
Why is Freedom naked
Ferdinand Victor Eugene Delacroix, Liberty on the Barricades, 1830.
According to art critic Etienne Julie, Delacroix painted the face of a woman from the famous Parisian revolutionary - washerwoman Anne-Charlotte, who came to the barricades after the death of her brother at the hands of royal soldiers and killed nine guardsmen. The artist depicted her with bare breasts. According to him, this is a symbol of fearlessness and selflessness, as well as the triumph of democracy: a naked chest shows that Freedom, like a commoner, does not wear a corset.
Non-square square
Kazimir Malevich, "Black Suprematist Square", 1915.
In fact, the "Black Square" is not at all black and not at all square: none of the sides of the quadrangle is parallel to any of its other sides, and not one of the sides of the square frame that frames the painting. And the dark color is the result of mixing different colors, among which there was no black. It is believed that this was not the author's negligence, but a principled position, the desire to create a dynamic, mobile form.
Specialists of the Tretyakov Gallery discovered the author's inscription on the famous painting by Malevich. The caption reads: "Battle of the Negroes in dark cave". This phrase refers to the title of the playful picture of the French journalist, writer and artist Alphonse Allais "Battle of the Negroes in a Dark Cave in the Deep of Night", which was a completely black rectangle.
Melodrama of the Austrian Mona Lisa
Gustav Klimt, "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer", 1907.
One of Klimt's most significant paintings depicts the wife of the Austrian sugar magnate Ferdinad Bloch-Bauer. All Vienna was discussing whirlwind romance Adele and famous artist... The wounded husband wanted to take revenge on his lovers, but chose a very unusual way: he decided to order Klimt a portrait of Adele and force him to make hundreds of sketches until the artist starts to turn away from her.
Bloch-Bauer wanted the work to last for several years, and the model could see how Klimt's feelings fade away. He made a generous offer to the artist, which he could not refuse, and everything turned out according to the scenario of a deceived husband: the work was completed in 4 years, the lovers have long cooled to each other. Adele Bloch-Bauer never found out that her husband was aware of her relationship with Klimt.
The painting that brought Gauguin back to life
Paul Gauguin, Where We Come From? Who Are We? Where Are We Going ?, 1897-1898.
The most famous painting by Gauguin has one peculiarity: it is "read" not from left to right, but from right to left, like Kabbalistic texts that the artist was interested in. It is in this order that the allegory of a person's spiritual and physical life unfolds: from the birth of the soul (a sleeping child in the lower right corner) to the inevitability of the hour of death (a bird with a lizard in its claws in the lower left corner).
The painting was painted by Gauguin in Tahiti, where the artist fled civilization several times. But this time life on the island did not work out: total poverty led him to depression. Having finished the canvas, which was to become his spiritual testament, Gauguin took a box of arsenic and went to the mountains to die. However, he miscalculated the dose and the suicide failed. The next morning, rocking, he wandered to his hut and fell asleep, and when he woke up, he felt a forgotten thirst for life. And in 1898 his affairs went uphill, and a brighter period began in his work.
112 proverbs in one picture
Pieter Bruegel the Elder, Dutch Proverbs, 1559
Pieter Bruegel Sr. portrayed a land inhabited by literal images Dutch proverbs those days. There are approximately 112 recognizable idioms in the painting. Some of them are used to this day, such as: "swim against the current", "bang your head against the wall", "armed to the teeth" and "a big fish eats a small one."
Other proverbs reflect human stupidity.
Subjectivity of art
Paul Gauguin, Breton Village in the Snow, 1894
Gauguin's painting "Breton Village in the Snow" was sold after the death of the author for only seven francs and, moreover, under the name "Niagara Falls". The person conducting the auction accidentally hung the painting upside down, seeing a waterfall in it.
Hidden picture
Pablo Picasso, The Blue Room, 1901
In 2008, infrared light showed that another image was hidden under the Blue Room - a portrait of a man dressed in a suit with a bow tie and resting his head on his arm. “As soon as Picasso had new idea, he took up a brush and embodied it. But he had no opportunity to buy new canvas every time a muse visited him, ”explains possible reason this is art critic Patricia Favero.
Inaccessible Moroccans
Zinaida Serebryakova, "Naked", 1928
Once Zinaida Serebryakova received tempting offer- go on a creative journey to depict the naked figures of oriental virgins. But it turned out that it was simply impossible to find models in those places. Zinaida's translator came to the rescue - he brought his sisters and bride to her. No one before and after this has been able to capture the closed oriental women naked.
Spontaneous insight
Valentin Serov, "Portrait of Nicholas II in a Jacket", 1900
For a long time Serov could not paint a portrait of the tsar. When the artist gave up completely, he apologized to Nikolai. Nikolai got a little upset, sat down at the table, stretching out his arms in front of him ... And then the artist dawned - here he is an image! A simple military man in an officer's jacket with clear and sad eyes. This portrait is considered the finest depiction of the last emperor.
Deuce again
© Fedor Reshetnikov
The famous painting "Deuce Again" is just the second part of the artistic trilogy.
The first part is “Arrived for Vacation”. A clearly wealthy family, winter holidays, a joyful excellent student.
The second part is "Deuce again". Poor family from a working-class suburb, in the midst of school year, dejected, stunned, again grabbed a deuce. In the upper left corner you can see the picture "Arrived for Vacation".
The third part is "Re-examination". A country house, summer, everyone is walking, one malicious ignoramus, who has failed the annual exam, is forced to sit within four walls and cram. In the upper left corner you can see the painting "Deuce again".
How masterpieces are born
Joseph Turner, Rain, Steam and Speed, 1844
In 1842 Mrs. Simon was traveling by train in England. Suddenly a heavy downpour began. The elderly gentleman sitting opposite her got up, opened the window, stuck his head out and stared like that for ten minutes. Unable to contain her curiosity, the woman also opened the window and began to look ahead. A year later, she discovered the painting "Rain, Steam and Speed" at an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts and was able to recognize in it the very episode on the train.
Anatomy lesson from Michelangelo
Michelangelo, The Creation of Adam, 1511
A couple of American neuroanatomy experts believe Michelangelo actually left some anatomical illustrations in one of his most famous works... They believe that there is a huge brain on the right side of the picture. Surprisingly, even complex components such as the cerebellum, optic nerves and pituitary gland can be found. And the eye-catching green ribbon perfectly matches the location of the vertebral artery.
The Last Supper by Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh, " Night terrace cafe ", 1888
Researcher Jared Baxter believes that the dedication to Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper" is encrypted on Van Gogh's painting "Cafe Terrace at Night". In the center of the picture is a waiter with long hair and in a white tunic resembling the clothes of Christ, and around him exactly 12 visitors to the cafe. Also, Baxter draws attention to the cross located right behind the back of the waiter in white.
Dali's image of memory
Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory, 1931
It is no secret that the thoughts that visited Dali during the creation of his masterpieces were always in the form of a very realistic images, which the artist then transferred to the canvas. So, according to the author himself, the painting "The Persistence of Memory" was painted as a result of associations that arose at the sight of processed cheese.
What Munch Screams About
Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893.
Munch talked about his idea of one of the most mysterious paintings in world painting: "I was walking along the path with two friends - the sun was setting - suddenly the sky turned blood-red, I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned against the fence - I looked at blood and flames over the bluish-black fjord and the city - my friends went further, and I stood, trembling with excitement, feeling an endless cry piercing nature. " But what kind of sunset could scare the artist so?
There is a version that the idea of "Scream" was born in Munch in 1883, when several powerful eruptions of the Krakatoa volcano took place - so powerful that they changed the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere by one degree. Copious amounts of dust and ash spread throughout the globe even reaching Norway. For several evenings in a row, the sunsets looked as if the apocalypse was about to come - one of them became a source of inspiration for the artist.
Writer among the people
Alexander Ivanov, "The Appearance of Christ to the People", 1837-1857.
Dozens of sitters posed for Alexander Ivanov for his main picture. One of them is known no less than the artist himself. In the background, among the travelers and Roman horsemen, who have not yet heard the sermon of John the Baptist, you can see a character in a korchin tunic. Ivanov wrote it from Nikolai Gogol. The writer closely communicated with the artist in Italy, in particular on religious issues, and gave him advice in the process of painting. Gogol believed that Ivanov "has long since died for the whole world, except for his work."
Michelangelo's gout
Raphael Santi, School of Athens, 1511.
Creating the famous fresco "The School of Athens", Raphael immortalized his friends and acquaintances in the images of ancient Greek philosophers. One of them was Michelangelo Buonarotti "in the role of" Heraclitus. For several centuries, the fresco kept the secrets of Michelangelo's personal life, and modern researchers made the assumption that the artist's strangely angular knee indicates the presence of joint disease.
This is likely, given the lifestyle and working conditions of Renaissance artists and Michelangelo's chronic workaholism.
Arnolfini's mirror
Jan van Eyck, "Portrait of the Arnolfini Couple", 1434
In the mirror behind the Arnolfini couple, you can see the reflection of two more people in the room. Most likely, these are witnesses present at the conclusion of the contract. One of them is van Eyck, as evidenced by the Latin inscription, placed, contrary to tradition, above the mirror in the center of the composition: "Jan van Eyck was here." This is how contracts were usually sealed.
How lack turned into talent
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Self-portrait at the age of 63, 1669.
Researcher Margaret Livingston studied all of Rembrandt's self-portraits and found that the artist suffered from squint: in the images his eyes look in different directions, which is not observed in the portraits of other people by the master. The disease led to the fact that the artist was better able to perceive reality in two dimensions than people with normal vision. This phenomenon is called "stereo blindness" - the inability to see the world in 3D. But since the painter has to work with a two-dimensional image, this very shortcoming of Rembrandt could be one of the explanations for his phenomenal talent.
Sinless Venus
Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, 1482-1486.
Before the appearance of "The Birth of Venus", the image of a naked female body in painting symbolized only the idea of original sin. Sandro Botticelli was the first European painter to find nothing sinful in him. Moreover, art critics are sure that the pagan goddess of love symbolizes on the fresco christian image: her appearance is an allegory of the rebirth of a soul that has undergone the rite of baptism.
Lute player or lute player?
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, The Lute Player, 1596.
For a long time, the painting was exhibited at the Hermitage under the title "The Lute Player". Only at the beginning of the twentieth century, art critics agreed that the canvas still depicts a young man (probably, his familiar artist Mario Minniti posed for Caravaggio): on the notes in front of the musician, you can see the recording of the bass part of madrigal Jacob Arcadelt "You know that I love you" ... A woman could hardly make such a choice - it's just hard for her throat. In addition, the lute, like the violin at the very edge of the picture, was considered a male instrument in the era of Caravaggio.
Speaking about the genre of the landscape, it is impossible not to turn to the work of the great landscape painters. Now it is difficult to imagine that two hundred years ago there was no such thing as a landscape. The traditions of Russian landscape painting began to form only at the end XVIII century... Prior to this, artists painted under the influence of Italian and French masters, ennobling nature according to the academic laws of construction, which were considered mandatory in painting at that time.
The Partnership made a huge contribution to the development of Russian landscape traveling exhibitions(Itinerants) under the leadership of I.N. Kramskoy. The artists glorified the beauty of inconspicuous Russian nature, simplicity rural landscapes, the vast expanses of Russia.
Major landscape masters:
- Alexey Kondratyevich Savrasov (1830-1897)
- Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817-1900)
Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin (1832-1898)
The art of I.I. Shishkin is surprisingly clear and transparent. His paintings are a hymn to wildlife, its beauty. He created landscape art with coniferous thickets, with vast expanses, with all the simplicity of a northern landscape.
At the age of 12, at the insistence of his father, he was assigned to the 1st Kazan gymnasium. I never finished the full course. In 1852 he moved to Moscow and entered the School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Here Shishkin's mentor was A.N. Mokritsky. After completing the course (1856), the talented student was advised to continue his education in St. Petersburg at the Academy of Arts. His training was supervised by S. M. Vorobyov.
The teachers immediately noted Shishkin's penchant for landscape painting. Already in the first year of his stay at the Academy, he was awarded a small silver medal for "View in the vicinity of St. Petersburg". In 1858 the artist received the Great Silver Medal for the painting "View on the Island of Valaam".
The successes achieved allowed Shishkin to travel abroad as a scholar of the academy. The journey began in Munich (1861), where Ivan Ivanovich visited the workshops of the popular animal painters B. and F. Adamov. In 1863 Shishkin moved to Zurich, then to Geneva, Prague, Dusseldorf. Longing for his fatherland, he returned to St. Petersburg in 1866, before the expiration of his scholarship.
In Russia, the artist was awarded the title of academician (1865). From this time began the most fruitful period of the painter's work. The paintings “Cutting the forest” (1867), “Rye” (1878), “Pines illuminated by the sun” (1886), “Morning in a pine forest” (1889; bears were painted by K. A Savitsky), "Ship Grove" (1898) and many others.
Shishkin actively worked in the open air, often undertaking travels across Russia for artistic purposes. He exhibited his works almost every year - first at the academy, and then, after the Association of Traveling art exhibitions(1870), at these exhibitions.
Ivan Ilyich Levitan (1860-1900)
Born on August 30, 1860 in the Lithuanian town of Kybartai in Jewish family... My father was a minor employee in the city government. Soon after the birth of their youngest son, the family moved to Moscow. At the age of 13, Isaac was admitted to the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, in the class of A.K.Savrasov and V.D. Polenov. From the very beginning of his studies, Levitan earned his living by lessons and custom portraits. He graduated brilliantly from college, but due to his origin he was awarded a diploma of a calligraphy teacher.
The first big picture " Quiet abode”He wrote after a trip in 1890 across the Russian North. The canvas was purchased by P.M. Tretyakov for his gallery. In 1892 the artist was forced to leave Moscow because Jews were not allowed to live in the capitals. He settled in a village along the Vladimirsky tract, along which convicts were driven to Siberia. The artist captured these places in the painting "Vladimirka" (1892). In the 90s. Levitan made another trip, this time along the Volga. There the painting “Fresh Wind. Volga "(1891-1895). The exacerbation of tuberculosis caused the artist's departure abroad, to France, then to Italy, although the efforts of his friends helped him get a residence permit in Moscow.
Returning home, in 1898 Levitan began to teach a landscape class at the school, which he graduated from. His health deteriorated, and in 1899 the artist, at the invitation of A.P. Chekhov, left for Yalta. When he returned, he began teaching again, but his health continued to deteriorate, and on August 4, 1900, Levitan died.
The landscapes of the singer of Russian nature are not just a photographic depiction of nature - the artist managed to convey her living breath. No wonder the critic V.V. Stasov called Levitan's paintings emotional poems. At the same time, Levitan was not only a magnificent landscape painter. His creative heritage also includes drawings, watercolors, book illustrations.
The city of Plyos is associated with the name of Isaac Levitan. Levitan comes to Plyos three summers in a row, in the years 1888-1890. There is not a single corner and path in the vicinity of Plyos, wherever you have been Great master... Inspired by the magical beauties of Plyos, he paints almost 200 paintings and sketches here! Now famous paintings: "Above eternal rest", "After the rain. Plyos "," Evening. Golden Plyos "," Birch Grove "and many others - have become an adornment of the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Russian Museum and many collections in Russia and abroad.
Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov (1844-1927)
Born June 1, 1844 in the Borok estate (now Polenovo in Tula region) in the family of archaeologist and bibliographer D.V. Polenov. After receiving secondary education, Vasily entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (1863), and a little later started attend lectures at the law faculty at the university.
In 1872, Polenov, who completed both courses with honors, was awarded a trip abroad at the expense of the academy. He visited Vienna, Venice, Florence, Naples, lived in Paris for a long time. The home visit was short-lived; in 1876 the artist volunteered for the Serbo-Montenegrin-Turkish war.
In subsequent years he traveled extensively in the Middle East and Greece (1881-1882, 1899, 1909), Italy (1883-1884, 1894-1895). In 1879 he joined the Society of Itinerant Artists. In 1882-1895. taught at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.
In recognition of his merits, Polenov was elected a full member of the Academy of Arts in 1893. Since 1910, he was engaged in the development of provincial theaters, three years later becoming the head of a special section at the Moscow Society of People's Universities.
Polenov is known as the author of works of different genres. He turned to historical and religious themes - "Christ and the Sinner" (1886-1887), "On Lake Tiberias" (1888), "Among the Teachers" (1896); in 1877 he created a series of sketches for the Kremlin cathedrals and palace chambers; at various times he made theatrical scenery. According to his sketches, churches were built in Abramtsevo (in collaboration with V.M. Vasnetsov) and in Bekhov near Tarusa (1906). But the greatest glory to Polenov was brought by landscapes: "Moscow courtyard" (1878), "Grandmother's garden", "Summer" (both 1879), "Overgrown pond" (1880), " Golden autumn"(1893), conveying the poetic charm of the corners of city life and pristine Russian nature.
The artist spent the last years of his life in the Borok estate, where he organized a museum of art and scientific collections. The museum-estate of V.D. Polenov has been operating here since 1927.
Alexey Kondratyevich Savrasov (1830 - 1897)
The artist was born on May 12 (24), 1830 in Moscow, in the family of a merchant of the 3rd guild, Kondraty Artemyevich Savrasov. Contrary to the wishes of his father, who dreamed of adapting his son to "commercial affairs", in 1844 the boy entered the Moscow School of Painting and Sculpture, where he studied in the class of landscape painter K. I. Rabus. During his studies, in 1850 he completed the painting "A Stone in the Forest by the Spill", which art critics consider somewhat awkward in composition. In the same year, for the painting "View of the Moscow Kremlin by the Moon", he was awarded the title of an out-of-class artist.
Founding member of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions (see Wanderers). V early works S. dominated by romantic effects ("View of the Kremlin in inclement weather", 1851, Tretyakov Gallery).
In the 1850s and 60s. Savrasov more often turns to calm, narrative images, in a number of cases marked by the desire for color unity of works ("Losiny Island in Sokolniki", 1869, ibid.), To enhance the emotional sound of chiaroscuro. The result of these searches was the painting "The Rooks Have Arrived" (1871, ibid.), Where Savrasov, depicting an outwardly inconspicuous motive and emphasizing the moment of transition in the life of the natural environment (the onset early spring), managed to show deep sincerity native nature... Subsequent works by Savrasov also differ in lyrical spontaneity and interest in the open air ("Grassland", 1873, "Courtyard", 1870s; "Grave over the Volga", 1874, private collection, Moscow).
Alexey Savrasov, one of the largest representatives of the lyrical movement in the Russian landscape, had a tremendous influence on Russian landscape painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Died A.K. Savrasov September 26, 1897, buried in Moscow, on Vagankovsky cemetery... The alley on which he is buried bears his name. Isaac Levitan was his favorite student
Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi (1841-1910)
Born in January 1841 in Mariupol in the family of a shoemaker, Greek by birth. Orphaned, brought up in a family of relatives. He began to paint early and mastered painting mostly on his own.
In 1855 he went on foot to Feodosia to study with IK Aivazovsky. Influence famous marine painter there was no doubt about young Kuindzhi. In the late 60s. Kuindzhi arrived in St. Petersburg. The artist presented his first works in 1868 at the exhibition of the Academy of Arts and soon firmly established himself as a master of landscape: "Autumn thaw" (1872); The Forgotten Village (1874); "Chumatsky tract in Mariupol" (1875), etc.
In 1870 he first visited the island of Valaam, where he later painted a lot. As contemporaries believed, it was the landscapes created there that attracted the attention of the audience.
The painting "Ukrainian Night" (1876) simply stunned the audience and defined the author's special path in art. With her Kuindzhi began his "pursuit of light" - he strove to achieve a complete illusion natural light... V the highest degree this manifested itself in the painting "Night on the Dnieper" (1880) with a sparkling moonlit path, in velvet darkness.
The painter in a new way revealed the possibilities of the landscape, transforming, purifying and elevating reality. He achieved extraordinary intensity and brightness of colors, new color solutions. Numerous "sunny" paintings and sketches (including "Birch Grove", 1879) are characteristic of him.
Intense contrast in rich tones, lighting effects - all this was unusual for painting XIX v. phenomenon. The lack of understanding of his colleagues forced Kuindzhi to refuse to participate in exhibitions at the moment of his greatest success. V last time he exhibited his work in 1882.
The artist lived as a hermit in the Crimea, where he created a series of large canvases and hundreds of sketches, continuing to experiment with paints and color. Among the later works of Kuindzhi - his only plot painting "Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane" (1901) and breathing with extraordinary harmony "Night" (1905-1908)
In 1909, Arkhip Ivanovich founded the Society of Artists (which later received his name), which provided support to people of art. The painter bequeathed to this Society all his fortune and the works in the workshop.
For several centuries, art has been considered one of the most valuable assets. human culture... Paintings famous artists become a state treasure, watched by thousands of specialists vigilantly, and they cost hundreds of millions of dollars. In our country, art is valued much less, but everyone, perhaps, is familiar with the following the most famous paintings by Russian artists... It is about them that any educated person must know.
The Appearance of Christ to the PeopleAlexander Ivanov
"The Appearance of Christ to the People" worthily opens the top of the most famous paintings by Russian artists. Russian artist Alexander Ivanov became famous for the painting "The Appearance of Christ to the People", which he painted for twenty years. The size of the painting is striking, as is its detail. The author was inspired, of course, by stories from the Bible, and it was far from the first work of the artist on religious themes - Ivanov knew what everyone liked in the first picture and embodied it again - for the last time. The picture was called by contemporaries not just amazing, but the most important event in their life. Ironically, Ivanov himself died on the same day, and the tsar bought the painting immediately after the death of the author.
Vasily Pukirev
One of the most famous paintings by Russian artists is the incredibly deep canvas by Vasily Pukirev. Pukirev is an unremarkable villager who became famous for only one painting - all the other works of the author remained forgotten. Why exactly " Unequal marriage"? The picture describes a plot from the life of Pukirev himself - he is even depicted in the picture itself. Young Pukirev stands in the background with crossed arms, unable to do anything, because his bride is marrying an old general. Kostomarov himself, seeing the canvas, married a young girl.
The Rooks Have Arrived Alexey Savrasov
"The Rooks Have Arrived"- the most famous painting by Russian artist Alexei Savrasov. The picture gained popularity even during its first exhibition, where they appreciated its realism and sincerity. "Such landscapes are only in" Rooks "," - said about the picture of Savrasov. Interestingly, the church that is depicted in the background exists and stands in the same form to this day. In the same village, the famous Susanin accomplished his feat.
Hunters at rest Vasily Perov
The author of the picture "Hunters at Rest" is an famous author Vasily Grigorievich Perov. Now everyone knows this one of the most famous paintings by Russian artists, and in the 19th century, many spoke of it as unsuccessful. There were also those who admired Perov's work. First of all, I admired the work great classic Dostoevsky. Some criticized the picture because of its unreliability, because Perov drew hunters from his friends, who were unfamiliar with this type of occupation.
Three Bogatyrs Viktor Vasnetsov
Viktor Vasnetsov created one of the most famous paintings among Russian authors - "Three heroes"... Vasnetsov said that he was inspired by dumpy oaks - he was amazed at their power, and the heroes just appeared to him a little later in a dream. The picture shows famous characters Russian folk tales. In the very center is drawn Ilya Muromets, in whose hand a spear, on the left - Dobrynya Nikitich, taking out a sword from its scabbard, and on the right - Alyosha Popovich with a bow and arrows. It is known that the artist painted Alyosha from the son of Mamontov, in whose estate the painting hung. And the rest of the heroes are similar to members of the family of Vasnetsov himself.
Girl with peaches Valentin Serov
Valentin Alexandrovich Serov, unlike previous authors, after painting "Girl with Peaches", became one of the most significant artists in the empire. The picture impressed the public and even the royal family so much that she turned to the author with an order for several more paintings to decorate the royal palaces. "Girl with Peaches" is deservedly included in the Top of the most famous paintings by Russian artists thanks to the joy that the girl radiates. Critics call the painting "alive". But imagine what it was like for the girl who had to pose for Serov, and he is not the only one who embodied this young person on his canvases.
Barge Haulers on the Volga Ilya Efimovich
Ilya Efimovich is a native of Ukraine, in his childhood he never saw large ships, barge haulers, and even more so the Volga. For the first time, Efimovich saw the barge haulers on the Neva, where he had a plot for the future masterpiece. Now "Barge Haulers on the Volga" one of the most illustrative paintings by Russian artists, which is deservedly included in the top 10. The picture has been described more than once by the great literary figures, including Dostoevsky himself. To paint the painting "Barge Haulers on the Volga" the author needed only 200 rubles for the trip. Then it was sold for only 3000 rubles to Vladimir Alexandrovich, the great Russian prince. Now the painting is a heritage of Russian culture and its value cannot be estimated.
Boyarynya Morozova Vasily Surikov
"Boyarynya Morozova" Russian author Vasily Surikov is one of the most important exhibits of the Tretyakov Gallery and, in combination, one of the most famous paintings by Russian artists. The painting is large in size, and visitors are amazed at how well life is detailed on such a rather large canvas. The Tretyakov Gallery acquired the painting for only 25 thousand rubles - money, of course, a lot for the 19th century, but now its value cannot be overestimated. Interestingly, the purchase of the painting was a risk for the gallery, because the majority did not accept the canvas.
Stranger Ivan Kramskoy
The second most famous painting by Russian artists is rightfully the mysterious "Stranger" Ivan Kramskoy. A small canvas depicts a young woman who is dressed in the dearest and most fashion clothes late XIX century. Someone claims that the painting depicts Anna Karenina, and some generally believe that the "Stranger" brings great misfortune to everyone who looks into her eyes. "Unknown" is the most famous painting of all the works of Kramskoy, and the world still does not know from whom the artist painted the picture. The author himself did not mention anything.
Morning in a pine forest Ivan Shishkin
"Morning in a pine forest". Ivan Shishkin, an artist who, while still at the academy, replied that he would be a landscape painter, painted the famous picture "Morning in a Pine Forest." Even young children know about the canvas, although they call it "bears", as they are depicted on chocolates of the same name. Among Russian artists, Shishkin's Morning in a Pine Forest is the most recognizable and often criticized for its lack of realism. The most clingy ones object why there are exactly three bears, because a bear rarely has such offspring. The picture gained popularity thanks to the fabulously beautiful forest landscape with the addition of plot animalism, that is, the bear family.