A remarkable fresco from St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod depicting St. Constantine and Helena revived memories of Roman monuments.
Who among the visitors to the Capitoline Museums did not pay attention to the images of Constantine! Moreover, now the exhibition contains parts of two colossal statues of the emperor. The remains of the marble statue are located in the courtyard of the Palazzo of the Conservatives:

Head height: 2 m 60 cm.A hand with a pointing finger is preserved:

And the leg of the emperor:

This acrolite statue was once in the huge Basilica of Maxentius. The remains of this building on the forums today look like this:

Constantine ruled the empire at the beginning of the 4th century. He did not live long in Rome. His temporary residences were Trier, Milan, Aquileia, Sirmium, Ness, Thessaloniki. He founded the New Rome - Constantinople, for the decoration of which numerous statues of Rome and Greek cities were used. Christian authors and adherents of the traditional cults of the Roman Empire wrote about Constantine. For the Orthodox, he is a saint. The Western Church was more cautious about his canonization. When we see images of Constantine in his lifetime, his image becomes even more complex. A frozen face, huge eyes - before us is not so much a person as the very embodiment of power and inhuman greatness:

The Christian image of Constantine was left to the descendants of Eusebius Pamphilus, Bishop of Caesarea of \u200b\u200bPalestine. However, he honestly admitted in Chapter 11 of Book 1 that he would narrate only about the godly deeds of Constantine. Because “others, guided by a feeling of benevolence or hatred, and often incited simply by the desire to show their learning, pompously and pompously, although completely unnecessarily, recount stories of shameful deeds, describe the lives of husbands who do not deserve respect, and actions that are useless to improve morals ... "
The book of Eusebius glorifies Basileus, who, on the eve of the decisive battle with Maxentius, had a vision of the Cross, which Constantine made his symbol and won. We learn about Constantine's participation in the life of the church, about the establishment of Christianity in the vastness of the Roman Empire, about the destruction of pagan sanctuaries and his baptism on the verge of death.
In ch. 19 book 2 depicts a picture of the general prosperity of his subjects: “So, now, after the deposition of the wicked people, the rays of the sun no longer illuminated the tyrannical dominion: all parts of the Roman Empire were united into one, all the peoples of the East merged with the other half of the state, and the whole was adorned with autocracy, as if by a single head, and everything began to live under the rule of the monarchy. The radiant radiance of piety to those who had previously sat in darkness and the shadow of death brought joyful days, there was no more memory of past calamities; everyone and everywhere glorified the victor and agreed to recognize as God only the One who brought him salvation<…> All fear of disasters, which had previously depressed everyone, disappeared, and people, until that time with drooping eyes, now looked at each other with bright eyes and smiles on their faces.<…> They forgot about past calamities, about all unrighteousness and, enjoying the present blessings, awaited future ones. "

The remains of the second, bronze, colossus of Constantine are now in the same room where the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius is exhibited, which, as you know, was saved only by the fact that in the Middle Ages it was considered an image of Constantine. The height of this head is 1 m 70 cm:

Let's continue reading Eusebius. He describes Constantine shortly before his death: “Thirty-two years of his reign have already passed, without several months and days, and the time of his life was twice as long. Despite this age, his body did not know diseases and weaknesses, did not have any ulcers and was stronger than youth, with a seemingly beautiful and capable of intensified activity, so that he could do gymnastics, ride a horse, walk on foot, participate in battles, erect trophies in honor of victory over enemies and to gain the upper hand in a bloodless struggle with opponents. " / Book. 4, ch. 53 /
And only in ch. 54 the biographer allows himself to mention the “inappropriate”: “He was distinguished by all his wonderful qualities, and especially by his philanthropy, which, nevertheless, they reproached me, calling it carelessness in relation to the villains, the reason for their malice who considered the lack of exacting basileus. Indeed, in the time described, I myself noticed the dominion of two grave vices: the destructive power of insatiable and crafty people who plundered other people's property, and the inexpressible pretense of deceivers who hypocritically joined the Church and falsely bore the name of Christians. Philanthropy and love, sincerity of faith and straightforwardness disposed the Basileus to trust people who were, apparently, Christians and, under the guise of pretense, were trying to win his true favor. Trusting them, sometimes he did the wrong. " /http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/books/eusebius/vc/index.html/

And here is the description of Constantine from the mouth of the pagan Zosimus. It is reproduced in his article by N.N. Rosenthal: “Constantine in Zosim is, first of all, an ambitious careerist, invader, monstrous murderer and traitor. The bastard son of Constantius from a woman of ignoble birth, he violently removed the legitimate heirs of his father from power. The venal praetorians proclaimed him emperor not on any principled grounds, but only "counting on a generous reward." The usurpation of Constantine was an example of Maxentius, the son of the former western August Maximian Herculius, who in any case could consider himself more worthy of the imperial crown. The Roman Empire found itself on the brink of bloody internecine wars. The old man Diocletian, who voluntarily resigned from himself after twenty years of valiant rule, appealed in vain to the conscience of the young ambitious.<…> But nothing could interfere with the selfish intrigues of Constantine. He managed to destroy Maxentius, using the barbarian Germans as a mercenary fighting force. After that, Constantine, "acting according to his habits," treacherously attacked the eastern August of Licinius, his son-in-law and honest ally, who did not give the slightest reason for a break. Taken by surprise, Licinius was defeated and surrendered on condition that his life be spared. But Konstantin, again “according to his custom,” shamefully broke his oath and mercilessly killed a captive relative, by the way, along with his young son, his nephew.<…> In addition to his son-in-law Licinius, he also killed his father-in-law Maximian, his wife Fausta and his eldest son Crispus. After the execution of the latter, Zosimus says, Constantine demanded from the state pagan priests to cleanse him of the blood he had shed. But the servants of the ancient domestic altars declared in horror that there were no expiatory means for such atrocities. However, one Christian bishop who arrived from Spain managed to instill in the emperor faith in the all-healing and all-purifying power of the new religion, which supposedly caused the subsequent conversion of Constantine to Christianity. " /http://ancientrome.ru/publik/rozent/rozent01.htm/

The establishment of the fundamental principles of the relationship between church and state for Byzantium and Russia is associated with the personality of Constantine. I will refer to the book of A.D. Rudokvas: “The birth of that complex of legal views, which can be conditionally called“ Byzantism ”, dates back to the reign of the first Christian emperor of the Roman Empire, Constantine the Great (IV century). Their theoretical design was first given by a contemporary of Constantine, Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea in his "Life of Constantine". It was he who outlined the main contours of that system of interaction of factors of state life in the Christian empire, which later became known as the "symphony". The essence of this concept is the assimilation of the earthly empire to the "Kingdom of God". The implementation of Christian principles must be ensured in earthly life by the state power - the emperor, together with the church. The Church legitimizes state power, sanctions state coercion, and the state provides the church with its power to protect and implement the norms of church teaching. " /http://www.centant.pu.ru/aristeas/monogr/rudokvas/rud010.htm/

In the Vatican Museums there is a porphyry sarcophagus of St. Helena, mother of Constantine. How strange it looks for a Christian! Roman legionaries, defeated barbarians ... However, there is an assumption that this sarcophagus was created for Constantine: http://www.pravenc.ru/text/189737.html#part_2

Elena was the daughter of an innkeeper. She lived for 80 years. We owe it to her for the acquisition of Christian holy sites in Palestine. As Eusebius writes, “this eldress with an extraordinary mind, with the speed of a youth, hurried eastward and with royal solicitude surveyed the wondrous land, eastern anarchies, cities and villages, with the aim of performing due worship of the Savior's feet,<…> and left the fruit of her own piety to future posterity. "
No reliable images of Elena have come down to us.

It is very difficult now to comprehend the scale of the construction activities of that era. But in Rome there are several places where you can touch the 4th century. One of them is in the Vatican. Under the Cathedral of St. Peter in the middle of the XX century, secret excavations were carried out. Their goal was to find the tomb of the Apostle Peter. The 16th century cathedral was built on the site of a huge basilica, built at the behest of Constantine. The results of the excavation are now mothballed. If you take care in advance and book a special tour, you can enter the Vatican, descend into the deep underground, learn the amazing history of the temple and see the ancient tombs.

P.S. Helen's images on coins:

Triple portrait of Konstantin Korovin

What is the uniqueness of the Moscow anniversary exhibition?

The upcoming exposition in the State will be the first exhibition in the last 50 yearsKonstantin Korovin, where viewers will be able to so fully get acquainted with the work of the painter. This is the second exhibition of the project, which began in 2011 in St. Petersburg. Deputy Director General of the State Tretyakov Gallery Lydia Iovleva spoke about Konstantin Korovin and the upcoming event.

- In 2011, an exhibition of Konstantin Korovin took place at the Russian Museum. How will the exposition at the Tretyakov Gallery be different?

- Both of these exhibitions were created within the framework of one large project of our museums. In both versions, the exposition should consist of three sections, revealing three hypostases. First of all - easel art: portraits, still lifes, landscapes, including the famous views of Paris and the Crimea. Here we coincide: we take the best works from our collection and the collection of the Russian Museum and supplement them with our "discoveries" - paintings from private and museum collections. The second section is theater. Like any impressionist, Korovin had a craving for decorativeism. This property of his talent was discovered by Mamontov. And finally, monumental painting.

- It's amazing, because Korovin at the time of his collaboration with Mamontov's Private Opera was a little over twenty years old!

- Quite right! Korovin had not yet graduated from the Moscow School of Painting and Sculpture. Mamontov invited many, including Levitan, but only Korovin became a major theater artist among those invited in the early 1880s.

- Is the first theatrical work of Korovin, on which he worked together with Levitan, survived?

- No, just a few sketches. Little is left of the mammoth performances. But Korovin's unique creation has survived - the scenery. Real, real scenery, costumes, hats and shoes for Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Golden Cockerel. The play was staged in 1934 at the theater in the French city of Vichy and Korovin was invited to design it. After the closure of the theater, almost all of the stage props were retained by the lyric tenor Raisov, once well-known in Russia and Europe. Then, already from his daughter, the grandson of the famous Russian artist V.D. Polenova - Alexander Alexandrovich Lyapin, a wonderful person, a great friend of Russia and Russian museums. With the kind consent we will present the scenery for two scenes of the opera. This was not at the exhibition at the Russian Museum.

- What is the fate of the northern panels, where did they end up after Nizhny Novgorod and how did they end up with you?

- It is known that on the initiative of the same Savva Mamontov, Konstantin Korovin was involved in the design of the Far North pavilion at the All-Russian Art and Industry Exhibition of 1896 in Nizhny Novgorod. To collect material, Konstantin Korovin and Valentin Serov were sent, as we would say now, on a business trip to the northern provinces of Russia. They visited Finland (then part of the Russian Empire) and Sweden. From the trip, Korovin brought many sketches and paintings, largely revealing the peculiar beauty and poetry of the nature of the Russian North for Russian art. On the basis of this material, the artist executed ten large panels for the aforementioned pavilion. After the exhibition was closed, they were placed by Mamontov in the building of the Yaroslavsky railway station in Moscow, redesigned by F. Shekhtel.

"We take the best works from our collection and the collection of the Russian Museum and supplement our" discoveries "- paintings from private and museum collections"

After the next reconstruction of the building, already in the post-war years, the works were transferred to the Tretyakov Gallery. This happened in 1961. The exhibition will feature four of them, which were "put in order" by the remarkable restorers of the Tretyakov Gallery. They were not exhibited at the Russian Museum due to the difficulty of transportation. But in St. Petersburg, they were shown almost in full, used by Korovin for the World Art and Industry Exhibition in 1900 in Paris. Unfortunately, they will not be shown here for the same reasons.

- What will be your publication of the catalog and why did you have to make your own, if the project of exhibitions is still the same?

- In the Russian Museum, there was, rather, an album dedicated to the work of Korovin, including mostly easel works. Besides ours and theirs. We have it not so much an album as a catalog, but of an album nature. There will be everything that is on display at the exhibition.

- Can we say that Korovin's impressionism is of a special nature? After all, the artist came to him himself and only later reinforced him with knowledge about French artists who worked in this manner?

- Basically, yes. But there was a general movement of both Russian and European art towards this style, this method. It came from a rejection of ossified academicism and began in the middle of the 19th century from a general enthusiasm for plein air. In France, the first plein air players were the Barbizons. We have this, first of all, manifested in the Moscow school of painting and sculpture. Korovin came to this himself, developing the traditions of his teachers Savrasov and Polenov. Through plein air, he understood the impressionistic method, where light and color are the main thing, and in their interaction they change the world. And then I got acquainted with this direction in France. Korovin had an organic, innate gravitation towards an impressionistic, joyful perception of life. He existed in a world, each manifestation of which evoked a lively response in his soul. Impression is impressionism. Not generalization, analysis. After all, how the artists worked before - they observed, analyzed, wrote sketches and then - great work. Everyone wanted, like Ivanov, to paint one picture for life. And for Korovin, even portraits, for example, of Mamontov or Chichagov, are an “impression” of a person, and not an analysis of his psychology.

- In the painting of Korovin there is a feeling that he was loved by everyone around him and all his life. And the memories of him confirm this!

- Yes, but he did not have a very successful personal life. First, an accidental marriage. According to the standards of the 19th century, if a child is born, loyalty can not be kept, but it is necessary to observe decency, take care of the son and wife. We recently bought Korovin's letters and notebooks. They are partly published, partly we will publish them in the catalog. There is a complaint about a deep misunderstanding in the family, with his wife.

- At last! His wife does not even flicker anywhere in his memories!

- That's why it doesn't flicker. He was young. She was a chorus girl in Kharkov. I must say right away that Korovin did not portray her in the famous "Chorus Girl".

- She's with flashlights?

- Yes, that's right! By the way, these "Lanterns" will be everywhere - both on the poster and in the catalog.

- At some point, Korovin decided to try himself as a designer of decorative and applied arts. He managed to work in Abramtsevo, created furniture for a tea room. At the exhibition in the Russian Museum, this side of his work was bypassed, but what will you have?

- We do not make a special emphasis either. This is not the main thing in Korovin's work.

- But he got a medal for a tea room at an industrial exhibition!

“There is another remarkable work by Korovin - a frieze of the early 1900s. It is called the "Old Monastery" "

- Received! But there will be no special section. Maybe we'll put something in the window, but more like theatrical works - costumes.

- It seems that everything is known about Korovin, and at the same time, full of mysteries. For example, the problem of the works of the 1930s, when he signed pictures for his son ...

- The life of most of the emigrants was pretty hard. Korovin was no exception. He was an artist representing Russia and, moreover, its already bygone era. If in the 1920s, despite the prevalence of avant-garde movements on the old wave, it was still possible to exist, then in the 1930s a complete drama began. His son, Alexei Korovin, was seriously ill from childhood, the artist's wife was also ill, and then a grandson was born. Konstantin Alekseevich remained the only breadwinner of the family. Alexey Korovin studied painting, but did not grow into a great artist. His father was very sorry for him, tried in every possible way to help and often signed his works with his name. And sometimes it happened the other way around. Therefore, when we get late work, the question always arises: who wrote and who signed. This situation gives rise to the possibility of counterfeiting. We treat this material very carefully and carefully. But besides the later paintings, there is another danger. Due to its popularity, Korovin is in great demand. He was often asked to repeat the work. And here is the second trick for experts. But if you compare in detail with the originals, you always guess that this is a repeat.

- In addition to easel painting and panels, visitors will be able to see theatrical scenery by Konstantin Korovin. And here is another question related to attribution. Either Korovin wrote them himself, or they were made by someone else according to his sketches. What is your opinion on this matter?

- Here the priority belongs to the Bakhrushin Museum. They have to conduct an examination. But we are inclined to believe that in the exhibited scenery it is Korovin himself, possibly with the participation of assistants. There are no documents. It was at this time that Korovin was writing memoirs, but did not say a word about this work.

- While preparing for the exhibition, you have rendered some of the famous paintings by Konstantin Korovin. Why did this happen?

- Yes, in particular, we are talking about "Horista" and "Northern Idyll". Traditionally, they were dated in our country in 1883 and 1886. An expert on Korovin at the Russian Museum, expressed doubts about this. "Chorus" is signed as follows: "Kharkov, Commercial Garden, 1883". Kruglov noted that Korovin first visited Kharkov only in 1887 with the Mamontov Theater. We agreed with him and began to study the work in detail. They carried out technological research, began to compare the radiographs of his works in 1883, 1887 and the radiographs of "Choristka". It turned out that she did not go to bed by 1883.

- And how does it happen, do you compare the strokes?

- Changed strokes, blending system white, shadow, light, saturation. When painting is pasty (and this is the innovation of "Choristka") - the distribution of light and shadow is different. In every time period, a person changes. His handwriting and manner are changing. In 1883 he still gravitated towards the Savrasov and Polenov methods of work.

- Where did this date come from, 1883?

"I am fascinated by this delicate and graceful work and believe that it will be another discovery of the exhibition."

- The first exhibition of Korovin in the Tretyakov Gallery was held in 1922. Until the 1920s, we had no scientific workers. There was a director Grabar, there was a keeper and there was one restorer. There weren't even these labels in the paintings. A penny catalog was on sale, an inventory. According to the numbering of the paintings on the walls, one could understand whether it was Surikov or Repin. But after the civil war, a mass of illiterate public came, and explanations were needed. First, the excursion department appeared. Prior to this, the excursions were led by gymnasium teachers. There is a legend that Krupskaya also drove the workers. So, when they began to prepare the Korovin exhibition in the twenty-second year, he was asked to sign, including this work. And he wrote with ink pen on the back, and then on the front side: “1883. Commercial garden, Kharkov ". He always confused the dates, and you can't trust the accuracy here.

- And what about the Northern Idyll? Here he could not forget what year, what young lady he wrote?

- This work came to us under Tretyakov. Princess Orlova presented it. But not the one that Serov wrote.

- Probably the one that Korovin wrote?

- Yes, that's right! It was not dated by the artist himself. Somehow it happened historically that it was defined in 1886, because there was a similar landscape sketch. Again, doubts about the date were expressed by Kruglov, and we began to study. First, it was first presented at an exhibition in 1892. A letter from 1891 was found, in which Nesterov and Polenov wrote: "Korovin is busy with his berendei." It is clear that it was about this picture. After Ostrovsky and Vasnetsov, all such things stylized as antiquity were called “Berendeyks”. After a detailed analysis, it became clear that it could not have been written before 1892. And since it was presented at the exhibition in 1892, we dated it that way. And all this was again confirmed by a comparative analysis of radiographs.

“Korovin had an organic, innate gravitation towards an impressionistic, joyful perception of life. He existed in the world, each manifestation of which evoked a lively response in his soul "

- Did you have to carry out restoration work for this exhibition?

- Thank God, the easel work did not require any special restoration. Our things are strong, there are good restorers in the Tretyakov Gallery, they follow the collection. The panels, which came to us from the Yaroslavsky railway station, were restored in a very dusty, smoky state. Half of 10 have been restored. Fortunately, there were no big losses, but there were breakdowns. We expect that in the future we will continue this work, and the results will be shown to the public.

- Will there be any more surprises?

There is another remarkable work by Korovin - a frieze of the early 1900s. It is called the "Old Monastery". I saw him only during the preparation for the exhibition. It is made in the style of the "World of Art". This frieze is painted on canvas with a brush, there is both oil and tempera. The line prevails there. When we opened it, we were delighted. It seemed to be monochrome, but the brownish tone of the canvas, the brownish images of the monastery and the green tempera in the image of the trees. I am fascinated by this delicate and graceful work and believe that it will be another discovery of the exhibition.

Konstantin Makovsky is a famous Russian artist who painted many paintings of boyar Russia in the 17th century. The furnishings of the boyars' choir, the clothes of the heroes of the paintings, and the boyars and hawthorns themselves are reproduced so reliably that individual chapters of the history of Russia can be studied from the artist's paintings.

Accuracy in writing individual details and motifs of patterns woven by the hands of Russian embroiderers, or clear ornaments on carved goblets and bowls, surprises and delights viewers of the past and present.

Luxurious clothes embroidered with pearls, headdresses of amazing beauty, of that time, beautiful hawthorns decorated with precious necklaces, boyars in brocade caftans - you can feel in everything with what love for Russian national beauty and culture, for the rich heritage of our ancestors, these paintings were painted ... You can stand for a long time near each of them - admire the Russian pattern and feel pride and at the same time sadness, sadness that much has been lost, has not survived and is not preserved today. Therefore, such paintings, in which unique evidence of the culture of the Russian land remained, are especially valuable to us.

Biography of the artist Konstantin Makovsky

Konstantin Egorovich Makovsky (1839 - 1915) was born into a family with an atmosphere of art worship. Many famous figures of culture and art have visited their house. The artist's father, Yegor Ivanovich Makovsky, was one of the largest collectors in Moscow in the second quarter of the 19th century. His hobby was works of fine art, mostly old engraving.

And Konstantin Yegorovich, having inherited his father's enthusiasm, collected all the masterpieces of Russian ancient craftsmanship, but it was "beautiful antiquity." Something he skillfully added in living rooms and workshops, and then used in his paintings, and something he simply exhibited in his old large ebony cabinet, so that later he could admire and admire the beauty and skill of Russian masters.

On the cornice of the fireplace there were old household utensils: silver ladles, cups, washstands, fans - items of boyar times. Old boyar, multi-colored sundresses, laced with pearls, kokoshniks embroidered with pearl lace - all this can be seen in the artist's paintings. And besides the things that were lovingly collected by Konstantin Yegorovich, people who gathered around him took part in his paintings. Sometimes scenes from boyar life were acted out, which were then transferred to the canvas. And this undoubtedly aroused the keen interest of the audience, because through Makovsky's paintings they were introduced to the knowledge of the history of Russia and the culture of their ancestors.

The artist's daughter in her memoirs told how "... magnificent" living pictures "from the boyar life were put on ...". Sometimes there were up to 150 people invited to these evenings, among whom were representatives of old families, descendants of those whom the artist portrayed. They "... cleverly and beautifully dressed in brocade and ..." in order to reproduce in them the scene conceived by the artist. This is how the paintings appeared - "The Wedding Feast", "The Choice of the Bride" and many other paintings.

Paintings by Konstantin Makovsky

On the canvases of K.E. Makovsky in bright luxurious costumes from his own collection created images of beautiful women, contemporaries of the artist. You look at the picture and feel that the Russian ornamentation is shining, the embroidered sundress of the Russian beauty glitters in silk and silver. And if you pay attention, we will see that in each picture the hawthorn girls have completely different headdresses. Indeed, the artist's collection of kokoshniks and headdresses was the richest and most valuable acquisition.

By collecting items of Russian antiquity K.E. Makovsky continued to study all his life. Collecting masterpieces of Russian masters, the artist joined the history of Russia and, admiring them, was inspired by new ideas. Now his canvases evoke in us not only admiration for the richest heritage of our ancestors, but also the desire to learn more and more about our homeland.

About how K.E. Makovsky used his collection in his work, the writer E.I. Fortunato, who was fortunate enough to be with him as a model.

K.E. Makovsky was not only an artist. Communicating with prominent historians, he himself became a great specialist in the field of Russian antiquity. K.E. Makovsky strove to preserve the artistic heritage of Russia. Therefore, it is no coincidence that in 1915 he became a member of the Society for the Revival of Artistic Russia, whose main task was to preserve, study and promote Russian antiquity.

It is bitter and sad that the collection, which was collected for half a century, which occupied such an important place in the artist's life, which became a reflection of an entire era in Russian culture, will be put up for auction just six months after his death. In September 1915, K.E. Makovsky was hit by a street cage on one of the streets of Petrograd. Having received a severe head injury, the artist died two days later. Sudden death ruined all conceived plans ...

More than 1000 items were listed at the auction, some of them went to the capital's museums: the Russian Museum, the Hermitage, the Museum of the School of Technical Drawing of Baron Stieglitz, and Moscow museums. Many items were bought by representatives of Moscow antique firms. The original costumes, silver cups, ladles, glasses passed into the hands of prominent Moscow collectors.

But not everyone admired the paintings of K. Makovsky and his manner of work.

At the beginning of his career, K. Makovsky shared the views of the Itinerant artists, he painted peasant children ("Children Running from the Thunderstorm", "Date"), but already in the 1880s, the artist irrevocably moved away from them and began to arrange personal exhibitions.

In 1883, he created the painting Boyar Wedding Feast in the 17th Century, followed by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich's Choice of a Bride (1886), The Death of Ivan the Terrible (1888), Dressing the Bride to the Wreath (1890), Kissing rite "(1895,). The paintings were successful both in Russia and at international exhibitions. For some of them, at the 1889 World Exhibition in Paris, K. Makovsky was awarded a gold medal.

Prices for his paintings were always high. P.M. Sometimes Tretyakov could not acquire them. But foreign collectors willingly bought the canvases of the "boyar" cycle, so most of the artist's works left Russia.

Thanks to this success, K.E. Makovsky became one of the richest people. Throughout his life, he was surrounded by luxury that no Russian artist dreamed of. Makovsky with the same brilliance fulfilled any order on any topic. It was the latter that caused misunderstanding and even condemnation among many. Some, apparently, were jealous of the success, while others believed that the people should be present in the paintings with their daily lives. But such paintings were not bought up so willingly, and many believed that Makovsky wrote on those topics that were in demand, that is, for the sake of his own enrichment.

However, he always lived as he wanted and wrote what he wanted. His vision of beauty simply coincided with the requirements and requests of those people who were willing to pay big money for his paintings. His easy success became the main reason for the negative attitude towards him and his work of the Itinerant artists. He was accused of using art and his talent for material benefits.

K.E. Makovsky began his artistic career with the Wanderers, exhibiting paintings on the theme of the life of the people. Over time, however, his interests changed, and from the 1880s he became a successful salon portrait painter. The fact that this happened for the sake of material wealth cannot be believed. After all, this is evidenced by his numerous collections and multifaceted talent. But it cannot be denied that Makovsky did not seek recognition abroad. In addition, Europeans were interested in Russian history, so his works were quickly sold.

In his personal life, Makovsky was also happy. His good looks, sociability, always open and smiling gaze of clear eyes made Konstantin Yegorovich always a welcome guest. He was married three times. His first wife, Lenochka Burkova, an actress of the Alexandrinsky Theater, lived a short life with him. A charming and gentle girl brought a lot of joy and warmth into his life. But her illness took her away from her earthly life early.

Carefree and greedy for the joys of life, Konstantin Yegorovich quickly consoled himself when he saw a girl of extraordinary beauty at the ball - Yulenka Letkova. The girl was only sixteen years old, and the charming painter was thirty-six. Soon the wedding took place. Having lived twenty years of a happy family life, Konstantin Yegorovich painted many paintings, most of which contain a cute image of his young wife. For many years, Yulia Pavlovna Makovskaya was his muse and model for portraits.

In 1889, Konstantin Makovsky went to the World Exhibition in Paris, where he exhibited several of his paintings. There he became interested in the young Maria Alekseevna Matavtina (1869-1919). In 1891, the illegitimate son Constantine was born. I had to confess everything to my wife. Yulia Pavlovna did not forgive treason. A divorce was filed a few years later. And Konstantin Yegorovich continued a happy family life with his third wife, whom he also used as a model. He also often depicted his children from his second and third marriages in his canvases.

Korovin is called the first Russian impressionist. His work amazed his contemporaries: some were shocked by the negligence and seemingly clumsy strokes, others caught the main thing - the play of light and shadow, the colorist's innovation. The first called the works of Konstantin Korovin decadence and daubs, the second, looking at the artist's amazing landscapes and still lifes, saw features of genius.

One of the few contemporaries who recognized signs of talent in the painter's works was. The singer called the artist "in painting". At that time, few agreed with Chaliapin, but 3-4 decades after the death of Korovin, his juicy paintings filled with light and life were recognized as the works of a real master.

Childhood and youth

The future painter was born into a wealthy merchant family. Grandfather, an Old Believer and merchant of the first guild, was called the Moscow "king of charioteers". Mikhail Korovin held the postal road and was in charge of hundreds of coachmen. The son of a merchant and the future father of the artist - Alexei Korovin - received a university education and was a very gifted person. Talent for drawing from Kostya's sons and from their father.

Alexei Korovin married a noble bride, Apollinaria Volkova, a noblewoman, an educated girl with advanced views. But family happiness did not last long. In the country, the railway communication was rapidly developing, the coachmen, plying post routes, became a thing of the past. The business built by Korovin Sr. did not bring profit, a rich merchant house in Moscow went under the hammer. The Korovins moved to Mytishchi.

Little Kostya liked the countryside expanse, but his father, who got a job as a factory clerk, plunged into a severe depression that ended in suicide. Despite poverty, the mother educated the children.

The elder brother of Konstantin for 3 years - Sergei Korovin - became a student of the capital's painting school. Soon Korovin Jr. joined him: 14-year-old Kostya chose architecture, but a year later he transferred to the faculty of painting, which was led by a landscape painter.

Kostya idolized his mentor, but Alexei Kondratyevich, who was rapidly drinking intoxicated, was fired. For the young artist, parting with his beloved teacher was the first disappointment in life: Kostya left the school and went to St. Petersburg to the art academy. Withstood 3 months: study seemed dead and boring.

Konstantin Korovin returned to the capital and to his native school, where he took the position of Savrasov. Soon Vasily Dmitrievich filled the empty place of his beloved teacher in the heart of the young painter.

The mentor introduced the talented student to the philanthropist, and he invited Kostya to the Abramtsevo estate, which became the center of the cultural life of the capital. The cultural elite of Russia gathered in the hospitable estate of Mamontov, there were,.

Painting

The creative biography of the modernist opens with the Portrait of a Chorus Girl, written in the early 1880s. The painting amazed contemporaries, who called it the "first sign" of a new trend - impressionism. Repin, who saw the Korovinskaya chorus girl, was so impressed by the color scheme, the boldness of the technique and the idea that he demanded to immediately show the creator of the work.

Mamontov, confident that the portrait was drawn by a Spaniard (Russian masters did not differ in such courage and freedom), was surprised to learn that the chorus was drawn by a 22-year-old compatriot. The patron invited Konstantin Korovin to the estate. It is noteworthy that Korovin discovered the innovative direction himself, not knowing about his appearance in France. The artist visited Paris 4 years later after painting "Portrait of a Chorus Girl".

At the time of the creation of the canvas in Russia at the peak of popularity were the Itinerants, committed to realism, vitality and educational mission of art. The portrait of an ugly girl sitting in an unnatural pose, painted with rough strokes, taught nothing. The work was perceived as a challenge, a mockery of the beautiful. But Konstantin Korovin accepted criticism philosophically and did not deviate from the chosen style.

The artist created the first works in an innovative manner in the village of Zhukovka, at the dacha of the teacher Polenov. These first impressionist works were united as the "Zhukovsky cycle".

The main goal of Konstantin Korovin was to convey light and air on the canvas. The painting "At the Tea Table" is a vivid proof of the achievement of the task. The composition of the canvas is built in accordance with the artistic direction of impressionism - as a random frame. The characters are relaxed, the center of the composition is displaced, the right edge of the canvas seems to be cut off.

The paintings of modernists are difficult to fit into the framework of one genre: they have features of a portrait, landscape, still life. This can be seen in Korovin's early impressionist works "In a Boat" and "Moskvoretsky Bridge".

At Mamontov's, the painter met Serov. Colleagues went to travel to the North, where the works "The Arctic Ocean" and "The Village in the North" appeared. The painting "Winter in Lapland" was acquired by a gallery owner.

A trip to the Crimea and Gurzuf with Mamontov inspired the paintings “Crimea. Gurzuf "and" Pier in Gurzuf ". Korovin made sketches while traveling around the Black Sea region by car: he stopped at the places he liked and sketched landscapes.

In 1888, the patron financed Konstantin Korovin's trip to France. The famous paintings “Paris. Boulevard des Capucines "," Parisian cafe "," After the rain ", which the artist was inspired by the ancient city on the banks of the Seine. In Paris, so beloved by the painter, he met with the Impressionists, who amazed him with the technique of color rendering. After his return, the master taught at the capital's school of painting and a couple of years later became an academician.

Konstantin Alekseevich is known as a talented creator of still lifes with flowers, of which there are dozens in his heritage. The master was especially fond of lilacs and roses. Like all the works of modernists, Korovin's still lifes and landscapes are best viewed from a distant perspective. The artist paid tribute to all the seasons of the year: autumn, winter, spring and summer are presented in his gallery.

The outbreak of World War I forced Korovin to go to the front, where he advised the military on camouflage issues. Konstantin Korovin escaped repression after the October Revolution: after the decline of business, the family moved from the merchant class to the bourgeois class.

The new government entrusted the artist with organizing auctions and exhibitions, keeping records and preserving art monuments. Korovin taught in state workshops, collaborated with theaters and willingly painted scenery. Having accepted the changes in the system, Konstantin Alekseevich avoided politics, fleeing either to the Crimea or to a dacha in Okhotino near Yaroslavl.

In the 1920s, politics came close to the master: the dacha was taken away, the metropolitan apartment was "compacted". In 1923, at the insistence of the modernist, he immigrated to France, explaining his departure by the need to treat his son.

Life in the once beloved Paris turned out to be difficult. Modernists went out of fashion, lack of money was exhausting, friends remained in Russia. Konstantin Korovin yearned for his homeland, for Abramtsevo and Okhotino. Loss of sight was added to all the misfortunes. To occupy himself, the artist took up his memoirs, discovering the gift of a writer. He wrote stories and memories, filling the longing for working with paints.

Leaving Russia, the painter left his works to the gallery owner Kreitor. He turned out to be a swindler and, taking the canvases, disappeared. Today, the paintings of the first Russian impressionist can be seen in the Russian Museum in the city on the Neva.

Personal life

The painter met his future wife Anna Fiedler in his youth. Konstantin portrayed his beloved girl in the painting "Paper Lanterns". Korovin met with the chorus girl Anna in secret, and the couple went down the aisle after the birth of their first child. Soon the boy died, for which Konstantin Korovin blamed himself: poverty reigned in the house, there was no money for doctors and medicine for his sick son.

The romance evaporated from the relationship of the spouses, but Korovin could not leave his wife and son. The relationship with Nadezhda Komarovskaya turned out to be an outlet for him. The actress is called the common-law wife of Konstantin Alekseevich.

Konstantin Korovin broke up with his beloved woman, immigrating to Paris with Anna and his second son Alyosha, an invalid. At 16, Alexei was run over by a tram and left without legs. The boy took over the talent for drawing from his father and became an artist.

The depression of the son and the illness of the wife (angina pectoris) became a constant source of suffering for Konstantin Korovin. He was torn in search of money, exhausted, looking for a part-time job. At home, an irritated wife and a gloomy son were waiting for him, the artist did not find support and understanding from his relatives.

Death

The artist died unexpectedly: he died in September 1939 due to a heart attack on a Parisian street. The master was 77 years old. They buried Konstantin Korovin at the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery. Two years before his death, he confessed to a friend that he felt terrible loneliness.

The funeral of the first modernist of Russia resembled the farewell to the last journey of a beggar: there were no people willing to give money for a worthy farewell to Korovin.

In 1950, 11 years after his father's death, Alexei Korovin took his own life.

Artworks

• 1883 - "Portrait of a Chorus Girl"
• 1888 - "In the boat"
• 1888 - "At the tea table"
• 1890 - "Parisian Cafe"
• 1894 - "Winter in Lapland"
• 1896 - "Paper Lanterns"
• 1906 - Boulevard des Capucines
• 1913 - "Arctic Ocean"
• 1914 - "Pier in Gurzuf"
• 1914 - "Moskvoretsky Bridge"
• 1915 - Lilac
• 1916 - Bazaar
• 1917 - “Crimea. Gurzuf
• 1921 - "Portrait of F. I. Shalyapin"
• 1922 - "Still Life with a Blue Vase"
• 1923 - Roses
• 1930 - "Winter Landscape"
• 1938 - Self-portrait

Like most of today's young actors, Konstantin Khabensky made the series famous. In 2003, after "Deadly Power", a saga of cops' life, swept across the country, the artist of the St. Petersburg Lensovet Theater, a student of the excellent theater teacher Veniamin Filshtinsky moved to Moscow, to the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater. Khabensky's comrades in the performances of director Yuri Butusov - Mikhail Porechenkov, and then Mikhail Trukhin, rushed there, to Oleg Tabakov, who accepts into the troupe of his theater, it seems, everyone who was noted by the people's love. There is an opinion that this move did not have the best effect on their acting fate - in St. Petersburg they played deeper, thinner, more focused. Probably so. However, theater companies, especially those that developed during their student years, are unstable commonwealths tending to disintegrate. Be that as it may, it is not easy to write about Konstantin Khabensky today: of the theatrical roles he played after moving to Moscow, one was interesting (Klavdiy in Yuri Butusov's Hamlet), and there is enough rubbish among the screen ones. However, Khabensky is an artist with personality, which means that his personal, special note can be heard even in the passage works.

This note is reflection, but specific. In terms of his role, Khabensky is closest to a neurasthenic hero (he himself jokes in an interview that his role is a "comic old woman"). In the old St. Petersburg play "Waiting for Godot" by Yuri Butusov, the subtle mental organization of his Tarragon was charmingly combined with endless travesty, mockery of everything and everyone that reigned on the stage. He often plays real neurasthenics: either in a grotesque way (the hapless courier Eduard from Dmitry Meskhiev's comedy "Mechanical Suite" or the suicide trembling like a tsutsik in "The Goddess" by Renata Litvinova), then, pretending to be serious, say, in the role of Zilov from " Duck Hunt ". Anton Gorodetsky from "Patrols", journalist Guryev from the film "In Motion" by Philip Yankovsky, reflection is also not alien.

However, you do not always sympathize with the throwing of Khabensky's characters. Neurasthenics of previous years were sometimes frankly unpleasant people, but on the whole certain: the emptiness in the souls of the heroes - say, Oleg Dal (when he played the same Zilov or Sergei in the film by Anatoly Efros “On Thursday and Never Again”) - could not but terrify, but it was clear why they were tormented and at whom they were angry. A softened, smoothed version of Zilov - the hero of Oleg Yankovsky in "Flights in Dreams and in Reality" by Roman Balayan - seemed a man, at least not empty. Khabensky's characters are often people without an internal structure. It is difficult to say anything for sure about them: nothing is good or bad in them, nothing they are experiencing, or how deep these experiences are. These people are muddy, unclear, undeveloped: something seems to dawn in them, but what is unknown. And is it dawning?

In the center of the plot, these neurasthenics of the time of troubles, as a rule, turned out to be by accident: the difficult one brought it. Now they themselves do not know how to get out. However, they do not really pretend to be in a central position - they are too frivolous, irresponsible, disheartened. One of their funny features is a kind of slight insanity. After the release of "Dozorov" on the screens, whoever walked about the fact that Anton Gorodetsky was constantly not himself there: he was either "screwy", or suffering from a hangover, poisoned, generally transferred to another body. Staggering about the plot is so inadequate, with perspiration on his forehead, stretching his lips in his floating, "spreading" smile.

However, this blurred perception of the world is even attractive in its own way. Probably because it is inaccessible for the viewer. After all, life around, if it disposes to relaxation, it is only in the hours strictly allotted for this business. It is difficult to allow yourself the tightly wound spring inside you to weaken in a normal, that is, a complete struggle for existence, life, and even at a dangerous moment it is completely unthinkable. Khabensky's heroes are not only able to "let go" of themselves and the situation, they seem to be unable to do otherwise. To find themselves between Dark and Light and close their eyes is their way of survival. Take a bite at the bit, follow your own desires - like Claudius in "Hamlet" of the Moscow Art Theater - and think: maybe it will! This stake on "maybe", on the fact that "itself is formed", of course, corresponds to the idea of \u200b\u200bthe Russian national character. But it also testifies to a conscious choice: we can say that Khabensky's heroes thus express fatigue from the pressure of "adult" existence - they run away from him into infantilism, into the perception of the world through a veil of altered consciousness.

But it is also just the intoxication of life. Because for all the lack of manifestation, something is really given to the heroes of Khabensky: a sensual perception of the world, the ability to treat it with captivating trust. They are receptive: they perceive everyday life not as a quagmire, but as a grace, something that others will not notice, will be delighted as a gift of fate. Fatigue from life is not about them: even the journalist Guryev ("On the Move"), headlong into a senseless secular whirlpool, manages to get some kind of pleasure from all this fuss.

This soft playful vitality, this touch of undisguised sensuality, it seems to me, is the secret of the popularity of Konstantin Khabensky. This also pushes him to the position of one of the main artists in the role of heroes-lovers: this type of charm is capable of influencing the female audience more than the frank brutality of, say, Vladimir Mashkov or Mikhail Porechenkov. So in the opera the tenor is a more defiantly sexy voice than the bass, it is no coincidence that tenors in all epochs have "syrikh" fans.

In the cinema, this actor's paint of Khabensky is manifested more expressively today than in the theater, perhaps because on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater. Chekhov, he has not yet managed to really open up. Although the audience goes to the Moscow Art Theater in many respects "to Khabensky", the performances do not leave the feeling that his neurasthenic charm is actually chamber, does not go well with the position of the prime minister. Cinema loves to emphasize, to enlarge the sensual side of his acting personality - the ability to bathe in life, to catch all her affection on his face. Not to make a choice and not to evaluate - to respond to the proposal with consent.

A man who is ready to spontaneously and sincerely get carried away by any woman is a rather attractive version of a hero-lover. Especially at a time when a man seems to be attracted by a woman less and less. A spark of sincere interest, instantly lighting up in his eyes, flatters the female pride. This light is also in the gaze of Claudius in Yuri Butusov's Hamlet, a hooligan young king, who only out of some kind of adventurous feeling goes to a terrible crime and looks at the large Gertrude suitable for his mother with a mixture of delight and horror: this is all mine!

There is this light in the eyes of journalist Sasha Guryev, who does not miss a single skirt. And it certainly is characteristic of Andrei Kalinin from Dmitry Meskhiev's film "Women's Property" - Khabensky's early, but still best work in cinema.

These charming hedonists have an uneasy relationship with masculinity. They are far from the stereotype "a real man" due to their irresponsibility. Sometimes, however, Khabensky is offered the role of whole and strong personalities, but there is little sense from this: both in Alexei Turbin in Sergei Zhenovach's play "The White Guard" at the Moscow Art Theater, and in the terrorist Green in the film "State Counselor" there is something parody. No matter how much you put on a courageous face, the reflexive neurasthenic still makes his way out.

A more organic and fruitful option for Khabensky is a kind of hidden masculinity. This is what the hero of "Women's Property" demonstrates - the same Andrei Kalinin, who was admitted to the theater institute solely thanks to an affair with the master of the course, a famous actress. It is impossible to attribute the famous words of Marina Tsvetaeva about Yuri Zavadsky to this long-standing character of Khabensky, which fit perfectly with other heroes of the artist. Here is this quote: “Good? No. Laskov? Yes. For kindness is a primary feeling, and he lives exclusively secondary, reflected. So, instead of kindness - affection, love - disposition, hatred - evasion, delight - admiration, participation - sympathy. Instead of the presence of passion - the absence of dispassion ... But in everything secondary he is very strong: pearl, the first bow. " Many of Khabensky's heroes seem to be precisely secondary. But not Andrei Kalinin. The film "Women's Property" explores how visibility varies greatly

and the bottom line: so behind an unbearably tearful melodramatic plot (the heroine dies of cancer, the hero goes out of his way with grief, and then finds a new love) there is an exact story about a relationship that from the outside looked like an ordinary affair, but was a real feeling. This is how the masculinity of Andrei Kalinin must still be able to recognize, she carefully and successfully camouflages herself. The hero of "Woman's Property" in the eyes of those around him looks like a walker and a gigolo, a cynic and a sloven. Masculinity is hidden by him as something personal, intimate, which cannot be put on display, which is the very essence of a person, and therefore must be guarded. Khabensky certainly plays this specific masculine bashfulness: when it is easier to seem cheeky than excited, shallow than deep. He plays a man with an inner core, who does not blame anyone and even follows the circumstances, but clearly makes a choice for himself and perfectly knows how to distinguish the real from the fake. So, only wise women are capable of understanding it, there are two of them in "Women's Property" - the experienced Liza and the young Olya.

Such subtlety of work and a variety of psychological nuances are rare for Khabensky today. Meanwhile, he is certainly inclined towards this. But for the situation of simplification, in which it exists today, the play "Duck Hunt", staged in 2002 on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater by Alexander Marin, is typical. Viewers who come to see Vampilov's play (and Duck Hunt is usually packed with a full audience) see a vulgar, fussy story about a guy who, of course, does not always behave comme il faut - he lies to his wife, gets confused with women, but on the whole he is quite likable ... Yes, he drinks a lot (a considerable part of the stage time Khabensky depicts a hangover), but who is not without sin? A sort of company soul, a charm - and why, in fact, pulls him to pull the trigger? In the Moscow Art Theater's version, Vampilov's play becomes a series of unassuming gags on the theme of Soviet life, played out with a greater or lesser degree of taste: the audience laughs with pleasure, and the terrible component of this story disappears from the performance practically without a trace. And Zilov, performed by Khabensky, appears as a typical indistinct and secondary hero, for the sake of which it was not worthwhile to fence a garden.

The niche of Khabensky today can be called specificity. It is interesting to watch him in the films of Dmitry Meskhiev, who clearly tries to use this artist as variedly as possible: after the hammered, purely comedic Edward in The Mechanical Suite, the director offered him the role of Lifshitz's political instructor in Svoi. This is also a variant of hidden masculinity that does not immediately manifest itself: this withdrawn, not very young-looking man, in fact, turns out to be not only a brave fighter, but even sacrifices himself, covering the retreat of his own. In characteristic roles, both the good school of Khabensky, and his ability to feel the form, and the subtlety of nuance are fully manifested. But this is certainly not enough. If only because neurasthenic temperament is a valuable and rare gift.