Artist Vasnetsov Viktor Mikhailovich

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

The artist's career began in the 70s of the nineteenth century. It was the time when such famous contemporaries and contemporaries of Vasnetsov as Repin I.E., Surikov V.I., Polenov V.D. and many others. In those days, the Russian public followed with great interest and enthusiasm the successes of the nascent "realistic art" and simply "piled up" at the exhibitions of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions.

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

Viktor Vasnetsov was born on May 15, 1848 in the remote Vyatka village of Lopatya, in the family of a village priest. A large family very soon, after the birth of Viktor, moved to the village of Ryabovo, Vyatka province. In this godforsaken village, the future artist spent his childhood.

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

Soon the young man went to Vyatka and became a student of the theological seminary. It was boring to study, and Victor began to take drawing lessons from the gymnasium teacher N.G. Chernyshov. Vasnetsov, with great joy and desire, painted from plaster and lithography in the Vyatka Museum, got a job as an assistant to the artist E. Andriolli, who at that time was painting the cathedral in Vyatka.

In 1867, the future artist came to St. Petersburg and a year later entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Here he begins a completely different life: he made friends with Repin and Antokolsky, Stasov and Kramskoy. Countless gatherings and literary parties, disputes about the development of Russian art and culture.

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

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

However, Vasnetsov sees himself as a serious artist and tries his hand at painting. His genre paintings are noticed by the public. Particular success fell to the painting "From apartment to apartment".

From apartment to apartment

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

Critics do not scold the artist, but note that his genre paintings are not distinguished by originality in composition and are modest in painting.

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

Preference

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

Over the past 15 years, the entire Russian school has told more than portrayed. At the present time, he will be right who will really depict not by a hint, but alive. You are one of the brightest talents in understanding the type. Don't you feel your terrible strength in understanding character?

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

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

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

The desire to live in Moscow is not accidental - Moscow has long attracted the artist. Many years later he will write:

When I arrived in Moscow, I felt that I had come home and there was nowhere else to go - the Kremlin, Basil the Blessed were forced to almost cry, to such an extent all this breathed on the soul of my family, unforgettable.

I must say that Moscow at that time attracted more than one Vasnetsov. At about the same time, Repin and Polenov moved to Moscow, and Surikov moved from the capital. Artists were keenly interested in the ancient capital, as a miraculous oasis capable of giving life-giving powers to art. It should not be forgotten that the end of the nineteenth century was a time when interest in Russian history and Russian culture rose sharply.

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

And very soon the first canvas of the artist was born, as a result of these "historical dreams".

After the slaughter of Igor Svyatoslavovich with the Polovtsi

"After the slaughter of Igor Svyatoslavovich with the Polovtsy," the audience and critics greeted him rather coolly. The "people" demanded an archaeologically accurate depiction of the battle, but did not want to accept the "fairy tale and epic".

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

Chistyakov wrote to Vasnetsov:

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

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

But, not everyone felt this way. As soon as the painting appeared at the exhibition, it was immediately acquired by Tretyakov, who understood what opportunities the new direction opened up for Russian realism. And since that time, the well-known philanthropist and collector vigilantly watched every creative step of the artist.

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

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

Paintings by Viktor Vasnetsov

It was in "Abramtsevo" (where the artist lived for a long time) that the first cycle of Vasnetsov's fairy-tale paintings was born. The cycle was opened by three paintings, which were painted by order of Mamontov: "Three princesses of the underworld", "Alyonushka", "Ivan Tsarevich on the gray wolf."

Three princesses of the underworld

Alyonushka

Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf

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

Knight at the crossroads

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

Sleeping princess

A vivid example of his hobby for folk costume was the artist's sketch "In the costume of a buffoon".

In a buffoon suit

In 1881 Vasnetsov painted one of his best fairy-tale pictures - "Alyonushka". He paints this picture in Abramtsevo. In the same place, in Abramtsevo, the artist began to decorate the play "Snow Maiden".

Chambers of Tsar Berendey. Set design for the opera

The play was originally staged in the Mamontov house, and later moved to a professional stage.

With all the success of "Alenushka", the most ambitious idea of ​​the eighties was the "Bogatyrs". The artist painted this picture for almost twenty years (1881-1898). It must be said that during this period Vasnetsov wrote several large and very significant works.

The frieze painting "Stone Age" (1882 - 1885) for the Moscow Historical Museum is 16 meters long, consisting of three parts: the first is devoted to the life and everyday life of ancient people, the second is a scene of hunting for mammoths, and the third is "Feast".

It was thanks to the "Stone Age" that the artist received a contract for the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev.

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

In 1891, the painting work was almost completed and the artist, together with his family, returned to Moscow. By this period, the family's financial situation had improved so much that the Vasnetsovs were able to buy a small estate in Abramtsevo and build a small house with a workshop in Moscow. It is in this workshop that the artist resumes work on The Heroes and, at the same time, begins to paint the painting Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible (with this picture in 1897 the artist will appear for the last time at the exhibition of the Itinerants).

Tsar Ivan Vasilievich the Terrible

In 1899, the artist's first personal exhibition opens in Moscow. And the central piece of the exhibition is "Bogatyrs".

Three heroes

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

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

How to instill a child's interest in art? People look at pictures, listen to music, read fiction and poetry, admire architecture, dance, theater, cinema ... You can listen to music and not understand, you can watch pictures and feel nothing ... The perception of art begins from early childhood.

Early acquaintance with the world of beauty fosters taste, develops visual memory, imagination, observation, teaches to think, generalize, analyze, find beauty in everyday things.

From an early preschool age, children should get acquainted with one of the types of visual arts - painting. Painting is perceived easily if the family understands, loves and feels the works of art. Parents interested in the aesthetic development of their children can organize small joyful encounters with art.

Fairy tales accompany children almost from the cradle, and paintings by Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov will help them to imagine the images of many fairy-tale heroes.

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov is an artist-storyteller who created paintings-fairy tales, paintings-epics: "Alyonushka", "Heroes", "Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf" ...

The artist called himself a "storyteller", an epic, a guslar. " The word "epic" comes from the word "true", a fairy tale - from the word "tell", guslar from the word "gusli" (an ancient musical instrument). The artist's homeland is the Vyatka Territory, the village of Lopyal. Nature itself, mysterious and harsh, inspired him with the images of the heroes of ancient epics, beliefs, and legends.

Painting "Alyonushka"

The plot of the painting "Alyonushka" is taken from a Russian folk song: "Oh, like an aspen - that is bitter - that I am poor - bitter." A barefoot peasant girl ran to the forest whirlpool to drown her grievances and sorrows in it. Alyonushka sits on a pebble motionless, her head bowed to her knees. The evil lot has dried up her soul. The drooping fragile figure seemed to have turned to stone, froze with hopeless grief. Beautiful eyes were extinguished with longing and loneliness.

One nature hears and understands Alyonushka. The gloomy sky is covered with gray clouds, sad aspen trees drop tears-leaves from bitter resentment. A light breeze gently strokes your hair. A dense forest stands up as a wall, protecting the poor thing from a terrible fate. All elements of the landscape have a symbolic meaning: the dark pool symbolizes the maiden anguish, and the cutting sedge around the stone foreshadows inevitable misfortune.

The painting "Alyonushka" shows the emotional connection between man and nature, their mutual understanding.

It is interesting:

The heroine of the picture reminds many of the character of the Russian fairy tale "Sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka". However, in this tale, the plot was completely different: the unfortunate kid Ivanushka ran to the pond to complain about his fate to his sister:

“Alyonushka, my sister.
The fires burn flammable
Boilers are boiling ebullient,
They sharpen damask knives,
They want to stab me. "

And she answered him:
“Oh, my brother Ivanushka.
Heavy stone pulls to the bottom,
Silk grass has tangled legs,
Luta the snake sucked the heart. "

Read the fairy tale "Sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka", discuss its plot. Find plot differences between the fairy tale and the picture.

Listen to a folk song with your child that will help you understand the mood of the picture.

"Either the wind tends a branch,
It is not the oak tree that makes noise.
That is mine, my heart groans
It trembles like an autumn leaf. "

Ask the child if he likes this picture, what feelings it evokes, what he thinks about Alyonushka.

• Why did she run away into the forest?
• Who sympathizes with her? (spectators, nature)
• How does the artist feel about her?
• According to the tale, the wicked witch pushed Alyonushka into the water, and who in Vasnetsov's painting wishes her well? (aspen, swallows).

After discussing the picture and the fairy tale, do not forget to make a joint conclusion about what should connect man and nature.

Painting "Three princesses of the underworld"

The painting is based on the Russian folk tale about how the peasant son Ivan found three kingdoms underground - gold, precious stones and iron. The painting was painted by order of the merchant S. I. Mamontov to decorate the office of the Severodonetsk railway.

The plot of the tale in the picture is different: the iron kingdom is replaced by the coal one. Two princesses appear against the background of a flaming sunset. The first protects the most expensive metal - gold. The proud and haughty princess is dressed in golden-woven clothing. Her headpiece is cast in solid gold. She holds in her hands a handkerchief decorated with gold threads.

The second looks down on her little sister. Her clothes are showered with blue sapphires, red rubies, purple amethysts, dazzling diamonds. Emeralds flicker on the head.

The younger princess stands modestly in the shade, at the very descent into the dungeons. The black dress and hair are adorned with pearls and diamonds, and a small light shines on the head. The princess guards the most needed treasure - coal.

• Read the tale "Three princesses of the underworld."
• Now try to solve the riddle: what underground treasures are guarded by three princesses?
• How did the artist Vasnetsov change the plot of the fairy tale?
• What does the youngest princess guard?
• What is shown in the foreground of the painting? (Black lumps of coal)
• How does the artist feel about the younger princess?
• What is more important in life: gold, precious stones or coal? (jewelry is made of gold and precious stones, and coal gives people warmth and light)

Painting "Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf"

The picture depicts an episode from the fairy tale of A. A. Afanasyev: "Ivan Tsarevich, sitting on the Gray Wolf with the Beautiful Helen, loved her with all his heart ..." From this, feeling the cold forest, a branch of an apple tree blossomed with white-pink flowers. A blossoming apple tree symbolizes spring, as the awakening of nature from sleep and love, as the birth of the most beautiful human feeling. In the fairy forest, Elena the Beautiful is cold. She bowed her head to her savior, who hugs her tightly. He is ready to fight for his love.

The prince kidnapped an overseas princess from distant countries, from the Dalmatian king, so she is wearing an oriental outfit: a skullcap studded with precious stones, a brocade robe, gold shoes with curved noses. The beauty is as if bewitched, as if half asleep. Young people escape from the pursuit. A huge wolf rushes through the gloomy forest. Separate details of the picture are surprising, indicating the swiftness of the action: pressed wolf ears, a full tail, a protruding tongue, fluttering princesses, a flying heavy sword in the sheath of Ivan Tsarevich ...

• Read and discuss the tale of A. A. Afanasyev "Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf."
• Ask your child what is shown in this picture?
• Why does this picture seem alive? (a huge wolf rushes at a speed ...)
• Who sits on the Gray Wolf?
• Why does Ivan Tsarevich embrace the princess? What is her name?
• Are there any clues in the picture that Elena the Beautiful was an overseas princess?
• What miracle happened in the gloomy forest? (the apple tree has blossomed).
• Why did the apple tree blossom?
• What is love? Why is this feeling compared to the blossoming delicate flowers of an apple tree? (for love, nothing is impossible ...)
• Who in this picture can interfere and help the heroes?
• Did you like this picture? What does she teach?

Painting "Heroes"

The painting depicts a heroic outpost. The three main characters, Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich, are guarding the Russian land. Behind them are endless forests and fields. Clouds float across the sky, which are not afraid of evil clouds. The clouds seem to part before the heroic force.

In the center is the eldest of the heroes - Ilya Muromets. He was a peasant's son and devoted his whole life to serving the people. Many epics tell about Ilya Muromets and his exploits:

• "Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the Robber",
• "Ilya Muromets and Kalin the Tsar",
• "Ilya Muromets and the Rotten Idolische",
• "Quarrel of Ilya Muromets with Prince Vladimir" ...

The hero was endowed with unprecedented physical strength and wielded a weapon for "close combat" - a heavy club and a round shield. Under him is a mighty black horse, the color of which coincides with the "mother earth" from which the hero drew his heroic strength. It seems that the ground cracked under the weight of the horse and its rider.

On the left, Ilya's right hand is Dobrynya Nikitich, distinguished by wisdom and foresight. His bright and fast horse Belyushka has already sensed the enemy, and Dobrynya pulls out his magic sword from its sheath.

Dobrynya's exploits are described in several epics: "Dobrynya and the Serpent", "Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich" ... Dobrynya is a warrior, defender of the Russian land, possessing a subtle mind and ability to deal with people. He plays chess perfectly, is a good guslar, and is the best archer.

The third bogatyr is "young-daring" Alyosha Popovich. The epic "Alyosha Popovich and Tugarin Zmeevich" tells about his struggle with the enemies of Russia. He is bold, cunning, decisive, cunning, but also boastful, sometimes unreasonable. Alyosha loves the earth selflessly and is ready to lay down his head in battle for it. His weapon is designed for "ranged combat" - a bow and arrow, so his red horse is still quietly nibbling the grass. Behind the hero's shoulders is not only a quiver with arrows, but also "gusli-samogudy".

Small helpless Christmas trees grow in front of strong heroic horses. The artist Vasnetsov tells us that Christmas trees will grow powerful and strong if a person protects them. All our abundant land can give us drink from its springs, feed its fields with bread, hide in the shade of cool forests, but it cannot do one thing - to protect itself.

In the painting "Heroes" the mystery of the artist is hidden. In the guise of Dobrynya Nikitich, the noblest knight, Vasnetsov conveyed his portrait features. The artist mentally tried on heroic armor, and took on a heroic appearance.

Read the epic “Ilya of Muromets and the Nightingale the Robber” so that your son (daughter) understands what an epic is.

Explain the differences of the epic from the fairy tale.

Ask your child the following questions:

• Why Ilya Muromets became the favorite hero of the Russian people.
• Whom did the Russian heroes defend? (weak old people, children, women, native land ...)
• What were our defenders like?
• What was the name of the oldest hero?
• It is known that according to the instructions of the wise wanderers, Ilya saw his future horse in the foal. What external signs helped the hero to choose a horse to match himself? (White speck on the nose and hind leg of the horse).
• Which of the heroes was of princely origin? What makes him different from other defenders? Who is Dobrynya Nikitich like?
• Who is the youngest of the heroes? What elements of the picture indicate that Alyosha Popovich was a master at fighting and telling fairy tales? (quiver with arrows and gusli-samogudy).
• Which hero did you like more and why?

It is best to end the conversation with a small epic story about the source of heroic strength. “Once upon a time, pilgrims suggested to Ilya Muromets, who had been sitting in prison for thirty years and three years, how to gain mighty strength. They brought him a ladle of spring water, saying the following words: “Drink the rest. The remnant of this is the water of all deep rivers and lakes, dew from all grain-growing fields, all green meadows of Russia. Drink - and you will feel the strength of the heroes. "

Where did our ancestors get their heroic strength? The native land was and remains the source of heroic strength.

Vasnetsov's paintings were included in the gold fund of the Tretyakov Gallery. They can be viewed and read. Everyone who repeatedly visited the gallery and saw Vasnetsov's paintings with their own eyes, always found in them what they had not noticed before. I wish you all interesting walks in the beautiful world.

Vasnetsov V.M. (realism)

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

Vasnetsov's childhood and early youth passed in a semi-patriarchal family, in the distant Vyatka side, in the small village of Ryabovo. The father, a village priest, taught his sons to read and write. On long winter evenings, children loved to listen to fairy tales about Alyonushka, about Kashchei Bessmertny. And little Vitya also loved to draw - the blue sea, sailing ships sail on billowing waves. Drawing was in the family and Victor's brother - Appolinarius Vasnetsov.

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

During his studies at the Academy, money was constantly lacking, and Vasnetsov worked as an illustrator in magazines and cheap publications. His illustrations were popular, they are full of lively observation, sincere, sometimes humorous and earned a bronze medal at the World Exhibition in London.

Vasnetsov began to work in the genre of everyday life, gaining fame with such paintings as "Beggars-singers", "Bookshop" and others. In them, the artist showed without embellishment the life of the poor, social injustice in Russian society.

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

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

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

He was a believer and painted many paintings on a religious theme. He himself wrote about it: “As for my religious painting, I will also say that I, as an Orthodox and as a sincerely believing Russian, could not even put a penny candle to the Lord God. Maybe this candle is made of coarse wax, but she was delivered from the heart, "

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

Alyonushka (1881)

The plot of this picture originated in Vasnetsov's head by chance, when he saw in the town of Akhtyrka, not far from Abramtsev, one simple-haired girl who struck the artist's imagination. There was so much melancholy, loneliness and purely Russian sadness in her eyes that Vasnetsov immediately imagined a picture. I wandered around the neighborhood for a long time, looking for a suitable landscape, drew sketches, painted sketches ...

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

A thin, fragile girl with an affectionate Russian name Alyonushka yearns over the river. She bowed her head sadly, clasped her knees with her slender hands, thought, perhaps, about her bitter lot or about brother Ivanushka. Coarse bare feet, old, in places faded clothes - it would seem that they are unattractive, but for an artist who sympathizes with his heroine, there is a whole world of beauty here, just like in a modest Russian landscape - dark Christmas trees, pale sky, ordinary thin-bore aspen and birch trees, as if protecting the peace of Alyonushka. Deep sorrow lurks in the soul of an exhausted teenage girl, it shows through both in the impotently drooping figure, and in the pale face with parched lips, and in the big eyes full of unshed tears.

Alyonushka is shown by Vasnetsov sitting on a gray "combustible" stone, surrounded by her native nature - at the edge of the forest. This modest and simple Russian landscape, with its thoughtful, sensitive silence, broken only by the vague rustle of yellowed leaves of aspens and birches, trembling with every movement of the air, corresponds to the state of mind of an orphan.

Bogatyrs (1898)

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

Three heroes - Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich - stand on a strong heroic outpost to protect holy Russia. In the middle, on a black horse - "ataman great Ilya Muromets, a peasant's son." His horse is huge, arched its neck with a wheel, sparkles with a red-hot eye. With such a horse you will not be lost: "From mountain to mountain he jumps, from hill to hill he jumps." Ilya turned heavily in the saddle, took his leg out of the stirrup, put his hand in a patterned mitten to his eyes, and on his hand there was "a damask mace of forty poods." Vigilantly, sternly, he looks into the distance, looking closely to see if there is an enemy somewhere. On his right hand on a white shaggy horse - the hero Dobrynya Nikitich, takes out his long, sharp sword-kladenets from its scabbard, and his shield is burning, interrupted by pearls, gems. To the left of Ilya - on a golden horse - the youngest hero, Alyosha Popovich. He looks slyly with beautiful, clear eyes, took an arrow from a colored quiver, and attached a tight bow to the ringing string. and the gusli-samogud hangs from the saddle.

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

Do not gallop enemies on our land,
Do not trample the Russian land for their horses,
They cannot overshadow our red sun ...

"The language of this picture-ballad is simple, dignified and mighty; every Russian will read it with pride, every foreigner with apprehension, if he is an enemy, with a sense of calm faith in such power - if he is a friend," Soviet artist V. N. Yakovlev.

The Frog Princess (1918)

But the cheerful and intelligent Frog Princess is dancing in the royal chambers: "she waved her left hand - a lake became, waved her right, and white swans swam on the water ..."

Tea drinking in a tavern (tavern) 1874

In the first hungry months of St. Petersburg life, when he wandered around the city, looking for where he could eat cheaply and sit in a warm place, he often went to a seedy tavern, to a teahouse. I watched for a long time, listened to the conversations of different visitors, sometimes made sketches. This is how the idea of ​​the picture was formed.

The door to the teahouse is open. To the right of the door, a group of peasants is sitting at a table, apparently this is an artel of carpenters who have come to St. Petersburg to earn money. They rest after work. There are two teapots on the table, as it was supposed then, one big - with boiling water, the other small, colorful - for tea. Tea is drunk slowly, sedately. A guy younger than the others has already sipped his tea, knocked over the cup, listens to what the artisan literate is reading, who has a newspaper in his hands. To the left of the door, an old man is sitting at a table; he is deep in thought, and his face is so exhausted that one can immediately say that he lived a difficult life. A boy, a tavern servant, stopped at the door; he looks at the lonely old man, who is probably carrying a teapot and a saucer of sugar. And behind the boy's back is a new visitor, who looks like a tipsy artisan.

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

Sketch of a building for the Tretyakov Art Gallery

Ivan the Terrible (1897)

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

Peering into the pale and thin face of Terrible, which clearly stands out in the half-dark space of the staircase, you see in it traces of the autocrat's stormy, unbridled passions. Before us is a passionate, frantic and contradictory nature.

Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf (1889)

Another "fabulous" painting by Vasnetsov. When she appeared at the exhibition, the audience stood in front of her for a long time. They seemed to hear the deep forest rustling dully, the pale pink flowers of a wild apple tree rustling gently, the leaves rustling under the wolf's feet - here it is, a strong, kind giant wolf, out of breath, saving Ivan Tsarevich and Elena the Beautiful from pursuit. And on the branch curious birds are sitting and looking at them.

"Your" Ivan Tsarevich on a Wolf "delighted me, I forgot everything around, I went into this forest, I breathed this air, sniffed these flowers. All this is mine, dear, good! I just came to life! and sincere creativity ". - This is how Savva Ivanovich Mamontov, an industrialist, a famous philanthropist and a great lover of art, an exceptionally gifted person, wrote to Vasnetsov after the exhibition of the picture.

Carpet - plane (new version) 1919-1926

But Ivan Tsarevich flies across the skies on a carpet-plane with his Elena the Beautiful. A clear month is shining, a cheerful, free wind is blowing, far below the forests, fields, seas and rivers - the native Russian land, the Motherland.

Carpet - plane (1880)

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

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

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

Beggar Singers (pilgrims) 1873

The first picture, written by Vasnetsov in St. Petersburg, was "Beggars-singers". The plot arose from childhood memories of those beggar singers who usually crowded around the Ryabov church on holiday, sat on the ground. As a child, these beggars evoked in him a kind of aching, melancholy feeling. And so the preparation for the painting began. Vasnetsov drew, made sketches, wrote sketches. Work on the painting progressed slowly, but Vasnetsov's perseverance and hard work took their toll and the work was finished. And although the picture was praised by many, Vasnetsov himself had already seen all its shortcomings.

Underwater tower (1884)

Fantastic, fairy-tale world full of mysterious inhabitants, unknown wonders, mysterious places, fascinating events !.

Duel of Peresvet with Chelubey (Telebei) 1914

According to the "Legend", the Battle of Kulikovo begins with an epic single combat between the "elder", that is, the monk, Peresvet, with the Tatar giant Telebei. Telebey left the great Tatar regiment, showing his courage in front of everyone. Its appearance is described in the style of epics: "its height is five fathoms, and its width is three fathoms." Alexander Peresvet drove out to meet the Tatar. He wore a monastic cowl instead of a helmet and a schema instead of armor. And they hit hard with their spears, almost breaking the ground under them. And they both fell from their horses to the ground and died. Peresvet by his death saved many Russian soldiers who would have died at the hands of a giant Tatar. His single combat with the Tatar was perceived as a victory of the spirit over brute physical strength. After the duel between Peresvet and Telebey, both troops entered the battle and fought hard.

After the slaughter of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsy (1880)

A large historical canvas, written on the motive "The Lay of Igor's Campaign". The epigraph to Vasnetsov's work is the lines from the Lay ..:

"From dawn to evening, a whole day,
Arrows fly from evening to light
Sharp sabers clatter against helmets,

With a crash of a spear breaks the damask ...
... The third day they are already beating;
The third day is already approaching noon;
Here and Igor's banners fell!

Already the brave Russians are gone
There is bloody wine for a feast,
They got the matchmakers drunk, and themselves
We fell for the paternal land. "

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

The battle is over; the moon rises slowly from behind the clouds. Quiet. The bodies of the killed Russian knights lie in the field, the Polovtsians lie. Here, spreading his arms wide, the Russian hero is asleep in eternal sleep. Next to him is a beautiful, fair-haired youth, struck by an arrow - he seems to be asleep. In the depths of the field, to the right, solemnly and calmly, lies the killed hero, in his hand there is a clutched bow. The flowers have not yet faded - blue bells, daisies, and vulture eagles are already hovering over the field, having smelled their prey. In the foreground on the left, an eagle is cleaning its feathers. The horizon is covered with blue clouds, the red moon, as if washed in blood, hung over the steppe. Twilight falls on the steppe. Deep sadness is spread throughout the Russian land.

Like a heroic outpost, the Igor's regiments stood on the border of their land and fell for her honor and inviolability - such is the content of this epic stately and deeply lyrical picture.

Preference (1879)

This is the last work of Vasnetsov in the genre of genre. Here the artist showed a philistine life, devoid of vivid impressions, too leisurely, too shallow. The insignificance of human characters, interests clearly stands in contrast to the poetic life of nature - the beauty of a summer night, seen through the door open to the balcony. The painting "Preference" ends the cycle of Vasnetsov's everyday paintings. A decisive turning point comes in the artist's work.

Crucifixion (1902)

From apartment to apartment (1876)

Gloomy St. Petersburg winter day. Grey sky. The Neva is frozen, and two people are walking along the dirty snow across the Neva - an old man and an old woman. They walk slowly, bent over, their faces are sad, submissive. In the hands of bundles with pitiful rags, a coffee pot. An old dog is with them - a faithful companion both in sorrow and in joy. It must be not the first time, like this, in the middle of winter, they move to a new cheaper apartment. The picture is painted in grayish-brown tones, and this color scheme, which so well conveys the idea of ​​the picture, is perhaps the first time Vasnetsov was able to find with such subtle sincerity.

Snow Maiden (1899)

Bright, wonderful picture. Here she is, dear, light Snow Maiden - a child of Frost and Spring - emerging from the dark forest alone, to the people, to the sunny land of the Berendei.

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

The Sleeping Princess (1919)

An enchanted forest, trees, grasses, birds sleep, and in the palace a long time ago the princess sleeps, the hay girls, buffoons sleep, the guards sleep; sleeping on the steps is a seven-year-old girl, a brown bear, a fox with a hare ...

The Last Judgment (1904)

The painting "The Last Judgment" was created in 1896 - 1904, among other works for the St. George Cathedral in the city of Gus-Khrustalny, Vladimir Region, by order of the largest breeder and patron of the arts Y.S. Nechaev-Maltsev, who built this cathedral. The artist completed several works on a religious theme, but "The Last Judgment" was supposed to take center stage in the cathedral.

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

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

And soon after the October Revolution, the service in the cathedral was stopped. In February 1923, the authorities made a decision: "... to transfer the empty premises of St. George's Cathedral to a cultural and educational institution ..." On the very first Sunday, dances were arranged in the premises of the temple, a brass band played ... the God?" In the future, the cathedral was used either as workshops or as a cinema.

Meanwhile, the paintings were taken to the Vladimir Assumption Cathedral. They took them out as necessary, without caution. Moreover, the painting "The Last Judgment" was rolled onto a large pole, torn at the bottom and hastily sewn with twine. And before that, it was folded several times and rubbed at the folds.

In the 80s of the last century, it was decided to restore the Geogievsky Cathedral in Gus-Khrustalny again, as well as return the paintings by Vasnetsov to their original place.

The "Last Judgment" was in serious condition. Therefore, he was instructed to restore a team of Leningrad restorers under the leadership of a prominent specialist A.Ya. Kazakov, known for the restoration of the murals of St. Isaac's Cathedral, Peterhof and Tsarskoye Selo. The colossal dimensions required a large room, so the canvas was restored in the Catherine Palace in the city of Pushkin.

The work carried out by the specialists was unique in scope and complexity. One-piece canvas measuring 700X680 centimeters was punctured in more than 70 places, there were numerous tears in the edges, breakouts. The canvas was seriously deformed, resulting in debris, peeling paint. Strenuous work was carried out for about a year. And so the special commission accepted the work with an "excellent" mark. In 1983, the painting took its place in the St. George Cathedral.

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

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

Religion, history, folklore are intricately intertwined here. So, a miser swallows gold coins - he is somewhat similar to Repin's Ivan the Terrible ... Among the righteous are depicted an old man with an old woman, as if transferred to the Court from a Russian folk tale, and the harlots, placed behind the Devil's back, resemble the characters of salon painting ...

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

Three princesses of the underworld (1881)

The picture is written on the plot of a Russian folk tale, which Vasnetsov heard more than once in childhood. Three brothers were looking for a bride. The elder brother was looking for it - he could not find it. The middle one was looking for - did not find it. And the youngest, Ivanushka the fool, found the coveted stone, pushed it aside and ended up in the underworld, where three princesses lived - Gold, Precious stones and Princess Medi.

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

A Knight at the Crossroads (1878)

At a roadside stone on a mighty white horse, a Russian hero stopped - a knight in rich armor, in a helmet, with a spear in his hand. In the distance, the endless steppe with boulders scattered over it leaves. The evening dawn is burning out; on the horizon a reddish stripe brightens, and the last faint ray of the sun slightly gilded the knight's helmet. The field on which the Russian soldiers once fought is overgrown with feather grass, the bones of the dead people turn white, and over the field there are black crows. The knight reads the inscription on the stone:

"How straight forward - I never live:
There is no way for a passer-by, or a carriageway, or a flight path. "
Further, the lines are hidden under the grass and moss. But the knight knows what they are talking about:
"The right of ehati is to be married,
Nalevu - to be rich. "

What path will the knight choose? Vasnetsov is sure that the audience will "finish reading" the picture themselves. The glorious Russian knight is not looking for easy paths, he will choose a difficult, but direct path. All other ways have been ordered for him. Now he will shake off unnecessary thoughts, raise the reins, spur his horse, and carry his horse to the battles for the Russian land, for the truth.

Bayan (1897)

About Bayan, about prophetic songwriter,
A nightingale of times long past ...

Here he is, the "prophetic songwriter" Bayan, sitting on a high burial mound, among the field grasses and flowers, sorting out the psaltery, composing and singing songs. Around the prince's squad and the prince himself with his little prince, and clouds swirl and float across the sky.

A decorative, widely painted picture, it has caused many of the most controversial rumors! But in this simple and at the same time complex picture, the amazing sense of proportion, taste, sincerity inherent in Vasnetsov manifested itself.

In the kingdom of Koshchei the Immortal (1926-27)

Somewhere in the distant kingdom, in the thirty-tenth state, the terrible Koschey the Immortal lives in an underground palace, and holds a beautiful princess captive ...

Oleg's meeting with the magician (1899)

As the prophetic Oleg is now gathering, to take revenge on the unreasonable Khazars,
For a violent raid, he condemned their villages and fields to swords and fires;
With his retinue, in Tsargrad armor, the prince rides across the field on a faithful horse.
From the dark forest, an inspired magician comes to meet him,
An old man obedient to Perun alone, a messenger of the coming behest,
Who has spent the whole century in pleading and divination. And Oleg drove up to the wise old man.
"Tell me, sorcerer, favorite of the gods, what will come true in life with me?"
And soon, to the joy of the neighbors-enemies, will I fall asleep with earth?
Reveal to me the whole truth, do not be afraid of me: you will take a horse as a reward for anyone. "
"Magi are not afraid of powerful rulers, and they do not need a princely gift;
Their prophetic language is truthful and free and is friendly with the will of heaven.
The years to come are lurking in the haze; but I see your lot on a bright brow.
Remember now my word: to the warrior, glory is joy;
Your name is glorified by victory; your shield at the gates of Constantinople;
And the waves and the land are submissive to you; envies the enemy of such a wondrous fate.
And a deceiving shaft of the blue sea in the hours of fatal weather,
And the sling, and the arrow, and the crafty dagger have spared the winner for years ...
Under the formidable armor you know no wounds; an invisible keeper is given to the mighty.
Your horse is not afraid of dangerous work; he, sensing the master's will,
Either the meek stands under the arrows of the enemies, now it rushes along the abusive field.
And the cold and slashing him nothing ... But you will accept death from your horse. "

Heroic Skok (1914)

Gamayun - the prophetic bird (1897)

Guslyars (1899)

Bookstore (1876)

Baptism of Russia (1890)

Portrait of son Boris

Portrait of Vera Mamontova

Sirin and Alkonost (1898)

Warriors of the Apocalypse (1887)

When they talk about Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, a fascinating world of Russian folk tales and epics arises in memory: images of courageous and strong knights, longing Alyonushka, evil and insidious Kashchei Immortal, wise and kind Frog Princess.

Vasnetsov - artist of fairy tales

Vasnetsov known primarily as painter illustrating the plots of famous Russian folk tales... But the first works of the artist reflected the life of the people of his day. In these paintings there is deep sympathy for the suffering of ordinary people. "From apartment to apartment" is a sad story about the fate of the poor Petersburg peasants. An old bureaucrat and his pathetic old wife roam the city in search of shelter.

In the work "Preference" Vasnetsov appears as an enemy of the philistine and philistine.

Major historical events of our time are also reflected in the initial period of the artist's work ("Military Telegram").

Always the creative imagination of Vasnetsov was attracted by folk legends and epics. A keen interest in everything related to the life of the people, their history, did not leave the artist throughout his life. He read Solovyov's History of Russia and folk legends praising the heroic deeds of the Russian people.

Vasnetsov's paintings based on fairy tales

The fantasy of the people created a fairy tale about a flying carpet. In Vasnetsov's painting, a proud fellow looks from the airplane carpet at the expanses of the Russian land spread below, and the Firebird caught by him sparkles with fire. This canvas tells about the wisdom, strength, dexterity of the people.

On picture"The Tale of the Sleeping Princess" everything is immersed in a dead dream. The golden-haired beauty princess is asleep, the girl-friends are sleeping, the cheerful guslars and the gray-haired old storyteller whine. But a handsome prince will come, kiss the princess - and everything will come to life. Light love will bring everyone back to life.

Pictures "After the slaughter of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsy", "A Knight at the Crossroads", "Bogatyrs", "Fight of the Scythians with the Slavs" are full of fervent faith in the heroic strength, invincibility of the kind and courageous Russian people.

The canvas "After the Battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsy" conveys the meaning of "The Lay of Igor's Regiment". This is a hymn to the soldiers who fell in the struggle for freedom and honor of the Russian land.

... Before the gloomy stone, overgrown with moss, the knight stopped. On the stone there is an ominous inscription: "I never lived like a straight ride, there is no way for a traveler or a passer-by ..."

But the knight will not turn back, he will not turn off the road. His figure is courage and strength. He personifies the whole nation. No difficulties and obstacles frighten the Russians.

You look at the painting "Heroes" - and you see that these are no longer three heroes at the outpost, but the entire Russian people are defending their Motherland, their peaceful life. And do not break him, do not intimidate.

T. Shakhova, "Family and School" magazine, 1962, illustrations for Vasnetsov's fairy tales and description of paintings

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

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

Painting classes captivated the young Vasnetsov that he decided to enter the Academy of Arts. With the permission and blessing of his father, he left his penultimate seminary course. An art lottery was organized in the city, on which Vasnetsov's paintings were drawn, and with the money received from the lottery, he went to St. Petersburg. Petersburg - the center of political, literary and artistic thought - met Viktor Vasnetsov with a variety of creative life. Ivan Kramskoy became Vasnetsov's friend and advisor. But the future painter dropped out of the Academy. He explained the reason for leaving as follows: “I wanted to paint on themes from Russian epics and fairy tales, but they, the professors, did not understand this desire. So we parted. " The most cherished dream pursued Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov - to tell people the beauty of the Russian folk epic. In his soul, unfamiliar to anyone and nobody had seen and not written canvases ripened - fairy tales, epics.

At the beginning of his career, Vasnetsov widely embraces various phenomena of life, creates works on everyday topics. For a considerable time he created illustrations, to which he was pushed by the constant need for earnings. During his life in St. Petersburg, young Vasnetsov created about two hundred illustrations for the "People's Alphabet", for the "Russian Alphabet for Children", illustrations for books, etc. poetry and epic. In it, the need for the expression in art of the main national features of the Russian people in all their depth and originality is growing more and more.

In 1876 Vasnetsov was in Paris. Like many Russian artists, he strove to go beyond the canons of academic art and the plot of the paintings of the Itinerants.

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

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

Vasnetsov became the discoverer of the wonderful world of folk poetry, introduced the viewer to the kingdom of fairy tales, epics, historical legends; he found pictorial means equivalent to epic-fairytale speech patterns and images. Skillfully introducing into the paintings a real, but at the same time, a landscape colored with a certain mood (a blood-red moon rising over the battlefield, withering grasses, forest jungles, etc.), he touched the deep spiritual strings, forcing the viewer to empathize with the depicted. Vasnetsov's painting is marked by monumental and decorative features and often gravitates with symbolism, sometimes as if anticipating works written in the Art Nouveau style.

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

Vasnetsov painted a picture in Kiev, while working in the Vladimir Cathedral. He recalled his childhood, the mysterious fabulousness of the dense forest, his beloved, such a magically beautiful Russian folk tale. In fairy tales, much is taken from the life of nature, in which the whole life of a person is connected. In ancient times, there was a cult of the wolf, and in legends he helps the hero, he was often depicted with the wings of birds - he could move so quickly - reverence in such tales is associated with the solar element.

When the picture appeared at the exhibition, the audience stood in front of it for a long time. They seemed to hear the noise of the forest, the rustle of leaves under the wolf's feet. “Now I have returned from a traveling exhibition and, under the first impression, I want to tell you what I feel,” Savva Mamontov wrote to Vasnetsov. - “Your Ivan Tsarevich on a wolf” delighted me, I forgot everything around, I went into this forest, I breathed this air, sniffed these flowers. All this is my dear, good! I just came to life! Such is the irresistible effect of true and sincere creativity. " The painting was bought by Tretyakov, and since then it hangs there, in the Vasnetsov Hall, almost opposite the Alyonushka. The praise of perseverance, endurance of the Russian people, a hymn to bright and strong love was embodied by Vasnetsov in a fairy tale picture.

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

Vasnetsov was looking for prototypes of heroes for his paintings in real life. He wrote a sketch for Elena the Beautiful from Mamontov's niece, young Natalia Mamontova. He looked for similarities in the model that could be expressed through posture and general mood. Vasnetsov's female images are captivating. He wrote only to people close to him. The female image rises to a divine sound, in which the heavenly and the earthly are intertwined. Fictional images of heroines and portraits of women close to Vasnetsov: his wife, daughters, nieces, Vera and Elizaveta Mamontovs from different angles highlight what is called the Russian female soul. They are the personification of the Motherland, Russia.

Folk poetic motives were known to Vasnetsov from a young age, even in Ryabov he heard them from an old nanny and in the village. Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov remembered them as dear childhood and sweet youth that had long gone into the past. These motives were close to him and remembered in the following years of his further artistic skill.

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

Epics are Russian folk songs. If a fairy tale was told, then they sang an epic. They were conveyed to the listener by the storytellers in a solemn, stately, slow and calm tone of narration, i.e. hum. These songs praised the heroes, their exploits. They defended the Russian land, defeated countless hordes of enemies, overcame any obstacles. In many fairy tales and epics, the hero is faced with a choice of which road to continue on. And he always chooses the path leading through the dangers. He fearlessly overcomes all obstacles and emerges victorious.

The painting "VITYAZ ON THE CROSSROADS" was inspired by the epic "Ilya Muromets and the robbers". In the thoughts and feelings of the hero, one can guess the thoughts of the artist himself about the choice of his further creative path. Which is supported by the general mood of the picture, the epic landscape.

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

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

Vasnetsov shows the main thing in heroes - loyalty to the motherland, willingness to serve her. An unusually strong, courageous, courageous, huge hero always comes out the winner. It embodies the power of the Russian people, the defender of the Russian land. People defended the borders of their homeland together, it was in those distant times that the proverb appeared: "One is not a warrior in the field." The warrior, hero, defender of the Russian land is a favorite image of epics. Plots, images, poetics of epics are reflected in Russian literature. Epics were a source of inspiration not only for artists (Vasnetsov), but also for composers, directors, etc.

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

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

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

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