Hint: 5 Russian masterpieces (end of XIX - beg.of XX cent) to know

Shall we talk about Russian art today? This is for sure one of the national prides as well. It is pleasant to know that many people - even those who do not learn Russian - could recognise famous paitings created by Russian artists. By the way, in Russian we say 'to write a picture' = писать картину, not 'to draw'

Let's see some great painting of the end of XIX- beginning of the XX cent. So hard to choose JUST five!

1. The Merchant's Wife, (1918) by Boris Kustodiev

Sitting comfortably, a young woman, lush, white-bodied, blue-eyed fair-haired drinks tea from the saucer, sitting on the balcony of a wooden house.  In front of her rich still life: a huge, polished to a shine samovar, a teapot with portraits, embroidered towel, juicy watermelon, fruit and sweets. To her fancy shoulder purring cat sleek fawn upon.  Right behind the visible area of ​​the merchant with a cobblestone street, shopping arcade and the bell-tower of the church.  

Kustodiev deliberately close-up highlights the shape and details of the merchant still life. He achieves this special transmission of the space in the picture, the lack of a gradual transition from the foreground to the distant. This compositional technique is focusing our attention on the woman, and stresses the importance of what is happening to her: tea - it's a ritual, an embodiment of the entire structure of her life. Anything else that surrounds it - only an additional narrative explanation of the image. The artist uses here the principles of popular images - popular prints, by studying different types of peasant art, and creatively reinterpreting them, it creates a vivid and unforgettable style

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2. Barge Haulers on the Volga, (1873) by Ilya Repin

It is a 1870–1873 oil-on-canvas painting by the Russian realist painter and sculptor Ilya Repin. The work depicts 11 labouring men dragging a barge on the Volga River. The men seem to almost collapse forward in exhaustion under the burden of hauling a large boat upstream in heavy, hot weather.

The work is both a celebration of the men's dignity and fortitude, and a highly emotional condemnation of those who sanctioned such inhumane labour. Although they are presented as stoical and accepting, the men are largely defeated; only one stands out: in the centre of both the row and canvas, a brightly coloured youth fights against his leather binds and takes on a heroic poise.

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3. Swan Princess (1900) by Mikhail Vrubel 

 Source of his inspiration, Mikhail Vrubel found in the Russian epos, national folk tradition. Drawing on myth, legend, epic, artist illustrated them, but created his own poetic world, the colorful and busy, full of triumphant beauty, and at the same time disturbing mystery, a world of fantastic heroes with their earthly misery and human suffering.

The girl turns around, thin, delicate face is sad, sad mysterious glowing eyes, they wrench alone. In the depths of your soul stare wide-open eyes of the charming princess. She seemed to see everything. Therefore, it may be, so sad and a little surprised elevated sable brows, lips are closed. She seems to be ready to say something, but she stays silent.
The composition is built in such a way that it seems as if we looked into the magic world, where suddenly appears and is about to disappear magic girl-bird, floating to the far shore of the mystery. The last rays of the sun playing on the rainbow colors. Shimmer turquoise, blue, emerald semi-precious stones patterned crown-kokoshniks, and seems as anxious that it merges with the glow of dawn glow on the crests of the waves and their ghostly light envelops the delicate features like a pale face, makes the rustling folds revive smoky  white veil, holds a whiff of wind girlish hand.

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4. Vision to Youth Bartholomew (1890) by Mikhail Nesterov

 

The painting was done on the subject, taken from ancient hagiography "Life of St. Sergius". Youth Bartholomew, the future Saint Sergius, was not successful in studies, although he loved to read, and he often secretly prayed to God that he guided and reason with him. One day his father sent him to search for the missing colt. Under a tree in a field the boy saw a monk, the holy old man, "holy and wonderful, dignity of presbyter, handsome and kind angel, who stood on the field under a tree and diligently with tears, and prayed."Seeing him, Bartholomew first humbly bowed, then came and stood near, waiting for that to finish the prayer. The elder looked at Bartholomew, his sight inside their eyes, in front of him a vessel chosen by the Holy Spirit, and said to him: "What you're looking for and what you want, child?". Bowed to the ground, the boy with deep emotion told him her grief and asked the elders to pray that God would help him defeat the charter.
The elder, "Let us make prayer diligently," pulled out his "treasure" particle communion bread and gave it unto a young man saying: "Here you get a sign of God's grace and understanding of Scripture." And when the boy ate the holy bread, the elder said to him: "Know, that from now the Lord gives you a good knowledge of letters, more than your brothers."
After that, the old man wanted to leave, but Bartholomew begged him to visit his parents' house. During the meal the parents Bartholomew told the old man many signs that accompanied the birth of his son them, and he said: "And a sign of truth of my words for you is that after I leave the boy would be good in reading the sacred texts. And second sign - the boy will be great before God and man for his virtuous life. " Having said that, the old man turned to leave, and finally said: "Your son will be the abode of the Holy Trinity, and many people will follow him in understanding of God's commandments."

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5.  The girl with peaches (1887) by Valentin Serov

Example of the Russian impressionism 

The picture stands  beyond the portrait genre, approaching the scene picture. However, her story at first glance, is the easiest. Girl in a pink blouse with black bow and a red carnation is sitting at a table covered with a white cloth, lay the knife, peaches and leaves thrown on the table, painted all the chairs, candle in the window and toy soldier in the back of the room plaque on the wall outside the garden in late summer days. But how much depth in this simplicity and wholeness, as in all of these "accidents" through the unique joy of life! Serov with the utmost expressiveness gave light pouring a silvery stream of the window and filled the room. That light shines on the wall and on the porcelain plate, reflected glare on the backs of chairs, gently falls on the tablecloth, slides on his face and hands. Flowing around the figure and all things, it creates the unified organic whole environment, which was the highest achievement of art young Serov.

for pictures and information thanks to web-sites 1 and 2