V.M. Vasnetsov and the religious-national direction in Russian painting of the late XIX - early XX centuries. Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv, painted by Viktor Vasnetsov

VASNETSOV VIKTOR MIKHAILOVICH

Russian painter, one of the founders of Russian Art Nouveau in its national-romantic version, author of paintings on historical and fairy-tale subjects. Brother of the artist Apollinary Vasnetsov. He was a member of the Association of Itinerants. The master’s brushes include many famous paintings, I will name only a few - “Bogatyrs”, “Alyonushka”, “Ivan Tsarevich on a Gray Wolf”, “The Knight at the Crossroads”, “Sirin and Alkonost. Song of Joy and Sorrow”, “The Sleeping Princess”, Tsar Ivan Vasilievich Grozny and others.

Possessing a decorative gift, Viktor Vasnetsov took part in the design of theatrical productions.

IN last years The artist's architectural talent blossomed. According to his sketches, stylizing ancient Russian antiquity, the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands (1881–1882) and the Hut on Chicken Legs (1883) were erected in Abramtsevo, and in Moscow - a memorial cross at the site of the murder of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich in the Kremlin (1905, destroyed during Soviet power, recreated on the territory of the Moscow Novospassky Monastery) and the facade of the Tretyakov Gallery (1906).

His most significant monumental and decorative achievement was the painting of the Kyiv Vladimir Cathedral (1885–1896).

“...I undertake to carry out the work with my assistants and using my own high-quality materials within two years from the date of signing this condition,” stated the contract signed by Vasnetsov.

Viktor Mikhailovich himself considered this work to be the main work of his life. He liked to repeat that “there is no holier and more fruitful work in Rus' for a Russian artist than decorating a temple.”

Although at first Vasnetsov... refused Prahov’s offer to participate in the painting of the cathedral. True, I took the Kiev address just in case. And the next day, at the dacha, sitting on a bench in front of the veranda, Vasnetsov was struck by the image of his wife with their baby son in her arms. The child seemed to reach out to the wondrous sight that had opened up to him. spring garden and clasped his hands. The sight of a woman with a baby struck Vasnetsov so much that the thought suddenly occurred to him how nice it would be to paint the Virgin Mary and baby like the people dear to him who had just appeared before his eyes. He immediately decided to paint the cathedral and the next day sent Prahov a telegram about his consent, which made the professor very happy.

Subsequently, when Vasnetsov presented Prahov with his sketches of the altar image of the Mother of God, he extracted and showed the artist a sketch he had once made of the image that appeared on the plaster. Prakhov himself told how Vasnetsov was amazed at the exact coincidence of both images of the image of the Mother of God. Losing the power of speech for several minutes, he subsequently said: “It was God’s order.” Vasnetsov painted that image for about two years. And when the scaffolding was removed and a commission assembled to accept the work, such a type of painting was revealed that it became clear to everyone: an example of perfect painting appeared in the cathedral.

The icon of the Mother of God was especially stunning. Here she easily and leisurely walks towards the audience. The Queen of Heaven brings her Son to the sinful world... Her large brown eyes, full of sadness and love, look tenderly at the viewer. Her pale face, illuminated by an inner light, is unusually beautiful. The traditional image of the Mother of God received an original and unique interpretation under Vasnetsov’s brush. This image has since been called the “Vasnetsov Mother of God”.

In preparation for work in the temple, Vasnetsov became acquainted with the monuments of early Christianity in Italy, studied mosaics and frescoes of the Kyiv St. Sophia Cathedral, frescoes of the Kirillovsky and St. Michael's monasteries in Kyiv. He had experience in mastering the traditions of ancient Russian art - monuments of Novgorod, Moscow, Rostov and Yaroslavl architecture, studying Moscow Old Believer icons, book miniatures of Ancient Rus', and folk art.

“...The eyes of all Vasnetsov’s figures are the traditional eyes of Byzantine iconography - exaggeratedly large, all of the same cut, the same color. The solid blackness of the color makes them bottomless and allows the imagination to populate their depths with all shades of mystical feelings,” notes one of the researchers of the cathedral’s paintings.

Working on the embodiment of the images of the Russian princes Vladimir, Andrei Bogolyubsky, Alexander Nevsky, Mikhail Chernigovsky, Mikhail Tverskoy, Princess Olga, the chronicler Nestor, the icon painter Alipy and many others, Vasnetsov embodied his thoughts about the historical past of Russia. Andrei Bogolyubsky and Alexander Nevsky, dressed in heavy armor, are represented as warriors defending the independence of their native land. Popular ideas about smart, strong-willed, decisive and unyielding rulers were embodied in the images of Prince Vladimir and Princess Olga. Vasnetsov turned to the image of the Grand Duke Vladimir, in whose name the cathedral was consecrated, three times - in the composition The Baptism of the Holy Prince Vladimir, The Baptism of the Kyivans and in the iconographic image of the Holy Prince Vladimir.

In total, Vasnetsov performed 15 compositions and 30 individual figures, not counting medallions. This is 4 thousand square meters. The work is simply titanic! The cathedral was poorly heated. Vasnetsov was tormented by frequent colds. Several times the artist fell from the scaffolding, which almost cost him his life. But the Mother of God, apparently, protected the master. Upon completion of the work, Viktor Mikhailovich uttered the sacramental phrase: “I lit a candle for God.”

V.M. died Vasnetsov July 23, 1926, buried in Moscow, at the Vvedensky cemetery (18 school).

Viktor Vasnetsov is famous primarily as an artist of the fairy-tale genre. His works, glorifying the poetic beauty of Russian folklore, are “The Knight at the Crossroads” (1882), “The Flying Carpet” (1880), “Alyonushka” (1881), “Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf” (1889), “Bogatyrs” "(1898) - from early childhood they enter our lives, forming that bright figurative series of children's worldview, which forever remains in it a certain beacon of our self-determination. Meanwhile, few people associate the name of Viktor Vasnetsov with religious painting, which in fact occupied a very important place in his work.

V. Vasnetsov. Self-portrait. 1873. Oil on canvas. 71x58. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Viktor Vasnetsov was born in 1848 in the village of Lopyal, Vyatka province, into the family of a priest. The village of Ryabovo, where the family moved shortly after the birth of their son Victor, is the family nest of the Vasnetsovs. Here the future artist spent his childhood and youth, receiving baptism in the fabulous Vyatka forests, which he later glorified in painting. " This wonderful original Russian artist was born in the Vyatka province, the homeland of my father, - Fyodor Chaliapin wrote about Viktor Vasnetsov. – It's amazing what kind of people are born on dry sand growing spruce forests Vyatki! People emerge from the Vyatka forests and surprisingly pampered capitals, as if carved from this very ancient Scythian soil. Massive in spirit, strong in body, heroes...". The roots of Vasnetsov’s special artistic style, which is a unique, original phenomenon, lie precisely in these modest landscapes of the Russian outback, in the beauty and poetry of Russian folk tales, songs and epics, in the philosophical reflections of a deeply religious father, a village priest, who, according to Viktor Vasnetsov, walking with children through the fields on starry August nights, “he poured into the children’s souls a living, indestructible idea of ​​the Living, truly Existing God.” Rejection of evil and faith in the victory of good became the main motive of the life and work of Viktor Vasnetsov. In search of an ideal, he turned to folk wisdom, to biblical and gospel stories. That is why Vasnetsov’s interest in fairy-tale and fantasy themes coexists with interest in Christian issues. His reasoning on the topic of good and evil, which he left in his diary entries, is extremely interesting.

« If in the animal world struggle is inevitable, then in the human world it had to be avoided,– writes V.M. Vasnetsov in 1909. – The spirit of goodness in man would lead to this, and there would be no need to attack and defend; but, alas, the spirit of evil triumphed in man, the spiritual commandment of God was violated, despite the terrible threat of death, and death entered the human world. The first crime against the life of his brother was committed not out of necessity, not in defense of his life, but out of envy, a spiritual sin. The commandment, the law of man’s spiritual life, has been violated, and the realm of evil has opened up before man: struggle, destruction and death. Just as physical laws are immutable for the material and animal world, so the laws of the spirit are immutable; violation will lead to distortion, destruction and death. Reason does not justify faith in God alone, but demands God and God is a fact; as for my consciousness, my personal existence and the existence of the world around me is a living, immutable fact for me.

The Christian teaching about morality is closely connected with faith in the immortality of the human soul and with faith in Christ as the son of the living God, who established this faith on earth. Christ is the appearance of the living God on earth, expected and expected by humanity and predicted by both the Jewish prophets and pagans. If Christ Jesus is only the best, smartest, most exalted person, then his moral teaching loses its binding force. The humanity of altruists does not seem strictly and reasonably justified and morally obligatory and is subject to many not unreasonable objections. Why am I obligated to help the sick, weak, and poor? Why am I obliged to protect, feed, and build hospitals for the sick, crippled, and unfortunate? Isn’t it wiser to save and protect the healthy and strong (like the ancients), and leave the weak and sick to their fate? And the sooner they bend and disappear, the better for the health and strength of humanity? - is not it? Next: why should I personally strive to do good, and if evil is more profitable for me personally? (the doctrine of egoism). What do I care if my neighbor suffers from this evil! Take care and save yourself if you can, but if you can’t, suffer and die. But science has no unshakable grounds to strongly object to such warm morality. True, such morality can be called bestial: but man, with his own science alone, without God and Christ, irresistibly strives for the ideal of man - a cultural beast, for if a man does not bear within himself the image and likeness of God, then, of course, he is a beast - the highest beast - the image and likeness of a beast.

So the Apocalypse speaks and speaks the immutable truth, the most scientific, - the kingdom of the Antichrist is the kingdom of the beast! The entire history of mankind is a struggle between the man-beast and the spiritual man, and where the victory of man over the beast was felt, the light of Christ shone there!»

Viktor Vasnetsov studied at the Vyatka Theological School, then at the Vyatka Theological Seminary. In 1867, with the blessing of his father, he went to St. Petersburg to enter the Academy of Arts, where he successfully completed his studies in 1875.

In love with pre-Petrine Terem Rus', with the images of epics and fairy tales of the Russian people, he became one of the founders of a new national trend in fine art - the neo-Russian style. " We will only make our contribution to the treasury of world art when we direct all our strength to the development of our native Russian art, that is, when, with the perfection and completeness possible for us, we depict and express the beauty, power and meaning of our native images, our Russian nature and man , our real life, our past... our dreams, dreams, our faith, and we will be able to reflect the eternal, imperishable in our truly national"- wrote Viktor Vasnetsov.

During the period of dominance of the everyday genre with its social orientation, Vasnetsov, as noted by art critic M.V. Alpatov, “was able to discern in life itself what had acquired a fabulous character in his large canvases.” He opened up a whole area for artistic comprehension in the Russian fairy tale. Refusing to depict everyday reality, he turned, in the words of A. N. Benois, to “ wonderful world folk fiction".

By the end of the 19th century, calls for the revival of national traditions of religious art were heard more and more often. When the construction of the Cathedral of St. Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir in Kyiv, dedicated to the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus, was completed in 1882, the question was raised of giving it interior decoration general form and character ancient Russian temple Old Byzantine model. Art historian, archaeologist A. V. Prakhov (1846 - 1916), appointed head of the work on creating the decoration of the Vladimir Cathedral, understands that the task of reviving the traditions of ancient religious painting and the Russian original spirit in a modern monument can only be solved with the involvement of creative forces, who could break out of the framework of abstract church emasculated academicism. "The Storyteller" Vasnetsov, - as A. N. Benois wrote, - seemed in the 80s to be the only poet among the impenetrable prose of Russian art. […] Therefore, it is quite understandable that when Professor Prakhov, a very perspicacious man with a true aesthetic sense, had to choose someone to paint the Vladimir Cathedral in the ancient Russian spirit, his choice fell on Vasnetsov". In addition to Viktor Vasnetsov, Adrian Prakhov also invited M. V. Nesterov, P. A. Svedomsky and V. A. Kotarbinsky to paint the cathedral.

Interior of St. Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv

However, the main, gigantic part of the work was carried out by Vasnetsov. He worked in Kyiv for ten years, from 1885 to 1896, painting more than 2,000 square meters of walls, completing fifteen large compositions and thirty individual figures. The artist independently developed almost the entire system of paintings, essentially creating his own formula of Christianity in pictorial images.

Viktor Vasnetsov preserves Byzantine traditions in the choice of subjects and in the general iconographic scheme church painting, but at the same time brings his own vision to each composition, often deviating from the canon, creating his own original version, interpreting Christian history through the prism of understanding it within the framework of Russian Orthodoxy and Russian history. Along with traditional subjects of Christian church painting, a whole host of Russian saints is presented on the walls of the cathedral - a real gallery amazing images Russian saints, ascetics, princes and princesses (Prince Vladimir, Princess Olga, Princes Boris and Gleb, Andrei Bogolyubsky, Alexander Nevsky, Sergius of Radonezh, Reverend Nestor Chronicler), created on the basis of documentary descriptions, hagiographic literature, and ancient Russian icons. St. Vladimir's Cathedral in Kyiv became a kind of anthem Orthodox Rus'. “During the celebration of the 900th anniversary of the baptism of Rus', the cathedral was supposed to appear as a monument to the spiritual history of Russia, where the religious, mystical essence of the adoption of Christianity would be combined with the idea of ​​​​the historical significance of this event for Russian statehood and culture. Therefore, general Christian subjects and images coexist here with Russian characters, and historical events are surrounded by sacred ones.”

The coloring is unique, resembling the bright, rich, decorative colorful symphonies of ancient Russian religious painting and Byzantine mosaics. Not all compositions turned out to be successful - many of them, overly chaotic and overloaded with details, are very theatrical and superficial. A. N. Benois reproached Vasnetsov for the carelessness and lethargy of the drawing, for the overly improvised and fast nature of the writing. However, despite many shortcomings, flaws and omissions, one cannot help but admit that this was a grandiose ascetic work that went down in the history of art as a document of the religious consciousness of its era, as an attempt to break through church dogmatism to a “living faith.”

Having received an order to paint the Vladimir Cathedral, Vasnetsov seriously prepared for the work - he not only thoroughly studied ancient Russian icon painting, but also went to Italy to get acquainted with the greatest works of Byzantine and Western European art. Most of all, he was struck by the fabulous St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice and the mosaics of Ravenna - especially the images of Our Lady and Christ in the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo. " The impression from the Ravenna mosaics is amazing, it’s like seeing the dawn"- wrote Vasnetsov. " What I saw in Venice, Ravenna and Rome gives me enough impressions and material for my work, – the artist reported to Adrian Prakhov in June 1885. – The strongest artistic Byzantine mood was given to me by Venice - St. Mark and Ravenna - St. Apollinaris in the city and Apollinarisin Classand Saint Vitaly. This material is indispensable for me. I, of course, do not mention the powerful and broad art of the Renaissance - not to see Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto in the original... means not to know art at all - it deeply affects the soul and is instructive» .

The paintings of the Vladimir Cathedral were Vasnetsov's first and largest work in the field of religious art. However, at first he did not accept Adrian Prakhov's offer. " I think - did I do a good thing by refusing?– he later recalled. – I was afraid of the competition of the old masters. And I think, how can one compose “The Virgin and Child” in such a way that it doesn’t look like anyone else? I remembered how once Alexandra Vladimirovna[artist's wife] for the first time, in the spring, I took Misha out into the air[son], and he, seeing clouds floating across the sky and birds flying, clasped both hands in joy at once, as if he wanted to capture with them everything he saw. Here it became clear that this was simply the way to do it. After all, no one has ever written so simply". Thus was born image of the Vasnetsov Mother of God, which is undoubtedly the most powerful shock for everyone entering the Vladimir Cathedral. " When I looked at his Mother of God and Child, with transparent cherubs and seraphim, I felt how spiritually transparent the author himself was, for all his creative massiveness"- wrote Fyodor Chaliapin.

Madonna and Child. Murals of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885-1896

Viktor Vasnetsov on the scaffolding of the Vladimir Cathedral while working on the image of the Mother of God. Photograph from the late 1880s

Wrapped in dark blue, dark purple clothes, the regal, majestic, elongated, like a candle, figure of the Madonna, solemnly floating along the golden background of the apse, is extremely close to the iconographic Byzantine type. I immediately remember Saint Mary from the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta on the island of Torcello in the Venetian lagoon.

Madonna and Child. Mosaic. XI-XII centuries. Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta. Torcello Island. Venice Lagoon

However, the expression of stern sadness and determination in the wide-open eyes of Vasnetsov’s Mother of God, the unexpected gesture of the Baby’s arms thrown up, a gesture open to all the suffering of the world - rather all-encompassing than blessing - introduce into the image a bright note of passionate impulse, that shade of psychologism that was not characteristic of neither Byzantine nor ancient Russian church art and did not fit into the iconographic scheme.

Looking at the Mother of God of Vasnetsov, an association involuntarily arises with Raphael’s “Sistine Madonna”.

Raphael. Sistine Madonna. 1513-1514. Canvas, oil. Gallery of Old Masters, Dresden

But in Raphael, Madonna is an image of a woman perfect in the moral and psychological sense, captured at the moment of manifestation of the highest degree of concentration of willpower and self-control. Raphael's Madonna holds the Child, not only not pressing Him to herself, but as if barely touching Him, completely giving the Son to humanity. This is the highest artistic depiction of purity, integrity and moral greatness. " No matter how terrible the foreboding prospect of personal suffering for herself and her Son may be, in the broad all-encompassing soul of the mother of Christ lived those high ideals, before which a person’s personal life is an insignificant value, which a person, without hesitation, is ready to sacrifice for the implementation of ideals. This is how Raphael depicts the young mother of Christ...“- wrote the famous Russian psychiatrist, publicist, honorary member of the Kyiv Theological Academy I. A. Sikorsky (1842–1819). Vasnetsov’s main emphasis is on Madonna’s mental turmoil. Deep sadness, fear, pain and even protest can be read in the tired, mournful gaze of the mother’s huge eyes. Knowing and seeing the future, she tries to hold the Son, hugging Him tightly to her. But the straightened figure, firm and even gait, tightly compressed lips make us understand that the Mother of God is full of strength to carry out her duty to the end. This contains and brilliantly conveyed by Vasnetsov the idea of ​​heroism - a heavy moral duty that a person bears with the consciousness of necessity, but at the same time with dignity and patience. In the image of Vasnetsov’s Mother of God there is neither the humble submission of ignorance, nor divine peace, nor ecstasy, but there is human penetration into the Divine plan, awareness of the inevitability and unearthly importance of the upcoming mission and overcoming spiritual weakness. " In all this, – as I. A. Sikorsky wrote, – A red thread runs through that obedience to moral duty and that self-denial that constitutes the national trait of the Russian character". The main advantage of the image of the Madonna created by Vasnetsov lies in the deeply human and at the same time philosophical and religious understanding of the Mother of God. " My God, what kind of face is this, and how much is expressed in it!– wrote the historian and musician of the late 19th – first half of the 20th century, Sergei Bartenev, fascinated by Vasnetsov’s Madonna. – It contains meekness, affection, grief, care, and humility; he is all alive, and now it seems that a smile is sliding over him, now a cloud of sadness runs over him. […] This is Mother, Intercessor and Refuge. It is easy to come to such a mother for help, for reassurance. She will greet you with affection, warm you up and calm you down, and for her sake you will go into suffering again with a light heart.» .

Image Holy Mother of God, reflecting the national ideal of motherhood and intercession, sounds like the leitmotif of all religious paintings by Viktor Vasnetsov. It is no coincidence that the artist was called the creator of the “Russian Madonna.” Full of captivating charm is not the canonical, but rather the deeply personal image of the Mother of God in the iconostasis of the Vladimir Cathedral.

Madonna and Child. Fragment. Icon of Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885-1896

Saint Mary is represented as very young, sitting half-turned, with a downcast, shy gaze, tenderly hugging the Baby, who with his huge, bottomless-deep eyes looks at the world with fear and distrust. Based on Vasnetsov's cardboards, mosaics were created depicting the Madonna and Child enthroned in the Russian altar Orthodox Church in Darmstadt (1899–1901) and in the iconostasis of the Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg (1897–1901)

Holy Mother of God. 1897. Oil on canvas. 209x88. Sketch of the mosaic of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg and the mosaic itself

huge mosaic panel“She rejoices in You, O Blessed One” in St. George’s Cathedral in Gus-Khrustalny (1896–1904).

She rejoices in You, O Blessed One. 1904. Mosaic based on a sketch by V. Vasnetsov. St. George's Cathedral, Gus-Khrustalny

Vasnetsov was passionate to the point of oblivion about the work in the temple, considered it one of the most important affairs of his entire life, calling it “the path to the light.” " I firmly believe in the power of the ideas of my work, I believe that there is no holier and more fruitful work in Rus' for a Russian artist - like decorating a temple, – considered V.M. Vasnetsov. – Let my performance be imperfect, even bad, but I know that I applied all my strength to a fruitful task. […] In the temple a person comes into contact with the very positive side the human spirit - with the human ideal. It should be noted that if humanity has so far done anything high in the field of art, it is only on the basis of religious ideas» .

For ten years, the artist worked in the Vladimir Cathedral from early morning until late evening, remaining there as long as the light allowed. He suffered from frequent colds from the cold and dampness. My back ached from the tedious hard work. Several times, according to his recollections, he fell from the scaffolding. One day he was picked up unconscious. It was only by a miracle that he did not fall to his death when he fell while working under the very dome of the temple. What saved me was that my canvas jacket caught on a metal hook. Remembering this incident, Viktor Vasnetsov said: “The Lord saved me.”

He performs large-scale multi-figure compositions, combining in them a certain amount of convention, characteristic of the Byzantine canon, with a realistic, sometimes expressive interpretation of images. On the one hand, it emphasizes flatness with the frontality of the figures, gold and blue-blue decorative backgrounds, and poster-like richness of color; on the other hand, it destroys this feeling of transcendence with the volume of the figures and the multiplicity of details. Sometimes he literally quotes some fragments of Byzantine mosaics - for example, the symbolic image of Christ and the apostles in the form of twelve lambs from the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe (Ravenna).

Lamb of God. Murals of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885-1896

Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe. Mosaics. 6th century

And at the same time, he conceives his own artistic embodiment of the idea of ​​atoning sacrifice, as the main idea of ​​Christianity, creating a three-part composition. The first part of which "The Only Begotten Son is the Word of God" represents Christ as a young man with a cross and a scroll in his hands, sitting on a throne in the clouds, surrounded by symbolic images of the evangelists.

Only Begotten Son. Sketch for the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. Canvas, oil. 70x138. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

The second one depicts "God the Father"- a majestic Elder with a wide white beard, sitting on a rainbow among the stars, who in deep sadness, but with amazing divine calm, stretches out his hands, sacrificing his Son in the name of saving people.

God the Father. Cardboard for painting the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885. Oil on canvas. 135x250. State Tretyakov Gallery

And finally - "Crucifixion" depicting the Calvary drama transferred to heaven. Grief-stricken angels in despair support the cross with the dead Christ nailed to it.

Crucifixion. Sketch of the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885-1996. Canvas, oil. 134x249. State Tretkov Gallery

The author's interpretation of a scene from the Apocalypse is original in concept and boldness of compositional solution. "The threshold of heaven", representing a whole multitude of righteous people flying through the heavens to the golden Heavenly City, guarded by the archangels, wings spread wide, solemnly standing.

The threshold of heaven. Triptych. Central part. Sketch of the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885-1896. Canvas, oil. 295x482. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

The threshold of heaven. Triptych. Left side. Sketch of the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885-1896. Canvas, oil. 295x482. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

The threshold of heaven. Triptych. Right part. Sketch of the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885-1896. Canvas, oil. 295x482. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

« After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could number, from all nations and tribes and peoples and languages, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes and with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne, and worshiped God, saying: Amen! blessing and glory, and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honor and strength and strength to our God forever and ever! Amen" (Rev. 7: 9 – 12) All kinds of characters, quite recognizable by their characteristic canonical attributes, are depicted by Vasnetsov from unexpected angles, in different emotional state reflected on their faces. The thief, bent under the weight of the cross, the old Adam, Eve, immersed in prayerful ecstasy, Abel in the form of an enthusiastic young man with outstretched arms, the frightened Mary Magdalene with an alabaster vessel, Mary of Egypt with long gray flowing hair, Saint Sophia with three daughters, rushes towards the light, Touchingly clinging to her are the Great Martyrs Barbara and Catherine, supported by angels. It should be recognized that in general the composition “The Threshold of Paradise,” overloaded with details, is deliberately narrative and superficial in its illustrativeness. E. N. Trubetskoy in his work “Speculation in Colors” about the painting “The Threshold of Paradise” wrote the following: “ For Vasnetsov, the flight of the righteous to heaven has an overly natural character of physical movement: the righteous rush to heaven not only with their thoughts, but with their whole body; this, as well as the painfully hysterical expression of some faces, gives the whole image a character that is too realistic for a temple, which weakens the impression". However, one cannot deny the artist the originality of the very idea of ​​​​creating a grandiose poem in colors, imbued with a special mystical mood. S.P. Bartenev spoke enthusiastically about the image of St. Catherine, whose face is full of expressions of unearthly bliss.

Saint Catherine. The threshold of heaven. Fragment of the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885-1896

« You can't tear yourself away from this face, he wrote. – And the more you look, the more this inexplicable peace enters your heart, a premonition of such bliss, the words of which we have no words here on earth. Who heardadagioBeethoven's Ninth Symphony and has a strong sense of music, he will understand this state of soul, gripping the chest with an unspeakable languor of unknown bliss. And what are earthly torments compared to what awaits us, with this endless spiritual joy» .

Traditional compositional scene "Last Judgment" with a horizontal division into the heavenly and earthly spheres, Vasnetsov transforms it into a dark, expressive phantasmagoria with contrasting combinations of bright, rich tones. The dominant blood red background color enhances the feeling of tension and mysticism. Angels blow trumpets. The terrible archangel weighs souls. The righteous rise from their graves. Sinners are cast into the fiery abyss. Christ is menacing and implacable with the opened Gospel and the cross in his hands, who came to judge the world. The Mother of God clung to her Son, silently asking Him for mercy, becoming from now on and forever the Intercessor for the entire human race. Her humbly bowed figure, filled with endless sadness, reflected that subtle, barely perceptible connection between heaven and earth, on which the world’s hopes rest that the measure of God’s wrath will not overflow.

Last Judgment. Painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885-1896

Last Judgment. Cardboard for painting the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. Canvas, oil. 290x277. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Without a doubt, while working on the creation of his “Last Judgment”, Viktor Vasnetsov was influenced by the famous fresco by Michelangelo. " What is Michelangelo's Last Judgment?– he wrote. – What masses of people are agitated in horror, despair and fear! They are all naked, like a mother gave birth, before the eternal World Truth. Even the apostles, even the martyrs are in confusion, they don’t know, they are afraid of His judgment! […] There is so much diversity and at the same time unity in the entire composition - one could perhaps say that everything is too massive and cumbersome, but this massiveness is a sign of terrible strength. Frost breaks through when you enter into the full depth of thought of the picture. The greatest poem of forms, the greatest symphony on the theme of Eternal Truth God’s – that’s what Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” is» .

Vasnetsov would return to the theme of the Last Judgment one more time, creating in 1904 a huge painting “The Last Judgment” (oil on canvas, 700x680) almost similar in concept and execution for the St. George Cathedral in Gus-Khrustalny.

Last Judgment. 1904. Oil on canvas. 700x680. St. George's Cathedral, Gus-Khrustalny

Art historian P. P. Gnedich called this chaotic, overloaded with details, brightly colored composition “the sum of painfully passionate religious fantasies of Christian artists of all times and peoples.” " She has an element. The spontaneous struggle of good and evil, love and hate, creation and destruction is an eternal, favorite theme as long as man is alive on earth, he wrote. – The struggle of the devilish serpent sitting in every person with pure, enlightened love is the most terrible tragedy of humanity» .

Expressive Eucharist scene in the apse of the Vladimir Cathedral, depicting the royally majestic figure of Christ with bread and a cup in his hands and the apostles rushing towards him, in the expressions of their faces and in the swiftness of their poses, the awareness of the importance of the moment was reflected.

Eucharist. Painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885-1896

All of Vasnetsov’s compositions, unlike the static Byzantine ones, are filled with movement, internal and external dynamics. The Baby clasps his hands in the arms of the Mother of God, the righteous fly across the sky towards the light, the apostles rush to Christ, the prophets gesticulate wildly, sinners are thrown into the fiery sea, seraphim and cherubim flapping their wings in alarm. And finally, as the culmination of everything, a hand raised in blessing Christ Pantocrator in the main dome of the cathedral.

Christ Pantocrator. Painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885-1896

Vasnetsov, without deviating from the traditional transfer of external appearance, violates the usual hieratic restraint and detachment characteristic of the image of Christ Pantocrator. His Christ differs from the famous images of the Savior from the Sinai monastery of St. Catherine (VI century),

Savior Almighty. Icon. VI century. Monastery of St. Catherine, Sinai

Pantocrator of Ravenna (VI century)

Christ with angels. Mosaic. Beginning of the 6th century. Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo. Ravenna

and from the Sicilian temples of Monreale and Cefalu (XII century)

Christ Pantocrator. XII century. Mosaic. Cathedral of Monreale. Sicily

Christ Pantocrator. XII century. Mosaic. Cefalu Cathedral, Sicily

not only with this impetuous wave of the hand, but also with an extremely penetrating gaze. Important characteristic feature Vasnetsov style - emphatically expressive eyes of all characters without exception. The exaggeratedly huge, traditional eyes of Byzantine iconography in Vasnetsov’s heroes are filled with an extraordinary variety of shades of conveyed feelings. Even in the glances of numerous six-winged seraphim and angels, who are mysterious witnesses of Divine mysteries and inhabit the compositions in abundance, one can read a rich palette of emotions - from fear, horror and bewilderment to awe and prayerful ecstasy. Christ looks at people with a feeling of compassion, belonging and mercy. Vasnetsov’s Savior is not so much a Heavenly King and Judge, but rather a Savior, as it is said in Vasnetsov’s beloved Gospel of John: “ For God did not send his son into the world to judge, but that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:17)

Christ Pantocrator. Sketch of the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1886. Paper, pencil. 175x174. State Tretyakov Gallery

Saved. 1885. Paper, coal. House-Museum of V. M. Vasnetsov, Moscow

In the iconostasis of the cathedral there is a completely traditional image of Jesus Christ sitting on the royal throne with the canonical blessing gesture right hand and the opened Gospel in the left. However, the Byzantine detached and stern look here is replaced by a compassionate look of all-encompassing love.

Jesus Christ. Icon of Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885-1896

Considering Christ “the light center of the tasks of art,” Vasnetsov especially highly appreciated the images of the Savior created by the Byzantines, as well as by Russian artists - Kramskoy, Polenov, Ge and, especially, Alexander Ivanov. But he tirelessly searched for an image that would reflect the highest embodiment of the Holy Spirit in human form, the most complete unity of external and internal beauty. " I am again looking for the face of Christ - no small task, the task of entire centuries!– Viktor Vasnetsov wrote to E. G. Mamontova in 1889. – Christ, of course, must inevitably be personal, but His personal representation must rise to a world representation, that is, He must appear to the whole world as one way and not another, and the personal representation of an individual artist must finally coincide with this world representation.[…] The task is great and unimaginably difficult to achieve". Vasnetsov returned to the face of Christ more than once. In 1897 he made a sketch for a mosaic icon of the Savior in the iconostasis of the Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg.

Savior. 1897. Oil on canvas. 209x88. Sketch for a mosaic for the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg and the mosaic itself

For the facade of the temple he creates the “Passion Cycle”, which includes mosaics “Carrying the Cross”, “Crucifixion”, “Descent from the Cross”.

Carrying the cross. 1901. Mosaic based on Vasnetsov’s sketches. Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg

Carrying the cross. 1899. Sketch of the mosaic of the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. Canvas, oil. 35x25. State Russian Museum

Crucifixion. 1901. Mosaic based on Vasnetsov’s sketches. Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg

Descent from the Cross. 1901. Mosaic based on Vasnetsov’s sketches. Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, St. Petersburg

The image of Christ in the crown of thorns with an expression of deep suffering on his face, performed by Vasnetsov in 1906 for tombstone commander of the Life Guards Semenovsky Regiment G. A. Min, brutally killed by terrorists.

Savior wearing a crown of thorns. 1906. Paper, pencil, charcoal. 69x53. Kirov Art Museum named after. V.M. I am. Vasnetsov, Kirov

He repeated the same face in 1910 in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on Waters

Christ wearing a crown of thorns. Mosaic based on sketches by V. Vasnetsov. 1910. Cathedral of Christ the Savior on the Waters

built in honor of the sailors who died during the Russo-Japanese War. Viktor Vasnetsov associated the torment of Christ with the suffering of untimely dead people. In His image, he reflected deeply personal feelings about the fate of the Russian people. " May God forgive our sins and help our poor Motherland, which is suffering so hard! Send goodness to people!"- wrote the artist in 1905.

Religious painting by Viktor Vasnetsov has always caused and continues to cause mixed opinions from specialists. Many note that the artist’s works in this genre are much weaker than his easel works on fairy-tale subjects. It is believed that external exaltation, overload with narrative details, diversity and naturalism blur the internal power of images, simplifying them and making them superficial. However, the artist himself was very skeptical about his attempts to penetrate the secrets of ancient church painting, considering them mostly unsuccessful. He understood that the inner world of painting of that time was much richer in spiritual sense, considered it impossible to reproduce the depth of religious feeling of Ancient Rus', and said that his painting is only a weak, emasculated reflection of this spirit. One of the first researchers of Vasnetsov’s painting, his good friend, writer, art critic Vladimir Kign-Dedlov (1856-1908) explained the phenomenon of Vasnetsov’s religious painting: “ Vasnetsov is not a theologian, but an artist. He deals not with the dogmas of faith, but with a religious mood. He is the son of a priest; he grew up in and around the church, among icons, worship and worshipers; he is a seminarian, he is a man from a people whose faith is strong; he grew up among the northern Russian people, for whom religion is everything: philosophy, morality, science, and art» .

Vasnetsov’s attempt, as an artist of modern times, to restore church painting in the ancient Byzantine character was by no means a blind imitation of the ancient church style, but an expression of his own religious vision, his philosophical interpretation of the Christian worldview, the artistic embodiment of a unique way of fighting evil. It is no coincidence that the Russian philosopher Sergei Bulgakov saw a “spiritual affinity” between V.M. Vasnetsov and F.M. Dostoevsky and, in particular, argued that Vasnetsov “found expression of the religious feeling of a troubled century, which passed through the crucible of doubts”, that “artistic Vasnetsov’s specialty is “the psychology of religious feeling, living and, therefore, in high degree individual."

Vasnetsov tried to express the Christian worldview in the folk-Byzantine spirit in the language of ancient icons, epics and fairy tales of the Russian people. It is worth talking about the special artistic original and distinctive Vasnetsov style of religious painting, characterized by the author’s rich imagination, bright decorative color, ornamentation, popular prints, spectacular multi-figure compositions, and a combination of the canonical understanding of images with their realistic interpretation. With a certain amount of sentimentality, the artist softened the majestic conventions of ancient hieratism. And the expressiveness of the form became a reflection of militant spirituality, a kind of Vasnetsov’s way of fighting evil. " Vasnetsov, combining a fairy-tale element with ancient forms, inspired Byzantine art new life ,” wrote art critic S. K. Makovsky . “Our people are storytellers by nature; they are imbued with the superstition of traditions and legends, and respect for the miraculous. Looking at Vasnetsov’s images, you involuntarily remember the connection between Russian fairy tales and Russian faith» .

Vasnetsov’s religious painting, which combined the fairy-tale element of the folk worldview with the church canon, is a very curious artistic phenomenon of the late 19th century, which expanded the scope of traditional temple art precisely in view of the task of reviving national-romantic ideals and the Russian original spirit. His attempt to express the Christian worldview in the language of folk art may seem controversial, since, as art historian S.S. Stepanova rightly noted, the shallow, elegant style of fairy-tale visual vocabulary is in conflict with the multifaceted meaning and seriousness of religious concepts.

However, be that as it may, we can no longer escape from the Vasnetsov Mother of God, swiftly striding towards us across the golden skies, from the image of the Baby, who opened his arms equally to everyone, from the face of the Savior, looking at each of us with compassion and mercy. " A person with a subtle, receptive artistic nature can come to this temple as an atheist, but must leave as a believer, for it is impossible not to heed what speaks to you with such power, - this is what S.P. Bartenev wrote about Vasnetsov’s paintings in the Vladimir Cathedral. – In fact, you have to agree or reject. And if you reject it, then you cannot stay here, in front of these faces. Where can you run from them? They etched themselves into the memory, entered the soul, and captured the heart.". It is no coincidence that the images created by Vasnetsov caused thousands of imitations and countless variations. The artist’s ascetic work received enormous recognition, since the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv at that time was a symbol of the revival of Ancient Rus' and the national style. The acquisition by P. M. Tretyakov of almost all the preparatory cardboards and sketches for the paintings of the Vladimir Cathedral was unprecedented. " One may not agree with the Vladimir Cathedral, but it must be taken into account as a significant work of art and an outstanding monument of modern Russian religious consciousness"- wrote the magazine "World of Art" in 1900.

Calling his work “the path to the light,” Viktor Vasnetsov believed that for the sake of this light one must forget “all the pressures of fate, all the “petty dreams of life,” forget one’s personal strengths.” " What do I care whether my talent is great or small - give it your all!- he exclaimed. – The Gospel widow gave her last mite to God - give it too» . « I only lived in Russia! – he wrote in 1898 . – I fully admit that I was poorly able to express myself. As for my religious painting, I will also say that I, as an Orthodox and sincerely believing Russian, could not help but light at least a penny candle for the Lord God. This candle may be made of rough wax, but it was made from the heart.» .

Anastasia Tatarnikova

Illustrative material and virtual tour of St. Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv: http://www.vlsobor.com/

Notes:

Ryabovo is a village in Kirov region. The house where the artist brothers Viktor and Apollinary Vasnetsov spent their childhood is now the V. M. and A. M. Vasnetsov Memorial House-Museum.

From a letter from V.M. Vasnetsov to V.V. Stasov, October 7, 1898 // Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov: Letters. Diaries. Memories. Judgments of contemporaries. – M.: Art, 1987. P. 155

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov: Letters. Diaries. Memories. Judgments of contemporaries. – M.: Art, 1987. pp. 217–218

The Vyatka Theological School was closed in 1918 and resumed its activities in 1991. The Vyatka Theological Seminary existed until 1918. Since 1934, the city of Vyatka has been called the city of Kirov.

From a letter from V.M. Vasnetsov to A.V. Prakhov, June 8, 1885 // Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov: Letters. Diaries. Memories. Judgments of contemporaries. – M.: Art, 1987. pp. 65–66

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov: Letters. Diaries. Memories. Judgments of contemporaries. – M.: Art, 1987. P. 309

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov: Letters. Diaries. Memories. Judgments of contemporaries. – M.: Art, 1987. P. 306

The prototype of the Baby Jesus was the artist’s son, Mikhail Vasnetsov (1884–1972), who later became a priest.

Sikorsky I. A. Our Lady in works of art Rafael and Vasnetsov. – Kyiv: Printing house S. V. Kulzhenko, 1905. P. 5

Sikorsky I. A. The Mother of God in the works of art by Raphael and Vasnetsov. – Kyiv: Printing house S. V. Kulzhenko, 1905. P. 12

Uspensky A. I. Victor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov. – M.: University Printing House, 1906. P. 63

In a letter to E. G. Mamontova on August 20, 1889 // Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov: Letters. Diaries. Memories. Judgments of contemporaries. – M.: Art, 1987. P. 80

From a letter from V.M. Vasnetsov to V.D. Polenov, December 31, 1887 // Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov: Letters. Diaries. Memories. Judgments of contemporaries. – M.: Art, 1987. pp. 72–73

From an interview with the artist’s descendant – Mikhail Vasnetsov // Facts, 09.11.2013, Kyiv

Trubetskoy E. N. Speculation in colors. Sketches on Russian icon painting. – http://www.wco.ru/biblio/books/trub1/Main.htm

Uspensky A. I. Victor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov. – M.: University Printing House, 1906. P. 71

From a letter from V.M. Vasnetsov to E.A. Prakhova, November 12, 1891 // Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov: Letters. Diaries. Memories. Judgments of contemporaries. – M.: Art, 1987. P. 96

Gnedich P. P. Latest paintings V. M. Vasnetsova (Page from notebook writer) // Artistic treasures of Russia. T.5. St. Petersburg: Publication of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of Arts, 1905. P.167

From a letter from V.M. Vasnetsov to E.G. Mamontova, August 20, 1889 // Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov: Letters. Diaries. Memories. Judgments of contemporaries. – M.: Art, 1987. P. 81

Only the preparatory drawing for the mosaic icon has survived.

The temple was blown up in 1932. A mosaic icon depicting the Savior wearing a crown of thorns has been preserved and is now located in the chapel of the Church of the Savior on the Waters, built in 1998.

Uspensky A. I. Victor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov. – M.: University Printing House, 1906. P. 81 – 82

World of Art, 1900. T. 3. P. 245

From a letter from V.M. Vasnetsov to E.G. Mamontova, August 20, 1889 // Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov: Letters. Diaries. Memories. Judgments of contemporaries. – M.: Art, 1987. P. 80

From a letter from V.M. Vasnetsov to V.V. Stasov, May 5, 1898 // Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov: Letters. Diaries. Memories. Judgments of contemporaries. – M.: Art, 1987. P. 148

Since working on “The Stone Age,” Vasnetsov, according to Nesterov, “slept and saw the painting of large walls.” Meanwhile, when at the beginning of 1885 Adrian Prakhov, who supervised the work on the interior decoration of the newly rebuilt Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv, invited the artist to take part in temple paintings, he did not immediately agree.

But having taken on this work, Vasnetsov devoted ten years of his life to it. He put all the passion and “anxiety” of his soul into it, in it he tried to embody his aesthetic ideal of creating art of a great style, returning from closed world

collections and museums to where it could serve the masses of ordinary people in their daily lives.
Over the course of two centuries, traditional icon painting was gradually replaced, as an “outdated Middle Ages,” by works of “Italian writing” on religious themes by students of the Academy of Arts, little different from secular paintings. Entire ancient iconostases were replaced at this time by works done in an academic spirit.
The people shunned the paintings on the walls of the temple, respecting, according to Mikhail Solovyov, the icon and preferring to pray in front of small lectern images created by simple icon painters in the spirit of traditional icon painting.

According to Vasnetsov, the temple was the place where the “reunification” of the intelligentsia and the people could take place. The uniting element for both could be the revived church art, publicly accessible and understandable to everyone, expressing national beliefs and ideals.

The main idea of ​​the program developed by Adrian Prakhov for the interior decoration of the Vladimir Cathedral, a memorial church dedicated to the 900th anniversary of the baptism of Rus', was to comprehend the religious history of Russia. Because the common theme Since the painting of the cathedral became the “history of the Russian faith,” the main attention was focused on the development of historical themes related to the baptism of Prince Vladimir and the people of Kiev, as well as Russian saints, canonized figures of Ancient Rus' and ascetics of Russian Orthodoxy.

The artist was responsible for the bulk of the work - the central nave, the dome, and the images of the main iconostasis.
In preparation for work in the temple, Vasnetsov became acquainted with the monuments of early Christianity in Italy, studied mosaics and frescoes of the Kyiv St. Sophia Cathedral, frescoes of the Kirillov and St. Michael monasteries in Kyiv.

He already had experience in mastering the traditions of ancient Russian art - monuments of Novgorod, Moscow Rostov and Yaroslavl architecture, studying Moscow Old Believer icons, book miniatures of Ancient Rus', folk art.

The combination of realistically interpreted figures with a background given in the conventional manner of Russian icons and miniatures, an ornamental frame for all figures and scenes were part of that unique style that was developed by Vasnetsov in the Vladimir Cathedral and entered into artistic use under the name “Vasnetsov style”.

The altarpiece of the Mother of God made a great impression in the cathedral. The colossal figure of the Virgin Mary with the Child Christ in her arms, protruding from the flickering golden light in the upper half of the altar apse, dominated the entire space of the nave. With simplicity and humanity, the artist embodied in the image of the Mother of God the beauty of femininity, the strength of maternal feelings and soulful spirituality. At the same time, he expressed the national type of Russian beauty. It is not for nothing that the Mother of God of Vasnetsova became one of the favorite images immediately after the consecration of the Vladimir Cathedral.

Reproductions from it could be found in many houses in Russia at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. While working in the cathedral, Vasnetsov, of course, could not rely only on his own ideas, artistic experience and knowledge, or be guided by his emotions and impulses of fantasy. He had to constantly check whether his works agreed with the spirit of the Church, with the canon, and discard much that had already been drawn if the sketches seemed insufficiently churchly. After all, the sketches had to be accepted

church council

, and its meetings did not always go smoothly.
In August 1896, all the scaffolding in the cathedral was removed and it was already possible to get a complete picture of the work. The success of Vasnetsov's paintings was enormous. Articles and research notes were devoted to them. They gained extraordinary popularity and were repeated at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries in many churches in Russia. Some stories were widely reproduced in print. Vasnetsov was seen as “a brilliant herald of a new direction in magnificent painting.” At the beginning of the 20th century, there was some cooling in relations between BasnetsoBa and the artistic community, and harsh critical reviews began to be heard more and more often. This was largely due to the discovery of an authentic ancient Russian icon. painting of that time was much richer in a spiritual sense than the spirit of our time, or mine personally, or Nesterov, and We are far from their technique, from their pictorial effect.” - this was the opinion of Vasnetsov himself.
This review is a courageous and bitter recognition of the master, who believed that “there is no holier and more fruitful task in Rus' for a Russian artist than decorating a temple.”
Not everything in Vasnetsov’s Vladimir Cathedral turned out the way he dreamed; not all of the master’s intentions were realized. But the very task of creating a great artistic style, posed here by the artist, had enormous innovative significance for Russian art.

The magazine "World of Art" wrote about the cathedral: "You may not agree with the Vladimir Cathedral, but it must be taken into account as a significant work of art and an outstanding monument of modern Russian religious consciousness."

The Tretyakov Gallery opens today another exhibition organized as part of the program “The Tretyakov Gallery opens its storerooms”

Tretyakov Gallery, April 17 - September 8, 2012
Moscow, Lavrushinsky lane, 10, hall No. 39

Today the Tretyakov Gallery opens the exhibition “Viktor Vasnetsov. Sketches for the paintings of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv. 1885–1896”, organized within the framework of the “Tretyakov Gallery opens its storerooms” program.

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1848–1926) - one of the most famous Russian artists of the second half of the 19th century- beginning of the 20th century. He gained wide fame primarily as the author of paintings based on epic fairy tales. Meanwhile, religious painting occupied a significant place in his work. The master's first experience in this field was painting in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv (1885–1896). In one of the halls of the permanent exhibition of the Tretyakov Gallery, a rare opportunity has arisen to display all the paintings and part of the graphic works of V. Vasnetsov from this cycle stored in the collections, which arrived at the Gallery almost 120 years ago.

The artist was invited to take part in decorating the interior of the temple-monument dedicated to the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' by the art historian and archaeologist Professor A. V. Prakhov, who led interior decoration cathedral Not immediately agreeing, because he considered “the matter of significance and greatness... extremely serious,” the painter devoted ten years of his life to it (1885–1896).

V. Vasnetsov, the son of a village priest, who studied at a theological seminary before entering the Academy of Arts, approached the painting with a deep belief that “there is no holier and more fruitful task in Rus' for a Russian artist, such as decorating a temple,” and with an understanding of the colossal responsibility standing in front of the painter. “This is truly a matter of the people and a matter of the highest art,” he wrote to V. D. Polenov. The artist shared the hopes of part of society that the revived church art could become publicly accessible and understandable, expressing national ideals.

“Decoration of the temple” for V. Vasnetsov was the comprehension of great values. Carefully preparing for the upcoming work, the artist traveled to Italy, where he became acquainted with the monuments of Byzantine art. Then, already in Kyiv, where he moved from Moscow in 1885, he studied mosaics and frescoes of St. Sophia Cathedral and St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery.

The main idea of ​​the program developed by A.V. Prakhov was to comprehend the religious history of Russia, its inclusion through Byzantium in world history culture. The main attention was focused not only on developing plots related to the baptism of Prince Vladimir and Rus', but also on creating a gallery of images of Russian saints - canonized figures of Ancient Rus', ascetics of Russian Orthodoxy.

In the Vladimir Cathedral, V. Vasnetsov, with the participation of assistants, performed the main work - he painted the entire main nave of the temple, the middle part of the choir and three sides of the pillars separating the central nave from the two side ones. In total, 15 compositions and 30 individual full-length figures of saints were created. Among them: “The Virgin and Child” on the eastern altar wall; "Saints" and "Prophets" on the northern and southern altar walls; "Christ Pantocrator" in the main dome; “The joy of the righteous in the Lord” in the drum of the main dome; "Evangelists" on the sails of the main dome; "Last Judgment" on the western wall; “Baptism of Rus'” above the entrance to the baptismal chapel; “The Only Begotten Son, the Word of God”, “God of Hosts”, “Crucified Jesus Christ” - on the ceiling lamps of the main nave; images of historical figures canonized - Princess Olga and Prince Vladimir, Alexander Nevsky, Nestor the Chronicler, Mikhail of Chernigov - on the cathedral pillars; several icons in the marble iconostasis, as well as ornaments and images in medallions.

The artist had to solve one of the main problems of church painting in murals: to find the correct relationship between the concrete and the ideal. He combined realistically interpreted three-dimensional figures with a background given in the conventional manner of Russian miniatures, and also placed all the images in an ornamental carpet frame. The general coloring of the paintings, built on joyful soft and warm tones, made it possible to achieve harmonious unity. The magazine “World of Art” wrote about the temple monumental ensemble: “This is a consistent, integral creation in which one can feel a living impulse and a great decorative flair.”

P. M. Tretyakov highly appreciated the work of V. Vasnetsov. The entry into the gallery in 1893 of almost all preparatory work to the paintings in the cathedral.

In addition to sketches for the paintings, the exhibition includes rare publications and documents reflecting the stages of the artist’s creation of the monumental and decorative decoration of the temple.

Source: press release from the State Tretyakov Gallery

Whenever I am in Kyiv, I always come to St. Vladimir's Cathedral. This is one of my favorite Orthodox churches, and it is very sad to realize that today it is occupied by Ukrainian schismatics.
Built in a pseudo-Byzantine style, the cathedral combines several layers of high cultures: Byzantine, Old Russian and pre-revolutionary Russian. Byzantine vaults here coexist with ant patterns from Ancient Rus', and the walls are decorated by the outstanding Russian artist Viktor Vasnetsov.

In general, I am very, very skeptical about painting on the walls of Orthodox churches. The fact that this painting is called the lofty word “academic” often does not save it. With the exception of some masters, most often this is bad and tasteless art. Still for Orthodox church traditional iconographic painting is more appropriate.
But there is an author who, in my opinion, managed to create a painting suitable for a temple, and an outstanding painting at that! Art critics may make fun of me, but it seems to me that Vasnetsov’s paintings in churches look organic.
Coming to the Vladimir Kiev Cathedral, I always look with great pleasure at the frescoes made by Vasnetsov. His paintings evoke strong emotions, they attract and magnetize. Vasnetsov himself was a pious man, and, of course, he put great religious feeling into his work.
The only thing that upsets us is that these frescoes are hard to see on the walls and vaults of the Vladimir Cathedral. In fact, you won’t take binoculars with you to the temple...
And in albums (not to mention postcards), the impact of paintings is reduced significantly.

Moreover, I was very happy when I learned that in Moscow, at the Tretyakov Gallery, an exhibition was being held... of these very works. Well, not these same ones, of course, you can’t remove them from the walls of the cathedral, but the canvases created by Vasnetsov as sketches, as samples for painting frescoes. That is, first the artist created these paintings, the commission approved them, and then he (and special masters) painted them on the walls of the cathedral.
So, before us are canvases painted by the hand of Viktor Vasnetsov. Almost the same size as they are given on the walls of the cathedral. These canvases are in front of us, and we can look at them slowly: look at the details, discover hitherto unknown details, think about the color or artistic solution of the artist in a given plot.
I assure you, they make a very strong impression!
(the exhibition took place in 2013 - Maya the Bee)
Let's look at these works together and share the thoughts and feelings that we have. Let me remind you that the photographs I have given can be enlarged by clicking on one or another photograph.

St. Vladimir's Cathedral in Kyiv.


IN Let's go under its beautiful arches.

Baptism of Rus' by Saint Prince Vladimir.
I really like this picture for its pathos and energy. By the way, in 1988, when the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' was celebrated (this year celebrations will be held in honor of the 1025th anniversary), this painting became the official symbol of the holiday.
Prince Vladimir raises his hands to Heaven, and light pours from there - the Sun of Truth, Christ our God, has shone for the Russian pagans!
And then the work of the clergy begins - they baptize people in the waters of the Dnieper. There are both old people and children...


Here you can sit quietly and think about what is depicted. This long canvas depicts a moment from the Apocalypse: Angels invite all righteous people to enter the Kingdom of God. And those, resurrected and transformed, rush into the Kingdom from everywhere.
However, let's zoom in on individual moments of this plot.


TO How beautifully the artist conveyed the triumph of the glorification of the righteous! Angels lift up the martyrs and the righteous to the eternal Kingdom. One of the martyrs is holding a sword - this martyr was probably executed with a sword. Among the martyrs there are very young people, like this host of girls martyred in the name of Christ in ancient Roman times.
On the left are the Old Testament forefathers and righteous people in ancient robes. Between the angels is a royal couple: Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Helen. Behind the martyred girls are two young brothers. These are undoubtedly the first Russian holy brothers Boris and Gleb.
And what is the special honor to the virgin whom the Angels offer in the very foreground?.. Who is she?
I love asking riddles. Let me ask you this time: who is she, this beautiful stranger, who is even somewhat frightened by the honor bestowed on her?


Close-up - Archangels inviting everyone to enter the Kingdom of God.
You have noticed that I try not to use the expression Kingdom of Heaven. In the New Testament these two expressions are used interchangeably. The Jews tried not to use the word God in vain, so they replaced it with some other words, in particular Heaven, Heaven.
Thus, the expression Kingdom of God was often pronounced as the Kingdom of Heaven.
And modern man, for whom the sky is the space above one’s head, one gets the impression that we're talking about about some kind of Kingdom that the Lord will build in heaven. In fact, we are talking about the Kingdom that the Lord will build in our transformed Universe, on our earth.
That is, if for ancient people the expression Kingdom of Heaven meant only the Kingdom built by the Lord, for us this concept causes incorrect spatial ideas.

So: The angels invite everyone to enter that beautiful city, or magnificent Kingdom, which God will open and realize on earth.


On the other hand, people are also rushing towards this Kingdom of God. We can find out prudent robber, with a wild face and... King David, who does not part with the psalter (ancient musical instrument, the progenitor of the harp).


And here are other people rushing into the Kingdom of God. Babies (maybe Bethlehem babies?) and... undoubtedly our favorites and beauties Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and Sofia.
I could not take my eyes off these dear martyrs clinging to their mother, who, even here, when the invitation came to enter into the joy of the Lord, due to their delicacy, did not dare to do this.


This is the culmination of the Lord’s sacrifice and love. The Son of God gives Himself up to reproach and death, gives Himself into the hands of sinful people.
Please note: Angels hide their faces or close their eyes, unable to look at this Sacrament of Sacrifice, at this horror of Deicide.
Angels, even demons, were horrified by what they had done. Only people were not horrified, but, having washed their hands, went to the Easter table to feast and celebrate the victory...

A very meaningful plot that is impossible to understand for a person unfamiliar with the images of the book Apocalypse.
A few words of explanation:
A) The angel holds a scroll with people’s sins and scales on which they will weigh their evil and good deeds. The scroll has not yet been untied, that is, the Judgment has not yet begun.
B) People from everywhere gather for the Great and Final Judgment. All the dead, absolutely everyone, will arrive here.
C) Angels sound trumpets and gravestones are broken. At the same time, the sea begins to give up the dead, as the Lord warned. That is, everyone, even those who drowned, were eaten by fish, and were ground into pieces - everyone will appear at the Judgment.
D) Notice the bishop on the right. This is some sinner who, apparently, thought that his rank would protect him from a righteous Judgment. But at God’s Eternal Judgment, none of our regalia, orders, ranks and acquaintances will help us. The only thing that will matter is what you really were!

Let's enlarge these side parts of the fresco, which tells about the gathering of people for the Judgment of God.




The Lord gives up His Son to Death. Almighty God places His Son in the hands of men, trusting them. At the same time, God the Father knows what will happen. This wise submission is written in the Face and entire posture of the Lord.
When I looked at this fresco at first, a different interpretation came to me. It seemed to me that this is an image of God, who completed the creation of the world, as they say, gave his all, gave a beautiful world, a wonderful universe to man. That's why I'm so tired...
However, Vasnetsov himself wrote here about God the Father as the One who gives His Son into the hands of people.