The most insecure Russian artist Viktor Vasnetsov and his wonderful paintings.

Viktor Vasnetsov (1848-1926) was a Russian artist who painted historical and folkloric themes. He magnificently illustrated Russian folk tales, was the founder of the “Neo-Russian style” in painting, which became a transitional between itinerant realism and later Art Nouveau. It was then, in the late XIX - early XX centuries in Russia began to awaken national consciousness among the creative intelligentsia and ordinary people, people became interested in the life of pre-Petrine Russia, folk traditions and folklore, which in the creative processing of many talented artists and writers received a “second life”, getting rid of unnecessary anachronisms. One of the most talented and productive authors of the “Neo-Russian style” and was Viktor Vasnetsov. We will talk about him, who wrote magnificent paintings on the theme of Russian antiquity and folklore in this article.

Victor Vasnetsov. Self-portrait.

Vasnetsov was a man very insecure, it came to extremes. When he decided to enroll in the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg, he passed the entrance exam quite successfully, God did not offend him with talent. Except that he found out about his admission exactly a year later, when he again decided to go to study at this institution. He just did not believe that he - just Vitya Vasnetsov, will be able to enter the main art institution in Russia. “Young man, you are already enrolled, where have you been missing for a year” - they told him. Then followed a silent scene.

However, Vasnetsov did not consider that year lost, and in the Academy is not to the end and did not finish his studies. And after that exam Vasnetsov began to study at the Moscow School of Society for the Encouragement of Arts at the very Ivan Kramskoy. He said to Vasnetsov: “dovechik, you have three insecurities and it prevents you from living. Be bolder, bolder, then something in painting and achieve. Vasnetsov took the words of the Wanderer took to heart and really became a little bolder, although the character is not completely remade, and in the work of it did not hinder him, otherwise he would not have created his magnificent paintings.

Knight at the Crossroads.

Vasnetsov was born into the family of a poor rural priest, so his childhood was no different from the childhood of an ordinary peasant boy. He worked hard in the field, in his spare time he collected mushrooms and berries in the forest and played with his friends. Peasant life he knew firsthand, the peasants were his friends and buddies, so he, unlike other artists-intelligentsia, for example, Konstantin Makovsky, it was much easier for him to later authentically portray the life, life and portraits of Russian peasants. Their images were extremely authentic and realistic, Vasnetsov did not need to invent and compose anything, just write what he saw in childhood and adolescence.

At first, Vasnetsov's life path seemed quite clear - study in a theological seminary, because the children of priests were accepted there for free, and besides Vasi, his father had six more children, and for the study of each of the funds were not available. He was sent to Vyatka, and there he met a real artist. Pole Enviro Andriolli, in his time perfectly illustrated novels about Indians Fenimore Cooper - favorite reading boys up to 90 years of XX century, having seen the paintings Vasnetsov said that the priests in Russia is enough, but the talented artists can be counted on the fingers and it would be foolish to lose another talent. He helped to organize an auction, which was exhibited first oil paintings Vasnetsov: “Reaper” and “Milkmaid”. The paintings found their buyers, and the funds raised were enough for a trip to St. Petersburg.

Reaper

When Vasnetsov visited the exhibition of the Itinerants, the paintings presented there impressed him so much that he decided to become a Itinerant and painted several canvases especially for these exhibitions, including “From Apartment to Apartment”.

From apartment to apartment

Pavel Tretyakov turned his attention to Vasnetsov and it was a very good sign. Tretyakov's taste was wonderfully developed, and in besides, he bought pictures from novice artists and paid decent money for them, which allowed them not to think about material problems, and not to waste their talent on writing boring and monotypical portraits of wealthy merchants and manufacturers.

But gradually, despite the considerable hopes placed on him by other Peredvizhniki, Vasnetsov began to move away from genre painting. All his life to write “the poor and the poor” he did not really want to, the more so wrote many, including Vasily Perov and Pavel Fedotov. Repeat, trying to surpass already written by many talented artists masterpieces was not in the spirit of Vasnetsov much better to find his genre, his way in painting.

Bogatyrs

Peredvizhniki, in particular, Repin and Kramskoy called Vasnetsov to Paris, in their opinion, the artist must necessarily visit this city, which has become a Mecca for artists. But the works of impressionists Edgar Degas, Claude Monet and Auguste Renoir did not make a special impression on Vasnetsov, new artistic trends and trends left him indifferent, but in the Louvre he went constantly and carefully studied the paintings of the classics. A year later Vasnetsov returned home to Russia.

Ivan Tsarevich on the gray wolf

In 1871 Vasnetsov, tired of life in St. Petersburg, and sick of the typical dank St. Petersburg climate, decided to go to relatives in the village of Ryabovo, not far from Vyatka and in this provincial town met the love of his life - Sasha Ryazantseva. They met in the Vyatka museum, and 23-year-old Vasya realized - this is the girl with whom he feels good. In some ways this meeting resembled the first acquaintance with his future wife of Marc Chagall, but it happened under less dramatic circumstances. And married Sasha Ryazantseva Vasnetsov, already returning from Paris - that's another reason for his relatively short trip abroad, it's hard to live in a foreign land, knowing that in his homeland waiting for his favorite girl. They came to St. Petersburg and contrary to all notions that artists usually always lead a bohemian lifestyle and their wives are most often unhappy, lived soul to soul for 50 years and raised five children.

Alenushka

His real creative recognition Vasnetsov found in Moscow. Sometimes it is enough to change the place of residence, to move from prim and cold St. Petersburg, where Vasnetsov has always been uncomfortable, to hospitality merchant Moscow, to find his way in creativity. In Moscow, everything Vasnetsov seemed a miracle, in this city still remained the original Russian spirit, and the legends of the old days of the deep, so nice and interesting Vasnetsov did not seem empty woman's tales.

In 1880 he wrote a picture “After the battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with Polovtsy. It was received, to put it mildly, without much enthusiasm. “Reveling in corpses” - here is a typical review of this picture. It for the first time united the academicians and the Peredvizhniki, who were unanimous in the endless criticism of Vasnetsov's creation. Helped by the support of the old art teacher Pavel Chistyakov: “This is where the real Russian spirit, as it is felt when you look at this canvas.

After Igor Svyatoslavich's battle with the Polovtsians.

And Vasnetsov found his niche - he began to write real paintings based on Russian folk tales and stories. And before, nobody took bylinas and fairy tales seriously, there were simple illustrations and garish lubki, nothing more. Vasnetsov created a new reality - fabulous, native Russian, original, seeing which every Russian person had a warmth in his soul, remembered his childhood and amazing folk tales and legends, which surely everyone has heard.

Snow Maiden

Everyone was interested to see how Alyonushka, the three bogatyrs, Ivan-Tsarevich looked like - the wonderful world of Russian fairy tales came to life in Vasnetsov's paintings. Epochs changed, the fashion for art, and Vasnetsov's work was timeless and eternal, beyond the control of either politics or fleeting artistic fashions. Socialist Realism is a thing of the past, abstractionism no longer seems innovative, and Vasnetsov's paintings delight children and adults, give joy, a sense of belonging to the united Russian people. Indeed, Vasnetsov did much more for the national consciousness than all our modern television.

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