The most famous paintings by Russian artists: list, description

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Russian art is very rich in talented artists. Aivazovsky, Repin, Shishkin, Chagall - these names are familiar to art lovers around the world. But it happens that the picture becomes more popular than its creator. A person may not know the name of the author, but the image is familiar to him literally from birth. The following is a list of the most famous paintings by Russian artists, which have long become part of the global heritage.

"Morning in a pine forest", Ivan Shishkin

The painting "Morning in a Pine Forest" shown in the reproduction above was painted by Ivan Shishkin in 1889. This is his joint work with Konstantin Savitsky, who painted all the bears according to the sketch of the author. Initially, the painting even had the signatures of both artists, but Pavel Tretyakov erased the second signature after acquiring the canvas.

Magnificent landscape featuring animals withchildhood is familiar to every inhabitant of Russia - since the beginning of the 20th century, a reproduction of the painting has appeared on the wrapper of Mishka clumsy sweets, becoming the first element of mass culture in Russian history. The amazing liveliness of the plot, the play of light and the impressionistic plot in the academic artistic performance of Ivan Ivanovich remain in the memory of the viewer for life. You can see the painting "Morning in a Pine Forest" in the State Tretyakov Gallery.

"Heroes", Viktor Vasnetsov

And this picture is not only one of the most famous in Russian painting, but also directly related to the traditional culture of Russia. That is why for the viewer "Bogatyrs" are a national cultural code. Viktor Vasnetsov worked on this monumental canvas for more than 20 years - from 1876 to 1898. Pavel Tretyakov bought the work for his gallery as soon as it was completed. To this day, "Bogatyrs" are exhibited at the Tretyakov Gallery.

From left to right in the picture are the main epic characters - Dobrynya Nikitich, Ilya Muromets and Alyosha Popovich. Here is how the artist himself described the picture:

Bogatyrs Dobrynya, Ilya and Alyoshka Popovich at the heroic departure - they note in the field, is there a enemy somewhere, are they offending anyone somewhere?

The magnificence of the picture lies not only in the masterful execution, but also in the semantic filling - the defenders of the Russian land on their huge horses rise above the field like mountains. With this symbol, the artist wanted to depictcontinuity of Russian author's and folklore art at the turn of the century.

"Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan", Ilya Repin

Undoubtedly, one of the most famous paintings by Russian artists is a canvas called "Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan on November 16, 1581", better known as "Ivan the Terrible kills his son." In 1885, Ilya Repin completed the canvas, depicting on it the moment of the tsar's murder of his son in a fit of anger. The work strikes the viewer with its psychological depth, the liveliness of the emotions depicted - the fear of the repentant king is so natural that goosebumps run through the skin.

Like the paintings above, this work of art is kept in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.

"The Ninth Wave", Ivan Aivazovsky

The world-famous painting by Russian artist Ivan Aivazovsky is The Ninth Wave, painted in 1850. On the canvas, the viewer sees the predawn raging sea - a flaming sunrise illuminates the shipwrecked sailors, apparently after a night storm. They look weak and tired, but continue to fight for their lives, but you can see how the biggest wave, the ninth wave, is attacking them. Talented performance and colors build a special psychology of perception - the viewer feels the experience and dynamics of what is happening in the picture.

Currently, the "Ninth Wave" can be seen in the St. PetersburgRussian Museum.

"Barge haulers on the Volga", Ilya Repin

Another famous painting by Ilya Repin - "Barge haulers on the Volga", painted in 1870-1873. The work of barge haulers, seen on the banks of the Neva, prompted the creation of the artist’s canvas. Repin was amazed that people were harnessed like cattle. He put all his indignation at such a slavish use of people into the psychologism of the picture, which makes it look surprisingly strong. Pictured nearby, a towing steamer hints that progress is reaching Russia, but they don't know how to use it.

In addition to the semantic content, the picture is interesting for the liveliness of the image of Russian characters and types - this is manifested in clothes, faces and facial expressions, separately taken poses of barge haulers. Like the previous one, the painting "Barge haulers on the Volga" is exhibited in the Russian Museum.

"Alyonushka", Viktor Vasnetsov

Another primordially Russian and famous painting by the Russian artist Vasnetsov - "Alyonushka" - was painted in 1881. It is known that the artist was very impressed by epic and fairy-tale stories - this is confirmed by the paintings "Bogatyrs", "Ivan Tsarevich on a Gray Wolf", "Snow Maiden", "Flying Carpet" and many others. The canvas depicts a Russian orphan girl, bare-haired, somewhat holy fool, sitting by the water with a face overflowing with inexpressible longing. She was not conceived as an illustration for the fairy tale about sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka,turned into a goat, but was subsequently connected by the audience, and then by the artist himself, precisely with her. Here is what Viktor Vasnetsov said about the work:

Alyonushka seemed to have been living in my head for a long time, but I actually saw her in Akhtyrka when I met one simple-haired girl who struck my imagination. There was so much longing, loneliness and purely Russian sadness in her eyes… Some special Russian spirit emanated from her.

You can see Alyonushka in the Tretyakov Gallery.

"Girl with peaches", Valentin Serov

One of the earliest and most famous works of the artist Valentin Serov - "Girl with Peaches". This is the most outstanding canvas in the style of Russian impressionism. The artist painted the picture in 1887, at the age of 22. He was posed by 12-year-old Vera Mamontova, the daughter of the owner of the estate, in which the artist often stayed for a long time that summer. One day, Vera ran into the dining room and, sitting down at the table, grabbed a fresh peach. This moment seemed wonderful to the artist, and since then, for almost two months, the girl posed for Serov every day in the same place. Surprisingly, the picture does not look like the fruit of a long work - it is so fresh and momentary that it is most comparable to photography. Here is how the artist spoke about this work:

All I wanted was freshness, that special freshness that you always feel in nature and you don't see in pictures. I wrote for more than a month and tortured her, poor thing, to death, very much so. I wanted to keep the freshness of painting with complete completeness - that's how the old masters.

Everyone who wants to see the painting should visit the Tretyakov Gallery, where Serov's painting "Girl with Peaches" is located.

"Unknown", Ivan Kramskoy

The picture of Ivan Kramskoy "Unknown", written in 1883, is also a big celebrity. A special perception of the picture is formed because of the name - it turns it into something between a portrait and a thematic canvas. It is curious that nowhere in the documents and works of the artist was information found that would allow the identity of the depicted woman to be identified.

The viewer is riveted by the immediacy of the picture. One gets the impression that the artist really managed to paint a woman who stopped for a second next to him in her open carriage. She looks down, arrogantly and slightly sadly, the image of the Unknown reflects the artist's personal attitude towards his heroine - he seems to be in awe of her. The action takes place in St. Petersburg - this is clear from the buildings of the Anichkov Palace and the Alexandrinsky Theater.

Currently, the most famous painting by Ivan Kramskoy is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery.

"Above the city", Marc Chagall

One of the most famous paintings by Russian artists is undoubtedly Marc Chagall's "Above the City", completed in 1918. Perhaps this is one of the mostfamous paintings of the world pictorial avant-garde, and the most famous in the Russian avant-garde. In the picture - a literal image of the expression "soar with happiness" or "fly on the wings of love." Chagall painted himself and his beloved wife, the main muse of his life, Bella Chagall. Interestingly, in 1914, when Mark Zakharovich was just starting work on the canvas, this woman was not even his bride - but he knew her and sincerely loved her. In the picture, the lovers, embracing, hover over the city of Vitebsk - the second love of the artist after Bella. By the way, flying is the artist's favorite theme, and he has repeatedly depicted himself and his wife flying over the city or under the ceiling of a room, as well as other flying figures - women, animals, musicians.

You can see the picture, like most of the most famous paintings, in the Tretyakov Gallery.

"Black Square", Kazimir Malevich

There are so many conjectures, legends and assumptions associated with the description of the famous painting by Russian artist Kazimir Malevich "Black Square" that it is almost impossible to get to the bottom of the truth. But the fact remains - this work is the most famous painting by a Russian author in the world. No painting in the world has caused as much controversy as Black Square.

Kazimir Malevich created his revolutionary work in 1915, and then it was part of a triptych that also contained the Black Cross and the Black Circle. But it was the “square” that the artist declared the center of the Suprematist (higher,dominant) system of painting, which he himself invented. Quote from the book of art historian Irina Karasik "The Adventures of the Black Square":

In the history of world art, there is probably no painting with a louder fame than Kazimir Malevich's "Black Square", no work that caused the appearance of so many other works, no artifact with such enduring relevance.

"Black Square" exhibited at the Tretyakov Gallery.