"After the battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsy": description of the work, history of creation, reviews

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

In the history of Russian culture, the importance of the work of the artist Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov is great. The main themes of his work were folklore and Russian history. His versatility in skill, genre plan and performance technique contributed to the creation of such masterpieces as: "Alyonushka", "Three Heroes", "Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf", "Snow Maiden", etc. A special place among the numerous creations should be given to the painting by V. Vasnetsov "After the battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsy" (1880). We offer you the history of the painting, its description, reviews about it.

The history of the creation of a masterpiece

We are looking at a picture inspired by the poeticthe legend of the Russian people "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". We learn about the campaign of Prince Kyiv against the Polovtsy from the school curriculum. Vasnetsov looked at the distant past "with the eyes of the soul", tried to keep in touch with him. To do this, he had to study these events quite carefully. The artist re-read many historical works, materials, made many preparatory sketches, sketches, sketches. He re-read the "Word" several times to discover the high truth, to enjoy the poetic charm.

Vasnetsov experienced the most excitement when reading the lines about the death of Igor's troops.

From dawn to evening, the whole day, From evening until light arrows fly, Sharp sabers thunder against helmets, Damask steel breaks with a crack of spears…

…Third day already fighting;

The third day is approaching noon;

Here Igor's banners fell!

…The brave Russians are gone

Here bloody wine for the feast, Get the matchmakers drunk, and themselves

Fell for the fatherland.

And let the arrows fly, the spears break, the terrible battle goes on.

This episode and tried to portray Viktor Mikhailovich in the painting "After the battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsians." The canvas was presented in 1880 at the eighth traveling exhibition. We do not know the detailed history of creation, since the artist kept everything "under lock and key". He was naturally modest and reserved. He spoke little about his work, was wary of excessive interest in his person. The picture wasperceived by contemporaries ambiguously, but still, many noted the great patriotism of the canvas. This was very important for the mood of the Russian people, because during the years of writing the masterpiece, the Russian-Turkish war was going on.

Acquisition of the painting by Tretyakov

Vasnetsov had a chance to cooperate with major Russian patrons. One of them was Savva Ivanovich Mamontov. This major industrialist, sculptor, musician, theater lover often gathered artists, actors, and writers in his house. They ordered several paintings from Viktor Mikhailovich.

After some time, Vasnetsov met the philanthropist Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov. He bought the painting "After the Battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsy" for his gallery. Many art lovers are pleased with the masterpiece in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow in our time.

The plot of the painting "After the battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsians"

The content of Vasnetsov's painting shows the end of a terrible battle with the Polovtsian army. We see only dead warriors. A fierce battle took the lives of experienced fighters, as well as very young heroes. Enemy arrows spared no one. The peculiarity of the canvas is that dead warriors do not cause much horror. The artist does not paint the actual devastation after the battle. The dead defenders appear to be asleep. There are no bloodied bodies and severed body parts. Death leveled, calmed down and resolved all conflicts. Polovtsian warriors lie next to the Russian heroes, only in the background of the canvas. Scattered everywhere already to no oneunwanted weapon. And some heroes still have it in their hands.

Many critics argued for a long time after the appearance of Vasnetsov's painting. Many believed that it was impossible to interpret a historical event in this way. It seemed untrue to them on the canvas, nothing spoke of the fury of the battle and the outcome. Usually, after the battle, the bodies of the warriors are badly wounded, their faces are distorted, their clothes are covered in blood and chopped into pieces. But Vasnetsov also had defenders. So, he was supported by the great master Repin. He saw a completely new direction in the painting, the first Russian painting in such a performance.

Features of composition

What does the unusual composition of the canvas "After the battle …" tell about? We can immediately conclude that the warriors fought to their last breath. The culmination of the picture is the hero lying in foreshortening and spreading his arms. The artist showed him powerful, handsome, full of military prowess. The viewer immediately imagines him alive, in the form of a mighty warrior in armor. Everything shows that the invincible hero did not die immediately, but fought the enemy for a long time. No one was left alive. Vasnetsov especially carefully designed the image of this experienced warrior.

Next to the mighty hero lies a handsome young warrior. His heart was pierced by an enemy arrow. On these two images, the artist shows that both experienced fighters and young ones stood up to defend the Fatherland. They gave their lives for the freedom of their native land.

In the background you can see another Russian soldier, in whose hands there was a clamped bow, from which hewas going to shoot at the last moment. These heroes are filled with the majestic spirit of the Russians, who gave their lives for a great cause. In the background of the canvas, the slain bodies of the Polovtsy are visible, who died a painful death. The artist did not pay much attention to the image of their bodies. One Polovtsian lies on its side, the other is bent, the third fell on its back and threw back its head.

Nature in the plot

Vasnetsov gave a special place to the image of nature in the picture. The viewer watches the fight of two eagles in the air. They symbolize the spirit of freedom. Another eagle sits on the left and straightens its plumage with its beak. The formidable picture after the battle is complemented by the approaching thunderclouds. The steppe slowly closes under their shadow. A reddened ominous moon peeps behind the clouds.

The last refuge of the warriors was the battlefield, decorated with wildflowers and green grass. The viewer feels that the picture is twilight. It is also necessary to note the armor of warriors depicted by the artist, decorated with traditional ornaments.

The idea of creating a canvas

Living in St. Petersburg, Vasnetsov was interested in the genre of folk legends. This inspired him with the idea of creating the described masterpiece. To create the plot of the monumental canvas, he took real events. It traces the traditions of the Russian folk epic. The artist depicted the glorious feat of Russian soldiers based on "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". His idea is to show the battle, sung by the people and the chroniclers, so that the descendantsthe memory of the majestic images of the defenders of their native land has been preserved.

Reviews about the painting

Today, the painting by the Great Master Vasnetsov is a national treasure, stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery. High school students often come here after studying "The Tale of Igor's Campaign". And then they are asked to write an essay "After the battle of Igor Svyatoslavich with the Polovtsy" according to the plot of the picture. Reviews about the canvas are quite positive, because it depicts the most important events in Russian history. Vasnetsov glorified the brave Russian heroes, their feat ripened. The height of the painting is 2 m, and the width is 4 m. Many note the special patriotism of the painting.

Other paintings by Vasnetsov dedicated to the distant past

Viktor Mikhailovich is also called the "hero" of Russian folk painting. He fully revealed the direction of Russian history, folklore. The artist carefully traced every detail. Many of Vasnetsov's works evoke a special patriotic spirit in the audience: Bogatyrs, Bogatyr Gallop, Nestor the Chronicler. For some time the artist was engaged in painting churches. Canvases are devoted to religious themes: "The Mother of God with the Child", "Christ the Almighty", "God Sabaoth". Many of Vasnetsov's subjects are made with special artistic techniques, inherent only to the great master of the brush.