Realistic painting of I.E.Repin and V.I.Surikov
The greatest masters of the second half of the 19th century said a new word in Russian realistic painting. Ilya Efimovich Repin and Vasily Ivanovich Surikov.
Among many remarkable painters, Ilya Efimovich Repin is distinguished by a special breadth of coverage of Russian reality, the ability to give its deep analysis, the vital persuasiveness of the images created. The life of contemporary Russia is reflected in the artist’s canvases in all its fullness, contradictions and diversity. With no less force, he was able to capture the deep drama of bygone eras, created portraits of the greatest representatives of art, public figures, ordinary peasants and royalty. In his works, he strove not only to create socio-typical images, but also to convey their individual uniqueness.
I.E. Repin turned to the main theme of his work – the image of the people – at the very beginning of his career. He watched with interest the life of a “simple people” who, in his apt remarks, lived “much more sincere than us.” The artist has always been attracted by the strong characters of ordinary people from the people, their excellent knowledge of life, wisdom and dignity with which they endured all the hardships of fate. He spoke of such people with admiration: “No matter how a man becomes, everything is beautiful.” That is why Repin was dear to every barely noticeable stroke on their faces, even in rags of clothes he could find picturesque attractiveness.
The painting “Barge Haulers on the Volga”, which became the highest achievement of the art of realism in the 1870s, began his “glory throughout the great Russia.” In it, he abandoned edification and denunciation, familiar to everyday painting, and for the first time expressed not only the suffering of people of hard labor, but also a formidable social force. With amazing skill Repin was given a socio-psychological “biography” of the people, recreated the unique individuality of each character. In eleven figures of barge haulers, a typical portrait of folk Russia was created, and all the classes of Russian society appeared before the viewer. In a letter to V. V. Stasov about this painting, Repin wrote: “The judge is now a man, and therefore it is necessary to reproduce his interests.” The barge haulers inspired the author not with contemptuous disgust, but respect and admiration for their inner strength and beauty. According to F.M.Dostoevsky,the true truth was revealed on the canvas “without special explanations and labels.” To the greatest merit of the artist, Dostoevsky put the fact that none of his barge haulers shouts from the picture: “Look how unhappy I am and how much you owe the people.”
In the painting “Religious Procession in Kursk Province” Repin managed to create not only a kind of encyclopedia of the Russian province, but also rise to deep historical generalizations. In this monumental canvas, he embodied the images of representatives of all strata of society, showed the spontaneous movement of a crowded stream and at the same time gave a clear socio-semantic description of each group of characters. On the faces and figures depicted, one can “read” hypocrisy and hypocrisy, arrogant arrogance and complacency, slavish obedience and naive innocence. The artist contrasted the absolute lack of spirituality and complete indifference of the well-fed, those in power with the bright hope of a person for healing and happiness in the image of a hunchback, whom the police officer is trying to drive away from the magnificent festive procession with a club.
The painting “Religious Procession in Kursk Province” is remarkable not only for the power of social sound, but also for the skill of the artistic solution – the peculiarities of compositional construction and richness of color. The artist’s inexhaustible interest in nature, his love for real life was expressed in the way the texture of the light silk of ribbons and variegated calico was conveyed, the rough cloth of peasant rags and expensive yellow brocade, hot sand of the road and a faded sultry sky. All this colorful variety, illuminated by the bright sun, is combined into a single color harmony. The merits of the picture were rightly noted by V.V. Stasov, who saw in it, as in “Barge Haulers on the Volga,” “the same power, the same fire, the same truth, the same deep nationality and the same amazing talent … of the best celebrations of contemporary art ”. Canvas,exhibited at the next exhibition of the Itinerants, caused a wide public response.
Ilya Repin’s multifaceted talent is clearly expressed in historical canvases, striking with the reliability of the depiction of events and the depth of psychological characteristics. In events that have gone into the distant past, he looked for the culminating moments of life, dramatic situations in which the true essence of man was most fully manifested. He could masterfully show his heroes at the turning points of life, take them by surprise, in moments of extreme tension of mental strength. At the same time, Repin was generously gifted with the ability to feel continuity and draw parallels between the historical past and the present.
So, the idea of the painting “Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan” arose in connection with the murder of Alexander II by the People’s Will. “Feelings were overwhelmed by the horrors of our time,” Repin wrote in those days. Repin found “a way out of the sore in history” in the image of a terrible moment of epiphany of a filicide, who suddenly realized the impossibility of changing anything in his life. The picture clearly sounded the thought about the crime of murder, trampling on the immutable commandment “Thou shalt not kill”. Equally terrible are the loneliness and remorse of the crumpled old man trying to lift the heavy body of his son, and the merciful gesture of forgiveness of the son, touching his father’s weakening hand. The polysemy and diversity, the psychological depth of the work could not leave anyone indifferent.
The painting “The Cossacks Write a Letter to the Turkish Sultan” is filled with a different life-affirming content, expressing the element of the national character, the spirit of his chivalry and comradeship. With a sense of optimism, Repin managed to convey the strength of the Cossack freemen, her inexhaustible sense of humor and desire for freedom. For the first time in Russian painting, the feeling of unity between the masses and the leader – the leader of the military brotherhood was conveyed. In a huge canvas (203 x 358 cm), he created a kind of hymn to the folk spirit, a whole “symphony of laughter” {I. E. Grabar). Repin worked on this painting for over 15 years: the work never let go of the artist’s imagination. He wrote with pleasure to VV Stasov about her heroes: “Well, people! The head is spinning from their din and noise, you can’t part with them! Bloody people! “
IE Repin made a significant contribution to the art of portraiture. Successfully developing the best traditions of Russian painting, in each work of this genre he revealed the “dialectic of the soul”, the complex emotional world and the unique features of each individual person. In every portrait of the artist, a rare observation, psychological vigilance, striving for truthfulness, rejection of falsehood found expression. Repin never “corrected” individuality, did not strive to “improve” or idealize it, he did not like when models deliberately “posed for him”. In most cases, the portrait was born in an atmosphere of live communication, conversations, and sometimes heated disputes. That is why their artistic solution is so diverse.
Repin could paint a portrait in one session, on a sudden impulse, captured by the world of his model, but at the same time he could work long and painfully, repeatedly rewriting and changing canvases. With exceptional interest, he wrote people close to him in spirit, “dear nation, its best sons”, with many of them he was associated with deep friendly relations. Even when he painted the same face several times, he discovered something new and unique in it.
The pinnacle of the artist’s portrait art is the portraits of the composer MP Mussorgsky and the writer LN Tolstoy, which convey the “power of the immortal spirit”, the impression of the integrity of the personality and harmony of being.
The portrait has always remained the artist’s favorite genre, he turned to it throughout his creative life. Researchers have repeatedly argued that if Repin had painted only portraits, he would then remain a great artist in the history of Russian art.
The versatility of IE Repin’s creative talent is truly inexhaustible, having tried himself not only in painting, but also in other types of fine arts. He worked a lot in graphics, including as an illustrator of the works of N. V. Gogol, L. N. Tolstoy and V. M. Garshin. In sculpture, he successfully developed the form of a psychological portrait. His enormous epistolary legacy (correspondence with artists spanning several volumes) reads like a fascinating story about the life of a great man. Repin also owns wonderful memoirs-memoirs “Distant Close”, which have gone through more than ten editions. It is impossible not to admit the truth of the words of his friend and art critic VV Stasov: “Repin is inexhaustible.” Ilya Repin’s creative heritage is an integral part of Russian spiritual and artistic culture.
Vasily Ivanovich Surikov made an outstanding contribution to the development of the historical genre of painting.
For his canvases, he chose historically significant, turning points in the life of Russia, showing their incredible complexity, tragedy and psychological depth. In full measure, he mastered the art of identifying general historical laws in concrete, real facts, showing the sources of internal national contradictions. Creating an artistic image of the historical past, he often saw it through the fate of an individual who embodied the “heroic soul of his people” (MV Nesterov). At the same time, he drew material for his paintings from modern reality, seeing in it suitable associations, characteristic strokes and significant details. Surikov never denounced, passed verdicts and did not give marks. In everything that he portrayed, he allowed himself only empathy and emotional objectivity.
The realistic orientation and originality of his creative method consisted in the synthesis of historical truth and artistic fiction. It is clear that Surikov could not have been a direct witness to the events presented. Creating his own artistic truth, he could afford to formally deviate from historical accuracy, but he never did this unreasonably and deliberately. If he felt that he could destroy the historical meaning of the scene or destroy its epic character, he resolutely rejected naturalism, the transmission of “horror” and “blood” even in those situations where it seemed that this was justified by the plot itself.
In the strict sense, Surikov’s realism can only be spoken of in relation to the details and the setting in which he managed to achieve the necessary reliability and broad generalization. That is why objects and things in his paintings are not silent, but very important witnesses of history, animated by contact with human life. Behind every detail is a careful study of a huge amount of factual material – old books and modern historical works, prints and portraits, handicrafts, costumes and weapons. Surikov said:
“In a historical picture, after all, it is not necessary that it be exactly like that, but that there should be an opportunity, that it would be similar. The essence of the historical picture is guessing. If only the spirit of the times is respected, you can make any mistakes in details. And when everything is point to point – even disgusting. “
As a master of historical painting, Surikov first loudly declared himself in the painting “The Morning of the Streltsy Execution”, in which he reflected the consequences of the rebellion of the archers, who supported Princess Sophia in 1698 and opposed the legal power that belonged to her younger brother, Peter I. Not blood and not The author wanted to convey the execution in this work, and the national national tragedy, to tell about the terrible price paid by the people living in an era of changes and falling under the wheel of history. The author saw the dramatic sound of the canvas in the “solemnity of the last minutes” experienced by the archers.
Each image in the crowd represents an individual, portrait character, which was created in an intense search for models and in careful work on sketches. All archers in their own way experience the tragedy, express rebelliousness, rebellious spirit and indignation. On their faces and in postures – a whole gamut of feelings: gloomy silence and sad farewell, stubborn anger, painful meditation and dull submission.
The emotional center of the composition is a silent duel, a “duel of views”, a confrontation between the two main characters – Peter I and the red-bearded archer. The head of the irreconcilable and unbroken rebel is proudly raised, and his gaze, full of indomitable hatred, is directed towards the young king. He alone did not take off his hat in front of him and convulsively clutches a burning candle in his hands. Peter I is depicted against the background of the Kremlin wall – the stronghold of state power. In his whole figure one can feel great inner strength and conviction in the rightness of his struggle. In this confrontation there are no right or wrong, each has its own resentment and its own truth. Reflecting on the reasons for the collapse of many undertakings of the reformer tsar, the author expresses the idea of his moral defeat and tragic disunity with the people.
With great skill, Surikov painted bright female characters, in which the folk tragedy is perceived especially tangibly and emotionally. For a long time, old women, sitting motionless in the road mess in the foreground, a desperately crying little girl in a red kerchief, a heart-rending young woman, whose husband is already being taken to execution, remain in the memory of the audience for a long time. Despite the fact that the artist in most cases does not show their faces, the viewer gets a sense of the last degree of their grief and despair. Every female image created by the painter is distinguished by an amazing life truth and psychological persuasiveness.
The artistic solution of the picture is subordinated to the author’s ideological plan. Its architectural frame plays an important semantic and compositional role. The colorful chapters and asymmetric forms of St. Basil’s Cathedral are contrasted with the severity of the powerful Kremlin walls, and the spontaneous mass of the popular crowd is opposed by the strict regularity of Peter’s regiments. The upper edge of the picture with the domes of St. Basil’s Cathedral is cut off. As if beheaded, the cathedral is perceived as a symbol of pre-Peter the Great Russia and rebellious archers.
It is difficult to find a single compositional center in the picture: separate groups are formed around some of the archers’ figures, symbolically embodying the element of national grief. Data in a variety of turns and angles, all of them are subject to strict internal logic that meets the author’s intention. Surikov has said more than once that the composition “needs to be adjusted properly so that the figures do not separate in the picture, but are all tightly connected.” So the “crowdedness” of the Streltsy crowd can be perceived as a conscious author’s method of uniting the people into a single, integral artistic image.
The color of the picture is symbolic, in which the cold range of bluish morning twilight is broken by the flame of brightly burning candles. On the one hand, the twilight colors really concealed the shapes and outlines of objects, intensified the cold and dark tones. On the other hand, they faithfully conveyed the muted colors of early dawn, creating a special mood for the audience. Surikov contrasted the “blackish” color of the painting with the scarlet light of dawn, which stands behind the group of Peter’s close associates, and numerous bright spots of red, symbolizing the spilled blood of the archers.
Comparison of human life with a burning candle has become an unforgettable artistic allegory, one of the most powerful figurative accents of the picture. The flickering of candles throwing light on the white shirts of the condemned, and the sight of extinguished candles already dropped on the ground, intensify anxious mood, are perceived as a symbol of extinct life and stopped time.
VI Surikov’s painting “The Morning of the Strelets’ Execution” made an indelible and deep impression on the audience. IE Repin called her “mighty”, and the sculptor MM Antokolsky saw in her “the first Russian historical painting”.
In the film “Menshikov in Berezovo” echoes of the “senseless and merciless” “Russian revolt” are also heard. In contrast to “The Morning of the Strelets’ Execution”, it presents the tragedy of the family of a man who was once one of the most influential figures of Petrovsky time, exiled with his family to the distant Berezov. Surikov invites the viewer to peer into the face of a person who symbolizes a whole historical era for the artist. The lonely “nestling of Petrov’s nest”, immersed in his hopeless thoughts, seemed to be frozen in a cramped, small house. The size of his figure clearly contrasts with the size of the room, to which the author I. N. Kramskoy drew attention: “After all, if your Menshikov gets up, he will pierce the ceiling with his head.” But this compositional incorrectness was fully justified, since the artist really wanted to emphasize the scale of the personality of his hero.The amazing contrast of the intimacy of space and the monumental psychological scale allows the artist to achieve the integrity of the figurative solution of the work.
Nothing happens in the picture, but against the background of this eventlessness, the story of the past and the future is led by the objects surrounding people. Surikov fills every detail with a deep figurative meaning. Menshikov’s hair, which has not yet grown, is bristling, recalling that quite recently this head was adorned with a wig with lush long curls. In the wretched interior of the hut, the remnants of former luxury (a candlestick, a prince’s ring, Mary’s chain) and Siberian realities (a bear skin, a rug on the bed, a deer heartwarming of the youngest daughter, the prince’s boots) look very eloquent and expressive. The light of a burning lamp in ancient icons is perceived as a symbol that gives hope for changes for the better.
“I cannot imagine the actions of one historical person without the people. My main task is to drag people out into the street, ”said V. I. Surikov. The painting “Boyarynya Morozova” is dedicated to the people, their ability to respond with all their soul to the suffering and pain of another person, in which he reflected the restless national spirit of Russia.
The daring and courage of the Russian man in a collision with nature, his courage and bravery in overcoming unheard-of obstacles were reflected in the works of the late period of Surikov’s work: “Taking the Snow Town” (1891), “The Conquest of Siberia by Ermak” (1895), “Suvorov’s Crossing the Alps in 1799 “(1899) and” Stepan Razin “(1906). Each of these paintings is distinguished by the breadth and polyphony of sound, brightness and richness of color. The artist really knew how to see in nature and convey on the canvas the richest nuances and color transitions, truly innovative is his desire to convey the light-air environment.
V.I.Surikov is also known as a brilliant watercolor master and portraitist. But the versatility of his talent manifested itself precisely in the historical genre, where he managed to create a unique style of the artist who revived the past.
