Paradoxically, it was only when he put down his camera and took up his brushes in search of a different perspective - perhaps he saw in it new promising possibilities - that he had never been able to capture with a lens, that Volk felt the closeness of what he had been looking for and could not find. After all, he mused, the goal of his endless search had nothing to do with the delicate green of the rice fields, the colorful bustle of the marketplace, the crying of a child, and the clay of the trench; she existed within himself, in the bitterness of his own memory and the ghosts that inhabited its shores. In the lines of the drawing and color spots, unhurried, neat strokes that succeed only when the heart beats evenly, and the old pitiful gods with their hateful passions cease to annoy a person with anger and mercy.
Panorama depicting the war. Such pictures shock everyone, be it a connoisseur or an inexperienced viewer; and Volk set to work with the greatest zeal, painstakingly using all his modest technical means. Before he acquired this tower and settled in it, he collected materials for several years, went to museums, studying a genre that had not interested him in the least before - even during his apprenticeship and youthful passion for painting. From the battle halls of Escorial and Versailles to the frescoes of Rivera and Orosco, from Greek amphoras to the Fraile mill, from special books to works exhibited in museums in Europe and America. Volk's eyes, greedily absorbing images of war for three decades in a row, comprehended twenty-six centuries of military iconography. His fresco was the result of these searches; it had it all: warriors donning armor on red or black terracotta, legionnaires engraved on Trajan's column, the Bayeux tapestry, Carducho's Fleury, Luca Giordano's San Quintin, Antonio Tempesta's massacre, The Battle of Anghiari » Leonardo da Vinci, Calot’s engravings, Collantes’ Fire of Troy, Goya’s The Second of May and The Disasters, Brueghel the Elder’s Suicide of Saul, Brueghel the Younger’s robberies and fires and Falcone, The Battle of Borgognone, Tetouan Fortuny, the Napoleonic grenadiers and horsemen of Meissonier and Detaille, Moulin and Rode's Cavalry Charge at Line, Pandolfo Reshi's The Capture of the Monastery, Mateo Stoma's Battle at Night, Paolo Uccello's Medieval Fight and many other masterpieces that he studied all day , months and years in search of a key, a secret, an explanation, or a correct technique. Hundreds of articles and books, thousands of images accumulated around Volk and inside him, in his tower and in his memory.
However, the battle painting was not limited. The technical tasks that such a genre posed for him forced him to study works devoted not only to the war. In some chilling paintings and engravings by Goya, in frescoes and canvases by Giotto, Bellini and Piero della Francesca, in Mexican wall paintings or in the works of contemporary artists - Léger, Chirico, Chagall or the early Cubists - Volk sought and found solutions to practical issues. Like the skill of a photographer who chooses focus, light and exposure, carefully aiming the lens at the subject that he is going to capture, painting also involves a certain system of formulas, laws, experience, intuition and, of course, inspiration - if there is one. Volk knew some tricks, mastered the technique, but he was very lacking in that special quality that distinguishes craft from talent. Realizing this, he abandoned attempts to paint in his youth. But now life experience and the necessary knowledge pushed him to a desperate creative adventure: to convey the image that he had been trying to catch in the viewfinder for a long time and had been nurturing in his memory all the last years. To the eyes of an attentive viewer, the panorama on the wall revealed the inexorable laws of war, seemingly chaotic, but in fact a true reflection of life.
Cardboards were ordered for future frescoes, which were supposed to glorify the military successes of the Florentine Republic. Leonardo chose the battle of Anghiari as the plot, depicting a fierce fight between riders on rearing horses. The cardboard was perceived by contemporaries as a condemnation of the brutal madness of war, where people lose their human appearance and become like wild animals. Preference was given to the work of Michelangelo "The Battle of Kashin", which emphasized the moment of heroic readiness to fight. Both cardboards have not been preserved and have come down to us in engravings made in the 16th-17th centuries. according to the drawings of artists who copied these scenes at the beginning of the 16th century. Nevertheless, their influence on the subsequent development of European battle painting was very significant. We can say that it is with these works that the formation of the battle genre begins. The French word "bataille" means "battle". From him the genre of fine art, dedicated to the themes of war and military life, got its name. The main place in the battle genre is occupied by scenes of battles and military campaigns. Battle artists strive to convey the pathos and heroism of the war. Often they manage to reveal the historical meaning of military events. In this case, the works of the battle genre approach the historical genre (for example, “Surrender of Breda” by D. Velasquez, 1634-1635, Prado, Madrid), rising to a high level of generalization of the depicted event, (cardboard Leonardo da Vinci) (“Suppression of the Indian uprising by the British "V. V. Vereshchagin, circa 1884; "Guernica" by P. Picasso, 1937, Prado, Madrid). The battle genre also includes works depicting scenes of military life (life in campaigns, camps, barracks). With great observation these scenes were recorded by the French artist of the 18th century. A. Watteau ("Military rest", "The hardships of war", both in the State Hermitage).
Images of scenes of battles and military life have been known since ancient times. Various allegorical and symbolic works glorifying the image of the victorious king were widespread in the art of the Ancient East (for example, reliefs depicting Assyrian kings besieging enemy fortresses), in ancient art (a copy of the mosaic of the battle between Alexander the Great and Darius, IV-III centuries BC), in medieval miniatures.
In the Middle Ages, battles were depicted in European and Oriental book miniatures ("Focus Chronicle", Moscow, 16th century), sometimes on icons; images on fabrics are also known ("Carpet from Bayeux" with scenes of the conquest of England by the Norman feudal lords, about 1073-83); there are numerous battle scenes in the reliefs of China and Kampuchea, Indian murals, and Japanese painting. In the XV-XVI centuries, during the Renaissance in Italy, images of battles were created by Paolo Uccello, Piero della Francesca. The battle scenes received heroic generalization and great ideological content in the cardboards for frescoes by Leonardo da Vinci ("Battle of Anghiari", 1503-06), who showed the fierce fierceness of the battle, and Michelangelo ("Battle of Kashin", 1504-06), who emphasized heroic readiness warriors to fight. Titian (the so-called "Battle of Cadore", 1537-38) introduced a real environment into the battle scene, and Tintoretto - innumerable masses of warriors ("Battle of Dawn", about 1585). In the formation of the battle genre in the 17th century. an important role was played by the sharp exposure of robbery and cruelty of soldiers in the etchings of the Frenchman J. Callot, the deep disclosure of the socio-historical significance and ethical meaning of military events by the Spaniard D. Velasquez ("Surrender of Breda", 1634), the dynamics and drama of the battle paintings by the Fleming P.P. Rubens. Later, professional battle painters stand out (A.F. van der Meulen in France), types of conventionally allegorical composition are formed, exalting the commander, presented against the background of the battle (Ch. Lebrun in France), a small battle picture with a spectacular image of cavalry skirmishes, episodes of military life (F. Wauerman in Holland) and scenes of naval battles (V. van de Velde in Holland). In the XVIII century. in connection with the war of independence, works of the battle genre appeared in American painting (B. West, J. S. Copley, J. Trumbull), the Russian patriotic battle genre was born - the paintings "Battle of Kulikovo" and "Poltava Battle", attributed to I. N. Nikitin, engravings by A. F. Zubov, mosaics by the workshop of M. V. Lomonosov "The Battle of Poltava" (1762-64), battle-historical compositions by G. I. Ugryumov, watercolors by M. M. Ivanov. The Great French Revolution (1789-94) and the Napoleonic Wars were reflected in the work of many artists - A. Gro (who went from a passion for the romance of revolutionary wars to the exaltation of Napoleon I), T. Gericault (who created the heroic-romantic images of the Napoleonic epic), F. Goya (who showed the drama of the struggle of the Spanish people with the French invaders). Historicism and the freedom-loving pathos of romanticism were vividly expressed in the battle-historical paintings of E. Delacroix, inspired by the events of the July Revolution of 1830 in France. The national liberation movements in Europe inspired the romantic battle compositions of P. Michalovsky and A. Orlovsky in Poland, G. Wappers in Belgium, and later J. Matejko in Poland, M. Alyosha, J. Cermak in the Czech Republic, and others. In France in official battle painting (O. Vernet), false romantic effects were combined with external plausibility. Russian academic battle painting moved from traditionally conditional compositions with a commander in the center to greater documentary accuracy of the overall picture of the battle and genre details (A.I. Sauerweid, B.P. Villevalde, A.E. Kotzebue). Outside the academic tradition of the battle genre were I. I. Terebenev’s popular prints dedicated to the Patriotic War of 1812, “Cossack scenes” in Orlovsky’s lithographs, drawings by P. A. Fedotov, G. G. Gagarin, M. Yu. Lermontov, lithographs by V. F. Timma.
The development of realism in the second half of the XIX - early XX centuries. led to the strengthening of landscape, genre, and sometimes psychological principles in the battle genre, attention to the actions, experiences, life of ordinary soldiers (A. Menzel in Germany, J. Fattori in Italy, W. Homer in the USA, M. Gerymsky in Poland, N. Grigorescu in Romania, Ya. Veshin in Bulgaria). A realistic depiction of the episodes of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 was given by the Frenchmen E. Detail and A. Neuville. In Russia, the art of maritime battle painting flourished (I. K. Aivazovsky, A. P. Bogolyubov), battle-everyday painting appeared (P. O. Kovalevsky, V. D. Polenov). V. V. made a valuable contribution to the development of the battle genre Vereshchagin ("After the attack. Transit point near Plevna", 1881, State Tretyakov Gallery). F. A. Rubo strove for an objective display of hostilities in his panoramas “Defense of Sevastopol” (1902-1904) and “Battle of Borodino” (1911). Realism and the rejection of conventional schemes are also inherent in the battle genre of the Wanderers - I. M. Pryanishnikova , A. D. Kivshenko, V. I. Surikov, who created a monumental epic of the military exploits of the people
Surikov in the canvases “The Conquest of Siberia by Ermak” (1895) and “Suvorov’s Crossing the Alps” (1899, both in the Russian Museum) created a majestic epic of the feat of the Russian people, showed his heroic strength. The battle work of V. M. Vasnetsov was inspired by the ancient Russian epic.
D. Velasquez. Surrender of Breda. 1634-1635. Canvas, oil. Prado. Madrid.
However, the formation of the battle genre dates back to the 15th-16th centuries. At the beginning of the XVII century. the etchings of the Frenchman J. Callot played a major role in the formation of the battle genre. Along with the canvases of D. Velazquez, which deeply revealed the socio-historical meaning of the military event, there are passionate paintings imbued with the pathos of the struggle by the Fleming P. P. Rubens. From the middle of the XVII century. documentary chronicle scenes of military battles and campaigns predominate, for example, by the Dutchman F. Wauerman (“Cavalry Battle”, 1676, GE).
R. Guttuso. Battle of Garibaldi at the Amirallo Bridge. 1951-1952. Canvas, oil. The Filcinelli Library. Milan.
In the XVIII - early XIX century. battle painting is developing in France, where the paintings of A. Gro, glorifying Napoleon I, are especially famous. Stunning scenes of the courageous struggle of the Spanish people against the French invaders are captured in the graphics and painting of F. Goya (a series of etchings “The Disasters of War”, 1810-1820).
V. V. VERESCHAGIN. With hostility, hurrah, hurrah! (Attack). From the War of 1812 series. 1887-1895. Canvas, oil. State Historical Museum. Moscow.
A. A. Deineka. Defense of Sevastopol. 1942. Oil on canvas. State Russian Museum. Leningrad.
The works of Soviet battle painters reveal the image of a Soviet patriot warrior, his steadfastness and courage, and his unparalleled love for the Motherland. The battle genre experienced a new rise in the terrible days of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. in the works of the Studio of military artists named after M. B. Grekov, Kukryniksy, A. A. Deineka, B. M. Nemensky, P. A. Krivonogov and other masters. The unbending courage of the defenders of Sevastopol, their firm determination to fight to the last breath, was shown by Deineka in the film “Defense of Sevastopol” (1942, Russian Museum) imbued with heroic pathos. Modern Soviet battle painters revived the art of dioramas and panoramas, created works on the themes of the civil (E. E. Moiseenko and others) and the Great Patriotic Wars (A. A. Mylnikov, Yu. P. Kugach and others).
M. B. Grekov. Tachanka. 1933. Oil on canvas. Central Museum of the Armed Forces of the USSR. Moscow.
The emergence of the studio is inextricably linked with the name of the remarkable artist Mitrofan Borisovich Grekov, one of the founders of Soviet battle painting. His canvases "Tachanka", "Trumpeters of the First Cavalry Army", "To the Detachment to Budyonny", "Banner and Trumpeter" are among the classic works of Soviet painting.
In 1934, after the death of the artist, by a special resolution of the Council of People's Commissars, the “Iso-workshop of amateur Red Army art named after M. B. Grekov” was created in Moscow. The studio was called upon to continue and creatively develop the best traditions of the Soviet battle genre. Initially, it was a training workshop for the most gifted Red Army artists, who improved their skills under the guidance of prominent artists: V. Baksheev, M. Avilov, G. Savitsky and others. In 1940, the studio became the art organization of the Red Army, uniting military artists.
During the Great Patriotic War, many Greeks went to the front. The main type of creative work in military conditions was full-scale sketches. Their historical and artistic significance cannot be overestimated. Military drawings by N. Zhukov, I. Lukomsky, V. Bogatkin, A. Kokorekin and other artists are a kind of visible chronicle of the Great Patriotic War, its main military battles, front-line life. They are marked by great love for the protagonist of this greatest battle for the Motherland - the Soviet soldier.
The theme of the feat of the people in the Great Patriotic War is being creatively enriched even at the present time. In the first post-war years, the Greeks created canvases, graphic series, sculptural compositions, which received the widest recognition. These are the paintings "Mother" by B. Nemensky, "Victory" by P. Krivonogov, a monument to the Liberator E. Vuchetich, installed in Treptow Park in Berlin.
The artists of the studio have created and continue to create many monumental monuments of military glory in various cities of the Soviet Union and abroad. The most significant battles are captured in such works as the panorama "Battle of Stalingrad" in Volgograd (made by a group of artists under the direction of M. Samsonov), the diorama "Battle of Perekop" in Simferopol (author N. But), etc. In these works, as it were, anew the events of the military years come to life, they help to realize what a huge price the great victory was achieved.
The battle genre in art has existed since ancient times - mankind has constantly fought and continues to fight until now.
Images of battles and campaigns are found on the reliefs of the Ancient East, on the pediments of buildings, on ancient Roman triumphal arches and columns, on vases of Ancient Greece, etc.
The word "bataille" means "battle" in French. That is, the battle genre is dedicated to military topics. These can be scenes of battles, military campaigns, heroic deeds - modern or past years and centuries.
If the artist not only shows the scene of the battle, but also reveals the meaning of what is happening, leads the viewer to realize the significance of a particular historical event, then such a picture can be attributed not only to the battle, but also to the historical genre.
If in the picture we see an image of the life and life of the military or sailors, then the battle genre is combined here with the everyday one.
The battle genre may include elements of other genres: portrait, landscape, animalistic, still life.
In the Renaissance, we see images of battles on the canvases of Paolo Uccello, Piero della Francesca, Titian, Tintoretto, on the frescoes of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and others.
Leonardo da Vinci (copy of Rubens) fresco "Battle of Anghiari" (1503-1506)
The fresco was commissioned by Leonardo da Vinci to commemorate the restoration of the Florentine Republic after the expulsion of Piero de' Medici. For the battle scene, da Vinci chose the battle that took place on June 29, 1440 between the Florentines and the Milanese troops under the command of the condottiere Niccolo Piccinino. Despite the numerical superiority, the Milanese were defeated by a small Florentine detachment. D. Vasari wrote about this painting as follows: “... made with great skill because of the most amazing observations that he applied in the image of this dump, because in this image people show the same rage, hatred and vindictiveness as horses, of which two intertwined with their front legs and fight with their teeth with no less bitterness than their horsemen fighting for the banner ... ".
In the XVI century. the battle genre in painting begins to take shape. What is a genre anyway? This is a historical division of paintings in accordance with the themes and objects of the image. And although the very concept of "genre" appeared in painting relatively recently, genre differences have existed since the person began to paint. The formation of the genre as a system began precisely in the 16th century.
Tintoretto "The Battle of Dawn" (circa 1585). Venice, Doge's Palace
Tintoretto brought into the picture a lot of people involved in the battle.
The Spanish artist D. Velazquez thought deeply about the military events.
D. Velasquez "Surrender of Breda" (1634)
This picture can be attributed both to the battle and to the historical genre, and also called it psychological, because it psychologically accurately shows the feelings of the winners and the vanquished.
The plot of the picture: Governor Justin of Nassau handing over the keys to the city to the commander-in-chief of the Spanish troops Ambrosio Spinola on June 5, 625, this is just the scene of handing over the key to the fortress of Breda. Why does the picture belong to the battle genre? But this moment was preceded by a months-long siege of the city by Spanish troops under the command of Ambrosio Spinola. For 80 years, Spain fought to maintain the power of the Habsburgs over the Spanish Netherlands. Ambrosio Spinola, using a pause in the war, laid siege to the fortress. From a military point of view, the siege of Breda was useless, but from a political point of view it had a great effect. All of Europe closely followed the development of events near Breda. And then came the denouement: the keys to Breda are handed over to the winners.
The defeated Dutch and their leader are placed in a humiliating position and evoke sympathy. The leader is shown shorter, wearing baggy clothes and worn boots. But he tries to accept what happened with dignity. The winner is taller than the loser, his whole figure expresses condescension, he pats his opponent soothingly on the shoulder, he is respectfully respectful. The horses in this picture, as it were, emphasize the features of their owners: the calm, modest horse belongs to the vanquished, and the graceful, playful horse Spinola is to match the winner.
In the XVIII century. works of the Russian battle genre appeared. And here, first of all, I would like to recall the work of V.M. Lomonosov "Poltava battle", although it belongs to the mosaic painting.
"Poltava battle". Mosaic of M. V. Lomonosov in the building of the Academy of Sciences. St. Petersburg (1762-1764)
The Battle of Poltava is the largest battle of the Northern War between the Russian troops under the command of Peter I and the Swedish army of Charles XII. The battle took place on the morning of July 8, 1709, 6 miles from the city of Poltava. The defeat of the Swedish army led to a turning point in the Northern War in favor of Russia and to the end of Sweden's dominance in Europe.
July 10, in honor of the victory of the Russian army under the command of Peter I over the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava, is considered the Day of Russia's military glory.
The Russian battle genre is always imbued with a special spirit of patriotism and seeks to express admiration for the heroism and courage of warriors.
The war with Napoleon was reflected in the work of many artists, because. all the best qualities of the Russian people were manifested in it: fearlessness, self-sacrifice, patriotism.
F. Roubaud, canvas panorama "Battle of Borodino"
The artist painted the panorama "Battle of Borodino" for the 100th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812 by order of Emperor Nicholas II. Work on it was carried out with the participation of I. G. Myasoedov.
Franz Alekseevich Rubo(1856-1928) - Russian panorama painter, academician and head of the battle workshop of the Academy of Arts, creator of three battle panoramas: "Defense of Sevastopol", "Battle of Borodino", "Storming the village of Akhulgo". He is the founder of the national school of panoramic painting, the author of almost 200 monumental paintings.
F. Roubaud "The siege of the Yerevan fortress by Russian troops in 1827"
The Napoleonic Wars are reflected in the work of many artists. Here is another picture depicting a war scene.
B. Villevalde "The feat of the cavalry regiment in the battle of Austerlitz in 1805" (1884). Central Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineering and Signal Corps, St. Petersburg
Bogdan (Gotfried) Pavlovich Villevalde(1818-1903) - Russian painter, academician, honored professor of battle painting, member of the Council of the Imperial Academy of Arts. The Patriotic War of 1812 was a favorite theme of his work, he studied the era of Napoleon well and returned to this topic constantly. His works are distinguished by soft humor, the ability to depict live military scenes.
B. Villevalde "Meeting of officers of the Russian guards cavalry with residents of one of the European cities"
Villevalde was the head of the battle class of the Academy of Arts until its reform in the 90s of the 19th century; almost all of our newest battle players owe their artistic development to his excellent teaching.
Nikolai Dmitrievich Dmitriev-Orenburgsky(1837-1898) - Russian battle painter, graphic artist, academician and professor of battle painting at the Imperial Academy of Arts. He created a whole cycle of paintings about the Russian-Turkish war (1877-1878).
N. Dmitriev-Orenburg "The Battle of Plevna on August 27, 1877" (1883)
Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin(1842-1904) - Russian painter and writer, one of the most famous battle painters.
A graduate of the Naval Cadet Corps, he was associated with the army all his life: he was in Samarkand during its siege by the Bukharians; was in the active Russian army during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, where he was seriously wounded. When the Russo-Japanese War began, Vereshchagin went to the front. He died on March 31, 1904, together with Admiral S. O. Makarov, during an explosion on a mine of the battleship Petropavlovsk on the outer roadstead of Port Arthur.
He created a series of battle paintings: the Turkestan series, "Napoleon in Russia", the "Barbarians" series. The cycle "Napoleon in Russia" includes 20 paintings, as well as studies, drawings and unfinished compositions.
V. Vereshchagin "In front of Moscow in anticipation of the deputation of the boyars"
V. Vereshchagin "Napoleon on the Borodino Heights" (1897)
V. Vereshchagin "The End of the Battle of Borodino"
One of the most famous works of the battle genre in general and the works of the artist is the painting "The Apotheosis of War".
V. Vereshchagin "The Apotheosis of War" (1871). Oil on canvas, 127 x 197 cm. State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow)
On the frame of this picture is the inscription: "Dedicated to all the great conquerors - past, present and future."
Initially, the canvas was called "The Triumph of Tamerlane." The idea was associated with Tamerlane, whose troops left behind such pyramids of skulls. According to another version, this painting was created by Vereshchagin under the impression of a story about how the ruler of Kashgar, Valikhantor, executed a European traveler and ordered his head to be placed on top of a pyramid made of the skulls of other executed people.
Why is this picture attributed to the battle genre, although it does not depict battle scenes, even people are not present on the canvas?
This is an allegory painting, a protest painting against wars. War is always death and devastation. The pyramid of human skulls is depicted by Vereshchagin against the backdrop of a ruined city and charred trees. Everything is destroyed, only the ravens remain, but they have nothing to profit from here. All the details of the picture, including the yellow color of the canvas, symbolize death. The well-known Russian art critic V. Stasov believed that with this picture Vereshchagin acts as a historian and judge of mankind.
Mitrofan Borisovich Grekov(1882-1934) - Soviet battle painter of Russian Cossack origin.
“Trumpeters of the First Cavalry” is his most famous work.
M. Grekov "Trumpeters of the First Cavalry"
According to his idea, on November 29, 1934, the Studio of Military Artists was created, later named after him. Studio of military artists. M. B. Grekova is a unique creative team of 30 artists (painters, graphic artists and sculptors). All of them are bright creative individuals, professionals in their field. They are united by the idea of serving the Fatherland with their art, recreating in artistic images significant pages of valor and glory of Russian weapons, the history of the army and the people. Their activity is based on the method of realism.
Here is a picture of a member of this studio.
Andrei Veniaminovich Sibirsky “After the task. Khankala. Chechnya (1998). Canvas, oil. 130 x 200 cm
Pyotr Alexandrovich Krivonogov(1910-1967) - Soviet battle painter. In 1939 he was drafted into the army. The Great Patriotic War took place in the active troops from Moscow to Berlin. His most famous works are about the Great Patriotic War.
P. Krivonogov "Defenders of the Brest Fortress" (1951)
Non-professional artists also worked in the battle genre. For example, the Russian poet and prose writer Mikhail Yurjevich Lermontov throughout his short life he was fond of drawing and painting, took painting lessons from P. E. Zabolotsky, who painted two portraits of Lermontov in oil (in 1837 and 1840).
M.Yu. Lermontov "Self-portrait" (1837-1838). Paper, watercolor. Literary Museum (Moscow)
One of the favorite themes of Lermontov the artist was a military theme. His best works are connected with the Caucasus and executed in the spirit of romantic painting.
M.Yu. Lermontov "Attack of the Life Guards Hussars near Warsaw on August 26, 1831". Cardboard, oil. 65.8 × 79.3 cm
N. Dmitriev-Orenburg "The Battle of Plevna on August 27, 1877" (1883) Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin (1842-1904) - Russian painter and writer, one of the most famous battle painters. Mitrofan Borisovich Grekov (1882-1934) - Soviet battle painter of Russian Cossack origin. “Trumpeters of the First Cavalry” is his most famous work.
The horrors of the hunger strike have already laid like a heavy stone on the shoulders of these once magnificent warriors. Now the road lay in Italy. Studio of military artists. Fate was generous to Aivazovsky for interesting meetings, acquaintances and friendship.
Aivazovsky set out to make his house not only comfortable for living and working, but also intended to arrange an art school in it "in terms of painting sea views, landscapes and folk scenes." The surface of the sea, on which a light breeze draws a quivering swell, seems like a field of sparks. Forgive me, great artist, if I was mistaken in taking the picture for reality, but your work fascinated me and delight took possession of me. regimental stable. Vasily asked for his resignation. The unbending courage of the defenders of Sevastopol, their firm determination to fight to the last breath, was shown by Deineka in the picture “Defense of Sevastopol” (1942, Russian Museum) imbued with heroic pathos. V. Frunze directs the crossing over the Sivash”, “Storm of the Winter Palace”, “Stalingrad. What a fiery flood.
By 1848, the house and the working workshop were built, and in 1865 the artist opened the school he had conceived, it became known as the "General Workshop". Batalist and writer. Such a picture was a large composition, which the artist called Chaos. The battleship began to sink into the water and, after the explosion of the boilers, having broken, went to the bottom. Aivazovsky took part in the landing, landed in the Subashi (Lazarevskaya) area.
Paintings: “The Capture of Tashkent”, “The Entry of Russian Troops into Samarkand on June 8, 1868”, “The First Appearance of Russian Troops on the Amu Darya. He painted the picture Landing in Subashi immediately, returning to Feodosia. The road to the church of St. Sergius was strewn with flowers. V. Vereshchagin "The Apotheosis of War" (1871).
The cycle "Napoleon in Russia" includes 20 paintings, as well as studies, drawings and unfinished compositions. By the Renaissance in Italy are the first experiences of a realistic depiction of battles. At every exhibition in European cities, he was a success. Vereshchagin accidentally, instead of the sick artist Metelitsa, ended up on the battleship Petropavlovsk. Gradually, official battles are being replaced by images of real military episodes. The famous English marine painter William Turner, who lived in Rome in 1842, expressed his amazement at the art of Aivazovsky, composing admiring poems in Italian about the painting of the Bay of Naples on a moonlit night: “In your picture I see the moon with its gold and silver, standing over the sea, reflected in it. The whole city said goodbye to the artist.
But he sought to find his own, a new theme in the landscape, peculiar only to him. Combined attack", "M. With particular pleasure, he painted the Sevastopol raid with handsome ships solemnly entering the bay, with great skill and flair Aivazovsky reconstructed the sea battles of the 18th century: the battle of Gangut, the famous battle in the Chios Strait and the battle of Chesma, which took place in June 1770. Having painted pictures about the "Sevastopol suffering", he brought them to the besieged city and opened an exhibition that greatly contributed to raising the spirits of the soldiers who fought on the bastions.
The artist traveled all over the Neapolitan coast, worked in Sorrento, Amalfi, Vico. So, the great Russian battle painter died at a military post. Napoleon's main task - to destroy the Russian army in one general battle - was not fulfilled. Why does the picture belong to the battle genre. Crossing of the Turkestan Detachment at the Sheikh-aryk”, “Teke Expedition of 1881.
The painting caught the attention of Pope Gregory XVI. The low-income public was allowed free of charge several days a week. He paid attention to the details of life, the situation. The fortress was defended. Leonardo da Vinci (copy of Rubens) fresco "Battle of Anghiari" (1503-1506) The fresco was commissioned by Leonardo da Vinci in honor of the restoration of the Florentine Republic after the expulsion of Piero Medici. The battle genre is represented by paintings: “On Znamenskaya Square in the February Days of 1917”, “Storming the Winter Palace”, “Joint Actions of Tanks, Aviation and Cavalry.
A year later, Vasily Vasilyevich ended up with Kaufman in Samarkand. The exhibition also evoked lively responses from leading figures in Russian culture. The scandal was huge.
Here, on the Borodino field, the myth of the invincibility of the Napoleonic army was dispelled. For the paintings exhibited in the Louvre, Aivazovsky was awarded a gold medal.
Something is burning on Red Square there at that time there were various old wooden buildings. At the beginning of 1874, Vereshchagin presented the paintings in St. Petersburg. Two became professional soldiers, one went on the path of social activity. All the details of the picture, including the yellow color of the canvas, symbolize death. He purchased it for the Vatican and awarded the artist a gold medal. The reliefs on the ancient Roman triumphal arches are the conquests and victories of the emperors.
For the winner, who occupied a foreign city, there is nothing sacred. St. Petersburg (1762-1764) The Battle of Poltava is the largest battle of the Northern War between the Russian troops under the command of Peter I and the Swedish army of Charles XII. In September, the Academy of Arts honored its former student with the title of academician, and a few days later the Ministry of the Imperial Court issued an order to assign him to this department with the title of painter of the Main Naval Staff "with the right to wear the uniform of the Naval Ministry and so that this title was considered honorary without production monetary content."
But it was a real way out of the fire and into the frying pan. One of his best paintings, Among the Waves, was painted by him when he was eighty years old. The general went to fight the emir's troops, and the artist remained in the fortress with five hundred fighters.
In 1934, after the death of the artist, by a special resolution of the Council of People's Commissars, the “Iso-workshop of amateur Red Army art named after M. B. Grekov” was created in Moscow. Gradually, official battles are being replaced by images of real military episodes. He died on March 31, 1904, together with Admiral S. O. Makarov, during an explosion on a mine of the battleship Petropavlovsk on the outer roadstead of Port Arthur. He created a series of battle paintings: the Turkestan series, "Napoleon in Russia", the "Barbarians" series. The most significant battles are captured in such works as the panorama "Battle of Stalingrad" in Volgograd (made by a group of artists led by M. Samsonov), the diorama "Battle of Perekop" in Simferopol (author N. But), etc.
The glorious victory of the Russian fleet over the Turkish fleet was captured by Aivazovsky in the film Battle of Sinop. Mosaic of M. V. Lomonosov in the building of the Academy of Sciences. Assault on Geok-Tepe.
He made soldiers, ordinary Russian people, the heroes of the paintings. Yes, simply because Marshal Davout was not one of those people who are able to pay attention to their surroundings. They are perceived as musical or poetic improvisations. Working with pleasure on a variety of seascapes, trying not to repeat themselves in their plots, Aivazovsky each time looked for new shades of lighting sea water or clouds, the state of the atmosphere.
The battle genre experienced a new rise during the Great Patriotic War and the post-war years - in posters and "TASS Windows", front-line graphics, painting, and later in monumental sculpture. All of Europe closely followed the development of events near Breda. The military garrison of Feodosia gave the last honors to his artist. When the Russo-Japanese War began, Vereshchagin went to the front. This is an allegory painting, a protest painting against wars. The horses in this picture, as it were, emphasize the features of their owners: the calm, modest horse belongs to the vanquished, and the graceful, playful horse Spinola is to match the winner. In passing, it should be noted that people's war should by no means be confused with guerrilla warfare.
The whims of war can reach the most monstrous proportions. The squadron leader went to sea to give battle to the enemy, but while maneuvering, he ran into a Japanese mine. At 0943, a deafening explosion was heard in the bow of the Petropavlovsk, then the ammunition detonated. "Poltava battle".
Napoleon, forced to flee from the Kremlin, left it on foot, heading for the Arbat. Before going to Italy, the artist left for Feodosia for two years. Vereshchagin studied and sketched the local architecture, but an uprising soon began. The battle took place on the morning of July 8, 1709, 6 miles from the city of Poltava. Karazin is considered the creator of a special style of watercolor painting - his works are easy to recognize, thanks to the special manner of creating lighting effects, contrasts, building a composition, and gloom. In the Middle Ages, battles were depicted on carpets and tapestries, in book miniatures, sometimes on icons (as scenes of the heroic deeds of one or another saint).
Despite the numerical superiority, the Milanese were defeated by a small Florentine detachment. He was engaged in different areas of painting, but it was battle works that brought fame. D. Vasari wrote about this picture: “. State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow) On the frame of this picture is the inscription: "Dedicated to all the great conquerors - past, present and future." Initially, the canvas was called "The Triumph of Tamerlane."
All of them are bright creative individuals, professionals in their field. On a huge pictorial canvas (length - 115, height - 15 meters), the artist captured the most difficult moment of the battle - at 12:30 pm, September 7, 1812.
Sometimes the state, sometimes the Church, did not like it. Created dioramas, panoramic paintings, watercolors, landscapes, portraits. Ironically, the graves of the artist's relatives lie under the waters of the Rybinsk reservoir. Your art is eternal and powerful, because you are inspired by genius. M. B. Grekova is a unique creative team of 30 artists (painters, graphic artists and sculptors). Everything is destroyed, only crows remain, but they have nothing to profit from here.
Davout was a stern, gloomy man, who knew military affairs superbly, unshakably devoted to Napoleon, with whom he was brought up together at the Brienne military school, always busy, concentrated, and for him questions, even the most elementary comforts of life, absolutely did not exist. That is, the battle genre is dedicated to military topics. Oil on canvas, 127 x 197 cm. He returned to his homeland in 1844, crowned with recognition and European glory.
Three brothers Vasily received a military education. By the Renaissance in Italy are the first experiences of a realistic depiction of battles. Take a look at the reproduced picture and. whose heart does not tremble at the sight. Aivazovsky has a picture that was absolutely unusual for this genre, the Brig "Mercury" after defeating two Turkish ships meets with the Russian squadron.
By the age of 27, he became a member of the St. Petersburg, Rome and Amsterdam Academies of Arts.
There is a second fierce attack on the village of Semenovskaya, after fierce fighting, the famous Semenov (Bagrationov) flushes are occupied and another attack on Kurgan height is repulsed. This tradition was also preserved by the battle painters of the 20th century. In Rome, he often visited Gogol's small apartment, which he called "my cell." Ambrosio Spinola, using a pause in the war, laid siege to the fortress. The latter offered to ask for whatever you want.
Russian soldiers fought without sparing their lives. He was not young, but just as in his early youth, he continued to work tirelessly. This tradition was also preserved by the battle painters of the 20th century. But Vereshchagin firmly decided to become an artist. But he tries to accept what happened with dignity. Their activity is based on the method of realism. Here is a picture of a member of this studio. Aivazovsky took the words from the book of Genesis as the basis for the idea of the picture: “The earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the abyss, and the Spirit of God hovered over the water.”
The Russians had to defend the fortress from the onslaught of the 20,000th enemy. Fire horror. The 6th of September arrived. The memory and pain of these events and losses never left the artist: on the slope of his life, in 1893, he painted a picture of Malakhov Kurgan and on the back of it he made the inscription: “The place where Kornilov was mortally wounded.” The end of October was approaching.
The future artist was born in the city of Cherepovets. A. Mylnikov, Yu. P. Kugach and others). War is always death and devastation. February 2, 1943".
His father was the leader of the local nobility. On the morning of March 31, near Port Arthur, the ship hit a mine and sank in a matter of minutes. The Russian battle genre is imbued with a special spirit of patriotism, it seeks to express admiration for the heroism and courage of warriors.
The battle genre experienced a new rise during the Great Patriotic War and the post-war years - in posters and "TASS Windows", front-line graphics, painting, and later in monumental sculpture. The battle lasted 15 hours. Napoleon, having learned that the Kremlin was completely intact, decided to return there. The word "bataille" means "battle" in French. E. Moiseenko and others) and the Great Patriotic War (A.
For 80 years, Spain fought to maintain the power of the Habsburgs over the Spanish Netherlands. The leader is shown shorter, wearing baggy clothes and worn boots. A year earlier, he created a canvas-memory of the ship "Maria" during a storm (on which Nakhimov commanded the battle of Sinop).
If you ask to remember Russian battle painters, then usually two or three names are called: Vershchagin, Roubaud, Grekov. It is clear that there were many more of them. Today I will introduce you to the work of two of them.
Villevalde Bogdan Pavlovich (1819 -1903) - academician, honored professor of battle painting, member of the Council of the Imperial Academy of Arts. The largest and most typical representative of the direction of battle painting that dominated the first half of the 19th century.
A student of A. I. Sauerweid, Villevalde was distinguished by success even at the Academy of Arts and in the 40s he was sent abroad, where he worked in Dresden on the plots of the war of 1813; in 1844 he was called to St. Petersburg, in view of the death of Sauerweid, to complete the work he had begun on the history of the struggle against Napoleon, and in the late 40s, with the rank of professor and academician, he became the head of the battle class.
"Retreat of the French from Russia"
"They were captured in 1814"
"Hello dear France"
Villevalde's capital works in this first period are four huge canvases from the history of 1813-14, hanging in the Alexander Hall of the Winter Palace: "Kulm", "Leipzig", "Ferschampenoise" and "In Front of Paris".
"Battle of Paris March 17, 1814"
"The Life Guards Cavalry Regiment in the battle of Ferchampenoise on March 13, 1814",
More than once returning to this era, Villevalde then paints both the pacification of the Polish uprising of 1831 and the Hungarian campaign of 1849, and the Crimean campaign and the struggle in the Caucasus.
"The feat of the cavalry regiment in the battle of Austerlitz in 1805"
"Attack of the Life Hussars near Warsaw in 1831"
"Battle of Grachov December 13, 1831"
"The Capture of Shumla"
An excellent connoisseur of military formation, Villevalde is also good where parades and maneuvers are depicted on their own, and do not serve as an example of a picture of war. Dependence on the official spheres, which at that time alone created and supported the existence of battle painting, and the still small development of realism in art in general, caused special demands from the painter of wars; above all, accuracy was valued, mainly external, concerning the type and form of troops and corresponding to the official idea of \u200b\u200bthe war, reports about it. Such was the whole painting of Villevalde: always outwardly accurate, conventionally truthful, finished-drawn, but not exciting.
"Nicholas I with Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich in the artist's studio in 1854"
"Opening of the monument "Millennium of Russia" in Novgorod in 1862"
"Private Life Guards Pavlovsky Regiment"
"Blucher and the Cossacks in Bautzen"
Villevalde was the head of the battle class of the Academy of Arts until its reform in the 90s of the XIX century, almost all of our newest battle painters owe their artistic development to his excellent teaching.
"Russian soldier presents gypsy singers"
"Milepost Scene"
“Today you, and tomorrow I!”
"View of Vladikavkaz"
Cossacks in Bautzen
Nikolai Nikolaevich Karazin (1842-1908) - Russian battle painter and writer, participant in the Central Asian campaigns. He graduated from the 2nd Moscow Cadet Corps, from which in 1862 he was released as an officer in the Kazan Dragoon Regiment. With the regiment, Karazin participated in the suppression of the Polish rebellion of 1863-64. and for the difference in affairs near Poritsk and at the Wolf Post he was awarded the Order of St. Anna of the 4th degree with the inscription "For Courage". In 1865 he retired with the rank of staff captain and entered the Academy of Arts, where he worked for two years under the guidance of the famous battle painter B.P. Villevalde. In 1867, Karazin left the academy to take part in a campaign in Bukhara. He commanded a company, semi-battalion, was awarded the Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree with swords and a bow and a golden weapon with the inscription "for courage".
In Turkestan, he met V.V. Vereshchagin. His first drawings, reproduced in polytypes, were placed in the "World Illustration" for 1871. Karazin also created the first artistic postcards in Russia, published by the Community of St. Catherine. In 1874 and 1879 Karazin, as a connoisseur of the region, was invited by the Russian Geographical Society to take part in scientific expeditions in Central Asia to study the Amu Darya basin. For the drawings that were attached to the journals of these expeditions, Karazin was awarded the highest awards at the geographical exhibitions in Paris and London, he was elected a member of the Russian Geographical Society.
"Cossacks in the Kirghiz-Kaisatsky Horde"
"Kyrgyz at the fallen horse"
"Siberian Cossacks with the Chinese"
"Falcon hunting"
In the Serbian-Turkish and Russian-Turkish wars of 1877-78. Karazin was a war correspondent and illustrator. His illustrations were published in the best foreign publications and made Karazin widely known. In the 80s. 19th century Karazin was sent to Turkestan to draw up sketches for paintings that he was instructed to paint on themes from the campaign of Russian troops in Khiva and Bukhara.
"The entry of Russian troops into Samarkand on June 8, 1868"
The Khiva campaign of 1873. The transition of the Turkestan detachment through the dead sands to the wells of Adam-Krylgan"
"The crossing of the Turkestan detachment through the Amu Darya in 1873"
"The attack of the Kokand on the Cossack settlement Uzun-Agan"
He earned his fame as the first watercolorist in Russia and the best draftsman-illustrator with his countless works in watercolor, pencil and pen. Possessing a rich creative imagination and great artistic taste, Karazin was distinguished by extraordinary speed and ease of work. His ability to work and productivity were amazing. The world of Karazin's works is predominantly the eastern outskirts of the empire. The nature of Central Asia and Asian types are the favorite subject of his works of art. In watercolor painting, Karazin created his own special style. His paintings and drawings are immediately recognizable: strong light effects, bright contrasts, a special, somewhat gloomy coloring, magnificent composition and endless fantasy.
"Yamskaya and escort service in the steppe"
"First Cross over Or"
"Winter day"
"The thieves"
Although some critics assessed his creativity in a different way: "The number of pictures, sketches and vignettes drawn by him is huge. They testify to the undoubted talent of the artist, who, however, is weak in terms of drawing and pursues most of all the glibness of technique and the effectiveness of the composition, to the detriment of truth and the seriousness of the content. He succeeds best of all in the landscape element, although it is for the most part exaggeratedly spectacular. The same must be said about the numerous watercolors that came out from under the brush of Karazin. Recently (since 1887) he began to try his strength in oil painting: but in it the artist's shortcomings are even more noticeable than in his other works"
