Цель: Познакомить обучающихся с биографией художников-передвижников и их картинами
Оформление: Портреты художников, картины
The Association of Mobile Art Exhibitions (“Peredvizhniki”)
In the 1871 the first mobile art exhibition started travelling from town to town in Russia. It was organized by the Association of Mobile Art Exhibitions (“Peredvizhniki”) which later united almost all the greatest Russian realistic artists of the second half of the 19th century. The Association considered that one of the primary tasks was to promote the civic and aesthetic education of the people. The Association acquainted people with realistic art, which raised the most important questions of the time. The Association existed for 50 years and its members included such prominent Russian artists as Kramskoy, Shishkin, Repin, Vasnetsov, Savrasov, Surikov, Levitan and many others.
Genre painting landscape fascinated the onlooker with the beauty and charm of the Russian country-side.
The Association held 48 mobile art exhibitions, visiting a great number of places all over European Russia. The 48th and last exhibition of the Association was in 1923.
The best and brightest period in the development of Russian art is closely connected with the name of Ivan Nikolayevich Kramskoy, who was not only a talented artist but also an outstanding art critic and public figure. He was the leader of the “Peredvizhniki” group.
Ivan Kramskoy (1837-1887)
Ivan Nikolayevich Kramskoy was born in 1837 in Ostrogorsk, Voronezh Guberniya. His parents being poor, he had to start earning a livelihood very early. Upon arriving in St.Petersburg in1857, he was soon accepted into the Academy of Arts, In the 18th and the first half of the 19th centuries teaching at the Academy was based on classical art, and the students had to depict the world around them according to these ancient traditions.
Ivan Nikolayevich Kramskoy headed a group of fourteen students who refused to paint a picture on a set theme. This group demanded the right to choose themes connected with life around them. When their demand was refused, I.N. Kramskoy and his comrades left the Academy without graduating in protest.
Ivan Nikolayevich Kramskoy has left us many great paintings which are an important part of Russian art. Canvases such as “The Stranger”, “Christ in the desert”,”Rusalki” are among the treasures of Russian culture.
Ivan Nikolayevich Kramskoy painted his famous canvas”Rusalki” after visiting the Ukraine in 1871. The subject of the painting was taken from Gogol’s story “May Night”. The difficult problem of painting moonlight continued to interest I. N. Kramskoy. In 1880 he painted “Moonlight Night”.
We are also indebted to Kramskoy for his portraits of famous contemporaries: writers, poets, painters, actors. As a portrait painter I.N. Kramskoy
Displays the ability to understand and reveal the inner world of his sitter. In portraying Nekrassov in 1877 Kramskoy succeeded in revealing his deep inner world, and stressed above all his ardent spirit.
Ivan Nikolayevich Kramskoy died on March 24, 1887 while working at his easel. All his life he had campaigned for social significance, realism and technical skill in art. Ilya Repin spoke the truth when he wrote: “You as a Russian artist and citizen deserve a national monument”.
Ivan Shishkin (1832-1898)
Ivan Shishkin is one of Russia’s outstanding landscape painters. He was born in1832 in Yelabuga, a small town on the banks of the Kama River. In 1852 Ivan Shishkin entered the Moscow Art School. After graduating in 1856, he entered the Academy of Fire Arts. In 1857 Ivan Shishkin was awarded one of the highest Academy prizes, the silver medal in drawing. He graduated from the Academy with its highest award, the First Gold Medal, and a three-year scholarship to study abroad. When Ivan Shishkin came back to Russia in 1865, he was already famous for his artistic reproductions of nature.
In 1870 Ivan Shishkin became one of the founders of the Association of Mobile Art Exhibitions (“Peredvizhniki”). This was a union of painters of the realistic school. Ivan Shishkin had a special place among the famous landscape artists of the realistic school. In his best canvases he showed the power and beauty of nature. Shishkin’s most important canvases are “Rye”, where he shows the beauty of Russian nature and the fruitfulness of peasant labour; “Morning in the Pine Wood”, where he shows the moment when the first light of the sun is breaking through and the night mist is lifting. The forest is waking up from in sleep. His other canvases - “Pine Wood”, “Wind fallen Wood”, “The Oaks” and others – show the beauty and power of nature.
Ivan Shishkin was a fine teacher. He often helped young artists to master professional skills.
Ilya Repin (1844-1930)
Ilya painters, famous “peredvizhniki” was born in 1844 in the small town of Chuguyev, in the Ukraine, into a military family. He liked drawing from his childhood, so his parents sent him to Art School. In 1864 Ilya Repin entered the Academy of Arts in St.Petersburg. There he met Ivan Kramskoy, a great master and public figure who influenced I.Repin greatly. Repin’s collection consists of portraits and historical genre paintings. Repin is one of the best-known Russian
Repin’s first large canvas was “Volga Boatmen”. In reflects the hard life of the Russian people. One can see poor men who are tired out by their inhuman labour as they pull a barge up the river. “Princess Sophia at Novodevechy Monastery during the Streltsi Execution in 1698” is Repin’s first historical painting. It shows Peter the Great’s Sister Sophia, who incited the Streltsi against his reforms.
“Ivan Grozny and His Son Ivan.November 16, 1581” is Repin’s second historical painting. It reflects the historical event that happened on November 16, 1581. Tsar Ivan is shown holding the body of his eldest son – Prince Ivan whom he had killed. The tsar’s eyes in a pale face reflect his soul and the horror of what he had one.
“Unexpected Arrival” is one of Repin’s well-known paintings on a revolutionary theme. It shows a man’s unexpected return home from political exile. A servant opens the door to him. His old mother, who is trembling with excitement, is about to get up to harry to meet him. His wife, sitting at the piano, is shaken by his unexpected arrival. From the moment she is at a loss, but she is very happy. The face of the schoolboy is lit up with delighted recognition. A little girl about 7 years old is looking at a “strange man” gloomily. The painting is full of sympathy for those who actively opposed tsarism, sacrificing themselves. Ilya Repin is famous for numerous portraits of great people, for example, “Portrait of V.V.Stasov” who was a scientist and art critic, e an active defender of democratic traditions in art, “Portrait of N.I.Pirogov” – a scientist and doctor. His “Portrait of M.P.Musorgsky” is a masterpiece of portrait painting.
Victor Vasnetsov (1848 - 1926)
The poetic images of Russian women from folk tales were very dear to Vasnetsov. They are timid and sad Alyonushka, the gentle snow maiden, the melancholy Tsarevna Nesmeyana, Yelena the Beautiful and other heroines of Russian fairy tales.
The events depicted by the artist unfold against the background of the Russian country-side. The way the artist shows the country-side creates the mood of the picture. The bright autumn foliage of the trees on the banks of a dark pond and the somber lighting emphasize the feeling of anxiety.
Alyonushka is sitting on a large stone near the water, looking thoughtfully and sadly into the dark depths. The setting emphasizes the lone less of the girl. Her pose suggests that she is unhappy about something. Judging by her tattered clothes and her bare feet she is probably a poor girl. Yet here is a lot of charm in her sad figure. Alyonushka is beautiful. She has regular features and long thick hair.
Vasnetsov’s love for Russia, his admiration of the valour of the Russian people may be clearly and convincingly seen in his picture “Three Warriors”. It is a huge picture depicting three warriors. Their figures are more than life-size. The three riders are portrayed against the background of the vast open steppe, slopping hills, woods, and grassy meadows. In the foreground there are little fir-trees. Taken together, this creates a complete image of the Motherland close to every Russian heart.
In the most beloved picture Vasnetsov showed his three favourite epic heroes: the hot-tempered Dobrynya Nikitich, the powerful Ilya Muromets and the cunning Alyosha Popovich. The character if each warrior is echoed in the image of his horse. This interesting detail as well as the subject of the picture, corresponds to the spirit of the epic poems.
“The Rooks Are Here” by Aleksey Savrasov
The subject of the picture is very simple. The outskirts of a small provincial town, an old church, a leaning fence, fields stretching into distance, the melting snow and in the foreground some birches. We see a modest-looking village church typical of the country-side around Moscow. The ground is covered with soft snow, which has been turned black by the rays of the spring sun.
In the fore ground there is a clump of birch-trees. There are still no buds on the branches, but the approach of spring can be left in everything. Large rooks’ nests have appeared in the birch-trees. Some rooks are sitting in the trees. The country-side is awakening after its long winter sleep. Evening is approaching, but there are many rooks in the sky, flying towards their nests in the birch-trees. When you look at the picture, you can almost hear their loud cawing. But the main thing in Savrasov’s picture is the air. The clouds seem to be light.
The subject is very simple. But beyond this simplicity you feel the tender heart of the artist, whom all this is very near and dear to.
“Boyarinya Morosova “by Vasily Surikov
Surikov’s picture “Boyarinya Morosova “is a very large canvas showing boyarinya Morosova being taken in a sledge to prison. Her figure is depicted facing the spectator. Her face and her gesture suggest that she is not broken. She will stand up for her faith till the end. Her face is pale; her eyes are burning with fanatic passion.
On both sides of the sledge we see crowds of onlookers. Each face has individual personality, and we can tell what they feel about the event. Most obviously they sympathize deeply with boyarinya, and their gestures are meant to show their support.
The way the artist has depicted the sledge moving across the picture, and the marks that the sledge is leaving behind, give the feeling of movement and speed. This is emphasized by the figure of a lad running abreast with the sledge. The picture is striking for its wonderful use of colour, which skillfully renders the atmosphere of the event while at the same time creating a colorful though tragic scene.
“Autumn Day in Sokolniki” by Isaak Levitan
The picture “Autumn Day in Sokolniki” by Levitan shows a broad path in Sokolniki on an autumn day. Judging by the foliage of the trees it must be the beginning of October. The maple trees lining the path on both sides are tinged with gold. The time of the day is probably late afternoon. The sky is completely overcast and the distance is misty, suggesting that the air is damp, as it usually is in autumn. The trees on both sides in the middle ground are still green. The sky and the misty atmosphere suggest that it might soon start to drizzle.
In the foreground there is a figure a figure of a woman dressed in black. She face looks thoughtful and perhaps a little sad, in keeping with the rest of the scene, because there is suggestion of sadness in the picture of autumn. The picture is painted with a bold brush. The composition of the picture and the masterly use of colours, as well as the figure of the woman, all serve to create a forcefully expressive, sad but very beautiful picture of the country-side. The whole atmosphere of the picture is full of lyrism and, although autumn is shown here as a sad time of the year, there is a promise of spring and rebirth.
The artist has created here a very charming image of his native land, which he loved so well.
Well, our meeting is over. Thank you very much. It was pleasant to listen to your stories and enjoy masterpieces of art.