Vasily Polenov: “I love the Gospel narration immensely …”
Creating a cycle of paintings “From the Life of Christ” Polenov considered “the main work of his life.” This circumstance in itself prompted researchers to pay special attention to evangelical themes in the work of the artist. However, this series in its integrity is known only from reproductions in Polenov’s published album “From the Life of Christ”, which became a bibliographic rarity immediately after its appearance. Continue reading
Evgeny Pasternak
In 1901, the Luxembourg Museum in Paris ordered the five most famous artists, among whom was Pasternak, to paint one painting from Russian life. Pasternak wrote the famous pastel “Tolstoy with his family” in the evening light. Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, seeing it at the exhibition “World of Art”, decided to purchase it for the Museum of Alexander III (now the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg). Continue reading
P.M. Tretyakov and his portrait gallery
Conceived as a “gallery in a gallery”, the portrait gallery of Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov (1832–1898) is a significant artistic phenomenon of the national culture of the second half of the 19th century. None of the researchers who wrote about the collection activities of the founder of the gallery, did not overlook the collection of portraits, and could not get around. Continue reading
“An artist with brilliant talent and good means …”
The exact date of the appearance of F. Moller in the class of historical painting of Professor K. Bryullov is unknown. The first mention of the contacts of the master and budding artist refers to the spring of 1837. In the diary of Apollo Mokritsky there is an entry on April 3: “In the morning, at seven o’clock, Bryullov sent for me. He caught Moller and Gayvazovsky ”. Selection in his workshop Bryullov conducted very carefully. “Bryullov spoke often,” recalled M.Ye. Melikov, – that among his students he can include someone who understands him, is talented and to whom he can be useful. ” Continue reading
Bouquet for Madonna
Deserved recognition M.I. Scotty brought canvases of historical content. Nowadays, the Prince of Pozharsky and Minin painting (1850, Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum) has gained special fame. Scotty’s works are kept in the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum, in Russian museum collections (Petrozavodsk, Irkutsk) and from private owners. Why is the artist forgotten? In Soviet times, knowledge of masters with a foreign name was not welcome. In addition, a significant part of the artistic heritage of Scotty are icons for Orthodox churches, many of which were destroyed. Continue reading
