Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy, an artist of the second half of the 19th century, went down in the history of Russian painting as the founder of the realistic movement in art. He actively developed the principle of critical realism in his work, as well as in articles devoted to the theory of art. Many of his paintings are recognized as classics of Russian painting. The author was a master of portraits, historical and genre scenes.

short biography

Kramskoy, an artist famous for his realistic paintings, was born in 1837 into a bourgeois family. He graduated from the Ostrogorzh real school, but due to the poverty of his family he was unable to continue his education at the gymnasium. While working in the local council, he became interested in retouching photographs. Soon M. Tulinov became his teacher, who taught him the basics of painting. A few years later, Kramskoy, an artist best known for his portraits, moved to St. Petersburg, where he began a fruitful creative career that lasted until his sudden death in 1887.

Studying at the academy

In 1857, he became a student of academician A. Markov, who specialized in historical painting. During his studies, he received several medals both for his paintings and for copies of paintings by other painters on religious themes. The future famous painter received his small gold medal for a painting dedicated to a biblical story.

To receive the title of artist with the right to receive a state pension, it was necessary to submit a work dedicated to a scene from the Scandinavian sagas to the competition. However, Kramskoy, an artist who strived for a realistic depiction of events and freedom of creativity, along with other thirteen students appealed to the administration of the academy with a request to remove them from the competition, justifying their desire by the fact that they wanted to write on topics that they themselves preferred. After this, the young painters founded their own artistic artel, which, however, did not last long, since its members very soon decided to switch to state support.

"Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions"

Who, already in the early period of his work, became a landmark event in the cultural life of the empire, became one of the organizers and ideological inspirers of this organization. Its members defended the principles of realism in art and the active social and civic position of artists. In his work, the author defended the principles of realism. He believed that paintings should not only be believable, but also carry a moral and educational meaning. Therefore, his works are imbued with a special drama.

In the 1870s, the author created a number of remarkable portraits of his famous contemporaries: he painted images of Tolstoy, Nekrasov, Shishkin, Tretyakov and others. In this series, a special place is occupied by the portrait of the artist Kramskoy, created by him himself in 1867. This painting is distinguished by a high degree of realism, like his other works of this period.

Portrait of N. Nekrasov

Such, for example, is the famous work of the artist “Nekrasov during the period of the Last Songs” of 1877-1878. In this painting, the artist set out to show the famous poet at work in the last period of his life. In general, the theme of a person’s emotional experiences, his struggle with death or some kind of shock played a big role in the artist’s work. In the master’s works, this theme did not have a social connotation, as in the works of other painters. He always showed the struggle of the spirit with illness and most powerfully managed to convey this idea in the above picture.

Women's portraits

Perhaps the master’s most famous work is the painting “Stranger”. The artist Kramskoy emphasized the beauty of his model. He emphasized that she was an urban fashionista, and therefore carefully described her appearance: a rich fur coat, a flirty headdress, magnificent jewelry and fabrics.

It is significant that the background in this canvas plays a secondary role: it is presented in a haze, as the author concentrates all his attention on the elegant young woman. The artist Ivan Kramskoy especially loved to draw portraits. The author's paintings have different moods.

If the woman in the above-described picture is depicted in a proud, confident pose, then the model in the canvas “Girl with a Loose Braid,” on the contrary, is shown in a difficult, even painful moment, when she seemed to have renounced everything around her and was completely immersed in herself. Therefore, her face, in contrast to the stranger’s appearance, expresses deep, concentrated thoughtfulness, sadness and light sadness.

"Inconsolable Sorrow"

This painting was painted in 1884, inspired by the personal grief of the artist who lost his son. Therefore, in the image of a woman depicted in a mourning dress, one can discern the features of the author’s own wife.

This painting differs from other works of the author by the hopelessness with which it is imbued. In the center of the canvas is a middle-aged woman in a black dress. She stands next to a box full of flowers. Her grief is expressed not in her pose, which is quite natural and even free, but in her eyes and the movement of her hand, with which she presses the handkerchief to her mouth. This painting is perhaps one of the most powerful in the artist’s work and Russian painting in general.

1. Participant in the "Revolt of the Fourteen"
2. Artel of free artists

And van Kramskoy participated in the famous student revolt at the Academy of Arts: he refused to write a competition paper on a given topic. Having dropped out of the Academy, he first founded the Artel of Free Artists, and later became one of the founders of the Association of Itinerants. In the 1870s, Ivan Kramskoy became a famous art critic. His paintings were bought by many collectors, including Pavel Tretyakov.

Participant in the "Revolt of the Fourteen"

Ivan Kramskoy was born in Ostrogozhsk into the family of a clerk. The parents hoped that their son would become a clerk, like his father, but the boy loved to draw from early childhood. A neighbor, self-taught artist Mikhail Tulinov, taught young Kramskoy to paint with watercolors. Later, the future artist worked as a retoucher - first for a local photographer, and then in St. Petersburg.

Ivan Kramskoy did not dare to enter the capital’s Academy of Arts: there was no primary art education. But Mikhail Tulinov, who by this time had also moved to St. Petersburg, invited him to study one of the academic disciplines - drawing from plaster. The sketch of the head of Laocoon became his introductory work. The Council of the Academy of Arts appointed Ivan Kramskoy as a student of Professor Alexei Markov. The aspiring artist not only learned to write, but also prepared cardboards for painting the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

In 1863, Ivan Kramskoy already had two medals - Small silver and Small gold. A creative competition remained ahead - those who passed it successfully received a Big Gold Medal and a retirement trip abroad for six years.

For the competition work, the council offered students a plot from Scandinavian mythology - “The Feast in Valhalla.” However, at this time, interest in genre works grew in society: paintings depicting everyday life became popular.

Academy students were divided into innovators-genre writers and historians faithful to old traditions. 14 out of 15 candidates for the Big Gold Medal refused to write competition canvases on a mythological subject. At first, they submitted several petitions to the council: they wanted to choose their own topics, demanded that exam papers be examined publicly and give reasoned assessments. Ivan Kramskoy was a “deputy” from the group of fourteen. He read out the requirements before the council and the rector of the Academy and, having received a refusal, left the exam. His comrades followed his example.

“...In the end, just in case, we stocked up on petitions saying that “for domestic or other reasons, I, so-and-so, cannot continue my course at the Academy and ask the Council to issue me a diploma corresponding to the medals with which I was awarded.” .
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One by one, the students came out of the Academy's conference rooms, and each took out a four-fold request from the side pocket of his coat and placed it in front of the clerk, who was sitting at a special table.
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When all the petitions had already been submitted, we left the board, then from the walls of the Academy, and I finally felt myself in this terrible freedom for which we all so greedily strived.”

Ivan Kramskoy

Artel of free artists

Ivan Kramskoy. Self-portrait. 1867. State Tretyakov Gallery

Ivan Kramskoy. Girl with a cat. Portrait of a daughter. 1882. State Tretyakov Gallery

Ivan Kramskoy. While reading. Portrait of Sofia Nikolaevna Kramskoy, the artist’s wife. 1869. State Tretyakov Gallery

After graduation, young artists had to leave the Academy's workshops, where they not only worked, but also lived - often with relatives or friends. There was no money to rent new apartments and workshops. To save his comrades from poverty, Kramskoy proposed creating a joint venture - the Artel of Free Artists.

Together they rented a small building where they each had their own workshop and a common spacious meeting room. The household was run by the painter's wife, Sofya Kramskaya. Soon the artists received orders: they drew illustrations for books, painted portraits, and made copies of paintings. Later, a photo studio appeared in Artel.

The association of free artists flourished. Ivan Kramskoy was involved in the affairs of Artel: he looked for customers, distributed money. At the same time, he painted portraits and gave drawing lessons at the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. One of his students was Ilya Repin. He wrote about Kramskoy: “That’s it, teacher! His sentences and praises were very weighty and had an irresistible effect on his students.”.

In 1865, the painter began painting the domes of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow using cardboards that he created during his years of study at the Academy.

At the end of 1869, Ivan Kramskoy left Russia for the first time to get acquainted with Western art. He visited several European capitals, visiting museums and art galleries there. Kramskoy’s impressions of Western painters were contradictory.

“Today I looked around the royal museum... Everything I saw made an overwhelming impression.”

Ivan Kramskoy, from a letter to his wife

When Ivan Kramskoy returned to Russia, he had a conflict with one of his comrades: he accepted a retirement trip from the Academy, which was against the rules of the “fourteen”. Kramskoy left the Artel, and soon the association of free artists disintegrated.

Founder of the Association of Itinerants

Ivan Kramskoy. Portrait of Ilya Repin. 1876. State Tretyakov Gallery

Ivan Kramskoy. Portrait of Ivan Shishkin. 1880. State Tretyakov Gallery

Ivan Kramskoy. Portrait of Pavel Tretyakov. 1876. State Tretyakov Gallery

Soon Ivan Kramskoy became one of the founders of a new creative association - the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions. Among its founders were also Grigory Myasoedov, Vasily Perov, Alexey Savrasov and other artists.

“The partnership has the goal of: organizing... in all cities of the empire traveling art exhibitions in the following forms: a) providing residents of the provinces with the opportunity to get acquainted with Russian art... b) developing a love for art in society; c) making it easier for artists to sell their works.”

From the Charter of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions

Ivan Kramskoy. May night. 1871. State Tretyakov Gallery

Ivan Kramskoy. Christ in the desert. 1872. State Tretyakov Gallery

At the first exhibition of the Itinerants in 1871, Ivan Kramskoy presented his new work - “May Night”. The artist painted a picture with mermaids bathed in moonlight in Little Russia based on a story by Gogol. The canvas with a mystical plot did not correspond to the program of the Wanderers, but the work was a success among both artists and critics, and immediately after the exhibition it was bought by Pavel Tretyakov.

“I’m glad that I didn’t completely break my neck with such a plot, and if I didn’t catch the moon, then something fantastic still came out...”

Ivan Kramskoy

In 1872, Kramskoy completed the painting “Christ in the Desert.” “For five years now He has stood relentlessly before me; I had to write it to get rid of it.", he wrote to his friend, artist Fyodor Vasiliev. For this painting, the Academy of Arts wanted to award Kramskoy the title of professor, but he refused. The painting was bought by Pavel Tretyakov for a lot of money - 6,000 rubles.

In the 1870s, Kramskoy created many portraits - of the artist Ivan Shishkin, Pavel Tretyakov and his wife, writers Leo Tolstoy, Taras Shevchenko and

In the 1880s, one of the artist’s sensational works was “Unknown.” The heroine of the canvas - a beautiful lady dressed in the latest fashion - was discussed by both critics and the public. The audience was intrigued by her personality, slightly arrogant look and impeccable outfit in the fashion of those years. In the press they wrote about the painting as the “Russian Mona Lisa,” critic Vladimir Stasov called the painting “Cocotte in a Stroller.” However, art connoisseurs paid tribute to the skill of Kramskoy, who subtly painted both the face of the unknown lady and her exquisite clothes. After the 11th exhibition of the Itinerants, where the painting was exhibited, it was bought by a major industrialist Pavel Kharitonenko.

In 1884, Kramskoy completed the canvas “Inconsolable Grief,” which depicted a grieving mother at a child’s coffin. The artist worked on it for about four years: he made pencil sketches and sketches, and changed the composition several times. Kramskoy presented a painting with a tragic plot to Pavel Tretyakov.

Ivan Kramskoy died in 1887. The artist died in his studio while painting from life by Dr. Karl Rauchfuss. The doctor tried to resuscitate him, but to no avail. The painter was buried at the Smolensk Orthodox cemetery in St. Petersburg.

Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions

Paintings by Kramskoy and biography of the artist

Self-portrait. 1867

Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy(1837-1887) - an outstanding artist of the second half of the 19th century, occupies one of the leading places in the history of Russian artistic culture. Having matured early, thinking and well-read, he quickly gained authority among his comrades and, naturally, became one of the leaders of the “revolt of the fourteen” in 1863, when a group of graduates refused to paint graduation pictures on a given mythological subject. After the rebels left the Academy of Arts, it was Kramskoy who headed the Artel of Artists created on his initiative. Kramskoy is one of the main founders of the Itinerants association, a subtle art critic, passionately interested in the fate of Russian art, he was the ideologist of a whole generation of realist artists. He took part in the development of the Charter of the Partnership and immediately became not only one of the most active and authoritative members of the board, but also the ideologist of the Partnership, defending and justifying the main positions. What distinguished him from other leaders of the Association was his independence of worldview, rare breadth of views, sensitivity to everything new in the artistic process and intolerance to any dogmatism.

Biography of Kramskoy

The work of Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy coincided with the most vibrant period in the history of Russian realistic art, when critical realism in painting and literature reached its highest level and acquired great importance in the world culture of the 19th century. However, the role of the artist in the history of Russian art is not limited to his personal creativity: with his gift as a teacher, an ideologist of a new direction, and with all his social activities, Kramskoy had a huge influence on the minds of his contemporaries.

Kramskoy was born in the city of Ostrogozhsk, Voronezh province. The future artist's early interest in art over time turned into a persistent attraction to creativity. The young Kramskoy worked for some time as a retoucher for the photographer Danilevsky and, as an assistant, endlessly wandered around the provincial cities of Russia. Finally, having arrived in St. Petersburg, he fulfills his dream - he enters the Academy of Arts. However, the bright hopes of getting to know the secrets of great art were not destined to be realized, since at that time the main principles of academic teaching remained the outlived ideas of classicism, which did not correspond at all to the new time. Advanced social circles set artists the task of being a broad and truthful father of reality. The appearance at this time of N. G. Chernyshevsky’s dissertation “The Aesthetic Relationship of Art to Reality” gave special weight to issues of art. In the fall of 1863, fourteen academicians were offered a “program” on a theme from the Scandinavian sagas “The Feast in Valhalla.” Young artists refused to write on this topic and left the Academy. The break with the Academy was led by Kramskoy. This decisive step threatened former students with political distrust from the state and material poverty and therefore required enormous courage. Having led this movement, Kramskoy assumed responsibility for the future fate of Russian art. For the purpose of mutual assistance and material support, an Artel of Artists was created, which later became the base of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions. A public figure by vocation, Kramskoy becomes one of the most active members of this organization. One of the main goals of the Partnership was the development of democratic art, not only in the form of organization, but also in ideological direction. In Russian Peredvizhniki, democratic realism as a phenomenon of world art has reached high heights. The first traveling exhibition was opened on November 21, 1871 in the building of the Academy of Arts. In the spring of 1872, she was transported to Moscow and then to Kyiv. Unlike academic ones, traveling exhibitions “moved” from city to city, arousing keen interest everywhere. Thus began the activities of this public organization, which for a number of decades united all the leading artists of Russia.

At the first traveling exhibition, Kramskoy participated in a large painting “Mermaids” based on the story of N.V. Gogol “May Night”. Here the artist was attracted by the opportunity to convey the moonlight in the language of painting, which so poetically changes everything around. Kramskoy wrote: “I’m glad that with such a plot I didn’t completely break my neck, and even if I didn’t catch the moon, something fantastic still came out.”

For the next exhibition of the Itinerants, Kramskoy painted the painting “Christ in the Desert” (1872), which was conceived as the first in a series of (never realized) paintings based on gospel subjects. The artist wrote that his task was to show the internal struggle of a person immersed in deep thoughts about the choice of life path. The painting “Christ in the Desert” was perceived by contemporaries as a symbol of a person’s high civic duty.

In the summer of 1873, Kramskoy and his family settled in the Tula province, not far from the estate of L.N. Tolstoy. Taking advantage of this proximity, Kramskoy painted a portrait of Tolstoy. Strength and solidity of personality, a clear and energetic mind - this is how the writer appears in this portrait. From the whole gallery of portraits of L. N. Tolstoy, written by N. N. Ge, I. E. Repin, L. O. Pasternak, Kramskoy’s portrait is one of the best. In turn, the artist himself served as the prototype of the artist Mikhailov in the novel “Anna Karenina”. Almost at the same time, portraits of I. I. Shishkin and N. A. Ne-krasov were created. The portrait of “Nekrasov during the period of “Last Songs” (1877) was painted at a time when Nekrasov was already seriously ill, so the sessions lasted 10-15 minutes. The most powerful impression from the portrait is the contrast between the clarity of mind, creative inspiration and physical weakness of the dying poet.

Among Kramskoy’s works there are a number of poetic female images, such as “Girl with a Loose Braid” or the famous “Stranger”, which was said to be the prototype of Anna Karenina. Back in 1874, the artist created a whole series of peasant types, the most powerful among them in terms of character is “Forest Man” (1874).

In the 80s, Kramskoy painted the painting “Inconsolable Grief,” which is largely autobiographical: the artist survived the death of two children. Kaya and in “The Widow” by Fedotov, the theme of human grief sounds mournfully here. The face and the very image of the mother who lost her child are striking.

This woman, killed by an irreparable misfortune, exists as if outside of time, it seems to have stopped. Since 1883, the artist’s health deteriorated, and Kramskoy’s last years were extremely difficult. Constant household chores and work on orders do not allow him to finish work on the painting “Laughter” (“Christ before the people”), the idea of ​​which involved the development of the theme “Christ in the Desert”, the theme of the sacrificial fate of man.

On March 25, 1887, while working on a portrait of Dr. Rauchfus, Kramskoy unexpectedly dies.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of Kramskoy’s artistic and literary heritage for Russian culture. The main ideological orientation of his artistic activity is a deep interest in understanding the man of his era, whether the artist depicted him in the guise of a gospel tale or in the guise of his contemporary. Kramskoy’s social activities and his work became a school for a whole generation of Russian artists.

Self-portrait. 1874.

Christ in the desert.180 x 210 cm. 1872

Mermaids. 1871

ON THE. Nekrasov during the period of the Last Songs. 1877-1878

Moses' prayer after the Israelites crossed the Black Sea. 1861

Herodias. 1884-1886

While reading. Portrait of Sofia Nikolaevna Kramskoy, the artist’s wife. 1866-1869

Female portrait. 1884

Female portrait. 1867

A girl with a loose braid. 1873

A girl with laundry on a yoke among the grass. 1874

Peasant's head. 1874

Convalescent. 1885

Bouquet of flowers. Phloxes. 1884

Actor Alexander Pavlovich Lensky as Petruchio in Shakespeare's comedy The Taming of the Shrew. 1883

Portrait of Vera Nikolaevna Tretyakova. 1879

Portrait of Vera Nikolaevna Tretyakova. 1876

Portrait of Anatoly Ivanovich Kramskoy, the artist’s son. 1882

Portrait of Adrian Viktorovich Prakhov, art historian and art critic. 1879

Portrait of the artist Mikhail Klodt. 1872

Portrait of the artist K.A. Savitsky.

Portrait of the artist I.K. Aivazovsky

Portrait of the artist I. E. Repin

Portrait of the artist Grigory Myasoedov

Portrait of the artist Alexey Bogolyubov. 1869

Portrait of the philosopher Vladimir Sergeevich Solovyov. 1885

Portrait of Sofia Ivanovna Kramskoy, the artist’s daughter. 1882

Portrait of the sculptor Mark Matveevich Antokolsky. 1876

Portrait of the poet Yakov Petrovich Polonsky. 1875

Portrait of the poet Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov. 1877

Portrait of the poet and artist Taras Grigorievich Shevchenko. 1871

Portrait of the writer Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov. 1878

Portrait of the writer Mikhail Evgrafovich Saltykov (N. Shchedrin). 1879

Portrait of the writer Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy. 1873

Portrait of the writer Ivan Aleksandrovich Goncharov. 1874

Portrait of the writer Dmitry Vasilyevich Grigorovich. 1876

Portrait of singer Elizaveta Andreevna Lavrovskaya, on the stage in the Assembly of the Nobility. 1879

Portrait of Nikolai Ivanovich Kramskoy, the artist’s son. 1882

Portrait of Empress Maria Feodorovna

Portrait of the publisher and publicist Alexey Sergeevich Suvorin. 1881

Portrait of I.I. Shishkin. 1880

Portrait of the artist Ivan Shishkin. 1873

Laughter (Hail, King of the Jews). Late 1870s - 1880s

Poet Apollo Nikolaevich Maikov. 1883

Portrait of the artist F.A. Vasilyev. 1871

He did not have strong organizational skills. Thanks to Kramskoy, all artistic formations of the second half of the 19th century were created. Kramskoy was the main Itinerant and a great theorist in art.

The artist's parents were bourgeois. Kramskoy's father was a clerk of the city duma; he died when the boy was 12 years old. At the age of 12, Ivan Kramskoy graduated from the Ostrogozhsk School with certificates of merit in all subjects. Then, until the age of 16, in the Duma, where my father worked, he studied calligraphy. At the age of 15, he began studying with an Ostrogozh icon painter and studied for about a year. At the age of 16, Ivan leaves Ostrogozhsk with a Kharkov photographer, working as a retoucher and watercolorist. So he traveled around Russia for three years.

Since 1857 I.N. Kramskoy in St. Petersburg. Having no art education, he enters the Academy of Arts, having successfully passed the exams! The young man spends six years within the walls of the Academy, facing the difficulties of earning a living. To earn a living I.N. Kramskoy comes to Denyer, who opened his own “daguerreotype establishment”, where artists practiced photography. Kramskoy was known as the “god of retouching.”

In 1863, the young painter left the Academy with a loud scandal that made him famous. His nature was formed on the writings of the critic and novelist Chernyshevsky. I.N. Kramskoy led the famous “revolt of 14”. Fourteen graduates refused to write a competition paper on mythological history, wanting to choose a free topic. So, having refused to fight for the Big Gold Medal, they slammed the door. They organized an “Artel of Artists”, with Kramskoy as its leader and inspirer. The Artel of Artists declared deductions in the amount of 10% of private cash receipts and 25% of earnings for “artel” works, but some artists hid their income. With the growth of popularity, “there appeared,” according to Kramskoy, “some thirst for the spirit, while others had complete contentment and obesity.” Because of this, in 1870 the artist left the artel, which soon disintegrated after his departure.

Married I.N. Kramskoy on Sofya Nikolaevna Prokhorova, who lived in a civil marriage with another artist - a certain Popov. Popov was officially married to another woman. He soon leaves abroad, and the young woman is left alone. Saving her reputation, Kramskoy extended a helping hand to her, taking upon himself all the negative assessments of his chosen one’s behavior. The marriage was happy, the family had six children (the two youngest sons died in childhood). Sofya Nikolaevna has always been the artist’s guardian angel.

After Kramskoy left the artel, he was inspired by G. Myasoedov’s new idea about organizing a new “Moscow-St. Petersburg” art association. This association is known to us from the history of Russia under the name “Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions.” The goals of the Partnership, in accordance with the Charter, read: “The organization of traveling art exhibitions in all cities of the empire, in the following forms: 1) providing residents of the provinces with the opportunity to get acquainted with Russian art and follow its successes; 2) developing love for art in society; 3) making it easier for artists to sell their works.”

I.N. Kramskoy became close friends with the philanthropist P.M. Tretyakov, becoming his advisor and executor of a number of his orders. However, fulfilling orders often resembled “bondage.” In the early 1870s, Kramskoy met the talented landscape artist Fyodor Vasiliev; the friendship had a tragic end. The young painter burned out from consumption.

Despite the fact that Kramskoy had been abroad, he remained indifferent to the search for new painting, considering them “fleeting.” Kramskoy felt like a prophet sounding the alarm. From the first Itinerant Exhibition (1871) to the 16th, Kramskoy was one of its main exhibitors. Not only success accompanied Kramskoy, in recent years the Partnership has subjected Kramskoy to severe criticism. “Almost everyone turned their backs on me... I feel insulted,” Kramskoy lamented at the end of his life.

In 1884, while living in a small French town, he treated his heart under the supervision of Russian doctors, and in his free time from treatment he gave drawing lessons to his daughter Sonya - in the future, at the turn of the century, a fairly popular artist. His life ended at work; he was then painting a portrait of Dr. K. Rauchfus.

Famous works of Kramskoy Ivan Nikolaevich

The painting “Mermaids” was painted by the artist in 1871 and is located in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Kramskoy showed this picture at the first Peredvizhniki exhibition, which he himself organized. The painting is based on the plot of V. Gogol’s story “May Night”. Kramskoy said that he wanted to portray “something fantastic,” “to catch the moon.” The plot, compared to the literary source of inspiration, is freely executed. The painting depicts all the grace, immensity, silvery light of the Ukrainian night.

The painting “N.A. Nekrasov during the period of “The Last Songs” (1877-78), State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. The portrait of Nekrasov, who became seriously ill in 1877, was commissioned by P. Tretyakov, who wanted the trace of the poet and writer to remain in the history of Russia. P. Tretyakov placed the portrait in his gallery. According to the original plan, Nekrasov was supposed to be shown wearing pillows. However, contemporaries argued that it was impossible to imagine a “great fighter” even in a robe. Thus, Kramskoy painted a bust-length portrait of Nekrasov with crossed arms. The portrait was completed in March 1877, but a few days later the artist began a new portrait, in accordance with the original plan, and completed it after the poet’s death in 1878. In the process of work, Kramskoy increased the size of the canvas, stitching it on all sides. He created the image of a “hero”, from which he removed Nekrasov’s beloved dog and his weapons cabinet, which were reminiscent of the poet’s hunting passion, from sight. The painting “N.A. Nekrasov in the period of “last songs”” combines the intimacy of the image and the monumentality of the image of a person with extraordinary spiritual power.

In the back of the room is a bust of the great critic Belinsky, who played a major role in the poet’s life, giving him his worldview. On the wall, portraits of Dobrolyubov and Mitskevich reveal Nekrasov’s beliefs. On the shelf next to the deathbed of the hero of the canvas is the Sovremennik magazine, the editor of which was N.A. Nekrasov. The author falsely dated the painting – March 3, 1877. On this day, Nekrasov read the poem “Bayushki-Bai” to the artist, which the artist spoke of as “the greatest work.”

“Go to sleep, patient sufferer!
Free, proud and happy
You will see your homeland,
Bye-bye-bye-bye!”

Kramskoy painted the painting “Unknown” in 1883; the painting is located in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Kramskoy in his works endows the heroines with an image of femininity. This picture received wide publicity at the 11th exhibition of the TPHV, and was almost accompanied by a scandal. Contemporaries didn’t like the title of the painting either; we know it as “The Stranger.” With extraordinary passion, the public solved the artist’s riddle! Ultimately, she was called a “demi-monde lady” (rich kept woman). V. Stasov wrote: “Cocotte in a stroller.” Stasov’s opinion was confirmed by a sketch for a painting with characteristic vulgarity that became famous. The Russian commitment to literary illusions made “The Unknown” first Natalya Filippovna from Dostoevsky’s “The Idiot,” then Anna Karenina, then Blok’s stranger, and then completely the embodiment of femininity. P. Tretyakov did not buy this work. And the painting appeared in the gallery during the nationalization of private collections in 1925.

Kramskoy was an excellent painter of light and air, and in this picture he brilliantly depicted a frosty pink haze, introducing a feeling of cold. The woman’s clothing corresponds to the fashion of 1883, the heroine is wearing a “Francis” hat with an ostrich feather, a “Skobelev” cut coat, and Swedish gloves. The background of the picture is Nevsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg. Despite their sketchiness, the buildings depicted by Kramskoy are quite recognizable. The heroine has a gypsy type of face, a somewhat contemptuous expression, a sensual look. What is the secret of beauty?

Painting “Inconsolable Grief” (1884), State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. The heroine of the canvas is endowed with the features of the artist’s wife, Sofia Nikolaevna. In the painting, the Russian artist reflected a personal tragedy - the loss of his youngest son. For a long time, Kramskoy could not construct the composition of the painting, having painted three canvases. At the same time, the heroine herself grew old and seemed to “rise” to her feet: at first she sat by the hearse; then - on a chair; and finally, she stood near the coffin. The artist's work was long and painful. This is the only work from the 1880s purchased by P. Tretyakov. However, P. Tretyakov was not very interested in purchasing the painting because he was sure that it would not find a buyer.

There is dead silence in this work. All internal movement is concentrated in the heroine’s eyes, full of inescapable melancholy, and her hands pressing a handkerchief to her lips - these are the only bright spots in the composition, the rest seems to fade into shadow. On the wall is Aivazovsky’s painting “The Black Sea”. It brings human life closer to the life of the sea element, in which storms give way to calm. The red flower symbolizes fragile human life. The wreath placed on the coffin contrasts brightly with the mourning dress of the inconsolable mother.

Masterpiece of Kramskoy I.N. – painting “Christ in the Desert”

The artist’s work was completed in 1872 and can be seen in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Kramskoy’s first fascinations with the theme of the temptation of Christ date back to the period of the artist’s life, when he studied at the Academy, in the 1860s. Then the first sketch of the composition was made. This painting was created over ten years. 1867 – the first unsuccessful version of the painting. The end result was distinguished by its stony, endless desert behind Christ. In order to find the right composition, the Russian artist went abroad in 1869 to look at the paintings of other artists who explored the same theme. For this painting, the Academy wanted to award Kramskoy the title of professor, which he refused. This painting was one of the favorite paintings of P. Tretyakov, who bought it without haggling for 6,000 rubles. Not many artists could risk painting the theme of the temptation of Christ. Among them are Duccio, Botticelli, Rubens, Blake. Realism allowed the artist to move away from the academic structure inherent in secular painting until the mid-19th century. So Christ was humanized, and the picture conveyed his soul in unison with modernity. Kramskoy rediscovered the theme of Christ, and V. Polenov, V. Vasnetsov, I. Repin, V. Vereshchagin followed in his footsteps.

The pink dawn is a symbol of new life, the emergence of Christianity. The subject of the picture is the life of the spirit reflected in the face of Christ. In Kramskoy’s portraiture, the emphasis is on the hero’s face, the mirror of the soul, which the artist achieved by painting clothes without detailing them and hiding them. The intensity of Christ's inner struggles is conveyed in His clenched hands. The landscape painted by Kramskoy is so deserted and wild that it seems as if no human has ever set foot here. He, immersed in heavy thoughts, does not notice this hostility. Christ's feet are marked with stones and oozing blood. In the viewer’s imagination, a long road appears that precedes the morning thoughts of the hero of the picture.

• Country house in France

• forest path

• In the park. Portrait of wife and daughter

• Mermaids

• ON THE. Nekrasov during the period of “last songs”