Preparation for an essay based on the painting by A.M. Gerasimova “After the Rain” The presentation was made by a teacher of Russian language and literature from MBOU secondary school No. 17 a. Psebe Pashchenko S.N.
Objectives: to introduce students to a work of Russian painting of the early 20th century; collect the materials necessary to write an essay; contribute to enriching students' speech, expanding their horizons by familiarizing themselves with works of art
Let's review Genres of painting Portrait Still life landscape Types of texts Narration Description Reasoning
Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov
Family portrait of A.M. Gerasimov was born in merchant family in Kozlov (now Michurinsk), studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Portrait painter, landscape painter, master of thematic painting. People's Artist of the USSR, full member of the USSR Academy of Arts, Doctor of Art History.
By 1935, having painted many portraits of V.I. Lenin, I.V. Stalin and other Soviet leaders, A.M. Gerasimov, tired of the struggle for official recognition and success, went to rest in his home and beloved city of Kozlov. This is where the " Wet terrace ».
The history of the creation of the painting “After the Rain” I made the sketch in two hours. It happened like this: I was painting a group portrait of my family on the terrace. The sun was hot, scattering bright spots across the greenery. And suddenly clouds rolled in. A gusty wind, tearing off rose petals and scattering them on the table, knocked over a glass of water. The rain poured down, and my family disappeared into the house. And I was overcome with unexpected delight. From fresh greenery and sparkling streams of water that flooded the table with a bouquet of roses, the bench and the floorboards. Fortunately, I had a stretcher with a canvas at hand, and I feverishly began to paint. There was no need to rearrange or add anything - everything that was in front of my eyes was so beautiful.
Conversation about the painting What is shown in the painting? What genre would you classify the painting by A.M. Gerasimova? By what details of the picture do we guess that it has just rained? Did the artist manage to convey the feeling of freshness after the rain? The painting has two titles. Why do you think? Which title more accurately conveys the author's intention? What type of text will your essay be classified as? A. M. Gerasimova “After the rain (Wet terrace)”
Describe what you see. Round table, a bouquet of flowers in a jug, carved table legs, an overturned glass, the shine of wet surfaces, shadows from objects.
Vocabulary work. Summer rain; everything is filled with moisture; everything shines; fresh, rain-washed foliage; in the foreground and background; Roses flame in the glass decanter; wet shine, dim sunlight; there are also lines from the poem by A.Ya. Yashin; overturned glass; through the thick green foliage you can see the roof of heaven; I feel the freshness of the air and the silence; te rra asa, per rila.
A. Yashin After the rain The rain passed along the garden path. Drops hang on the branches like earrings. If you touch a birch tree, it will perk up and laugh. He will laugh until he bursts into tears. The rain rustled across the wide meadow. Even the flowers were surprised at each other: In the cups of the leaves, on each blade of grass There was a little light, a piece of silver.
Syntax. Punctuation. Write down the sentences, place punctuation marks: I remember the lines from the poem by A.Ya. Yashin After the rain Drops on the branches hang like earrings In the cups of the leaves on each blade of grass there is a sparkle of silver. Everything shines in the foreground, the railing, the bench, the floor on the terrace and the table top. The roses are flaming in a glass decanter and raindrops are also hanging on them. There is a damp shine and dim sunlight all around, and you can clearly feel the freshness of the air and the silence of the moment that comes immediately after the rain.
Test yourself I remember the lines from A.Ya. Yashin’s poem “After the Rain”: “Drops hang on the branches like earrings”, “In the cups of the leaves, on each blade of grass there is a little light, a piece of silver.” Everything shines in the foreground: the railing, the bench, the floor on the terrace and the table top. The roses are flaming in the glass decanter, and raindrops are also hanging on them. There is a damp shine and dim sunlight all around, and you can clearly feel the freshness of the air and the silence of the moment that comes immediately after the rain.
An excerpt from L.N. Tolstoy’s story “Adolescence” “But the rain becomes finer; the cloud begins to divide into wavy clouds, brighten in the place where the sun should be, and through the grayish-white edges of the cloud a piece of clear azure is barely visible. A minute later, a timid ray of sun is already shining in the puddles of the road. I feel an inexpressibly gratifying feeling of hope in life. My soul smiles just like refreshed, cheerful nature. I lean out of the chaise and greedily drink in the fragrant air. Everything is wet and shines in the sun, as if covered with varnish. I can’t sit in the chaise, I run to the bushes, tear the wet branches of the blossoming bird cherry, hit myself in the face with them and revel in their wonderful smell.”
Let's select synonyms to avoid repetitions. Painting - canvas, landscape Artist - painter, landscape painter Drew - depicted, showed
Color and mood Color in a painting has great importance. Using color, the artist creates an image, conveys his attitude towards the hero, and evokes a certain mood. We see soft, calm colors: light green and dark green, pinkish-yellow, burgundy tones. These combinations create a summer mood. The silver tint on all items gives a feeling of coolness. The artist loves his garden very much, native nature. He likes to depict changes in nature.
Approximate plan 1. Before us is A. M. Gerasimov’s painting “After the Rain.” 2. Wet terrace. 3. Garden after the rain. 4. Color of the picture. 5. The mood that the picture creates.
"After the Rain" is one of the best landscapes artist Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov. Like others, this picture is distinguished by its simplicity, clarity and festivity. A heavy summer rain has just passed. He left his marks on everything. The bushes and trees were saturated with moisture. Fresh, rain-washed foliage glistens on wet branches. “Drops hang on the branches like earrings,” wrote the poet A. Ya. Yashin. And I also remember the lines from his poem “After the Rain”: “In the cups of the leaves, on each blade of grass there is a little light, a piece of silver.” Everything glitters: the roof of the barn, in the distance, in the background, and what is in the foreground: the railing, the bench, the floor on the terrace, the table top. Everything reminds us of the raging disaster. There is still a lot of water on all these items. The roses are flaming in the glass decanter, and raindrops are also hanging on them. And next to it lies an overturned glass: it’s clear that the rain was heavy. There is a damp shine all around, dim sunlight breaking through the parting clouds, and you can clearly feel the freshness of the air and the silence of that moment that came immediately after the rain.
Homework Write a draft essay
THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK
Literature: Russian language. 6th grade. Textbook For general education institutions. At 2 o'clock /(M.T. Baranov, T.A. Ladyzhenskaya, L.T. Trostentsova and others; scientific editor. N.M. Shansky) - M.: Education, 20013. Khodyakova L.A. The use of painting in teaching the Russian language. - M.: Enlightenment. 1983 Internet resources: Russian general education portal. Collection: MHC. Gerasimov A.M. - http://artclassic.edu.ru/catalog.asp?ob_no=%2016527 template - http://whynotra.moy.su/_nw/14/15329.jpg Paintings by A.M. Gerasimov: http://www .amgerasimov.michmuzei.ru/paints/ger00avtoportret.jpg http://artclassic.edu.ru/attach.asp?a_no=6487 http://artclassic.edu.ru/attach.asp?a_no=6457 http:// www.amgerasimov.michmuzei.ru/paints/ger04tropinka.jpg http://www.tstu.ru/win/kultur/kul_img/mus_img/ger_img/terrasa.jpg House Museum - http://www.tstu.ru/ win/kultur/kul_img/mus_img/ger_img/terr.jpg After the rain - http://www.e1.ru/fun/photo/view_pic.php/p//view.pic
Preview:
Summary of a Russian language lesson in 6th grade.
Teacher – Svetlana Nikolaevna Pashchenko, MBOU secondary school No. 17 a. Psebe
Subject : “Preparation for an essay based on the painting by A. M. Gerasimov “After the Rain (Wet Terrace).”
Goals
educational: get acquainted with short biography artist, teach to “read” a picture, collect working materials for an essay;
developing : develop oral and written coherent speech, creativity and emotional sphere, interest in painting, expand lexicon, build skills collaboration in Group;
educational : to cultivate a feeling of love for nature, native land.
Lesson type : speech development lesson
Technology : lesson-workshop
Forms of organization of cognitive activity:individual, frontal, group (guys work in a group)
Equipment : presentation; reproduction of the painting “After the Rain”, portrait of the artist, easel, brushes, paints, audio recording “Thunderstorm. Calm. Joyful singing of birds”, handout – an excerpt from L. N. Tolstoy’s story “Adolescence”, textbook, explanatory and spelling dictionaries.
During the classes.
1. introduction teachers.
Hello guys. You are in an artist's studio. What do you see here? (Easel, paints, sketches, canvases...) With their help, the artist creates a picture, a real miracle that lives and delights us for centuries. Today you and I will also try ourselves in the role of artists, but not ordinary ones, but artists whose instrument is the word.
2. Appeal to the emotional and visual memory of children. Induction.
Please close your eyes. Listen to the recordings.
(The recording “Thunderstorm. Calm. Joyful singing of birds” is turned on.)
What picture did you present? Tell me.
Do you like summer rain? Imagine that you went outside after a thunderstorm. What did you see? What did you feel? (Exchange impressions.) So today you and I will prepare for an essay based on the painting by A. M. Gerasimov “After the Rain (Wet Terrace)” (Slide 1) and talk about what the artist A. M. Gerasimov saw after the rain, when I went out onto my terrace.
Let's repeat. What genres of painting do you know? What types of text? (slide 3)
Are you interested in learning about the artist and how this painting came about?
3. A story about the artist and his painting. (slides 4-7)
A.M. Gerasimov was born into a merchant family in Kozlov (now Michurinsk), and studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Portrait painter, landscape painter, master of thematic painting. People's Artist of the USSR, full member of the USSR Academy of Arts, Doctor of Art History.
The artist A. M. Gerasimov lived in Moscow for a long time and was a Kremlin painter: he painted pictures of the leaders Stalin, Lenin, and other leaders of the country. But soon he moves to his hometown of Kozlov (now the city of Michurinsk, Tambov region). He loved his house and garden very much. He especially liked to watch nature during or after rain. His sister recalled that he was once shocked by the sight of their garden after a heavy summer rainstorm. The artist shouted to his assistant to quickly give him a brush and palette. So in three hours the painting “After the Rain” was created, which Gerasimov considered one of his best paintings.
What interesting things did you hear about the artist and his painting? (The painting “After the Rain” was created in three hours!)
4. Formulation of the topic and objectives of the lesson.
An artist works with paints, and in our studio we will work with words. Tell me, what can you come up with from words? Right. Phrases, sentences, text. What kind of text can you write about the painting? (Story, essay.) Formulate the topic of the lesson. (“Preparation for an essay based on A. M. Gerasimov’s painting “After the Rain.”)
What do you think it means to write an essay based on a painting?
Understand the artist's intention. Trace how the artist realized his plan in the painting (composition, color scheme). Convey your attitude towards what is depicted on the canvas, your thoughts, feelings.
How to prepare for an essay?
You need to collect the necessary words, phrases, sentences to make a good text; make an essay plan. Then it will be easier for us to write it.
So you said the objectives of our lesson. Tell me, why did we sit in groups?
We will work together, listen to each other and help each other.
Right. But don’t rush to take someone else’s, maybe your option is also good, because the motto of our workshop is “You are all capable!”
5. Lexical work. Deconstruction.
Highlight keywords in the title of the picture. Write them down in a column. Rain, terrace, wet. Explain the word "terrace". You can look up the meaning of the word in explanatory dictionary. (Summer open (without walls) extension to a house or building.) Pay attention to how this word is spelled.
Is it possible to see terraces in our area?
Terraces are built in middle lane Russia, in the south, but here, in the north, there are verandas next to houses.
Find synonyms for the words “rain”, “wet”. (Reading synonyms aloud.) Why do you need to choose them? To avoid repetitions. Choose adjectives for the nouns “terrace”, “rain”. Adjectives enrich the content of the sentence with which we will compose the text.
6. Re-examination of the picture. Deconstruction and socialization (slide 8)
What is shown in the picture?
What genre would you classify the painting by A.M. Gerasimova?
By what details of the picture do we guess that it has just rained?
Did the artist manage to convey the feeling of freshness after the rain?
The painting has two titles. Why do you think? Which title more accurately conveys the author's intention?
What type of text will your essay be classified as?
Describe what you see (slide 9)A round table, a bouquet of flowers in a jug, carved table legs, an overturned glass, the shine of wet surfaces, shadows from objects.
7. Let’s do vocabulary work (slide 10): Writing in notebooks
Summer rain; everything is drunk o moisture; everything shines; fresh, washed shower of foliage; on the front in the background; the flames are burning in the glass fine roses; wet shine, not me bright sunlight; vsp about m and I find lines from the poem about creations of A.Ya. Yashin; def about a thrown glass; through the thick green foliage you can see the roof of heaven; I feel fresh there is air and silence and on; te rra asa, per rila.
8. Referring to additional sources. Break. (slide 11)
Both poets and writers - masters of words - write about what happens in nature after rain. Listen to one poem (read by heart by a trained student). What do the poem and the painting have in common? This is a poem by the poet A. Yashin “After the Rain”. It's in your textbook. Which unusual words found by the poet to more clearly show changes in nature? Compare with your text to see if you have any unusual words. In the group, look at which words from the poem fit our picture. Write them out. Consider whether there are artistic means here. (“Drops on the branches hang like earrings” - simile, “In the cups of leaves, on each blade of grass there is a little light, a piece of silver” - metaphor.) What is the role of these artistic means? Can these lines be used in an essay? How to arrange this?
Syntax. Punctuation. Let's make up sentences and write them down in a notebook, check what we've written. (slides 12-13)
- I remember the lines from A.Ya. Yashin’s poem “After the Rain”: “Drops hang on the branches like earrings”, “In the cups of the leaves, on each blade of grass there is a light, a piece of silver.”
- Everything shines in the foreground: the railing, the bench, the floor on the terrace and the table top.
- The roses are flaming in the glass decanter, and raindrops are also hanging on them.
- There is a damp shine and dim sunlight all around, and you can clearly feel the freshness of the air and the silence of the moment that comes immediately after the rain.
Here is an excerpt from L.N. Tolstoy’s story “Adolescence”. Read it expressively (slide 14):
“But the rain is getting shallower; the cloud begins to divide into wavy clouds, brighten in the place where the sun should be, and through the grayish-white edges of the cloud a piece of clear azure is barely visible. A minute later, a timid ray of sun is already shining in the puddles of the road. I feel an inexpressibly gratifying feeling of hope in life. My soul smiles just like refreshed, cheerful nature. I lean out of the chaise and greedily drink in the fragrant air. Everything is wet and shines in the sun, as if covered with varnish. I can’t sit in the chaise, I run to the bushes, tear the wet branches of the blossoming bird cherry, hit myself in the face with them and revel in their wonderful smell.”
What kind of mood does spring rain create in Tolstoy's hero?
Are your feelings that you experience when looking at the picture similar to the feelings of the hero?
Find those combinations that can be used in your essay.
Pay attention to what amazing words the masters of words find in order to show the picture more expressively and more accurately express the feelings of the characters. Let's learn this skill.
Let's select synonyms to avoid repetitions (slide 15)
- Painting - canvas, landscape
- Artist - painter, landscape painter
- Drew - depicted, showed
9. Discussion of ways to analyze the picture.
What first caught your eye when you looked at the painting? (Terrace.) So, how best to describe the picture? (First the foreground, then the background.)
What else are we talking about when we describe an artist’s painting? (About the colors the artist used)
Why are paintings created? (The artist wants to say with his painting how beautiful our land is. We, the viewers, enjoy the created images and are imbued with a good mood.)
Right. This means that in the essay you also need to express your mood.
10. Talk about the color scheme of the painting. (slide 16)
What colors did the artist use? Write it down in your notebook. Speak up in the group and say it out loud.
Why did the artist use these particular colors?
Color in a painting is of great importance. Using color, the artist creates an image, conveys his attitude towards the hero, and evokes a certain mood. We see soft, calm colors: light green and dark green, pinkish-yellow, burgundy tones. These combinations create a summer mood. The silver tint on all items gives a feeling of coolness.
What can you say about the artist - the author of the picture? (He loves his garden and his native nature very much. He likes to depict changes in nature.)
11. Talk about the mood of the audience (students).
Look carefully at the picture again. Do you like her? How? What mood does it create? What are your feelings? Write down 1-2 sentences.
12. Making a plan. Socialization. (slide 17)
How will we arrange the material that you have collected? Make your plan. Then discuss them as a group and select the best ones. Read them out loud. (The plan might be something like this:
1. Before us is a painting by A. M. Gerasimov “After the Rain.”
2. Wet terrace.
3. Garden after the rain.
4. Color of the picture.
5. The mood that the picture creates.
13. Compilation of text. Reconstruction.
Tell me, can we compose the text now? Compose your text based on the available material. Then read it to the group. Discuss. Decide whose texts are better. We will be happy to listen to them. Good luck to you! Remember: you are all capable!
14. Listening to the best texts, group performances. Evaluation of other groups. Advertising. (slide 18)
What did you like about the essay? Lucky moments?
What needs to be added?
15. Homework. (slide 19)
Supplement the text with notes from a notebook, figurative means, individual impressions and write a draft essay.
16. Reflection.
What did you learn today?
What discovery did you make today?
What's your mood?
Did you enjoy working as a group?
Which of your comrades surprised you? How?
What didn't work out very well group work? Why do you think?
List of used literature.
1.Russian language. 6th grade. Textbook For general education institutions. At 2 o'clock /(M.T. Baranov, T.A. Ladyzhenskaya, L.T. Trostentsova and others; scientific editor. N.M. Shansky) - M.: Education, 20013.
To write an essay on the topic “After the Rain” with a description of the painting, we will draw up a plan according to which the text itself will then be written.
Essay plan
In the introduction it is worth giving general words about the time the painting was painted and the personality of the artist. Then - about how the picture was painted, what is depicted on it. Next, you need to talk about the impression this work made on you. At the end of the essay you should make a short conclusion.
So, the plan for an essay on the topic “After the Rain” is as follows:
Introduction.
1. The history of the creation of the painting.
2. What and how is depicted.
3. My impressions of the picture.
Conclusion.
Introduction
The painting “After the Rain” by Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov (the second version of the title is “Wet Terrace”) was painted in 1935, when the artist had already become a mature master. His work today is usually attributed to the movement socialist realism. Gerasimov painted many paintings. Among them are portraits, genre scenes, landscapes, and still lifes. Such a quantity required enormous efficiency and creative concentration from the master. I think most of his life was spent at the canvas.
As you know, Gerasimov was especially popular with Joseph Stalin. Today it is even customary to say that he was the leader’s favorite artist. The painter has many canvases depicting Stalin, Lenin, Voroshilov and other communist figures. The creation of these official and pretentious canvases imposed demands on the artist for increased responsibility. Any errors or inaccuracies were unacceptable. This is approximately the same as if a student from our school began to paint a portrait of the school principal or even the mayor of the city. Although, of course, in the case of Stalin everything was much more serious.
I am writing all this because it is clear that such a number of “commissioned” works could not but be created by the artist precisely at the request of the leader. It would hardly have been possible otherwise at that time. Moreover, as you know, Klimenty Voroshilov once saved Gerasimov’s family from dispossession (the artist’s father was a merchant-cattle breeder), helped preserve the estate and introduced him to the leader.
Well, and then - “master of socialist realism”, “Stalin’s favorite artist”, as well as quite official regalia (first president of the USSR Academy of Arts, four-time laureate Stalin Prize, folk artist THE USSR). And all this had to be justified by constant and fruitful work. Which, it seems to me, could not but leave an imprint on the artist’s work as a whole.
The history of the painting
One of the indicators of this is the painting “After the Rain. Wet terrace." The artist’s sister said that the artist created it in literally three hours, inspired by the view of the terrace and garden refreshed after a rainstorm.
According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Alexander Gerasimov, As a person and an artist, he was partial to flowers. His favorite flowers were always peonies and roses. The artist’s brushes include many canvases with images of various bouquets or simply flowers growing in a meadow. And in the garden of his house in the provincial town of Kozlov (now the city of Michurinsk) both peonies and roses grew.
Alexander Mikhailovich himself said that he felt it was his duty as an artist to reflect “these beautiful creatures of nature.” But, he added, “Konstantin Alekseevich Korovin, of course, did it better than me. His roses have more tenderness, poetry, and airiness. As a steppe dweller, I have something else in my roses: the power and abundance of the earthly forces of black earth fertility.”
Yes, his writing style is close to Korovin’s (as you know, Konstantin Korovin was his teacher), but why is the sophistication and lyricism of Korovin’s style so clearly felt in comparison with some of the simplicity and clumsiness of Gerasimov’s? Even when Korovin does not write down the details, but paints almost sketchily, the faces of his portraits are so interesting that you want to peer into them and figure out who these people were, how they lived, what they thought. On the faces and poses of the heroes of Gerasimov’s portraits, the artist depicted everything he wanted to depict, and there is no need to unravel anything. Compare the canvases with images of people or genre scenes of both of these artists, and you will understand what I am talking about.
What and how is shown
Gerasimov’s painting “Wet Terrace” depicts a terrace flooded after the rain, on which there is a table with a bouquet of flowers. Behind the terrace is a garden, wet and disturbed by the downpour.
Of course, the painting was made by a master. There can be no doubt about this. It has a lot of space and light colors. And the wet floors of the terrace, and the bench, and the table, and the flowers - everything was painted with love and skill, with confident and at the same time soft strokes. The rain-drenched terrace and table turned out to be especially realistic.
But for some reason it seems to me that some moments in this picture are far-fetched and the whole composition is built in such a way that everything is immediately clear to the person looking at it. As they say - “head on”.
There is an overturned glass on the table. The artist seems to be saying: “It started to rain, it blew strong wind, the glass was knocked over by a gust of this wind, feel it!" Why didn’t the glass roll off the table and fall to the floor? It’s just that the bad weather ended as suddenly as it began, everything calmed down.
What about a bouquet of peonies? After all, everyone knows: peonies are very delicate flowers, they fall off easily. If the wind had blown so hard that the glass had tipped over, the bouquet would have lost many more petals than shown in the picture. It is possible, and even most likely, that the vase would not have stood. But the petals under the vase are drawn, or rather, marked, only slightly so that we believe in artistic production.
The table seems alien on this canvas. It stands on the side, completing the composition and filling the hole leading out of the terrace. It was necessary for an artist who was solving a specific compositional problem. And he first saw the terrace and the wet garden, took a full breath of the humid summer air and was delighted. And then he brought and set the table, a bouquet of peonies, after shaking them so that they dropped a few petals. Nearby, he carefully placed a glass on its side - so that we could understand: a man was sitting at the table, drinking something, looking into the garden, admiring the flowers on the table, thinking... And suddenly - rain! And there was such a wind that the man from the terrace rushed into the house, leaving everything behind.
Opposite the terrace, behind the trees, there is an old barn. I will never believe that people who own such a generally simple and not very well-kept household would put a finely crafted table with bent elegant legs on the terrace to deteriorate in the rain and winds. But this can be called just nitpicking, I understand.
My impressions
Overall, I was not impressed with the picture. The simplest things prevented me from perceiving all these lyrics, which the viewer should have to guess here - the humid air, the freshness, the fragrance of wet grass and trees, the quiet breeze, which is already only hinting at the passing thunderstorm, which I talked about in my essay on the topic " After the Rain" based on a painting by Gerasimov. In my opinion, the composition of the picture is empty and something is missing in it - something more lively and interesting than an overturned glass. Therefore, I, as a viewer, became bored.
When Gerasimov later called this painting “favorite,” he probably meant the admiration from the terrace that he experienced, and the very process of working on the painting. But the admiration was not conveyed to me personally. And placed in Right place a table and a bouquet are not enough.
Conclusion
An essay on the topic “After the Rain” (6th grade) is dedicated to the painting of the same name by Gerasimov. It's really beautiful picture. It is no coincidence that today it is on display at the State Tretyakov Gallery.
Gerasimov’s canvas is light and should please, but it’s not interesting to me. But I’m not an artist, and in my essay on the topic “After the Rain” I can talk about this viewer’s impression of mine.
I bring one of possible options understanding this work of art in this mini-essay on the topic "After the Rain". It is hardly possible for everyone to agree on this picture. As well as about any story, poem, song.
If a person likes or doesn’t like something, let him ask himself - why? It is not enough to trust emotions; you must try to comprehend what you see or listen to. In my essay on the topic “After the Rain” (Gerasimov A.M.) I did exactly this.
The artist in his painting tried to convey something to us. Whether he succeeded, only we will decide, but each in his own way.
The artist Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov stood at the origins of the new, Soviet pictorial art. He painted many official, “ceremonial” and informal, “everyday” portraits of the leaders of the top officials of the state, including Lenin and Stalin, representatives of the Bolshevik and communist intelligentsia. He captured and major events in the life of the country - the launch of a metro station, a round date of celebration October revolution. A multiple winner of the Stalin Prize, awarded medals and orders, including the Order of Lenin, Honored Artist, First President of the Academy of Arts, Alexander Mikhailovich, at the same time, did not consider these works to be the main ones in his work. His most expensive creation was a small canvas, very simple in plot, which, however, reflected true soul great Artist, Masters.
"Wet Terrace"
This is Gerasimov’s painting “After the Rain”, the second title of which is “Wet Terrace”. It is known to every schoolchild for several generations now, it is included in school curriculum as a tool for teaching essay writing. Reproductions from the canvas are placed in Russian language textbooks for grades 6-7 (various editions). Gerasimov’s painting “After the Rain” itself is in one of the exhibition halls of the Tretyakov Gallery. It is painted in oil on canvas, the size of the work is small - 78 by 85 cm. Spectators invariably crowd in front of the canvas, carefully peer into the details, study, admire, and absorb into themselves.
Best creation
IN Soviet painting, especially in the first half of the 20th century, there are very few works of this type as Gerasimov’s painting “After the Rain”. Subtle lyricism, amazingly accurate rendering of a poetically pure, fresh atmosphere summer nature, washed by rain, rich colors, special energy - all this makes the artist’s work completely special. No wonder the master considered her and only her his best creation. Time has confirmed the prioritization. Of course, the author’s brilliant talent is clearly demonstrated in his other works. But it was Gerasimov’s painting “After the Rain” that survived ideological storms and disputes and turned out to be timeless, outside the politicization of art, proving its true aesthetic value.
Creating a Masterpiece
Let's go back to 1935. What is happening at this time in the USSR? Firstly, the 7th Congress of Soviets, significant for important government decisions. Congress of shock workers-collective farmers, at which the working peasantry reports to the government about their loyalty to the chosen course. The movement of multi-loom weavers begins. The first line of the Moscow metro is being launched. Being in the thick of events, Gerasimov responds to them with bright, original creativity. By 1935 he moved to the forefront the best masters socialist painting. However, the artist feels more and more clearly a certain spiritual breakdown, fatigue and a desire to abandon everything and go to his homeland, to the distant provincial town of Kozlov, in the Tambov region, to relax.
Gerasimov’s painting “After the Rain” was painted there. The story of the creation of the masterpiece has come down to us in the memoirs of his sister. The artist was delighted with the garden completely transformed after a heavy downpour, the wet terrace sparkling like a mirror, the extraordinary freshness and fragrance of the air, the most unusual atmosphere reigning in nature. In feverish impatience, taking up the palette, Alexander Mikhailovich in one breath, in just 3 hours, painted a canvas that was included in the golden fund of Russian and Soviet landscape painting.
Starting to analyze the work (lesson element)
As already mentioned, in school course Gerasimov’s painting “After the Rain” is being analyzed. Writing on it helps develop communication skills. writing, creative abilities of students, contributes to the formation aesthetic taste, subtle perception of nature. Let us also take a closer look at this wonderful painting. We already know in what year Gerasimov’s painting “After the Rain” was painted - in 1935, in the summer. In the foreground we see a corner of a wooden terrace. It shines dazzlingly, as if carefully polished and varnished. The heaviest summer rain had just ended. Nature has not yet had time to come to its senses, it is all alarmed and disheveled, and the last drops are still falling with a resounding thud onto the wooden floorboards. Dark brown, with standing puddles, they reflect every object like a mirror. The breaking sun leaves its warm golden reflections on the floor.
Foreground
What is unusual about Gerasimov’s painting “After the Rain”? It is difficult to describe the canvas in parts and fragments. It leaves a stunning impression on the viewer as a whole. Every detail of Gerasimov’s work is significant and harmonious. Here are the railings and the bench. Closer to the inside of the veranda they are darker, since this part of the terrace is less illuminated. But where the sun still rarely reaches, there are more and more golden highlights, and the color of the tree itself is warm, yellow-brown.
To the left of the viewer on the terrace there is a table on graceful carved legs. The figured tabletop, dark in itself, seems completely black because the wood is wet. Like everything around, it sparkles like a mirror, reflecting an overturned glass, a jug with a bouquet, and the increasingly lighter sky after a thunderstorm. Why did the artist need this piece of furniture? It fits organically into the surrounding environment; without it, the terrace would be empty, giving the impression of being uninhabited and uncomfortable. The table brings into the picture a hint of a friendly family, hospitable tea parties, and a joyful, cordial atmosphere. A glass glass, turned over by a whirlwind and miraculously not falling, speaks of how strong the wind and rain were. The disheveled flowers in the bouquet and scattered petals hint at the same thing. White, red and pink roses look especially touching and defenseless. But we can imagine how sweet and tender they smell now, washed by the rain. This jug and the roses in it look incredibly poetic. 
Background of the painting
And outside the terrace the garden is noisy and wild. Raindrops roll down from the wet leaves in large beads. It is clean, dark green, bright, fresh, the kind that only happens after a refreshing shower. Looking at the picture, you begin to very clearly feel the heady smell of wet greenery and sun-warmed earth, flowers from the garden and something else very dear, close, dear, for which we love nature. Behind the trees you can see the roof of the barn, in the gaps of the branches - the white sky, brightening after a thunderstorm. We feel lightness, enlightenment, and the joy of being while admiring Gerasimov’s wonderful work. And we learn to be attentive to nature, to love it, to notice its amazing beauty.
Composition
Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov - famous Soviet artist, whose works belong to the directions of realism and socialist realism. Many of his paintings - landscapes, still lifes, portraits belonging to the named directions - amaze with their liveliness and colorfulness. Gerasimov’s landscapes are simple in appearance, but in each work you can find something that will touch the soul, cause a surge of emotions, and be remembered for a long time. However, his work “After the Rain” (“Wet Terrace”) stands out among the artist’s other paintings. The creator himself paid special attention to this work in his memories of life and work.
This picture, painted in one breath in hometown the painter Kozlov, is not a momentary creation. Having left for a quiet town for the sake of a quiet and relaxing pastime, the artist, however, continues to create. Still lifes and portraits, sketches of landscapes that captivate with their calm beauty are born here.
The artist’s moral and creative preparation for writing this work was long time. Gerasimov often sketched grass, objects, roads and roofs wet from rain. Many admitted that the artist was particularly good at this experience.
In her memoirs, the creator’s sister colorfully described the creation of the painting: on the day the painting was painted, there was a particularly heavy and stormy summer rainfall. After it, nature looked unusually fresh and picturesque: water, sparkling in the sun, lay on the foliage, the floor of the veranda, and the garden paths. And above the trees of the garden the cloudless, freshly washed sky stretched into the distance.
Admiring the view opening before him, the artist stood at the easel. In just three hours one of the the most picturesque paintings artist.
What is so attractive about this light, even poetic work? The painting depicts a rather ordinary landscape - a corner of a gazebo or veranda with carved railings and a bench along them. The composition of the work is extremely simple: on the right, somewhat disturbing the balance, there is an old table with a vase containing flowers - most likely simple garden ones. On the left plan there is a floor and a railing and a bench extending to the right. Everywhere: on the floor, bench, table - the water shimmers and glistens, and right behind the gazebo begins the garden, also wet from the recent rain.
The colors are pure, bright, joyful - the green of wet foliage, the gold and dark bronze of a tree washed by rain, the pure azure of the sky, starting behind the veranda and reflected in the puddles on the floor. The bouquet in the vase stands out with a special spot of color - cheerful and pleasant pink color combined with white and green.
The picture does not leave behind a feeling of forcedness or artificiality. The images captured by the artist are fresh and light, spontaneous and pure - you can feel the swiftness and lightness of the painter’s brush in them.
How is such an effect of authenticity and at the same time lightness of the image achieved? When working on the canvas, the artist used the technique of reflexes - this is the name of an artistic and visual technique in which small details play a huge role. In this case, the key moments that create a special mood of purity and freshness are reflections and reflections: lush green strokes on the veranda - reflections of overhanging garden greenery, bluish and pink spots on the table - reflections and reflections left on a wet surface by a bright spot of a bouquet. The entire canvas is permeated with an interweaving of shadows and light, but the shadows do not leave an oppressive and oppressive feeling; on the contrary, they are colorful and multi-colored. A lot of silver and mother-of-pearl are the reflections of the sun on wet surfaces and leaves. When creating images of wet surfaces, the painter used the glazing technique to achieve the effect of special authenticity. When using such a product, the paint is applied in several layers - first the main stroke of paint, then several translucent and completely transparent strokes. At the same time, surfaces and objects painted using this technique look shiny, as if covered with varnish. This becomes especially noticeable in fragments of the painting depicting a section of the plank floor of the veranda, the surface of a long bench, and the table top.
The contrasting spot is the bouquet, painted with deliberately rough, broad strokes. Thanks to this, the flowers look especially impressive - voluminous and lively.
You should also pay attention to lighting accents. It is thanks to them that the picture looks lively and somewhat solemn. The main light sources are located outside the perspective of the canvas - somewhere behind the trees of the garden. At the same time, the light is dim, it does not hit the eyes - it creates the effect of the summer sun peeking out from behind the clouds, having passed midday and heading towards sunset. The trees in the background of the canvas, as if woven from thousands of shimmering green pieces of glass and reminiscent of stained glass works, are illuminated along the contour and thereby highlighted from the overall composition of the picture. This artistic technique is called countershading.
The general mood of the picture is fresh, sparkling, joyful. The artist managed to reveal the poetry and beauty of ordinary, rather mundane things. The beauty of the depicted objects is simple and artless, but with the help of these things, simple at first glance, flooded with water, the creator conveyed the freshness of the cool garden, still covered with rainwater.
The sincerity and purity of feelings that Gerasimov was able to convey to his work fascinate and charge with a special energy of freshness. It seems that you reach out your hand and touch the clean, still wet leaves of a hanging branch - and the cool drops will pleasantly refresh your skin after a stuffy and sultry summer day. A fresh breeze will bring with it the smell of wet earth and grass, the sun, softly peeking out through the gaps between the trees, will touch your cheek - and here it is, simple and sincere, like the picture itself, the happiness of closeness with nature will overwhelm you, like a stormy downpour that has just passed.