- Medalist of the Academy of Arts
Asiliy Polenov was fond of painting since childhood. He graduated from the Academy of Arts with a Grand Gold Medal, traveled throughout Europe, studying different schools and styles of painting and visiting many museums and art galleries. The artist searched for his direction for a long time - and already in adulthood he gained fame as a landscape painter and master of genre painting. Thanks to the painting “Moscow Courtyard,” Polenov became the founder of “intimate painting,” and his painting “Christ and the Sinner” was purchased by the emperor for his collection Alexander III.
Medalist of the Academy of Arts
Vasily Polenov was born in St. Petersburg into a large noble family. His father Dmitry Polenov, secretary of the Russian Archaeological Society, studied chronicles and history and was fond of art. Mother Maria Polenova (née Voeykova) took painting lessons from the artist Karl Bryullov. Thanks to her portraits, we know what Vasily Polenov looked like as a child. Parents supported their children's interest in art and hired teachers from the Academy of Arts. Pavel Chistyakov, at that time still a student at the Academy, taught drawing and the basics of painting to Vasily and his younger sister Elena. Chistyakov managed to instill in the young man a meaningful attitude towards creativity: “Don’t start anything without thinking, and once you start, don’t rush”- he advised.
Vasily Polenov enjoyed studying painting and wanted to enter the Academy of Arts. However, his parents insisted on receiving a classical university education. In 1863, after graduating from high school, Vasily Polenov, together with his brother Alexei, entered the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg University. However, he soon left the university and began to study only painting. He attended evening classes at the Academy of Arts, studying drawing, anatomy, construction art, geometry and the history of fine arts. In 1867, Vasily Polenov completed his student course and received silver medals for his drawings and sketches.
Vasily Polenov. Resurrection of Jairus' daughter. 1871. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Ilya Repin. Resurrection of Jairus' daughter. 1871. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Later, the artist finally decided to graduate from university: he entered the Faculty of Law and in 1871 successfully defended his dissertation on the topic “On the meaning of art in its application to crafts.” In the same year, Polenov received the highest award - the Great Gold Medal - for the painting “The Resurrection of Jairus’s Daughter.” His fellow student Ilya Repin prepared the same topic, he also became a medalist. The artists also received the right to retire abroad for six years.
European pensions - Germany, Italy, France
At this time, Vasily Polenov was already 27 years old, but he had not yet decided on his artistic “specialization.” Therefore, during his internship abroad, he often visited museums. In Germany, Polenov studied art German artists- Carl Piloty, Gabriel Max, Arnold Böcklin, Hans Makart. As the painter recalled, their works affected him like “opium intoxication.” Polenov visited knights' castles and made sketches there - based on them he later painted the painting “The Right of the Master,” which was bought by Pavel Tretyakov for a lot of money and without even haggling.
After Germany, Polenov went to Naples, Venice and Florence.
“Italy seems to me different from the way it is usually portrayed. I somehow don’t see many yellow-red tones, except at sunset, but I think more like silver-olive, that is, gray.”
Vasily Polenov
This impression of the artist was reflected in his painting “Italian Landscape with a Peasant.” In Italy, Polenov's friendship began with the philanthropist Savva Mamontov and members of the Abramtsevo circle. The artist participated in their performances and concerts, discussions and carnivals. Painting classes receded into the background: “I found myself in such a whirlpool that I completely got caught up in the vanity of the world, and forgot about my own ascetic feat.”. Later, Polenov visited Abramtsevo more than once - to Mamontov’s estate near Moscow.
Vasily Polenov. Sir's right. 1874. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Vasily Polenov. Shower. 1874. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
A trip to France had a great influence on Polenov’s work. Parisian art schools and painting styles delighted and inspired the painter. Here he became more acquainted with representatives of the Barbizon school and saw paintings by landscape painter Camille Carot. Under the influence of the Barbizonians, Polenov created the painting “Rain” in gray tones, as the artist recalled - he painted it “for himself, for relaxation.” However, Ivan Turgenev really liked the canvas, whom the artist met there, in the capital of France.
On the advice of the artist Alexei Bogolyubov, around whom a kind of circle had formed in Paris, Vasily Polenov, following Ilya Repin, went to the north of France - to Normandy, to a small town near the sea of Veul. Polenov lived here for several months and painted many landscapes: “ White horse", "Normandy", "Old Gate. Veul”, “Etretat. Normandy" and many others.
Front-line sketches and landscapes of old Moscow
Two years before the official end of his trip abroad, the artist began to work for an early return to his homeland. He presented two paintings to the Academy of Arts - “The Right of the Master” and “The Arrest of the Huguenot” - and 50 Parisian sketches. For his work, Polenov received the title of academician.
“It [the trip abroad] brought me benefits in many ways, the main thing is that everything that I have done so far is wrong, I need to give it all up and start again - great. Here I tried and tried all kinds of painting: historical, genre, landscape, marina, portrait of a head, images of animals, nature morte, etc. and came to the conclusion that my talent is closest to landscape, everyday genre, which I will do"
Vasily Polenov
Immediately upon returning to Russia, Vasily Polenov volunteered for the Serbian-Turkish front. The artist reflected his military impressions in ethnographic types, architectural sketches, scenes from bivouac life - these illustrations from the battlefield were published by the magazine "Pchela". The painter did not create battle paintings. In a letter to the Russian singer Marya Klimentova-Muromtseva, he wrote: “The subjects of human disfigurement and death are too strong in nature to be conveyed on canvas, at least I still feel some kind of flaw in myself, it doesn’t work out for me what is in reality, it’s so terrible and so simple.”.
Vasily Polenov. Moscow courtyard. 1878. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Vasily Polenov. Grandmother's garden. 1878. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Vasily Polenov. Overgrown pond. 1879. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
In 1877, Vasily Polenov, as he wanted, settled in Moscow. Inspired by the views of the old capital, he began working on the canvas “The Tonsuring of the Worthless Princess.” The painting was never painted, but Polenov created sketches of Kremlin cathedrals and ancient towers, and learned to paint ancient Russian interiors. The sketch from the Savior on the Sands formed the basis of the landscape image of old Moscow - the painting “Moscow Courtyard”. Vasily Polenov made his debut with it at the exhibition of the Association of Itinerants in 1878. However, the artist himself did not like the painting, and he complained that he did not pay more attention to the painting: “Unfortunately, I did not have time to do a more significant thing, but I wanted to participate in a traveling exhibition with something decent, I hope in the future to earn time lost for art.”. However, “Moscow Courtyard” was a huge success among critics: the work stood out against the backdrop of ascetic aesthetics with its special poetry and elegiac Turgenev mood. Polenov’s paintings “Grandma’s Garden” and “Overgrown Pond” also participated in the exhibitions.
Educational Center of Vasily Polenov
In 1881, Vasily Polenov began work on the painting “Christ and the Sinner” - the first of a future cycle about the life of Christ. The artist wanted “to create a Christ who is not only coming, but has already come into the world and making his way among the people”. Together with art critic Adrian Prakhov and industrialist Semyon Lazarev, he went to the Middle East. The travelers visited Turkey, Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Greece. Polenov was inspired by the bright oriental landscapes and colorful clothes of the local residents. Pavel Tretyakov bought the sketches brought from the trip directly from the exhibition of the Itinerants in 1885.
However, his first trip to the Middle East distracted the artist from his original plan, and his sketches had nothing to do with the planned series about the life of Christ. Therefore, Polenov went in search of nature in Italy. There he created sketches for the painting “Christ and the Sinner”. The artist made sketches in pencil, oil, and charcoal. Polenov painted the painting itself in 1886–1887 in the office of Savva Mamontov. This work was first published at the XV Traveling Exhibition. Alexander III bought the painting there. The Emperor was ahead of Pavel Tretyakov, who was already negotiating with Polenov about purchasing the canvas.
Vasily Polenov. Christ and the sinner. 1888. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
Vasily Polenov. View of the Oka River from the eastern bank. 1898. Tula Museum fine arts, Tula
Having long dreamed of “a house on the banks of the Oka... where there will be a museum, gallery and library,” Vasily Polenov acquired an old estate at the beginning of 1890. In its place, a house was built according to the drawings of the artist himself. It, as the author intended, became an important educational center. The Polenov family settled here, there was a museum and an art gallery in which paintings by the artist himself and his many students hung: Konstantin Korovin, Isaac Levitan, Ilya Ostroukhov and others. In the vicinity of the village of Bekhovo, Polenov built two schools, as well as a diorama for peasant children - trip around the world in pictures in the form of a small light theater.
In 1905, Polenov completed work on paintings of the gospel cycle. The paintings were exhibited throughout Russia, and they were a great success.
After October Revolution Vasily Polenov continued his educational activities: he independently led excursions around the estate, worked with peasant youth, organized theater clubs, and taught children the basics of painting. The artist did not abandon his creativity - in 1919 he painted the painting “Spill on the Oka River”. Critics recognized her as one of the best in late creativity Polenova. In 1924, the Tretyakov Gallery organized a personal exhibition of the artist in honor of his 80th birthday. And two years later, Polenov was one of the first to be awarded the title folk artist RSFSR.
In 1927, the painter died in his estate.
Ilya Repin. Portrait of the artist V.D. Polenova, 1877, oil on canvas, 80 x 65 cm. State Tretyakov Gallery.
The State Tretyakov Gallery continues its series of blockbusters. After Repin, in the fall of 2019, queues will line up for Vasily Polenov (1844–1927), a jubilee exhibition dedicated to the 175th anniversary of the artist’s birth. For the first time, Polenov’s largest work, “Christ and the Sinner,” from the collection of the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, will be in Moscow.
150 works from 14 public and private collections (landscapes, portraits, set designs) will decorate the halls of the New Tretyakov Gallery. Art “should give happiness and joy, otherwise it is worth nothing,” because “life is hard, there is a lot of vulgarity and dirt,” said Vasily Polenov, who is for personal and professional qualities called "the knight of beauty."
Vasily Polenov. Portrait of the artist Ilya Repin, 1879.
Petersburger Vasily Polenov was born into a large noble family of a historian, secretary of the Russian Archaeological Society. The artist’s mother took lessons from Karl Bryullov, and Vasily studied painting from Pavel Chistyakov from the age of 14. “He’s a colorist, he composes tones in a way that I couldn’t compose,” noted Chistyakov. After graduating from the Academy of Arts with a gold medal, Polenov simultaneously studied mathematics and received a law degree, defending a dissertation on the topic “On the meaning of art in its application to crafts.” Together with the same excellent student, fellow student at the Academy Ilya Repin, young painter received the right to a six-year foreign internship, which was fully paid for by the treasury.
Vasily Polenov. Portrait of N.V. Yakunchikova (Polenova) behind a sketch, 1882.
From Naples to Normandy At 27 years old, Polenov had not yet decided what to draw. During his overseas internship, he often visited museums. In Germany, Polenov studied the art of Piloty, Max, Arnold Böcklin, and Hans Makart. Afterwards he went to Naples, Venice and Florence. In Paris, he became acquainted with the Barbizons and the landscapes of Camille Caro. Following Repin, he went to Normandy, where he painted many landscapes: “White Horse”, “Normandy”, “Old Gate. Veul”... His Parisian works were especially liked in his homeland. For the paintings “The Right of the Master”, “The Arrest of the Huguenot Woman” and 50 Parisian sketches, Vasily Polenov very soon, at 32, received the title of academician.
Vasily Polenov. Grandmother's Garden, 1878. State Tretyakov Gallery Landscape painter and master of genre painting The artist returned to Russia ahead of schedule, two years before the official end of the internship. “It has brought me benefits in many ways, the main thing is that everything that I have done so far is wrong; I need to give up all this and start again - great. Here I tried and tried all kinds of painting: historical, genre, landscape, marina, portrait of a head, images of animals, nature morte, etc. and came to the conclusion that my talent is closest to the landscape, everyday genre, which is what I will do "
Vasily Polenov. Overgrown pond, 1879. State Tretyakov Gallery Volunteer Academician Immediately upon returning to Russia, Vasily Polenov volunteered for the Serbian-Turkish front. His illustrations from the battlefield were generously published by the Bee magazine. But he sent everyday, not battle sketches. “I still feel some kind of shortcoming in myself, I can’t get what is in reality, it’s so terrible and so simple.”
Vasily Polenov. Moscow courtyard. 1878. Oil on canvas. 64.5 × 80.1 cm. State Tretyakov Gallery. Wanderer In 1877, Vasily Polenov moved to Moscow. The sketch he created at the Church of the Savior on the Sands from the window of his apartment on the corner of Durnovsky and Trubnikovsky lanes formed the basis for the painting “Moscow Courtyard,” which debuted at the exhibition of the Partnership of the Wanderers (TPV) in 1878, along with the works “Grandmother’s Garden” and "Overgrown Pond" Critics immediately fell in love with the Moscow courtyard with the summer sun, a rickety fence, playing children, a woman and a horse. So Polenov became a lyrical artist, the founder of “intimate painting”. Polenov’s relationship with TPV was not the easiest. He was against naturalistic depictions of the “suffering of the Russian people.” “What is this for? Isn’t this philistinism enough, these philistines wandering through the backyards to their miserable lairs? Where do they pull the viewer? What saturates his heart and thoughts? We are quite stuck in our Russian swamp, we are swarming in our musty kennels and are afraid of the sun and fresh air.”
Vasily Polenov. Christ and the Sinner (Who is without sin?). 1888. Oil on canvas. 325 × 611 cm. State Russian Museum.
Christ and the Sinner The idea for the future epochal 325 × 611 cm canvas “Christ and the Sinner” was influenced by the painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People” by Alexander Ivanov and the book “The Life of Jesus” by the French humanist philosopher Ernest Renan. The implementation of the plan, which began in 1868, lasted for twenty years and required a lot of effort and many trips abroad.
Vasily Polenov. Study of the figure of Christ for the painting “Christ and the Sinner,” 1888. Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts
Russian painter Vasily Polenov added the Middle East to his list of trips abroad: Constantinople, Alexandria, Cairo, Aswan, Palestine and Syria. Later, again for the sake of the painting and collecting material for it, teacher Polenov took a year’s leave from the school and went to Rome, Vienna, Venice and Florence.
In the summer of 1885, the artist finally created a full-length sketch of the painting, and its final version a year later, in the office of Savva Mamontov on Sadovaya-Spasskaya Street in Moscow. In addition to Savva’s family and close friend, Polenov consulted with his student, artist Konstantin Korovin, and physiologist Pyotr Spiro. The main premiere for the general public of the canvas “Christ and the Sinner (Who is Without Sin?)” was supposed to take place on February 25, 1887 at the 15th TPV exhibition.
Vasily Polenov. “Sketch for the painting Christ and the Sinner (Who is without sin?).” 1888
A few days before the opening, it was shown to the censor, who did not give permission for the film to participate and reported this to management. As a result, “Who is without sin?” first saw the St. Petersburg mayor Peter Gresser, Chief Prosecutor Konstantin Pobedonostsev and the President of the Academy of Arts Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. The fate of the work was decided by the emperor. Alexander III bought the canvas for 30,00 rubles, beating the price from his “competitor” - Moscow collector Pavel Tretyakov. Using the royal fee (translated into today's money - about 23 million rubles), Polenov, dreaming of “a house on the banks of the Oka River... where there will be a museum, gallery and library,” bought a plot of land and built a family estate according to his design.
Polenov in his workshop in the Borok estate (now Polenovo), 1908.
Which one of you is without sin?“I called the painting “Which of you is without sin,” Polenov wrote much later. This was its meaning... In the museum they later called her “The Prodigal Wife”...” The plot of the picture is connected with the story of Christ and the sinner: a woman caught in adultery was brought to Christ. According to the laws of Moses, she was to be stoned. As a result, Christ found himself in a dilemma - either to break the laws of Moses, or to act in contradiction with his preaching. According to Mikhail Chekhov, Polenov painted the face of Christ from the artist Isaac Levitan. “In general, Polenov remained the graceful, elegant painter that we have known him for a long time, from the very beginning of his career in 1871,” commented critic Stasov.
“This extraordinary, amazing, real Russian man,” Fyodor Chaliapin wrote about him, “somehow managed to distribute himself between a Russian lake with a lily and the hot sands of the Asian desert. His Christ, his gospel scenes, his high priests - how could he combine in his soul this colorful grandeur with the silence of a Russian lake with crucian carp? Isn’t that why, however, the spirit of the deity blows over its quiet lakes?”
The outstanding Russian artist Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov is a somewhat mysterious figure in Russian art. His best paintings Almost immediately they were acquired by the most famous collector in Russia, Pavel Tretyakov. Chaliapin idolized him, and among his most serious admirers was another equally famous “creator,” Ivan Turgenev.
He was one of the few Russian artists who embodied the most incompatible abilities. His amazing gift was considered to be a special vision of painting - he skillfully combined plein air vision with decorative tasks in one painting. But such was the immense soul of a great man and artist, who throughout his career would work in several directions, styles, and genres at once.
In 1914, Igor Grabar, a famous art historian and artist, director Tretyakov Gallery, busy rearranging its exhibition, wrote to Polenov:
“I completely agree with you that there are, or, if you like, there were as many as three artists in you: medieval, “Moscow” and Palestinian or generally eastern, and that all of them are very little connected with one another.”
Polenov’s artistic activity was based on the desire to benefit people with his art and to actively participate in the life of society. He saw his civic duty in the aesthetic education of the people, in bringing joy and beauty through art. A little later, he would quite clearly express his aesthetic credo in a letter to Viktor Vasnetsov:
It seems to me that art should give happiness and joy, otherwise it is worth nothing.
This incentive was the only one, the most powerful, motivating the artist to work. He firmly believed that it was art that could transform the world according to the laws of beauty. He painted for Russia, for the people of his country, and did it selflessly. His favorite worlds were national images, ancient Russian estates, Russian landscapes, the beauty and grandeur of the East. He lived in these worlds and created - created a legacy that entire generations will forget over time, and you and I will forget too...
Polenov traveled a lot, traveled almost all of Europe. It was in Italy and a little later in Paris that he discovered a desire for historical painting, in which he documents precise detail, subtly depicting every subject, scene or image. The most famous paintings “The Arrest of the Huguenot” and “The Right of the Master” were created - both works received recognition and were almost immediately sent to the collection of the most famous collectors of that time. Pavel Tretyakov acquired “The Right of the Master” and Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich acquired the painting “The Arrest of the Huguenot,” which subsequently entered the Alexander III Museum (Russian Museum).
"The arrest of the Huguenot Jacobine de Montebel, Countess d'Etremont" 1875 
1908 "Master's Right" For these 2 works and about 50 more paintings painted abroad, the artist received the title of academician. Despite this, Polenov still cannot find himself:
“I can’t attack my point, I can’t really figure myself out,” he wrote with disappointment to Fyodor Chizhov in one of his letters in 1875.
Returning to Russia and summing up his life abroad, Polenov wrote to his family:
“However, it brought me benefits in many ways... Here I tried and tried all kinds of painting: historical, genre, landscape, marine, portrait of a head, an image, animals, nature morte, and so on and came to the conclusion that my talent closest to the everyday landscape genre, which is what I will do.”
"Yard" A significant role in the artist’s self-determination was played by his meetings in Paris with Ivan Turgenev. Polenov met the writer in 1874, thanks to Repin, who was painting a portrait of Turgenev at that time. Both artists became part of a kind of “Russian circle” that formed around painting professor Alexei Bogolyubov. In Bogolyubov’s house they gathered on appointed days to practice etching and ceramics, and evenings were held with readings and performances of live paintings. Turgenev, with whom Bogolyubov had close friendly relations, attended these evenings.
Turgenev noticeably distinguished Polenov from other artists living in Paris at that time. He attracted him to the close circle of his friends, introduced him to the salon of Pauline Viardot, where the flower of the Parisian intelligentsia gathered. They really became friends. The artist himself will soon write about this in his letters to his relatives.
The writer really liked one of Polenov’s works - “Rainstorm” (1874). The artist was surprised, as he painted this picture “for himself,” “for relaxation.” In addition, he always considered himself more of a historical painter than a landscape painter. Very soon, landscape became one of the main types of art for Polenov, in which he was able to most fully convey “his thoughts and his feelings.”
Shower In 1876, Viktor Vasnetsov, who had graduated from the Academy, came to Paris with Ivan Kramskoy. Polenov gave Vasnetsov the opportunity to work in his workshop. He, Repin and Vasnetsov visited galleries, exhibitions, wandered the streets of Paris and its environs, talked and argued a lot about the future of Russian art and their participation in its renewal, about the problems of national identity in art. An echo of these conversations and impressions was Vasnetsov’s sketch for his future Bogatyrs, born in Polenov’s Parisian workshop.
A little more than a year later, all three artists - Repin, Polenov and Vasnetsov, will be inseparable again, but this time on their travels around Moscow. The old Moscow streets, monuments of national architecture, the patriarchal way of life in Moscow at that time, which seemed especially original in comparison with bureaucratic St. Petersburg, struck the artist’s imagination. And almost all of his sketches will become the beauty of Moscow architecture.
This is how it was born romantic image ancient noble estate, associated with Polenov family legends and real, preserved from childhood memories of people of the late 18th - early XIX century.
Russian village 
Old mill 
In the village of Turgenevo In the summer of 1877, Polenov rented an apartment on Trubnikovsky Lane and finally settled in Moscow. One day, from the window of his apartment, he saw a courtyard surrounded by simple buildings, covered with fresh greenery, with children playing on the ground. This courtyard struck him, accustomed to St. Petersburg courtyards, with its very existence, its simplicity and artlessness. All the artist’s passion for Moscow, its life and architecture resulted in the sketch version of Moscow Courtyard (1877), which became the prototype of the famous painting of 1878.
Moscow courtyard The painting Moscow Courtyard, followed by Grandmother’s Garden, and the Overgrown Pond, with which the artist debuted at the exhibitions of the Association of Itinerants in 1878 and 1879, immediately attracted the attention of critics who compared the artist’s works with “Turgenev’s motifs.” It is interesting that in none of the writer’s works, where the world of a Russian estate was reproduced, will we find the spiritual atmosphere that reigned there, the surrounding nature detailed descriptions its architectural environment, some specifically “Turgenev” motifs. Polenov’s landscapes reproduced the historically accurate appearance of Moscow at that time. Why were these “Moscow” motifs perceived as “Turgenev” motifs? Obviously, the acquaintance of two masters of words and brushes had a great influence on each other’s work.
The reason for such literary associations was the ability of the writer and artist to identify the “poetry of everyday life”, their attention to “the slightest stream in the sea of the soul”, which marked the works they created. Just as simply and directly, as in Turgenev’s series of stories, Notes of a Hunter in the Moscow Courtyard, a feeling of joy from a fine summer morning, from the beauty of white stone architecture and shining domes of churches, a sense of the organic nature of people’s lives connected with the surrounding landscape was expressed. This similarity makes us remember how much Polenov loved Turgenev’s work. In one of his letters to his wife in 1887, he wrote: “Now I have read, that is, I have not read, but enjoyed Notes of a Hunter... There are such wonderful pictures, such living people, such deep aspects of life captured that permeate you all.” In another letter we find: “I rate Notes of a Hunter terribly highly... this is such a diamond in Russian literature.”
And it was the Notes... with his inscription that Turgenev gave to Polenov on one of his visits to Russia in 1880, in response to the presented painting - a repetition of the Moscow courtyard (1877), which then constantly hung in the writer’s office in his house in Bougival near Paris.
Polenov’s subsequent landscapes felt even more “Turgenev-esque” ancient estates— Grandmother’s Garden (1878) and Overgrown Pond (1879).
Grandmother's garden 
Overgrown pond For a long time, the artist worked on a large cycle of paintings from the life of Christ, striving “to create a Christ not only coming, but having already come into the world and making his way among the people.” More than fifty paintings based on gospel subjects were painted. In an effort to achieve historical accuracy in writing works, Vasily Dmitrievich travels through the countries of the East. It was brought from Syria, Egypt and Palestine huge amount natural material, travel notes, costumes.
Christ and the Sinner (Which of you is without sin?) Christ and the Sinner as a Moral Guide
The painting was first shown at the XV Traveling Exhibition in 1887. The audience saw a scene, the main meaning of which, according to the artist, was to bring people the idea of goodness and forgiveness. “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her,” Christ answered the angry crowd when asked how to deal with a woman convicted of adultery (according to the law of Moses, she should have been stoned). According to the Gospel, the people, “convicted by their conscience,” dispersed. Thus, Christ taught the people an object lesson in new morality.
The plot of the painting, the idea of which arose from Polenov during his studies at the Academy of Arts in 1868, allowed him to express important moral problems contained in the gospel narrative - the idea of Christian love for one's neighbor and moral self-improvement. That’s why its name was so important to him. Already in his declining years, Polenov wrote with grief in one of his letters: “I called this painting Which of you is without sin. This was her meaning. But censorship did not allow these words to be put in the catalogue, Christ and the sinner allowed it... And in the museum of Alexander III they called her “the prodigal wife”, which completely contradicts the Gospel story, which clearly states that this is a sinner, not a prodigal woman... So the name remained . It is not mine, and does not correspond to the Gospel story.”
The painting cost the artist a lot of work and long periods of disappointment.
Resurrection of Jairus' Daughter 
Who do people think I am? 
Dreams. Jesus on Lake Gennesaret 
She announced joy to those who mourn 
Spring of the Virgin Mary in Nazareth In the autumn of 1887, Polenov’s attention was attracted by a picturesque place on the steep bank of the Oka. It was the village of Bekhovo with a small church and an abandoned estate. Having long dreamed of his own corner of the earth and “a house on the banks of the Oka... where there will be a museum, gallery and library,” he acquired a former estate at the beginning of 1890, where, as an architect, he discovers in himself new style in art - modern. There are no analogues to this unexpected decision in the Russian estate architecture of the 19th century the century hasn't happened yet. Such a number of facades and the extraordinary individuality of each of the interiors of the house - a portrait, a library, a dining room, an office, a workshop - the taste and skill of the artist, his creative individuality, his aestheticism were invested in the decoration of each of them, in any of its details.
An important area is associated with the manor house educational activities Polenova. From the very beginning, it was intended not only to accommodate the artist’s large family and his friends and students who came to see him, but was built as a museum and art gallery, where the collections of several generations of the Polenov family were to be housed. The house was supposed to be cultural center throughout the area, a kind of folk academy of arts. All equipment for the museum (cabinets, display cases, shelves) was made by local craftsmen based on Polenov’s drawings and drawings.
The museum opened to visitors, and the artist himself loved to lead tours around it, showing numerous collections of artistic rarities. There was also an art gallery here, where you could see Polenov’s works. different years, works of his friends and students.
Polenovo Museum 
The construction of an estate on the picturesque bank of the Oka River allowed the artist to reveal another side of his multifaceted talent. Polenov worked a lot on the Oka River: he painted pictures, composed music, planted trees in the park, built a dam, and helped build boats.
By boat. Abramtsevo Estate 
V.D. Polenov with daughters Natalya and Olga and doctor I.I. Troyanovsky, 1901 With his characteristic energy he dealt with the problems of public education. Vasily Dmitrievich built two schools in the surrounding villages. His last works were also dedicated to children: in the 20s he created a diorama - a trip around the world in pictures. Magic light paintings became a holiday for peasant children.
Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov died on July 18, 1927 at the age of 83. In 1926, he was one of the first in Russia to be awarded the honorary title of People's Artist of Russia. Vasily Dmitrievich was buried on the high bank of the Oka in the village of Bekhovo, in a simple village cemetery. On the grave, as it should have been according to the will, a wooden cross was placed, made according to the sketch of the artist himself. Back in 1906, in his artistic testament, Polenov wrote:
“The death of a person who has managed to fulfill some of his plans is a natural event and not only not sad, but rather joyful, natural, it is a desired rest, peace, and the peace of non-existence, and being remains and passes into what he created."
S.I. Mamontov and V.D. Polenov (left) 1890 Official website of the artist
Official website of the Polenovo Museum
The artist Vasily Polenov is one of the brightest representatives in Russian painting of the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. His landscapes are full of romance, beauty of perception and spirituality. Author famous paintings"Moscow Yard", "Christ and the Sinner" and of course the painting "Grandmother's Garden"
Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov Biography. The artist was born in 1844 on June 1 in Noble large family nobles living in the capital in St. Petersburg. The head of the Polenov family, Dmitry Vasilyevich, was a very educated man, his knowledge was closely related to archeology, and at the same time he was fond of describing books, various literature reviews, notes in magazines, etc.
Polenov’s mother M.A. was creatively savvy, was fond of painting, history, and was also noticed as children's writer. In the family, she carefully taught children drawing and painting, the pictures drawn by the children were discussed at the family council, best works were rewarded. Additionally, artists from the Academy of Arts taught the children the basics of pictorial literacy; all this greatly contributed to the development young artist and entry into adulthood.
His younger sister Elena also kept up with Vasily in terms of development in drawing; in the future, he and she will become professional artists. Since 1856, Vasily and his sister have been studying under the supervision of the young artist P. P. Chistyakov, who has been studying with them for five years. At the same time, Polenov studied at the gymnasium and graduated from this institution in 1863 and entered the university studying the fundamentals of physics and mathematics.
Creativity The young artist was versatile; in the evenings, as a volunteer, he attends classes at the academy, is actively involved in music, and even tries to write his own musical works, visits concert halls, theaters, participates in various student activities, sings on stage and subsequently regularly attends the Academy of Arts, studying in a full-scale class.
Uncertain of his true purpose for some time, he left his studies at the university, completely devoting himself to pictorial knowledge at the academy and completed the courses in 1867 with silver medals. He goes abroad to the world exhibition in France, where at that time samples of various modern folk crafts were presented; later for Polenov this will be the topic for defending his dissertation at the university.
In 1868, he again entered the university and studied at this stage the basics of jurisprudence.
In 1869, he was actively engaged in painting in the hope of receiving gold medals, and in the end he achieved his goal; for the painting “Job and His Friends” he was awarded a small gold medal, which gave him the next right in the competition of artists to receive the long-awaited large gold medal in academic The task is to paint the picture “The Resurrection of Jairus’s Daughter.” Of course, the task was not easy, especially since Ilya Repin took part in the competition with him.
In 1871, both artists coped with the task perfectly, with some differences in their work from each other, the paintings received positive reviews and the artists were awarded large gold medals with the right to travel to Europe.
After graduating from the university with a thesis defense in 1872, he and Repin visited foreign countries. Polenov travels to Germany, then to Italy, he is impressed by life abroad with its way of life, he visits museums and galleries, exhibitions, absorbing everything necessary in knowledge European painting and various crafts. Subsequently, he visited France, enchanted by the beauty of this city, he lived and worked for some time. In Paris, where, under the impression, he painted the painting “The Arrest of the Countess d’Etremont”, in fact, for this work, upon returning to his homeland, he was awarded the honorary title of academician in 1876. In the same year, as a court artist, he went to the zone of Russian-Turkish military operations.
Being an academician, Polenov teaches at the School of Painting in Moscow, under his leadership Kostantin Korovin, Isaac Levitan, Abram Arkhipov and many others became real artists.
Living in Moscow, Vasily Polenov falls in love with the Moscow streets, finding in them truly picturesque places, decorated with beautiful church churches with gilded domes, and in 1878 he creates a simply unique masterpiece of his work, a painting with the affectionate title “Moscow Courtyard”, the plot of which, the artist noticed in one of the Arbat back streets. This work brought the artist impressive success and popularity, and his style of painting began to be perceived by his contemporaries as a new style, designated by intimate landscapes.
In 1879, Polenov joined the ranks of the Peredvizhniki artists and often exhibits his works at exhibitions, among which the painting “Grandmother’s Garden” and “Overgrown Pond” received many good reviews, Stasov designated this work as the best colorful painting work among landscape painters at that time.
In 1881, Polenov, together with Prakhov A.V. and Abamelek-Lazarev S.S. visit the Middle East, having visited Egypt, Syria and Palestine. During his trip to the Middle East, the Artist performed various sketches from life and landscapes “The Nile at the Theban Range”, “The Nile, the Pyramids in the Distance”.
In 1882, the artist returned to Russia; the works brought after the trip were exhibited in 1885 at traveling exhibition, where Pavel Tretyakov saw them, enchanted by the works, he acquired them.
In 1882, Vasily Polenov got married, and Yakunchikova N.B., a relative of Mamontova E.G., became his chosen one. In 1883, he again went abroad, this time with his wife, and visited Italy, settling in the capital of Italy in Rome, where he hatched a plan for painting on a theme from the life of Christ. In 1887, the artist painted the painting “Christ and the Sinner.” The most interesting thing is that Polenov depicted Christ not quite traditionally, like common man with a wise mind and a pure soul. The painting was exhibited in the same year at a traveling exhibition and was purchased by Emperor Alexander 3rd.
In 1890, the artist left the capital for the Tula region, where he purchased a house on the banks of the Oka River and later, according to his plan, a house was built for him along with workshops, in which he gathers artists and teaches painting and drawing to local rural children. This estate was named Borok. Having had his fill of village views, Polenov works hard and creates a series of paintings with the beauties of the surroundings of the Oka River "Early Snow", "Summer on the Oka", "Autumn on the Oka near Tarusa", "Golden Autumn"
Working a lot with the landscape theme, Polenov was haunted by the theme from the Gospel, so he created many works according to his plan, and in 1909 many of them were demonstrated in different cities of Russia in St. Petersburg, Tver and Moscow.
Vasily Polenov devotes a lot of time to working in the theater, performing various decorative works; this contributed to his friendship with Sava Mamontov.
According to the artist's plans, it was built in 1915 theater building with various workshops for staging scenes. He himself takes part in developing scripts and directing productions.
After the October Revolution of 1917, he moved to his Bork estate, where he participated in the organization of peasants theater clubs. He works a lot with young people, Polenov teaches painting basics to children.
He continues to be creative, paints a picture, paints a picture in 1919, “Spill on the Oka River.” In 1924, he turned 80, as a sign of this event, his personal exhibition was organized in the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery. In 1926, for various services, the Soviet state awarded him the title of People's Artist of Russia.
In the summer of 1827, on July 18, Polenov died; he was buried on the banks of the Oka River in the vicinity of the village of Bekhovo.
Vasily Polenov is one of the main Russian landscape painters of the 19th century. The artist was remembered by society as a sensitive naturalist and a zealous follower of Christianity. His painting “Christ and the Sinner,” which was not accepted by society, became part of the emperor’s personal collection, and his painting “Moscow Courtyard” served as the founder of the “intimate landscape” genre.
Childhood and youth
Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov was born on May 20 (June 1, new style) 1844 in St. Petersburg. The boy and his twin sister Vera became the firstborns of the famous archaeologist Dmitry Vasilyevich and artist, children's writer Maria Alekseevna Voeikova. The family raised three more children: Konstantin (b. 1848), Alexey (b. 1849), Elena (b. 1850). Brother Alexander died in infancy.
Maria Alekseevna, who studied painting under the guidance, loved to draw portraits. Thanks to this, contemporaries know what Vasily Polenov looked like as a child.
The children were raised in creative family. Grandmother Vera Nikolaevna Voeykova knew Russian history very well and loved folk poetry and fairy tales. Her grandchildren often came to her estate in the Tambov region. IN home Competitions awaited them in the art of drawing, composing, etc. For the best works, grandmother gave homemade medals.
Parents also supported the creative impulses of their children and hired eminent teachers from the Academy of Arts, for example, Pavel Chistyakov. Subsequently, Vasily Dmitrievich succeeded in the landscape genre, and his sister Elena became one of the first female illustrators of children's books.
Polenov early felt a craving for canvas and was going to enter the Academy of Arts, but his parents insisted on receiving a “serious” education. In 1861-1863, the young man received general knowledge at the Olonets provincial male gymnasium in Petrozavodsk, then, together with his brother Alexei, mastered the exact sciences at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of St. Petersburg Imperial University.
In his free time from classes, Polenov attended courses at the Academy of Arts, studied not only painting, but also anatomy, descriptive geometry, biology. Here the future artist also revealed his musical talent: he sang in the choir, composed compositions on the piano, and was a regular at the opera. Much later, in 1906, the premiere of Polenov’s opera “Ghosts of Hellas” took place at the Moscow Conservatory.
Having completed his student course in 1867 with silver medals for his paintings, Polenov did not leave his alma mater, but entered the Faculty of Law. After 5 years, he successfully defended his dissertation on the topic “On the meaning of art in its application to crafts.”
Painting
In 1867, Polenov captured his beloved grandmother Vera Nikolaevna on canvas, and this portrait became the author’s debut work.
Interesting fact: a number of sources indicate that in 1869 the artist received a small gold medal for the painting “Job and His Friends.” In fact, the work belongs to Polenov’s classmate, a famous painter. Vasily Dmitrievich received his first creative award - a large gold medal - in 1871 for the canvas “Christ Raises the Daughter of Jairus.”
For their demonstrated talent, Polenov and Repin were sent for an internship in Europe. Despite his conscious age - 27 years old, Vasily Dmitrievich could not decide which genre to devote himself to. For inspiration, he went to museums, turning to the masters of the pen: Karl Piloty, Gabriel Max, Arnold Böcklin, Hans Makart.
During the 6-year internship, the landscapes “White Horse” were born. Normandy" (1874), "Italian landscape with a peasant" (1874), "Abbey in Redon" (1876), portrait "Arrest of the Huguenot Jacobine de Montebel, Countess d'Etremont" (1875), which in 1876 secured Polenov the title of academician arts
Having visited Vienna, Munich, the oldest cities of Italy and France, in 1876 the artist returned to Russia with a clear vision of his future creative path.
“I tried and tried all kinds of painting: historical, landscape, marina, portrait of a head, images of animals, nature morte, etc. and came to the conclusion that my talent is closest to the landscape, everyday genre, which is what I will do,” - Polenov wrote in his diary.
Vasily Dmitrievich did not have time to engage in creativity immediately upon arrival - it began Russo-Turkish War. However, the sovereigns, having heard a lot about the graduate of the Academy of Arts, invited Polenov to take the place of the official artist under Alexander III.
The master of the pen transferred the horrors of war not onto monumental canvases, but onto paper - his front-line sketches were published in the magazine “Bee”. Polenov paid more attention to peaceful landscapes. During the years of confrontation between Russian and Ottoman Empires“Granny’s Garden” and “Moscow Courtyard” (1878) were created, and immediately after the war - “Overgrown Pond” (1879).
The painting “Moscow Courtyard” is considered one of the most famous in Polenov’s work. She captured the life of the townspeople at the height of summer day: a woman drags a yoke, children play in the grass, and a harnessed horse grazes nearby. On background- fenced off by houses, but powerful Spas on the Sands. Polenov’s colleagues in the craft classified the canvas as a distinctive genre - “intimate landscape”.
In the early 1880s, oriental landscapes and biblical motifs appeared in the work of Vasily Dmitrievich. During that period of his biography, the artist toured the cradles of Christianity: Constantinople, Palestine, Syria. On the road, the paintings “Bethlehem”, “Olive in the Garden of Gethsemane”, “The Source of the Virgin Mary in Nazareth” (1882) were born.
At the same time, Polenov began to paint the epoch-making canvas “Christ and the Sinner”. The idea for the painting “Christ and the Sinner” (another title is “Who is Without Sin?”) appeared to Polenov under the impression of the painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People” by Alexander Ivanov. I wanted to show the artist who not only appears, but exists among the laity.
Work on the work took a long time, and if it weren’t for Vasily Dmitrievich’s twin sister, it would hardly have been completed - while dying, Vera made her brother promise that he would finish the painting and make it in a large format. The first sketches of the life story of Christ appeared in the 1870s, and the final work in 1888.
“Christ and the Sinner” was received with doubt; censors even refused to allow the painting to be exhibited. Alexander III purchased the painting for his own collection, and the emperor’s disposition towards the artist immediately changed the opinion of society.
With the proceeds, Polenov bought a plot in the Tula province, on the banks of the Oka River. Later the Borok estate was built here. The view from the windows of the estate formed the basis for the paintings “Golden Autumn”, “It’s Getting Cold. Autumn on the Oka near Tarusa", "Chapel on the banks of the Oka" (1893).
In the 1900s, the artist collected material for the first and only series of paintings, “From the Life of Christ.” The exhibition, held in 1909, was a resounding success and forever placed Polenov’s name on the list of the best painters of our time.
The final painting by Vasily Dmitrievich “Oka. The steamship “Vladimir”, converted into a tugboat, dates back to 1920.
Personal life
In Vasily Polenov’s personal life there was only one woman - Natalya Vasilievna Yakunchikova, the daughter of a Moscow merchant. She became the artist's wife in 1882.
The marriage produced 6 children. The first-born Fedor, born in 1884, did not live even two years. Then Dmitry (b. 1886), Ekaterina (b. 1887), Maria (b. 1891), Olga (b. 1894) and Natalya (b. 1898) were born.
Death
Death overtook Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov at the 83rd year of his life, on July 18, 1927, in the Borok estate. Buried at rural cemetery on the banks of the Oka River. According to the last will of the deceased, an Olonets cross was installed on the grave.
After his death, Polenov’s legacy continued to live on. Now the State Memorial Historical, Artistic and Natural Museum-Reserve of V. D. Polenov is located in the Borok estate. The directors of the institution at all times were the artist’s relatives.
Paintings
- 1867 – “Portrait of Vera Nikolaevna Voyekova”
- 1873 – “Birches and Ferns”
- 1874 – “White Horse. Normandy"
- 1874 – “Mill in Woehl. Normandy"
- 1875 – “Arrest of the Huguenot Jacobine de Montebel, Countess d'Etremont”
- 1877 – “Moscow courtyard”
- 1878 – “Grandma’s Garden”
- 1879 – “Overgrown Pond”
- 1882 – “Bethlehem”
- 1888 – “Christ and the Sinner”
- 1891 – “Early Snow”
- 1896-1909 – “Filled with wisdom”
- 1908 – “Which of you is without sin?”