WINTER IN PAINTING (CHOOSE THE SNOW MAIDEN!)

The classics are always right?! Since childhood, we (at least I personally) have associated the granddaughter of Grandfather Frost with the heroine of the painting by Viktor Vasnetsov, whom everyone remembers very well. A pretty, rosy-cheeked, young girl who always accompanies Grandfather and is present at all holidays.

Vasnetsov Viktor Mikhailovich (1848-1926) Snow Maiden. 1899 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

But no less famous and talented classics of painting, Vrubel and Roerich, argue with Vasnetsov, presenting the Snow Maiden a little differently. From what? Maybe because they gravitated more toward modernity and all sorts of “isms”? Or because these drawings are sketches of costumes, so there is no need to pay attention to the face? The closest, it seems to me, is the Snow Maiden by Boris Zvorykin, who created illustrations for the fairy tale “The Snow Maiden” in the late 1930s in exile in Paris. Why am I doing all this? Besides, all sorts of Snow Maidens are needed, and not only young, blue-eyed blondes are important! The main thing is that kindness should shine in your eyes, that a smile should shine on your lips, that you should be your grandfather’s assistant! Here! In general, compare and write which Snow Maiden is closer to you!

Vrubel Mikhail Alexandrovich (1856-1910) Snow Maiden. Costume sketch for the opera by N. Rimsky-Korsakov. 1890 Ryazan Art Museum

Roerich Nicholas Konstantinovich (1874-1947) Snow Maiden. Costume design for Rimsky-Korsakov's opera. 1921

Zvorykin Boris Vasilievich (1872-1942) Illustration for the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden". 1930s

Well, in order not to offend modern artists, so that you have options to choose from, so that you finally get a real gallery of the Snow Maidens, I will add a few more paintings by painters of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.)))

Grigorieva-Klimova Olga Vyacheslavovna (born 1984) Snow Maiden 2010

Klimenko Andrey (born 1956) Winter-winter.

Makovetsky Dmitry Viktorovich (born 1985) Snow Maiden. 2013

Shabalin Alexey Anatolyevich (born 1967) Snow Maiden.

Kondurina Natalya Valerievna Snegurochka.

Dubovikova Galina Beauty. Fedoskino lacquer miniature

Barakhtyan Fedor Fedorovich (Lithuania, born 1938) Snow Maiden. 2005

©Elena Gorbunova
The snow girl who comes to us on New Year’s Eve is a unique phenomenon. In no other New Year's mythology, except Russian, is there a female character
V. M. Vasnetsov “The Snow Maiden” (1899)

They say she is made of snow... And melts with love. At least, this is how the writer Alexander Ostrovsky presented the Snow Maiden in 1873, who can safely be considered the ice girl’s adoptive father.

M. Malkus Illustration for the fairy tale "Snow Maiden"

The true roots of the Snow Maiden's relationship go back to the pre-Christian mythology of the Slavs. In the northern regions of pagan Rus' there was a custom of making idols from snow and ice. And the image of a revived ice girl is often found in the legends of those times. A. N. Afanasyev studied the tales of the Snow Maiden in the second volume of “Poetic Views of the Slavs on Nature.” The book fell into the hands of Ostrovsky, he was inspired and wrote the play “The Snow Maiden,” where he shed light on the origins of the cold beauty.
The Snow Maiden's parents turned out to be Frost and Vesna-Krasna. The girl lived alone, in a dark, cold forest, without showing her face to the sun, she was yearning and reached out to people. And one day she came out to them from the thicket.

According to Ostrovsky’s fairy tale, the icy Snow Maiden was distinguished by timidity and modesty, but there was not a trace of spiritual coldness in her. Staying in frosty equanimity, somewhere inside the beauty was gnawing at melancholy: the Snow Maiden wanted to experience real warm emotions. But if her heart falls in love and becomes hot, the Snow Maiden will die! She knew this and nevertheless decided: she begged Mother Spring for the ability to love passionately.
Nicholas Roerich Snow Maiden and Lel, 1921

What she looked like was demonstrated by the artists Vasnetsov, Vrubel and Roerich.
Mikhail Vrubel "Snow Maiden" 1890

It was thanks to their paintings that we learned that the Snow Maiden wears a pale blue caftan and a cap with edges, and sometimes a kokoshnik.

The Snow Maiden did not come to Santa Claus right away. Although even before the revolution, Christmas trees were decorated with figures of a snow girl, girls dressed up in Snow Maiden costumes, and New Year’s performances were made from fragments of fairy tales, Ostrovsky’s play or Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera of the same name.
V. M. Vasnetsov Zarechnaya settlement Berendeyevka
Set design for the first act of N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “The Snow Maiden” (based on the story of the same name by A. N. Ostrovsky)

In Soviet Russia, officially celebrating the New Year was only allowed in 1935. All over the country they began to install Christmas trees and invite Santa Claus. But then an assistant suddenly appeared next to him - a sweet, modest girl with a braid over her shoulder, dressed in a blue fur coat. First a daughter, then - no one knows why - a granddaughter. The first joint appearance of Father Frost and the Snow Maiden took place in 1937 - it has been the same since then. The Snow Maiden leads round dances with the children, conveys their requests to Grandfather Frost, helps distribute gifts, sings songs and dances with the birds and animals.
And the New Year is not a New Year without the glorious assistant of the main wizard of the country.
Two places are vying for the title of “family nest” of the daughter of Frost and Spring.

In the Shchelykovo estate in the Kostroma region, Ostrovsky came up with his play based on an old fairy tale - this, it seems, is the birthplace of the Snow Maiden. But in the village of Abramtsevo near Moscow, Viktor Vasnetsov was born with the image of an icy

11.01.2015

Description of the painting by Mikhail Vrubel “Snow Maiden”

Many masterpieces came from the pen of the great painter Mikhail Vrubel. He worked in many directions, one of which was post-impressionism. The technique he used delights many connoisseurs of beauty to this day. Unusual stories are fascinating. The completeness of the images, executed with precise efficiency, is complemented by the intensity of color and the immensity of fate. The inspiration for the artist’s images is actress Nadezhda Ivanovna Zabela. Quite a large number of paintings with her image have been preserved: these are the Muse, the Sea Princess, and Spring. But the most successful painting using this image is considered to be “The Snow Maiden”.

The master managed to convey the girl’s facial features quite brightly and colorfully and depicted her loose curls. It is believed that the image turned out to be so accurate only because he liked it. The actress is depicted in the image of the Snow Maiden, with a slightly languid smile visible on her face. Behind her is a snow-white forest. The branches of fluffy fir trees are dusted with light snow. The Snow Maiden is not afraid of frost, since she is the mistress of this fairy-tale forest. The unusually beautiful eyes of the sorceress add magic to the image. Vrubel was constantly improving the image of the actress not only in his works, but also in life. He became her designer, who came up with new outfits for her in various shapes and colors. Each time the Muse's wardrobe increased. Only bright colors were used in the clothing design, in which his wife would shine with renewed vigor. This image was alien to Nadezhda; she felt some discomfort and embarrassment. But despite this, she put them on and wore her husband’s creations with pride.
Throughout her married life, the artist’s wife concealed in her image some kind of alluring mystery, which Vrubel compared with nature.

Vrubel perfected his drawing system. He was equally brilliant in all graphic materials. This is confirmed by illustrations for “The Demon” by M.Yu. Lermontov. What brought the artist closer to the poet was that both cherished in their souls the ideal of a proud, rebellious creative character. The essence of this image is dual. On the one hand, the greatness of the human spirit, on the other - immeasurable pride, an overestimation of the strength of the individual, which turns into loneliness. Vrubel, who took the burden of the “demonic” theme on his fragile shoulders, was the son of an unheroic time. Vrubel's "Demon" has more melancholy and anxiety than pride and greatness..."

God's Grace Painter

In the history of world painting, there are few artists endowed with the divine gift of color. Vrubel takes a worthy place in this unique list. His gift for painting has been highlighted since his studies at the Academy of Arts. Vrubel throughout his life deepened and complicated his color palette and found new, previously unknown combinations on it. He was strongly influenced by the Italians: Bellini and Carpaccio, early Byzantine mosaics and ancient Russian frescoes..."

Vrubel's pedagogical activity

Almost nothing is known about Vrubel’s pedagogical activity, but, fortunately, the story of the artist M.S. Mukhin, who studied with M.A. Vrubel at the Stroganov School, has miraculously reached us. He reveals a new, unknown facet of the master’s talent. The artist was invited to the Stroganov School by director N.V. Globa, who did a lot for the rise of artistic and industrial education in Russia. So, at the turn of the century, M.A. Vrubel finds himself within the walls of Stroganovka. Here is the story of M.S. Mukhin...

Nadezhda Ivanovna Zabela-Vrubel was born on April 1, 1868 into a family of an old Ukrainian family. Her father, Ivan Petrovich, a civil servant, was interested in painting, music and contributed to the versatile education of his daughters, Ekaterina and Nadezhda. From the age of ten, Nadezhda studied at the Kiev Institute of Noble Maidens, from which she graduated in 1883 with a large silver medal.

"The Swan Princess" Vrubel

From 1885 to 1891 Nadezhda studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, in the class of Professor N.A. Iretskaya. “Art requires a head,” said Natalia Alexandrovna. To decide on admission, she always auditioned candidates at home and got to know them in more detail.

This is what L.G. writes. Barsova: “The entire palette of colors was based on impeccable vocals: the pure tone seems to endlessly and continuously flow and develop. The formation of the tone did not hinder the articulation of the mouth: “The consonants sing, they don’t block, but they sing!” Iretskaya prompted. She considered false intonation to be her biggest drawback, and forced singing was seen as the greatest disaster - a consequence of poor breathing. The following requirements of Iretskaya were quite modern: “You must be able to hold your breath while you sing the phrase - inhale lightly, hold the diaphragm while you sing the phrase, feel the state of singing.” Zabela learned Iretskaya’s lessons perfectly..."

Vrubel

Already participation in the student performance of Beethoven's Fidelio on February 9, 1891 drew the attention of specialists to the young singer who performed the role of Leonora. Reviewers noted “good schooling and musical understanding,” “a strong and well-produced voice,” while pointing out a lack of “stage presence.”

After graduating from the conservatory, Nadezhda, at the invitation of A.G. Rubinstein is on a concert tour in Germany. Then she goes to Paris to improve herself with M. Marchesi.

"Lilac", Vrubel

Zabela's stage career began in 1893 in Kyiv, at the I.Ya. Opera House. Setova. In Kyiv she performs the roles of Nedda (Pagliacci by Leoncavallo), Elizabeth (Tannhäuser by Wagner), Michaela (Carmen by Bizet), Mignon (Mignon by Thomas), Tatiana (Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky), Gorislava (Ruslan and Lyudmila” by Glinka), Kryza (“Nero” by Rubinstein).

"Snow Maiden"

Particular attention should be paid to the role of Marguerite (“Faust” by Gounod), one of the most complex and revealing in the opera classics. Constantly working on the image of Margarita, Zabela interprets it more and more subtly. Here is one of the reviews from Kyiv: “Ms. Zabela, whom we met for the first time in this performance, created such a poetic image in terms of stage performance, was so impeccably good vocally that from her first appearance on stage in the second act and from the first “With the same notes of her opening recitative, sung impeccably, right up to the final scene in the dungeon of the last act, she completely captured the attention and affection of the audience.”

"Hansel and Gretel" Vrubel

After Kyiv, Zabela performs in Tiflis, where her repertoire includes the roles of Gilda (Verdi’s Rigoletto), Violetta (Verdi’s La traviata), Juliet (Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet), Inea (Meyerbeer’s “Afrikane”), and Tamara (“ Demon" by Rubinstein), Maria ("Mazeppa" by Tchaikovsky), Lisa ("The Queen of Spades" by Tchaikovsky).

"Sadko"

In 1896, Zabela performed in St. Petersburg, at the Panaevsky Theater. At one of the rehearsals of Humperdinck’s opera “Hansel and Gretel,” Nadezhda Ivanovna met her future husband. This is how she herself told about it: “I was amazed and even somewhat shocked that some gentleman ran up to me and, kissing my hand, exclaimed: “A lovely voice!” T.S., who was standing here, Lyubatovich hastened to introduce me: “Our artist Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel,” and said to me aside: “He is a very expansive man, but quite decent.”

"Hansel and Gretel" Vrubel

After the premiere of the opera “Hansel and Gretel,” Zabela brought Vrubel to Ge’s house, where she then lived. Her sister “noticed that Nadya was somehow especially youthful and interesting, and realized that this was due to the atmosphere of love with which this particular Vrubel surrounded her.” Vrubel later said that “if she had refused him, he would have taken his own life.”

"Hansel and Gretel"
On July 28, 1896, the wedding of Zabela and Vrubel took place in Switzerland. The happy newlywed wrote to her sister: “In Mikhail Alexandrovich I find new virtues every day; firstly, he is unusually meek and kind, simply touching, in addition, I always have fun and are surprisingly at ease with him. I certainly believe in his competence in singing, he will be very useful to me, and it seems that I too will be able to influence him.”

Vrubel

Zabela singled out the role of Tatiana in “Eugene Onegin” as her favorite. She sang it for the first time in Kyiv, in Tiflis she chose this part for her benefit performance, and in Kharkov for her debut. M. Dulova, then a young singer, spoke about her first appearance on the stage of the Kharkov Opera House on September 18, 1896 in her memoirs: “Nadezhda Ivanovna made a pleasant impression on everyone: with her appearance, her costume, her demeanor... Already the rehearsals of Onegin spoke about the specific Tatiana-Zabela's weight. Nadezhda Ivanovna was very pretty and stylish. The performance “Onegin” went well.” Her talent blossomed at the Mamontov Theater, where she was invited by Savva Ivanovich in the fall of 1897 along with her husband. Soon she met with the music of Rimsky-Korsakov.

Rimsky-Korsakov first heard the singer on December 30, 1897 as Volkhova in Sadko. “You can imagine how nervous I was, performing in front of the author in such a difficult game,” said Zabela. “However, the fears turned out to be exaggerated. After the second film, I met Nikolai Andreevich and received full approval from him.”

"Princess Volkhova" Vrubel

Volkhova's image corresponded to the artist's individuality. Ossovsky wrote: “When she sings, it seems like ethereal visions are swaying and flashing before your eyes, meek and... almost imperceptible... When they have to experience grief, it is not grief, but a deep sigh, without murmur or hope.”

"Sadko"

Rimsky-Korsakov himself, after “Sadko,” writes to the artist: “Of course, you thereby composed the Sea Princess, that you created her image in singing and on stage, which will remain with you forever and will remain in my imagination...”

Vrubel

Soon Zabela-Vrubel began to be called the “Korsakov singer.” She became the main character in the production of such masterpieces by Rimsky-Korsakov as “The Pskov Woman”, “May Night”, “The Snow Maiden”, “Mozart and Salieri”, “The Tsar’s Bride”, “Vera Sheloga”, “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”, "Koschei the Deathless".

"Koschei the Deathless"

Rimsky-Korsakov did not hide his attitude towards the singer. Regarding “The Pskov Woman,” he said: “In general, I consider Olga to be your best role, even if I was not bribed by the presence of Chaliapin himself on stage.” For the role of the Snow Maiden, Zabela-Vrubel also received the highest praise from the author: “I have never heard a Snow Maiden so sung as Nadezhda Ivanovna.”

"Snow Maiden", Vrubel

Rimsky-Korsakov immediately wrote some of his romances and opera roles with Zabela-Vrubel’s artistic capabilities in mind. Here we must name Vera (“Boyaryna Vera Sheloga”), and the Swan Princess (“The Tale of Tsar Saltan”), and Princess Beloved Beauty (“Koshey the Immortal”), and, of course, Martha in “The Tsar’s Bride.”

"The Tsar's Bride"

On October 22, 1899, the premiere of The Tsar's Bride took place. This game showed the best traits of Zabela-Vrubel’s talent. It was not for nothing that her contemporaries called her the singer of the female soul, of a woman’s quiet dreams, love and sadness. And at the same time, crystal purity of sound, crystal transparency of timbre, special tenderness of the cantilena.

Vrubel

The critic I. Lipaev wrote: “Ms. Zabela turned out to be a beautiful Martha, full of meek movements, dove-like humility, and in her voice, warm, expressive, not embarrassed by the height of the part, everything captivated with musicality and beauty... Zabela is incomparable in the scenes with Dunyasha, with Lykov, where all she has is love and hope for a rosy future, and is even more beautiful in the last act, when the potion has already poisoned the poor thing and the news of Lykov’s execution drives her crazy. And in general, Marfa found a rare artist in Zabela.”

"Cherevichki"

Feedback from another critic, Kashkin: “Zabela sings [Martha’s] aria amazingly well. This number requires quite exceptional vocal means, and it is unlikely that many singers have such a lovely mezza voce in the highest register as Zabela flaunts. It is difficult to imagine this aria sung better. The scene and aria of the crazy Martha were performed by Zabela in an unusually touching and poetic manner, with a great sense of proportion.” Engel gave equally high praise to Zabela’s singing and acting: “Marfa [Zabela] was very good, there was so much warmth and touching in her voice and in her stage performance! In general, the new role was almost entirely a success for the artist; She spends almost the entire part in some kind of mezza voce, even on high notes, which gives Martha that aura of meekness, humility and submission to fate, which, I think, was depicted in the poet’s imagination.”

Vrubel

Zabela-Vrubel in the role of Marfa made a great impression on O.L. Knipper, who wrote to Chekhov: “Yesterday I was at the opera, listening to The Tsar’s Bride for the second time. What wonderful, subtle, graceful music! And how beautifully and simply Marfa Zabela sings and plays. I cried so well in the last act - she touched me. She conducts the scene of madness with amazing simplicity, her voice is clear, high, soft, not a single loud note, she just lulls you to sleep. The whole image of Martha is full of such tenderness, lyricism, purity - I just can’t get it out of my head.”

Of course, Zabela’s operatic repertoire was not limited to the music of the author of The Tsar’s Bride. She was an excellent Antonida in Ivan Susanin, soulfully sang Iolanta in Tchaikovsky’s opera of the same name, and she even played the role of Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohème. And yet, the Russian women of Rimsky-Korsakov evoked the greatest response in her soul. It is characteristic that his romances formed the basis of Zabela-Vrubel’s chamber repertoire.

Vrubel

In the very sad fate of the singer there was something from the heroines of Rimsky-Korsakov. In the summer of 1901, Nadezhda Ivanovna had a son, Savvochka. But two years later he fell ill and died. Added to this was the husband’s mental illness. Vrubel died in April 1910. And her creative career itself, at least theatrical, was unfairly short. After five years of brilliant performances on the stage of the Moscow Private Opera, from 1904 to 1911 Zabela-Vrubel served at the Mariinsky Theater.

"Pskovite"

The Mariinsky Theater had a higher professional level, but it lacked the atmosphere of celebration and love that reigned in the Mamontov Theater. M.F. Gnesin wrote with disappointment: “When I once went to the theater to see “Sadko” with her participation, I could not help but be upset by some of her inconspicuousness in the play. Her appearance and her singing were still charming for me, and yet, in comparison with the previous one, it was like a gentle and somewhat dull watercolor, only reminiscent of a painting painted with oil paints. In addition, those around her on stage were devoid of poetry. The dryness inherent in productions in state-owned theaters was felt in everything.”

Vrubel

On the imperial stage she never had the chance to perform the role of Fevronia in Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh.” And contemporaries claim that this part sounded great on the concert stage.

"Tsar Saltan"

But Zabela-Vrubel’s chamber evenings continued to attract the attention of true connoisseurs. Her last concert took place in June 1913, and on July 4, 1913, Nadezhda Ivanovna passed away.

P.S:

Vrubel died of pneumonia in St. Petersburg on April 1 (14), 1910, in Dr. Bari’s hospital for the mentally ill. It is known that he caught a cold from standing for a long time on frosty days under an open window. His last words were: “Stop lying around, get ready, Nikolai, let’s go to the Academy...” He was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery. Alexander Blok gave an inspirational speech at the funeral, calling the artist “a messenger of other worlds.” The block over Vrubel’s grave said: “He left us his Demons, as spellcasters against purple evil, against the night. Before what Vrubel and others like him reveal to humanity once a century, I can only tremble. Those worlds that they saw, we do not we see."

In 1913, his wife, Nadezhda Zabela-Vrubel, was buried nearby. In 1935-1936, it was planned to transfer Vrubel’s grave to the museum necropolis of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, but this plan was not implemented.