1. Kuindzhi worked on the painting “ moonlit night on the Dnieper for about six months. A few months before the completion of the work, rumors spread throughout St. Petersburg about the incredible beauty of this work. Long lines lined up outside the windows of his workshop. Everyone wanted to at least get a glimpse of this work of art. Kuindzhi went to meet the people of St. Petersburg and lifted the veil of secrecy. Every Sunday the artist opened the doors of his studio to everyone for exactly 2 hours.

2. During this time, many great people of that time became guests of his workshop - I.S. Turgenev, D.I. Mendeleev, Ya.P. Polonsky, I.N. Kramskoy, P.P. Chistyakov. One Sunday, a modest naval officer came to the artist and inquired about the cost of the painting. Arkhip Ivanovich named an incredible amount for those times - 5 thousand rubles. He didn't expect him to agree at all. But the officer replied: “Okay. I’ll leave it behind.” It turned out that it was Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov, who purchased the painting for his collection.

3. “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” was exhibited on Bolshaya Morskaya Street in St. Petersburg, in the hall of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. It is important that this was the first exhibition of one painting in Russia. And people stood in line for hours to see the work of the “artist of light.” This is exactly what fans of his work began to call Kuindzhi.

4. Arkhip Kuindzhi approached the exhibition of his painting responsibly. The idea came to him in a dream: in order to achieve a greater effect, the artist asked to curtain all the windows in the hall and illuminate the picture with a beam focused on it. When visitors entered the dimly lit hall, they could not believe their eyes - the sparkling silvery-greenish disk of the moon flooded the entire room with its deep, bewitching light. Many of them looked behind the painting in the hope of finding a lamp there in order to convict the author of charlatanism. But she was not there.

5. In this painting, Kuindzhi managed to show all the beauty of nature on a calm and serene Ukrainian night - the majestic Dnieper, dilapidated huts and cold radiance moonlight. I.E. Repin recalled how dozens of people stood in front of the canvas “in prayerful silence” with tears in their eyes: “This is how the artist’s poetic charms acted on selected believers, and they lived in such moments with the best feelings of the soul and enjoyed the heavenly bliss of the art of painting.”

6. There were rumors that Kuindzhi paints with “magic lunar” paints from Japan. Envious people said with contempt that drawing with them did not require great intelligence. The superstitious accused the master of being in cahoots with evil spirits.

7. The secret of the “artist of light” was the artist’s fantastic ability to play with contrasts and long experiments on color rendering. In the process of creating a painting, he mixed not only paints, but also added chemical elements. Kuindzhi was helped in this by his close friend D.I. Mendeleev.

8. The new owner, Grand Duke Constantine, liked the painting so much that he decided not to part with it even when traveling. He placed the canvas on his yacht and went sailing. I.S. Turgenev was horrified by this. He wrote to D.V. Gigorovich: “There is no doubt that the picture... will return completely destroyed.” I even personally persuaded the prince to leave the painting, but he was adamant. Of course, dampness, wind and air saturated with salt negatively affected the condition of the canvas. The paint is cracked and faded. But, despite this, the picture still fascinates the viewer.

9. The picture was extremely popular. This prompted Kuindzhi to create two more original copies of Moonlit Night on the Dnieper. They were written 2 years later - in 1882. The first is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the other in the Livadia Palace in Yalta.

10. The fame that befell Kuindzhi after “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” almost “crushed” the artist. In the prime of his creative powers, the great creator took an unexpected step. He closed the doors of his workshop and ceased exhibition activities. He explained his action this way: “...an artist needs to perform at exhibitions while he, like a singer, has a voice. And as soon as the voice subsides, you have to leave, not show yourself, so as not to be ridiculed.” For 30 years of “silence” there was not a day when the artist did not pick up a brush or pencil. Even before his death, he remained faithful to his life's work. Not having the strength to get out of bed, he lay down and drew pencil sketches.

11. The museum-apartment of the talented master is located in the famous “house of the artist” on Birzhevoy Lane. The initiative to create a museum-apartment was made by Kuindzhi’s student, Nicholas Roerich. Unfortunately, it was possible to open the exhibition only in 1991 - on the 150th anniversary of the artist.

HELP KP

Arkhip Ivanovich KUINDZHI born on January 27, 1842 in the family of a poor shoemaker. The surname Kuindzhi was given to him by his grandfather’s nickname, which in Tatar means “goldsmith.” In the 60s, the aspiring artist “failed” the exam twice and entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts only on the third try. There he became friends with V.M. Vasnetsov and I.E. Repin, met I.N. Kramskoy, the ideologist of advanced Russian artists. Early works The artist's works were written under the influence of Aivazovsky's manner. Over time, he begins to think about themes and writing style, independently studying paints, colors, lighting effects, and by the age of forty he becomes famous. In the early 90s, Kuindzhi began a period of “silence” and for almost 30 years he painted “on the table”. In the period 1894-1897, Kuindzhi led the highest art school at the Academy of Arts. His students were A. Rylov, N. Roerich, K. Bogaevsky. In 1909, Kuindzhi organized the Society of Artists. He donated his money, lands and paintings to this organization. The “Artist of Light” died in St. Petersburg on July 11, 1910.

The moonlit night on the Dnieper Kuindzhi created a real sensation and almost immediately acquired mystical fame. Many did not believe that the light of the moon could be transmitted in this way only artistic means.

In the summer and autumn of 1880, Arkhip Kuindzhi worked on new picture. By that time, he had already severed his relationship with the Partnership of Itinerants, considering it too commercialized. Rumors that the artist was creating something enchanting spread throughout the Russian capital instantly. On Sundays he opened the workshop for two hours and those who wished could get acquainted with the work even before its completion. So the picture gained truly legendary fame. Writer Ivan Turgenev, artists Yakov Polonsky, Ilya Kramskoy and Pavel Chistyakov, and scientist Dmitry Mendelev came to Arkhip Ivanovich’s studio. The famous publisher and collector Kozma Soldatenkov had an eye on the painting. However, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich was ahead of everyone. He bought “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” even before its presentation to the general public for five thousand rubles.

The painting was shown in St. Petersburg, and it was the first exhibition of one painting in Russia. Arkhip Kuindzhi has always been very attentive to the exhibition of his works. I placed them so that each was well lit and was not disturbed by neighboring paintings. IN separate room The Society for the Encouragement of Artists “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” hung alone on the wall. The room was not illuminated, but a bright electric beam fell on the picture. This deepened the image even more, and the moonlight became simply dazzling.

Visitors entered the dimly lit hall and stood before the cold glow of moonlight. A wide space stretching into the distance opened up before the audience. The plain, crossed by a greenish ribbon of a quiet river, almost merges at the horizon with a dark sky covered with rows of light clouds. The silvery-greenish disk of the moon flooded the earth with a mysterious light. There are no people on the canvas, and the main thing in the image is not the river or the moon itself, although none of the painters did it better than Kuindzhi. The main thing is light, giving peace and hope. This phosphorescent light was so strong that some of the spectators tried to look behind the painting to find a lantern or lamp. The curious were in for a strong disappointment - there was, of course, no lamp there.

Only Gogol sang about the Dnieper like that

This majestic spectacle still immerses viewers in thoughts about eternity and the enduring beauty of the world. So I only sang about the Dnieper before Kuindzhi the great Gogol. The number of sincere admirers of the artist’s talent grew. There were no indifferent spectators, and some even considered the picture to be witchcraft.

Decades later, witnesses to that triumph continued to recall the shock experienced by the audience who “got” the picture. This word perfectly suits the description of the exhibition. According to contemporaries, Bolshaya Morskaya, where the exhibition took place, was so densely packed with carriages that one had to wait for hours to see this extraordinary work. To avoid crowding, the public was allowed into the hall in groups.

Nicholas Roerich still found Maxim's servant alive, who received a ruble each (at that time the sum was simply huge - author) from those who tried to get to the painting out of turn. The artist’s performance with a personal exhibition, even consisting of only one small painting, became an unusual event. The success exceeded all expectations and turned into a real sensation.

There were rumors that Kuindzhi painted with “magic lunar” paints from Japan. Envious people said with contempt that drawing with them did not require great intelligence. The superstitious accused the master of being in cahoots with evil spirits.

The secret of the “artist of light” was his fantastic ability to play with contrasts and long experiments on color rendering. In the process of creating a painting, he mixed not only paints, but also added chemical elements to them. Kuindzhi was helped in this by his close friend Dmitry Mendeleev. Unfortunately, due to the careless mixing of chemically incompatible paints, the canvas became very dark.

The decisive role in creating the impression of the use of phosphorus was played by the unusual coloristic structure of the canvas. By using additional colors in the painting that enhance each other, the artist managed to achieve the incredible effect of the illusion of lunar color. For example, he contrasted the warm reddish tone of the earth with cold silvery shades and thereby deepened the space. Small dark strokes in illuminated areas created a feeling of vibrating light.

People left with tears in their eyes

People, according to Ilya Repin, stood in “prayerful silence” in front of Kuindzhi’s canvas and left the hall with tears in their eyes. “This is how the poetic spell of the artist acted on selected believers, and they lived in such moments with the best feelings of the soul and enjoyed the heavenly bliss of the art of painting,” wrote the great artist.

Newspapers and magazines responded to the exhibition with enthusiastic articles. Reproductions of “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” were sold in thousands of copies throughout Russia. The poet Yakov Polonsky wrote: “I honestly don’t remember standing in front of any painting for so long... What is it? Picture or reality? In a gold frame or open window Have we seen this month, these clouds, this dark distance, these “trembling lights of sad villages” and these shimmers of light, this silvery reflection of the month in the streams of the Dnieper, skirting the distance, this poetic, quiet, majestic night? And the poet Konstantin Fofanov, impressed by the painting, wrote the poem “Night on the Dnieper,” which was later set to music.

Ilya Kramskoy foresaw the fate of the canvas: “Perhaps Kuindzhi combined together such colors that are in natural antagonism with each other and after a certain time will either go out, or change and decompose to the point that descendants will shrug their shoulders in bewilderment: why did they come to the delight of the good-natured spectators? So, in order to avoid such unfair treatment in the future, I would not mind drawing up, so to speak, a protocol that his “Night on the Dnieper” is all filled with real light and air, and the sky is real, bottomless, deep.”

Unfortunately, our contemporaries cannot fully appreciate the initial effect of the painting. It has reached our times in a distorted form. And the reason for everything is the special attitude towards the canvas of its owner, Grand Duke Constantine, who, because of his great love, did not want to part with it and took it with him everywhere. The painting even traveled around the world, which could not but have a negative impact on its preservation.

It is worth saying that due to the enormous popularity of the painting, Kuindzhi created two copies of Moonlit Night on the Dnieper. One of them is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the other in the Livadia Palace in Yalta. The original is in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

The tragic fate of "Moonlit Night on the Dnieper" October 18th, 2016

“Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” (1880) is one of the most famous paintings Arkhip Kuindzhi. This work created a real sensation and acquired mystical fame. Many did not believe that the light of the moon could be conveyed in this way only through artistic means, and they looked behind the canvas, looking for a lamp there. Many stood silently for hours in front of the painting, and then left in tears. Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich bought “Moonlit Night” for his personal collection and took it with him everywhere, which had tragic consequences.

Which? This is what we are about to find out...

In the summer and autumn of 1880, during the break with the Wanderers, A.I. Kuindzhi worked on a new painting. Rumors spread throughout the Russian capital about the enchanting beauty of “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper.” For two hours on Sundays, the artist opened the doors of his studio to everyone, and the St. Petersburg public began to besiege it long before the completion of the work. This painting gained truly legendary fame. I.S. Turgenev and Ya. Polonsky, I. Kramskoy and P. Chistyakov, D.I. Mendelev came to the workshop of A.I. Kuindzhi, and the famous publisher and collector K.T. Soldatenkov had an eye on the painting. Directly from the workshop, even before the exhibition, “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” was bought by Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich for huge money. And then the painting was exhibited in St. Petersburg. This was the first exhibition of one painting in Russia.

The work was exhibited in a separate hall of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists on Bolshaya Morskaya. The hall was not illuminated, only a bright electric beam fell on the picture. This deepened the image even more, and the moonlight became simply dazzling. And decades later, witnesses of this triumph continued to recall the shock experienced by the audience who “got” the picture. It was the “worthy ones” - on exhibition days, Bolshaya Morskaya was densely packed with carriages, and a long line lined up at the doors to the building and people waited for hours to see this extraordinary work. To avoid crowding, the public was allowed into the hall in groups.

Roerich also found Maxim’s servant alive, who received rubles (!) from those who tried to get to the painting out of turn. The artist’s performance with a personal exhibition, and even consisting of only one small painting, was an unusual event. Moreover, this picture did not interpret some unusual historical plot, but a landscape of a very modest size. But A.I. Kuindzhi knew how to win. The success exceeded all expectations and turned into a real sensation.

A.I. Kuindzhi was always very attentive to the display of his paintings, placing them so that they were well lit, so that they were not disturbed by neighboring paintings. This time “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” hung on the wall alone. Knowing that the effect moonlight fully manifested under artificial lighting, the artist ordered to drape the windows in the hall and illuminate the picture with a beam of electric light focused on it. Visitors entered the dimly lit hall and, spellbound, stood before the cold glow of moonlight. A wide space stretching into the distance opened up before the audience; The plain, crossed by a greenish ribbon of a quiet river, almost merges at the horizon with a dark sky covered with rows of light clouds. In the heights they parted slightly, and the moon looked through the resulting window, illuminating the Dnieper, the huts and the web of paths on the near bank.

And everything in nature fell silent, enchanted by the wonderful radiance of the sky and the Dnieper waters. The sparkling silver-greenish disk of the moon flooded the earth immersed in the peace of the night with its mysterious phosphorescent light. It was so strong that some of the spectators tried to look behind the picture to find a lantern or lamp. But there was no lamp, and the moon continued to emit its bewitching, mysterious light. The waters of the Dnieper reflect this light like a smooth mirror, and the walls of Ukrainian huts turn white from the velvety blue of the night. This majestic spectacle still immerses viewers in thoughts about eternity and the enduring beauty of the world. So, before A.I. Kuindzhi, only the great N.V. Gogol sang about nature. The number of sincere admirers of A.I. Kuindzhi’s talent grew, rare person could remain indifferent in front of this picture, which seemed like witchcraft.

A.I. Kuindzhi depicts the celestial sphere as majestic and eternal, striking viewers with the power of the Universe, its immensity and solemnity. Numerous attributes of the landscape - huts creeping along the slope, bushy trees, gnarled stems of tartar - are absorbed in darkness, their color is dissolved in a brown tone. The bright silver light of the moon is shaded by depth blue. With his phosphorescence, he transforms the traditional motif with the moon into one so rare, meaningful, attractive and mysterious that it transforms into poetically excited delight. There have even been suggestions about some unusual colors and even about strange ones artistic techniques, which the artist allegedly used. Rumors of a secret artistic method A.I. Kuindzhi, the secret of his colors was talked about even during the artist’s lifetime, some tried to catch him in tricks, even in connection with evil spirits. Perhaps this happened because A.I. Kuindzhi focused his efforts on the illusory transmission of the real the effect of lighting, in search of such a composition of the picture that would allow the most convincing expression of the feeling of broad spatiality.

Famous artist Arkhip Kuindzhi, 1907

And he coped with these tasks brilliantly. In addition, the artist defeated everyone in distinguishing the slightest changes in color and light relationships (for example, even during experiments with a special device that were carried out by D.I. Mendeleev and others). Some have claimed the use chemical compositions based on phosphorus. However, this is not entirely true. Decisive role The unusual color structure of the canvas plays a role in creating an impression. By using additional colors in the painting that enhance each other, the artist achieves the incredible effect of the illusion of lunar color. True, it is known that experiments did take place. Kuindzhi intensively used bitumen paints, but did not use phosphorus. Unfortunately, due to the careless mixing of chemically incompatible paints, the canvas became very dark.

When creating this canvas, A.I. Kuindzhi used a complex painting technique. For example, he contrasted the warm reddish tone of the earth with cold silvery shades and thereby deepened the space, and small dark strokes in illuminated areas created a feeling of vibrating light. All newspapers and magazines responded to the exhibition with enthusiastic articles, and reproductions of “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” were sold in thousands of copies throughout Russia. The poet Ya. Polonsky, a friend of A.I. Kuindzhi, wrote then: “I don’t remember positively that people stagnate for so long in front of any picture... What is this? Picture or reality? In a golden frame or through an open window, did we see this month, these clouds, this dark distance, these “quivering lights of sad villages” and these shimmers of light, this silvery reflection of the month in the streams of the Dnieper, skirting the distance, this poetic, quiet, majestic night? » The poet K. Fofanov wrote the poem “Night on the Dnieper,” which was later set to music.

The audience was delighted by the illusion of natural moonlight, and people, according to I.E. Repin, standing in “prayerful silence” in front of the canvas by A.I. Kuindzhi, left the hall with tears in their eyes: “This is how the artist’s poetic charms acted on the chosen ones believers, and they lived in such moments with the best feelings of the soul and enjoyed the heavenly bliss of the art of painting.” The poet Ya. Polonsky was surprised: “I honestly don’t remember standing in front of any painting for so long... What is this? Picture or reality? And the poet K. Fofanov, impressed by this painting, wrote the poem “Night on the Dnieper,” which was later set to music.

I. Kramskoy foresaw the fate of the canvas: “Perhaps Kuindzhi combined together such colors that are in natural antagonism with each other and after a certain time will either go out, or change and decompose to the point that descendants will shrug their shoulders in bewilderment: why did they come to the delight of the good-natured spectators? So, in order to avoid such unfair treatment in the future, I would not mind drawing up, so to speak, a protocol that his “Night on the Dnieper” is all filled with real light and air, and the sky is real, bottomless, deep.”

Unfortunately, our contemporaries cannot fully appreciate the original effect of the painting, since it has survived to our times in a distorted form. And the reason for this is the special attitude towards the canvas of its owner, Grand Duke Constantine.

Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, who bought the painting, did not want to part with the canvas, even going to trip around the world. I.S. Turgenev, who was in Paris at that time (in January 1881), was horrified by this thought, about which he indignantly wrote to the writer D.V. Grigorovich: “There is no doubt that the painting... will return completely ruined , thanks to the salty vapors of the air, etc.” He even visited the Grand Duke in Paris while his frigate was in the port of Cherbourg, and persuaded him to send the painting to short time to Paris.

I.S. Turgenev hoped that he would be able to persuade him to leave the painting at the exhibition in the Zedelmeyer Gallery, but he failed to persuade the prince. The humid, salt-saturated sea air, of course, negatively affected the composition of the colors, and the landscape began to darken. But the lunar ripples on the river and the radiance of the moon itself are conveyed by the genius A.I. Kuindzhi with such power that, looking at the picture even now, viewers immediately fall under the power of the eternal and Divine.

In fairness, it should be noted that due to the enormous popularity of the painting, Kuindzhi created two more copies of Moonlit Night, the first painting is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the second is in the Livadia Palace in Yalta and the third in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

sources

(1841-1910) - great Russian artist Greek origin. He is an unsurpassed landscape painter, whose paintings are in the most famous museums and are truly priceless. One of Kuindzhi’s most famous paintings is “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper”.

Painting " Moonlit night on the Dnieper"was painted in 1880, oil on canvas. 105 × 144 cm. Currently located in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. In 1880, after completing the painting, Arkhip Kuindzhi organized an exhibition, and this picture was the only exhibit at this exhibition. The painting was exhibited on Bolshaya Morskaya in St. Petersburg, in the hall of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. Despite the fact that the exhibition consisted of only one canvas, there were whole queues of people wanting to see new job a great artist, which has an amazingly powerful effect. The event became a real sensation. To avoid a crush, people were allowed into the hall in groups.

The painting shows a wide space with a river and the moon. The plain is crossed by a ribbon of river, which looks greenish from the phosphorescent light of the moon. The moon in the picture emits a bewitching and mysterious light.

During Kuindzhi’s time, he was suspected of using some unusual paints, and sometimes of having connections with evil spirits, which helped him create something that no one had ever succeeded in. However, the secret of a great artist is to search for a composition that would allow the most realistic expression of light, as well as to carefully select the slightest changes in color and light relationships. And in this matter, Kuindzhi simply has no equal.

The fame of “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” spread throughout Moscow even before work on the painting was completed. Every Sunday for two hours, Kuindzhi opened the doors of his workshop so that everyone could see the canvas, which was not yet finished. To make sure that one painting was enough for an exhibition, Kuindzhi invited friends to his studio, among whom were Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev, Yakov Polonsky, Ivan Kramskoy, Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev, as well as correspondents on whom he tested the power of influence of “Moonlit Night” on the Dnieper."

The picture looks truly enchanting and incredibly realistic. It is noted that some viewers, not believing their gases, looked behind the picture to make sure that there was no lamp there that created such a believable light. It was a huge success, and after that Kuindzhi decided to make two copies of the canvas. The first copy is in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, and the second copy is in the Livadia Palace in Yalta. The original was sold to Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich (1858-1915) even before its first show.

"Moonlit Night on the Dnieper" by Arkhip Kuindzhi. The glory and tragedy of the picture

The name of Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi became famous as soon as the public saw his paintings “After the Rain” and “ Birch Grove" But at the Eighth Exhibition of Peredvizhniki artists, the works of A.I. Kuindzhi were absent, and this was immediately noticed by the audience. P.M. Tretyakov wrote to I. Kramskoy from Moscow that even those few who previously did not have a very warm attitude towards the artist’s works are grieving over this.
In the summer and autumn of 1880, during the break with the Wanderers, A.I. Kuindzhi worked on a new painting. Rumors spread throughout the Russian capital about the enchanting beauty of “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper.” For two hours on Sundays, the artist opened the doors of his studio to those interested, and the St. Petersburg public began to besiege her long before the completion of the work.
This picture has gained truly legendary fame. I.S. Turgenev and Ya. Polonsky, I. Kramskoy and P. Chistyakov, D.I. Mendeleev came to the workshop of A.I. Kuindzhi, and the famous publisher and collector K.T. Soldatenkov had an eye on the painting. Directly from the workshop, even before the exhibition, “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” was bought by Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich for huge money.
And then the painting was exhibited on Bolshaya Morskaya Street in St. Petersburg, in the hall of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. The artist’s performance with a personal exhibition, and even consisting of only one small painting, was an unusual event. Moreover, this picture did not interpret some unusual historical plot, but was a landscape of a very modest size. But A.I. Kuindzhi knew how to win. The success exceeded all expectations and turned into a real sensation. Long queues formed on Bolshaya Morskaya Street, and people waited for hours to see this extraordinary work. To avoid crowding, the public was allowed into the hall in groups.
A.I. Kuindzhi was always very attentive to the display of his paintings, placing them so that they were well lit, so that they were not disturbed by neighboring paintings. This time “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” hung on the wall alone. Knowing that the effect of moonlight would be fully manifested under artificial lighting, the artist ordered the windows in the hall to be draped and the painting illuminated with a beam of electric light focused on it. Visitors entered the dimly lit hall and, spellbound, stood before the cold glow of moonlight.
A wide space stretching into the distance opened up before the audience; The plain, crossed by a greenish ribbon of a quiet river, almost merges at the horizon with a dark sky covered with rows of light clouds. In the heights they parted slightly, and the moon looked through the resulting window, illuminating the Dnieper, the huts and the web of paths on the near bank. And everything in nature became silent, enchanted by the wonderful radiance of the sky and the Dnieper waters.
The sparkling silver-greenish disk of the moon flooded the earth immersed in the peace of night with its mysterious phosphorescent light. It was so strong that some of the spectators tried to look behind the picture to find a lantern or lamp. But there was no lamp, and the moon continued to emit its bewitching, mysterious light.
The waters of the Dnieper reflect this light like a smooth mirror; the walls of Ukrainian huts turn white from the velvety blue of the night. This majestic spectacle still immerses viewers in thoughts about eternity and the enduring beauty of the world. So, before A.I. Kuindzhi, only the great N.V. Gogol sang about nature. The number of sincere admirers of A.I. Kuindzhi’s talent grew; a rare person could remain indifferent to this picture, which seemed like witchcraft.
A.I. Kuindzhi depicts the celestial sphere as majestic and eternal, striking viewers with the power of the Universe, its immensity and solemnity. Numerous attributes of the landscape - huts creeping along the slope, bushy trees, gnarled stems of tartar - are absorbed in darkness, their color is dissolved in a brown tone.
The bright silvery light of the moon is shaded by the depth of blue. With his phosphorescence, he transforms the traditional motif with the moon into one so rare, meaningful, attractive and mysterious that it transforms into poetically excited delight. There were even suggestions about some unusual colors and even strange artistic techniques that the artist allegedly used. Rumors about the secret of A.I. Kuindzhi’s artistic method, about the secret of his colors, circulated during the artist’s lifetime; some tried to convict him of tricks, even in connection with evil spirits.
Perhaps this happened because A.I. Kuindzhi focused his efforts on the illusory transfer of the real lighting effect, on the search for such a composition of the picture that would allow him to express the feeling of broad spatiality as convincingly as possible. And he coped with these tasks brilliantly. In addition, the artist defeated everyone in distinguishing the slightest changes in color and light relationships (for example, even during experiments with a special device that were carried out by D.I. Mendeleev and others).
When creating this canvas, A.I. Kuindzhi used a complex painting technique. For example, he contrasted the warm reddish tone of the earth with cold silvery shades and thereby deepened the space, and small dark strokes in illuminated areas created a feeling of vibrating light.
All newspapers and magazines responded to the exhibition with enthusiastic articles, and reproductions of “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” were sold in thousands of copies throughout Russia. The poet Ya. Polonsky, a friend of A.I. Kuindzhi, wrote then: “I don’t remember positively that people stagnate for so long in front of any picture... What is this? Picture or reality? In a golden frame or through an open window, did we see this month, these clouds, this dark distance, these “quivering lights of sad villages” and these shimmers of light, this silvery reflection of the month in the streams of the Dnieper, skirting the distance, this poetic, quiet, majestic night? » The poet K. Fofanov wrote the poem “Night on the Dnieper,” which was later set to music.
The audience was delighted by the illusion of natural moonlight, and people, according to I.E. Repin, standing in “prayerful silence” in front of the canvas by A.I. Kuindzhi, left the hall with tears in their eyes: “This is how the artist’s poetic charms acted on the chosen ones believers, and they lived in such moments with the best feelings of the soul and enjoyed the heavenly bliss of the art of painting.”
Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, who bought the painting, did not want to part with the canvas, even when going on a trip around the world. I.S. Turgenev, who was in Paris at that time (in January 1881), was horrified by this thought, about which he indignantly wrote to the writer D.V. Grigorovich: “There is no doubt that the painting... will return completely ruined , thanks to the salty vapors of the air, etc.” He even visited the Grand Duke in Paris while his frigate was in the port of Cherbourg, and persuaded him to send the painting to Paris for a short time. I.S. Turgenev hoped that he would be able to persuade him to leave the painting at the exhibition in the Zedelmeyer Gallery, but he failed to persuade the prince.
The humid, salt-saturated sea air, of course, negatively affected the composition of the colors, and the landscape began to darken. But the lunar ripples on the river and the radiance of the moon itself are conveyed by the genius A.I. Kuindzhi with such power that, looking at the picture even now, viewers immediately fall under the power of the eternal and Divine.