Works historical painting cannot be contained within clear boundaries dictated by genre. In some cases, portrait, landscape or everyday scene rise to the level of historical generalization, thus becoming painting historical content. For example, it is quite difficult to accurately classify paintings such as “ Ceremonial portrait Peter I” by Nattier, “Religious procession in the Kursk province”, written by I. Repin.
On the one hand, this is just a portrait and an everyday scene, but on the other, these canvases reflect real historical events. The origin of historical themes in Russian painting began with icon painting. It is on icons that religious subjects are often intertwined with genuine historical events. An example of such icons can be “The Miracle of the Sign” (second half of the 15th century) with scenes of the defense of Novgorod or “The Church Militant” ( mid XVI century), on which scenes of Ivan the Terrible’s campaign against Kazan are recreated. Book miniatures“Facial chronicle code” and “The Lives of Sergius of Radonezh” demonstrate a gradual transition to a realistic description historical events, which act as a semantic dominant in these works.
In Russia, the emergence of historical painting as an independent genre of fine art should be dated back to the second half of the 18th century. This was due to the creation of the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. The first creations of the masters of the Russian historical school of painting were extremely distant from historical truth. Often, only the title of the painting (usually extremely long) helped to establish which country and time the depicted event was related to. Consider the painting by I. Akimov “ Grand Duke Svyatoslav kissing his mother and children upon returning from the Danube to Kyiv” (1773). On this canvas, the prince is dressed in antique armor and a rich helmet, and the children are depicted in tunics, and, of course, there is nothing actually historical (except for the fact of the return of Prince Svyatoslav) in the picture. A. Losenko’s work “Grand Duke Vladimir informs his wife Rogneda of the victory he won over her father Rogvold, Prince of Polotsk” (1770) is distinguished by the same pseudo-historical direction. This painting contains the same lush clothes and draperies, theatrical poses borrowed from classical tragedies popular in those days. However, over time, significant changes have occurred in the traditions of the Russian historical genre. This was facilitated by the approval of new aesthetic ideas and the direction of realism.
Home distinctive feature new stage is that real events are conveyed in the picture with high degree historical authenticity. Paintings by K. Flavitsky “Princess Tarakanova in the Peter and Paul Fortress during the flood” (1864), I. Repin “Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan” (1885), N. Ge “Peter interrogates Tsarevich Alexei” (1871) are rightfully considered the brightest examples a new stage in the development of the historical genre in Russia. The crown of Russian historical painting is the work of V. Surikov. Its worldwide famous works“The Morning of the Streltsy Execution” (1881), “Boyarina Morozova” (1887), “The Conquest of Siberia by Ermak” (1895), “Suvorov’s Crossing of the Alps” (1899) have an impact enormous power at the viewer. Each of these paintings touches on a huge layer of Russian history and forces the viewer to think deeply and seriously about what he saw, and not just look at the image in admiration.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, the historical theme in the work of Russian painters has acquired a symbolic interpretation. But still, the traditions of realism in the Russian school of painting were so great that even such adherents of romantic fiction as A. Benois, K. Somov, M. Vrubel and N. Roerich in their “court scenes” and “historical landscapes” relied on everyday realism and a sense of the originality of the depicted time. Absolutely new character acquired the historical genre of painting in the Soviet fine arts. At this time, the clearly expressed ideological component of the plot becomes the fundamental criterion of the master’s creative doctrine.
This period is most vividly characterized by the works of I. Shadr “Cobblestone - the Weapon of the Proletariat” (1927), A. Gerasimov “Lenin on the Tribune” (1929), A. Deineka “Defense of Petrograd” (1928), B. Ioganson “Interrogation of Communists” ( 1933). The depiction of events of the distant past by artists was not encouraged by employees of the state apparatus. And only during the Great Patriotic War the patriotic enthusiasm that gripped the entire people pushed painters to create monumental paintings that glorified valiant moments in history Ancient Rus'. Paintings by P. Korin “Alexander Nevsky” (1942), M. Avilov “Duel of Peresvet with Chelubey” (1943), A. Bubnov “Morning on the Kulikovo Field” (1943) are deeply imbued with courage and civic pathos of heroic events. However, in subsequent periods, the traditions of historical painting in Soviet fine art, freed from ideological dogmas and norms, were again lost.
The Great Feast of Everything is approaching Russian people- 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. This is very important date not only for our country, but for the whole world. Our people, our army won that terrible war and saved the whole world from the brown fascist plague. Many soldiers died on the battlefields in those terrible years.
Many ordinary residents died in burned villages and cities, in besieged Leningrad, was tortured in concentration camps or went missing. To this day, some families do not know where their ancestors are buried... Great losses came with that war to our homes. But our grandfathers and great-grandfathers survived, they won!!! And now, for almost 70 years, every year on a clear May day on the 9th, we come to monuments and monuments to pay tribute to those who laid down their lives for our real life.
Undoubtedly, many of you want to draw for this memorable date a picture and give it to a veteran living next door, or maybe to your great-grandfather, if he is alive and fought in those distant years. And just like that, you can draw such a picture in memory of the people who selflessly fought in the Great Patriotic War for our Motherland!
Stage 1. Our drawing will contain a plot about the battle between our fighters and the fascists. In the foreground we depict two fighting warriors. First, let's sketch out the auxiliary lines. These are several points and lines connecting them. These lines are the skeletons of future figures of the warring soldiers of the Soviet and German armies.
Stage 2. Draw the back of the fascist. The shoulders, sides and collar of the shape - we make all these lines according to the initial sketches.
Stage 4. Now we draw the hands of a fascist soldier. Based on the sketches, we show parts of the hand and a large hand with fingers. The second hand is visible a little.
Stage 5. Add the lower part of the German warrior's uniform.
Stage 6. Draw the legs.
Stage 7. We give weapons to the warrior. Draw a long rifle with a bayonet knife.
Stage 8. Draw the head of a Soviet soldier. Let's detail the face. Add a helmet.
Stage 9. Draw the front part of the form.
Stage 10. We complement the elements of the form - sleeves, hands are visible. The soldier holds an ax in his hand.
Stage 11. Let's complete the lower part of the shape and legs.
Stage 12. Add shading to the drawing.
We decided to devote today's lesson to a real medieval knight.
Everyone knows that a knight is not just a warrior who fought dragons in the medieval epic and often came into contact with others fairy-tale characters. As well as Japanese samurai, knights - bearers of the title of nobility. The knightly class had a very great influence on the entire history of Europe; many men from various social strata dreamed of becoming a knight in the Middle Ages.
The greatest chances of becoming a real knight were among representatives of rich noble families, whose members became famous for their devoted service to the king, or for special military merits. History buffs will definitely notice the Templar cross on our knight - we chose him for a reason, because it was this order is one of the most recognizable in the entire existence of chivalry. So, we are starting a lesson on how to draw a knight step by step for beginners, with a pencil!
To begin with, we want to demonstrate many different examples of drawing knights, and then we will tell you in detail how to draw one of them.
For convenience, you can use the content
The easiest way to draw a knight
Knights from old book for drawing :)
Rider on horse
Quentin Dorward
Knight with shield
Goblin
Sixth drawing option
Russian warrior on horseback
And one more option
Now let’s draw it step by step
If you have already read the examples above, then it’s time to move on to a more detailed discussion of “How to draw a knight?” 
Stage 1
You start with a stickman - a special person made of sticks and circles, which is drawn to indicate the pose and basic proportions. A little about the proportions of the human body - the length of the body should be equal to seven heads. The size of the foot is approximately equal to the height of one head, the distance from the top of the head to the hips is usually equated to three heads. By the way, the height human head in all art manuals is the main unit of measurement of all body proportions.
True, we digress from the stickman. Be sure to pay attention to the proportions, especially the head. It should appear much larger than a human head, since the knight’s head is wearing a voluminous and massive helmet. The warrior’s pose itself is quite simple, it does not involve any sharp actions or lunges - one arm is bent (the angle is slightly sharper than a straight line), the hand is located on the hilt of the sword, and the second holds a spear with a flag and bends very slightly.
With legs everything is very simple. They bend at the knees slightly and are in the completely natural position of a person who stands straight and does not strain his legs to give them a straight position. It is important not to forget about two important lines - facial symmetry and eye symmetry, outline them and move on. 
Stage 2
At this stage, you will add volume to the arms and upper torso, following the lines of the stickman as a guide. Outline body parts in the form of modified cylinders. This will help you in the future to accurately draw all parts of the knight’s body. In general, in further steps you will draw only the shape of the armor, since, in fact, they hide the entire Templar from head to toe. 
Stage 3
Repeat the actions of the previous stage, but regarding the legs and belt of the knight - make them voluminous. The waist area is essentially a triangle, and the thighs of the legs look like cylinders. Don't forget to also mark the knees with flat ovals, then draw the calves, feet and move on to the next stage. 
Stage 4
Now work on the fabric. We are talking about the knight's mantle, as well as the elements of the robe that are on the belt and cover his legs to the knees. First, give the mantle some general silhouette, and then draw the folds. Do this using natural and smooth lines.
Remember that you are depicting in the picture a kind of light wind that blows the knight’s robes. Don’t forget to also mark the folded part of the mantle that covers the folded part. left hand. A little more work with fabric - draw a surcoat (a piece of clothing covering the legs and torso). Also at this stage, you throw on a sword, the handle of which is actually completely covered by the warrior’s hand in a mitten. 
Stage 5
You have a ready-made silhouette of a warrior, and from this stage you can begin to draw it in detail from head to feet. First draw a horizontal seam at the very top. Next, give the shape of the helmet a finished look. Then, based on the two perpendicular lines from the first steps, draw the vertical seam, as well as the holes for the eyes that need to be painted.
You complete the stage by drawing small holes at the bottom of the helmet. Be sure to pay attention to their uniform size and orderly arrangement. 
Stage 6
Great, now let's get into detail. top part torso and arms. First erase the guide lines from previous steps in the area right hand and breasts. Draw a cord with two buckles slightly below the throat - this will be the clasp of the robe. Draw curving smooth lines from it. They indicate folds of fabric that are secured with a fastener.
On the left, the mantle will fall down, and therefore the lines should gradually turn into vertical position. But again, extremely smoothly. Notice how the cloak fits the warrior's left forearm and mark this with folds. Also at this stage, draw the spear - it consists of a thin shaft and a tip that looks like a somewhat elongated diamond. 
Stage 7
Erase all the auxiliary lines from the previous steps on the torso and draw a cross with flared ends in the center of the chest. On the fabric of the robe, mark several folds that should run diagonally, from the armpit to the stomach. The belt tightens the warrior's robe, and his right hand is raised, so the folds will go from the belt up, and also towards the right hand. Draw another cross on the left side of the cloak, but do not forget to take into account the folds in the fabric. Draw the belt, the sword sheath in the belt strips and the left gauntlet. 
Stage 8
We devote this step to the folds on the fabric of the mantle and the lower part of the robe, which covers the legs of our knight. So, first of all, we align the stripes and erase all the unnecessary auxiliary lines. The folds should indicate the position of the mantle, which hangs freely from the right shoulder, which means they should be vertical and relatively long.
Please note that only one fold bends strongly, which is located near the edge of the mantle; the rest look like smooth lines. In addition, at this stage you will need to erase the guide lines from the top of the legs and draw folds in the fabric in this area. Draw them with slightly curving lines in the direction from the waist to the knees. 
Stage 9
Now you need to draw the legs from the knees to the feet. Actually, here you just need to give the legs a finished look, draw a couple of lines on the knees and mark the spurs. The chain mail fits quite tightly on the legs, and therefore try to convey the entire shape of the legs as correctly as possible. Draw the lower part of the clothing, sagging from the back. All that remains is to draw a flag with a cross flying on the shaft of a spear. Don't forget about the folds that go from bottom to top. 
Stage 10
Actually, the knight is already ready, all that remains is to work with the shadows. You start, as always, with the head. In this case - from the helmet. First, shade the darkest areas with vertical strokes, while trying to outline the cylindrical shape of the helmet. Pay attention to the light stripe at the bottom of the helmet; it should be marked and left practically unpainted. Now use lighter strokes to indicate the transition from shaded areas to light ones. These transitions should be natural and smooth. 
Stage 11
Continue painting the warrior and at this stage you will work on the limbs. It should be noted that the armor on the legs and arms must be drawn in exactly the same way. Look at your feet. This is what the first stage of shading should look like.
Cover the entire limb with very fine shading, in a criss-cross direction. After this, apply the darkest shadows and mark the transition from them to the light areas as you did with the helmet. Don't forget also about the shadows from the mantle on your arms. They should be especially thick. 
Stage 12
Now you need to draw the shadows on the legs. They are applied in the same way as on the hands at the previous stage. To add realism, leave narrow stripes of reflex light (that is, light that is thrown onto an object from a very bright surface of something) on inside shins in the area of the calf muscles. Especially thick shadows will be cast by the surcoat fabric. 
Stage 13
Well, there's quite a bit left. At this stage you need to work on the shadows on the mantle. It may seem to you that the step is voluminous and complicated, but this is not so if you correctly determine the direction and nature of the lighting. As you can see, the light falls on the knight from the side of his left hand. Therefore, almost all left-hand side his cloak should be illuminated. The areas of shadows that are created from the folds should be marked with light, barely noticeable strokes with a minimum degree of pressure on the pencil. It is necessary to outline the forearm of the left hand protruding under the warrior’s cloak, shading the edges of the convexity so that it looks illuminated and bright.
Avoid flashy and harsh shadows, as in drawing various comic book characters. Even the most shaded areas must be painted carefully and accurately. To make the shadow more dense, shade the desired area twice - first lightly shading diagonally, and then another layer on top to make a cross. From the right, the cloak is visible only from the inside, and it should be heavily shaded. Also pay attention to the shadows that the mantle casts on the knight's torso. They form a sharp triangle. Its top is located under the clasp of the mantle. 
Stage 14
The last step is where you will cast the knight's shadow onto the surface and lightly shade the sword, spear and the section of the robe that covers the neck near the left shoulder. 
It was a very difficult lesson. If you couldn’t cope with it the first time, then don’t be discouraged - track the stage where you made a mistake and be sure to try again. Leonardo da Vinci often said that any obstacle can be overcome by perseverance. So just do it more attempts and everything will work out.
Source this example: drawingforall.ru
Italy, where the historical genre originated, had all the prerequisites for the emergence of this type of painting. The Roman Empire had very high level cultural development, and her achievements became the basis of art in all countries Western Europe. It is not surprising that it was in Italy during the Renaissance, in the 15th century, that a historical genre in the visual arts arose.
Short story
To understand what is in art, it is necessary to take into account the development features of the period under consideration. The Renaissance is the era of the flourishing of humanistic ideas, which led to interest not only in human personality, but also to civil and political history.
The events of the heroic past of the country were supposed to reflect the historical genre in the fine arts. Examples include the following: paintings by Andrea Mantegna “The Triumph of Caesar” (1485-1492), various paintings by Paulo Uccello dedicated to the Battle of San Romano and others. The achievements of the Renaissance in Italy quickly spread throughout Europe, where the historical genre in the visual arts also began to develop.
European artists of historical painting of the 17th-18th centuries
Events of the past also attracted masters in Western European countries. The development of this direction can be attributed to XVII century- the heyday of classicism and baroque. It should be noted that in artistic culture It was the historical genre that came to the forefront. All other types of fine art for some time gave way to it in importance, since classicism involved the creation primarily of heroic images and monumental paintings.
Peter Paul Rubens (the painting “The Battle of the Greeks with the Amazons,” 1619-1620), Nicolas Poussin (“The Rape of the Sabine Women,” 1614-1615), and Jacques-Louis David, who painted both on ancient and modern themes. These works are distinguished by their pathetic spirit, heroic poses, and sublime facial expressions and gestures. In their composition, the canvases resembled the action of ancient plays and were distinguished by some theatrical pomposity. This trend includes paintings based on gospel subjects. For example, Harmens created the painting “Return prodigal son"(1669).
Historical painting in Europe in the first half of the 19th century
Classicism and Baroque soon gave way to a new cultural movement - romanticism. Representatives of this movement moved away from the heroic interpretation of the past, focusing on the emotional component. The artists set out to create such images to evoke sympathy and empathy among viewers. Historical genre in painting received a completely different design, since the theme of human experiences and emotions came to the fore. An example is Eugene Delacroix’s painting “The Massacre on the Island of Chios,” painted in 1826. Historical motives can also be found in the work of another prominent Honoré Daumier: the painting “Insurrection” (1848).
Western European historical painting of the Romantic period
In the second half XIX century The historical genre in fine arts has undergone significant changes. This is due to the emergence of a new direction - realism. Its representatives sought to create more believable images and plots. This trend includes the works of Adolf von Menzel, who in 1850 created a series of paintings dedicated to the era of Frederick the Great. Interest in history in this era is largely due to the numerous revolutions that shook Europe at that time. Hotbeds of uprisings broke out in Italy, France, and Germany. Therefore, scientists, artists, writers looked for answers to the present in the past, which explains the emergence of realism in culture.
The emergence of the Russian historical genre in painting
Russian art history is also interesting for analysis. Origins, types and genres in Russia are a topic for a separate discussion, since our culture has borrowed a lot from European art. The era of classicism in the vast expanses of our homeland dates back to the 18th century: it was at this time domestic artists turned to the events of the past in their works.
The founder of the historical genre of Russian fine art is Anton Pavlovich Losenko. His pen includes paintings from the past of Ancient Rus' (“Vladimir and Rogneda”, 1770) and paintings dedicated to ancient subjects. His followers were Ivan Akimov, who also addressed the events Kievan Rus, Pyotr Sokolov, who depicted mythological images, Grigory Ugryumov, who turned to the history of the 13th century. These works, like European paintings in the style of classicism, are distinguished by the sublimity of their images and subjects.
Historical themes in Russian painting in 1800-1850
Genres in the fine arts were very diverse, however, due to the development of academicism, in the first half of the century, historical subjects took the dominant direction in artistic culture. Artists of this movement largely continued the traditions of classicism, choosing heroic facts from the past as the subject of their works. The historical genre in fine art, the paintings of which were particularly expressive, enjoyed the greatest popularity among both the intelligentsia and the mass public.
This direction includes the works of Anton Ivanov “The Feat of a Young Kievite During the Siege of Kyiv by the Pechenegs in 968” (1810), Alexei Egorov “Rest on the Way to Egypt” (1830). At the same time, a new direction arose - romanticism, whose representatives created vivid, emotional images, rich in psychological tension. For example, Karl Pavlovich Bryullov, who created the famous painting about the death of Pompeii, Fyodor Antonovich Bruni and Alexander Andreevich Ivanov, who wrote biblical stories.
Historical subjects in the works of authors of the last quarter of a century
In the second half of the 19th century, painters began to paint scenes from the history of Russia. A number of paintings appear in art dedicated to certain events from the past of our country. The historical genre in fine art is represented by the following paintings: paintings by Ilya Repin “Princess Sophia in the Novodevichy Convent” (1879) and “Ivan the Terrible kills his son” (1884), works by Vasily Surikov, who turned to the most dramatic events from history Russia XVIII century. These works are distinguished by both the colorfulness and expressiveness of the images and the background of the setting.
Historical everyday genre of fine art
Domestic artists began to turn not only to political events, but also to the image Everyday life Russian people. Therefore, the so-called everyday historical genre took a prominent place in painting. The visual arts of this movement gained great popularity among the educated public of that time.
As an example, we can name the works of the following authors: Vyacheslav Schwartz, who created a painting about the royal hunt, Konstantin Makovsky, who painted canvases about the Muscovite kingdom in the 17th century. Historical everyday topics occupied great importance in the works of representatives of the World of Art association. The peculiarity of their paintings was the reproduction of pomp and solemnity, but with a tinge of sadness (Albert Benois, who depicted pompous exits Russian emperors and empresses in the 18th century, Eugene Lanceray, who captured the luxurious atmosphere at court, Valentin Serov, who painted the royal amusements).
IN Soviet time artists quite often turned to the events of Russia's past. At the same time, they revived the traditions of academicism of the 19th century, depicting heroic episodes from national history. For example, the artist V. E. Popkov is considered the founder of the “severe style” in Soviet painting(a picture depicting the construction of a hydroelectric power station). Special meaning The theme of the Great Patriotic War (“Mezen Widows”, 1965-1968) occupies his work. And T. E. Nazarenko is the author of works in which one can see turning points: the uprising of Pugachev, the Decembrists.
Contemporary artists show great interest in Russian history. I. S. Glazunov became famous for creating monumental paintings dedicated to understanding the past of our country: a work that symbolically shows the fate of the author, “Russia, wake up!” (1994) and others.
So, to summarize, we can state that historical themes occupied a very prominent place both in European fine art and in Russian painting. The historical genre has always been distinguished by truthfulness and accuracy, drama and solemnity. All convey expression, but this style is the leader.
Derived from the Italian word "istoria" ("descriptive"), the term "history painting" refers to any painting with heroic, religious or historical content. The plots of the paintings are based on real events, mythology, and biblical texts.
Initially, religious subjects dominated in the visual arts - during the formation of this style of painting in the Renaissance, the most popular were evangelical and biblical themes.
Paintings by Surikov, Repin, Gericault, Rembrandt and other artists depict events important for the development of humanity, culture and social consciousness.
Main stories
Religious 
Any paintings with religious themes, regardless of affiliation with a particular religion (Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish or tribal religion). Christian subjects cover the period from the beginning of our era to the present, distinguishing the art of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation and other subtypes.
Mythological
Paintings illustrating mythical history, legends. Popular topics: Greek deities, creation myths, Roman mythology and pantheon of gods.
Allegorical Pictures from hidden meaning 
. On the canvas, one object or character symbolizes another.
Literary
Historical Canvases illustrating real historical events with a high level of accuracy and authenticity. Special attention 
pays attention to details. A prominent representative of the direction is the Russian painter Vasily Surikov.
In his treatise On Painting, Italian Renaissance artist Alberti identifies the historical genre with the representation of saints and other biblical figures to demonstrate moral struggles, historical events related to the development of religion.
Renaissance
According to the Renaissance tradition, history painting aims to raise the moral level of society, ideal for the decoration of public spaces, churches, city halls or palaces.
Almost all art events in Italian pre-Renaissance and Renaissance art can be interpreted as prerequisites for the development of the direction of “historical painting”:
During the Renaissance, the main features of the “historical painting” direction arose - great attention to detail, monumentality, scale, and the use of religious themes as the main one in the work of artists.
Renaissance
The historical genre of the Renaissance is represented by the following works:
Of the Baroque artists, Peter Paul Rubens clearly represents the historical genre. The main plots are mythological. Italian artist Caravaggio is known for his realistic religious paintings. Velazquez and Rembrandt are the authors of paintings on religious and mythological themes.
Baroque
In the Baroque era, the historical genre is represented by the works of:
In the 18th century
The historical genre of the 18th century is characterized by features not characteristic of previous eras. This period became a turning point in the development of painting. Artists sought to move away from academicism, looked for new themes for canvases, and chose minor events as subjects for creating paintings. The development of the movement was influenced by the dogmas of classicism and baroque.
Examples of 18th century works:
The decline in the importance of the direction is noticeable in the 19th century. Artists sought to dramatize art rather than elevate moral standards. The development of the movement was most influenced by the romantic and classic styles. The themes of the paintings became narrower - the masters moved away from extolling large-scale events and religious subjects.
The French artist Eugene Delacroix was the most energetic of the romantic painters - his canvases clearly demonstrate romanticism in painting. The works of Ernest Meissonnier, made in a strict academic style, are popular. Adolf Menzel became famous for his depictions of scenes from the court of Frederick the Great.
In the 19th century
The art academies of the 19th century sought to restore historical fine art to high status and importance in strengthening moral standards.
The great artist of the 19th century in France - academic teacher Gustave Moreau, famous for his works on mythological themes. In England, George Frederick Watts was the best of the Victorian painters - a prominent representative of the allegorical type of historical fine art. In America, the movement was supported by the German-American painter Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze.
Examples of 19th century paintings:
In 20th century
The 20th century brought changes: revolutions, wars, crises broke the value system. Fine art was marked by innovations - abstract painting styles and avant-garde movements appeared. In the 20th century, the direction was no longer ascribed a special moral and cultural significance. The historical genre became a resource used by artists to demonstrate the seriousness of their work. New themes - Celtic, Scandinavian mythology, ideological, propaganda, ideological painting.
Works of the 20th century:
In Russia
Russian historical painting is famous for the works of Vasily Surikov, Ilya Repin, Vasily Polenov. The movement was developed in the 18th and 19th centuries by the realist artists of the Itinerants association. The most popular are mythological and historical subjects. The formation of the direction is associated with the formation of educational ideas, which were propagated by the Academy of Arts. Surikov and other Russian painters worked in the styles of realism and classicism.
Most of the paintings by Surikov, Ugryumov, Ivanov, Losenko are large-scale, detailed, executed in accordance with all the traditions of academic art. 
The representative of Russian fine art is Vasily Surikov: “The Morning of the Streltsy Execution”, “Boyaryna Morozova”, “The Capture of the Snowy Town”, “Suvorov’s Crossing of the Alps”. Features of the works: monumentality, a significant number of characters on the canvas, dynamism, use of natural, dark tones. Surikov’s paintings are the most representative example of Russian historical painting.
The meaning of genre
The historical genre of the late 20th - early 21st centuries is developing in the paintings of artists - representatives contemporary art. Fine art gravitates towards abstractionism, thematically - towards current problems humanity. The direction allows painters to express their opinions on events in the world, changes in politics, economics, and culture.