Russian land is rich in talents. She gave birth to many of the brightest talents in various fields of art, which became famous far beyond the borders of the fatherland, gaining world fame. The cohort of celebrities rightfully belongs to the remarkable artist, master of everyday genre scenes Vladimir Makovsky.
Images of children in creativity
One of the painter’s best paintings is the painting “Children Running from a Thunderstorm”. She relates to children's topics, a lively interest in which woke up with Makovsky after the birth of his firstborn son. Although his earliest work, the protagonist of which is also a child, was written by Vladimir Egorovich at the age of fifteen. The artist and peasants evoke peasant boys and girls. Therefore, the painting “Children Running from a Thunderstorm” is far from being the only one in the list of paintings depicting the most diverse moments of children's life. Listing them, you must remember the “Grandma Game”, “Shepherds”, “Return from the Night”. After all, these are the best works of the author. And the first of the just mentioned was bought by Tretyakov for the museum's collection. With her, in fact, began the glory of the artist. And yet, it is the painting “Children Running from the Thunderstorm” that is considered programmatic in the work of Makovsky.
Description: foreground
Let's look at the drawing carefully. Who are his heroes? Two girls trying to escape from the impending weather. And the picture is called - “Children Running from the Thunderstorm”, and this detail also makes us concentrate on defenseless touching figures.
We can assume that we have two sisters in front of us - an older girl, 10-11 years old, and still very small, 3-4 years old. They are from a poor family, because both are barefoot and dressed quite plainly. On the older one there is a white linen shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a dark, almost old woman, sundress. A large brown apron is tied on top, in which the collected mushrooms are folded. The outfit of cheap beads around the neck and a thin red scarf, which has strayed almost to the back of the head and barely rests on golden brown hair, revives. They were disheveled by gusts of wind, climb into the eyes, but their mistress had no time to fix the naughty locks. From time to time, she looks back. Anxiety is caused not so much by the spoiled elements as by the baby sister, which the eldest carries, having put on her back.
The chubby face of the youngest girl is contorted with fright, her eyes sparkle uneasily, tears are clearly standing in them. With sincere sympathy Makovsky treats her. Children fleeing from a thunderstorm were discharged by him lovingly and with pleasure - we feel this by accurate, accurate strokes, by the expressiveness of the faces of the heroines, their poses, and the polished movements.
The right and left parts of the composition
Take a look under the legs of the older sister. She carefully, deftly and spontaneously runs across the board-bridge thrown across the ditch. Under it flows a stream, overgrown with grass and water lilies. The whole earth is also covered with lush green ant with different
wildflowers. On a
fine day, this place must be beautiful and attractive. But now they do not admire Makovsky. Children fleeing a thunderstorm are more interested in him. The artist really wants that, despite all the obstacles, the sisters managed to get to their village and wait out the elements of the house. And she’s getting closer and closer. The meadow is anxiously worried, grass and flowers bend in awe to the earth, as if a vibrant green sea sighs around. Using the principle of a panoramic image, Makovsky carefully paints close-ups of individual leaves and twigs, blades of grass and flowers. Unlike girls, he is not afraid of a thunderstorm and sincerely admires the indomitable outbursts of nature.
Background
What strikes the picture "Children Running from a Thunderstorm"? Its description cannot be completed without careful consideration of the background. And he is great too! The figures of the girls rise above the whole composition, behind them is a section of a field with already ripened golden wheat, and further, to the horizon, a forest bristles with greenery. Its outlines are lost in the cloudy pre-storm air. Dark clouds with gleams swirl in the sky. Cold gusts of wind drive them forward into an unknown country. In some places the sun still flashes, as if to the last resisting the onslaught of the storm. But all is useless, the thunderstorm is about to blaze with lightning, tear the space with peals of thunder and wash the earth with cleansing, blessed rain.