Artist Serov Valentin Aleksandrovich is known to many as the author of the portrait genre. His portrait “Girl with Peaches”, which is saturated with sunlight and transparent, airy lightness of a warm day, is especially famous. The painting “The Abduction of Europe” is fundamentally different from Serov’s earlier paintings, not only in genre, but also in composition and image style.
Myths of Ancient Greece in painting
Since ancient times, Greek myths have encouraged artists, sculptors and poets to create works of art. Mythology to this day represents a rich world of heroes and plots. Myths convey the spirit of Ancient Greece, a place where beauty was glorified and perpetuated. It is not surprising that it is their stories that most often become the subject of fine art.
Over the centuries, the exploits of Hercules, the torment of Prometheus and the adventures of Zeus have been captured in various formats, styles and techniques by artists such as Botticelli, Rubens, Rembrandt, Dore and many others. During the period of modernism, the influence of mythology on painting decreased, more attention was paid to the style and technique of the image to the detriment of the plot of the picture.
In Russian painting of the twentieth century, the historical and mythological genre gained a “second wind” thanks to the magnificent paintings of Vrubel and Vasnetsov, which revived the plots of national folklore. Ancient Greek myths became a subject of special interest to Valentin Serov in the late period of his work.
History of the painting
At the very beginning of the twentieth century, rumors circulated among people of art about the start of a grandiose project to design a museum of fine arts named after Pushkin. The picturesque design of the halls was to emphasize and clarify the permanent exhibitions of the museum. Serov’s biography clearly shows a desire to participate in this project.
In the mid 1900s Serov visited Greece to soak up classical culture and art. Preparation for painting the classical halls of the museum is considered the main goal that the artist pursued. Serov Valentin Aleksandrovich began to write the first versions of "Abduction" shortly after the trip.
Many art historians believe that the painting "The Abduction of Europe" and the accompanying "Meeting of the Odyssey with Navzikai" were written as sketches for wall paintings, and not for easel paintings. An argument in favor of this point of view can be considered that the author was not going to write any of the mentioned oil paintings.
Valentin Serov, “The Abduction of Europe”: Description
The painting “The Abduction of Europe” uses the myth of a young Phoenician princess named Europe, the daughter of King Agenor, whom Zeus desired, as a plot line. Turning into a bull, the Olympic God carried Europe on his back to the island of Crete.
Serov’s interpretation does not require a plausible depiction of the characters and the landscape surrounding them, she does not try to create a realistic plot. Valentin Serov strove to generalize artistic images, to create a picture that combines the culture, knowledge and traditions of ancient Greece.
Painting style
Another argument in favor of writing "Europe" for the decorative panel of the art museum is the unique style of the painting. In 1907, Serov went to the island of Crete in order to study the antique wall paintings of the ancient temple.
Innovative techniques in stylization and even composition of the painting "The Abduction of Europe" indicate that the author was inspired by the classical art of ancient Greek monumental historical panels.
The style of the picture can easily be called minimalistic. Dynamic composition, uniformity of forms, absence of unnecessary details and minimal color gamut create a stylization effect inherent in modernity. The oblong, diagonally elongated shapes of the bull and dolphins, as well as the “worrying” horizon line leave the picture without a single straight vertical or horizontal line in the composition. From this, she seems to be moving up.
The figure of a fiery red bull swimming in the stormy sea divides the picture into two parts diagonally in both compositional and color terms. Serov chose atypical, for Zeus in the form of a bull, color. In most cases, the greatness and splendor of a thunderbolt is emphasized in white, in this case Serov chose a bright orange color, which introduced unusual dynamism into the color of the picture and at the same time created a visual focus.
The painting "The Abduction of Europe": options
Serov created several versions of the picture, none of which is considered fully completed. In all existing images, the palette and composition remain virtually unchanged, in contrast to the many options for “Meetings of Odyssey with Navzikaya,” in which Serov experimented with construction, composition, dynamics and color scheme.
The largest in size and most detailed version of the painting "The Abduction of Europe" is stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery, but it belongs to a private collection.