Such amazing artists as Apollinarius Vasnetsov are few among all the painters of the late XIX - early XX centuries. He found a theme that is dear and close to the heart of many Russian people - the theme of historical transformations of medieval Moscow.
Childhood
Vasnetsov Apollinarii Mikhailovich (1856 - 1933) was born in a small village near Vyatka. He was orphaned early, his brother went to study in Moscow. By this time it was clear that the teenager is very talented and he needs to learn painting. But he studied at a theological school and simply took drawing lessons from a Polish artist who was in exile.
Years of study
In 1872 (at the age of 16) Apollinarius Vasnetsov moved to St. Petersburg and began to truly study painting. His first teachers were Brother Victor and prominent Wanderers. He is interested in literature, mineralogy, astronomy, but most of all Apollinarius Vasnetsov at the age of 19 is fond of the ideas of the Narodniks, He leaves painting. Vasnetsov leaves to teach in the Oryol province, in the very outback. But the ideas of Narodism disappointed him, and the adult Apollinarius Vasnetsov returned to Moscow at the age of 21. Now he takes painting seriously as a vocation.
As an
artist, Vasnetsov is formed under the influence of I. Shishkin and A. Kuindzhi. But he did not become a simple copycat of the great masters. He developed his own style of writing.
First good luck
Since 1882, the young artist lives for a long time at his brother's dacha, is a member of S.I. Mamontova, and since 1883 begins to exhibit her paintings at the exhibitions of the Wanderers. And here is the first success: P. Tretyakov at the exhibition acquires his painting “Gray Day”.
A path between two trees winds lonely through the meadow, inviting you to follow it into the distance.
Learning history
Gradually (historical knowledge contributes to this), the artist begins to attract dramatic, epic motifs. The first such painting was The Homeland (1886), and the next Twilight (1889). On it lonely here and there stand separate wide-spread oaks in the field. In the distance, the blue night thickens. In the foreground everything is covered in haze, and grayish shadows have already fallen on the grass. Ancient oaks offer the viewer to think about the past tense. So, through the landscape, epic motifs appear in the work of A. Vasnetsov, the eternity of nature is affirmed.
Ural
Later, in the 90s, he will go to the Urals. Inspired by what he saw, Apollinarii Vasnetsov paints paintings that are majestic, showing the nature of the Urals, courageous and severe characters of the people who grew up here. Childhood seemed to come to life before him. Everything reminded him of his native Vyatka. In 1891, he painted the painting “Taiga in the Urals. Blue Mountain. " A pile of standing and fallen trees, a mysterious lake fascinate and frighten with its power. And in the distance a mountain turns blue in a haze. This landscape reflects the character of the people living in these parts.
The artist manages to visit France, Italy, Germany in 1898. Under the influence of the impressionists, changes took place in his palette. His work has brightened.
Singer of the ancient capital
A new theme appeared in the work of such an artist as Apollinarius Vasnetsov. The paintings now depict medieval Moscow, its bridges, as they were in antiquity, the Kremlin and, of course, the people of Moscow changing over time.
In the 1900s, he became so interested in the life of old Moscow that he took part in excavations. All this affected his work. The historical and everyday genre has long attracted the attention of Vasnetsov. First, he paints a picture “Street in Kitai Gorod. The beginning of the XII century. " In its narrow narrow winding streets, townspeople, archers, are rushing restlessly. These disturbances immerse the viewer during the Time of Troubles. Noisy Moscow ("At dawn at the All Saints Bridge. The end of the XII century").
On a clear winter day buffoons have fun. And a picture of both the Kremlin and the bridge, amazingly spectacular, was created. The color of the picture is rich and vibrant, as required by the depicted holiday or just fun.
In the painting “Moscow Dungeon. The End of the 16th Century ”depicts a torture chamber attached to the Kremlin tower, which was used both during the time of Ivan IV and during the reign of Tsar Boris Godunov. The corpses of those tortured in the dungeons were thrown out onto the street, relatives came to pick them up and bury them.
And again, the picture of the Time of Troubles appears before the viewer ("Messengers. Early in the Kremlin in the morning. Early 17th century"). The impostors, the variegation of kings, the seven-boyars, as a whole, the very gloomy and alarming atmosphere of that time was transmitted through the rapid leap of two horsemen: a monk and a warrior. But against all odds, Moscow’s heart stands firmly — its Kremlin, where the messengers rush in the winter at dawn.
During these years (1901 - 1918) Vasnetsov Apollinarii Mikhailovich, already an academician, leads the sculpting and painting class in Moscow.
Based on the artist’s works, one can study how Moscow has changed from century to century. He works in oil, writes watercolors, makes sketches with a pencil, deeply studies the works of Moscow historian I. Zabelin. He delves into the scientific work of V.O. Klyuchevsky. Having such deep knowledge and creative imagination, the artist achieves an increasingly complete authenticity in his paintings.
In 1925, the Red Square in the second half of the 17th century was created. The picture shows a bright and festive day.
A lot (about one hundred and twenty paintings) Apollinaris Vasnetsov devoted to Moscow. And almost all of his works have the Kremlin at different times and in different forms. Everywhere you can see the dynamics of its changes.
Vasnetsov Apollinaris, an artist, was a courageous man. At 75, in 1931, writing a letter to the Izvestia newspaper, he became the only person who opposed the demolition of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
This is how Apollinarius Vasnetsov lived his life . His entire biography is in the paintings that he left. An artist died in Moscow at the age of 76.