Many of us are familiar with the monumental canvases of the Russian artist A. Ivanov. But there are paintings among his works that are little known to the general public. One of them is “The Feat of a Young Kievite”. Description of the picture will be considered in this article.
What is depicted on the canvas?
In the picture, the artist in a classical antique manner reveals to the audience the image of a young warrior. The young man is half-naked, his body is barely covered by a red cloak. In his hand he holds a bridle.
A hot and bloody battle is depicted next to the main character of the art canvas: the bodies of killed soldiers lie on the ground, it is clear that a battle is going on in the distance.
The canvas “The Feat of the Young Kievite” can tell a lot to the audience. The description of the picture tells us that the artist depicts some important moment in the history of this young man.
What is this moment? We will analyze it in more detail.
The plot of the work
The author depicts an event that took place in Russian history. Chronicles tell us that in 968 the Russian city of Kiev suffered a terrible siege of the Pechenegs. There was no one to defend his hometown, because Prince Svyatoslav at that time was on a military campaign.
Kievans would have died if not for the bold deed of one of the young men. He knew the Pecheneg language, therefore, picking up the bridle, boldly went through the Pecheneg camp to the river. When they called to him, asking where he was going, the young man answered that he was going in search of his runaway horse.
With the help of such cunning, the young man got to the river, and from there he was able to go to the prince's squad and call her for help. With the help of his act, Kiev was saved.
“The Feat of the Young Kievite”: a description of the painting and its genre
This canvas is now stored in the Russian Museum. Spectators always pay attention to him, because it is executed in the characteristic manner of romanticism.
It should be noted that this is a fairly early work of the artist. It was written in 1810.
Then a lot of strength and romantic enthusiasm was put into his work by the young A. Ivanov. “The Feat of the Young Kievite” is an example of his early creative searches.
The meaning of the work lies in the artist’s characteristic conviction that a person, if he is brave and confident in the success of his enterprise, can overcome a lot.
This picture is about love for your people and love for your homeland, so it always remains relevant. The timid young man turns into a real warrior who was able to accomplish a feat and saved his fellow tribesmen.
The work “The Feat of a Young Kievite” can tell us a lot. The description of the painting testifies to its artistic value.