Since ancient times, art has been used by creative people as a means of enlightenment. The paintings dedicated to the Great Patriotic War may not be as famous as canvases like “Mona Lisa” or “Portrait of a Stranger,” but they give a vivid idea of ​​the thoughts of the authors in those cruel times when not only the survival of each individual was at stake, but also entire nations.
War and painting
The Great Patriotic War became a huge test of moral and physical forces for the whole country. The paintings of those times, apparently, are so piercing, they convey to the viewer a feeling of hopelessness on the one hand and a timid hope that somewhere in the foreseeable future this universal madness will end - on the other.
In general, this layer of painting can be viewed from two perspectives. Firstly, this is domestic art and its prominent representatives - Arkady Plastov, Alexander Dayneka. Secondly, this is the so-called art of Resistance. The one that tried to fight fascism in countries captured by this terrible leprosy of the twentieth century.
We will consider only some of the paintings on the theme of the Great Patriotic War that have come down to us through the efforts of Soviet artists, those who tried to get rid of fascism on this side of the barricade, and someone often holding weapons in their hands at the same time.
Strata
An artist with a clear life-affirming message, he is nonetheless famous for his incredibly piercing paintings on the theme of the Great Patriotic War. The intensity, drama and dynamics of his paintings of this time are so great that it is difficult to look at them with their eyes clear of compassion. His paintings such as “Prisoners of War”, “One Against the Tank”, as well as many others were created literally in the first year and a half of the war. His most powerful canvas of this period is considered to be the painting "The Fascist Passed." She perfectly conveys the aching sensation of the loss of something dear, close to the heart.
Many of Plastov’s works are distinguished by his innocence and true sincerity, but his paintings on the theme of the Great Patriotic War have, it seems, absorbed the maximum pain that a person can experience. And this is not surprising, given how difficult, but productive the fate of this wonderful artist.
Daineka
Another person that cannot be ignored in this context is Alexander Dayneka. His intense paintings on the theme of the Great Patriotic War are also impossible not to consider in this regard. These include the work “Outskirts of Moscow”, “Burnt Village”, “Defense of Sevastopol” and some others. Each of these paintings reflects the huge internal tension expressed by the author about what is happening before the eyes of his people, over whom the enemy is being bullied. The last work, in general, can be called a hymn to the courageous defenders of the city, lying on the crossroads of important communication lines of the entire southern front.
Conclusion
Summing up, it should be said that the war, being a rather difficult topic in the visual arts, nonetheless offers the artist a huge variety of options both for self-expression and for educating the public. To give her the right data about what she really is. Giving future generations a magnificent picture of how you should not treat your own kind. And how should one really relate to people from the environment, let another nation, religion or color.
Thanks to the artists who dared to express this pain and suffering, we have the opportunity to convey to future generations how dangerous war, Nazism, chauvinism and other misanthropic “isms” that I don’t even want to mention.