The paintings of Apollinaria Vasnetsov occupy an important place in Russian painting. His works are not so vivid and monumental as the canvases of his brother, Victor, but his landscape sketches and historical miniatures rightfully earned him fame as one of the talented painters of the mid-19th and first half of the 20th century. The artist often traveled, was engaged in archaeological excavations, studied a lot, and this rich experience was embodied in his remarkable works, some of which are described in this article.
Nature theme
The paintings of Apollinaria Vasnetsov, as a rule, are devoted to historical and everyday subjects, but landscape painting occupied a prominent place in his work. One of them is called "Winter Dream". This landscape is deliberately fabulous and decorative, although the composition is very well recognizable. The author depicted a winter forest, coatings with fluffy snow, and paints and a special color scheme conveyed the mystery and mystery of this beautiful corner.
A completely different impression is made by the painting "Mountain Landscape". This work is designed in a completely different color scheme: on the canvas the artist depicted the majestic mountains of green and bluish low tide. Between them passes a narrow path leading to small residential buildings. This composition gives the impression of comfort and coziness, but most importantly - emphasizes the beauty and grandeur of nature.
Historical genre
The paintings of Apollinarius Vasnetsov are probably known to every schoolchild thanks to history lessons, in which his works are often shown to students as a pictorial series in the topic under study. One of these canvases is called “The Court of the Specific Prince”. This is one of his most famous works, which required a tremendous exertion of strength and skills from him. The author based the plot on a household episode from medieval Russia of the 12th century. In the center of the composition is the Russian prince, taking tribute from the inhabitants. It is located on the background of the tower, on the porch of which the author depicted his family. In the courtyard crowded servants, servants and ordinary peasants. Thus, Vasnetsov displayed the main social layers of medieval time. He also proved to be a great connoisseur of ancient Russian architecture, accurately reproducing the tower, courtyard, temple, gate.
Another famous historical canvas of the author is the painting “The Moscow Kremlin under Dmitry Donskoy”. Thanks to the skill of the artist, we have the opportunity to find out what this fortress looked like in the 14th century. Vasnetsov showed the protective walls, houses, posad, temples, depicted the river along which the merchant people stayed in the capital of the principality.
Household genre
The artworks are characterized by static compositions. He preferred the image of everyday scenes or structures of the past. His work “The Old House” breathes calm and tranquility. The canvas depicts an abandoned, empty hut. However, despite the rather dull appearance of this housing, the composition makes a good impression due to the festive colors of the landscape: a green meadow, a bright blue sky, sunny air. These light shades seem to set off the gray facade of the hut, which looks even more lonely among this holiday of nature. So, the paintings of Apollinaria Vasnetsov are an invaluable source for studying Russian history and the life of the people in past centuries.