There are many glorious pages in Russian history! You can talk about them endlessly. One of them is a story about the battle of two warriors that took place before the famous and tragic battle of Kulikovo.
The duel on the Kulikovo field is a special battle. This battle was devoted to literary, and musical, and artistic works.
Consider today one of the canvases belonging to the brush of the remarkable artist-realist M. I. Avilov.
History of the work
The full name of the artist ’s picture is as follows: “Duel of Relight with Chelubey on the Kulikovo Field”. The picture was written by the author in the difficult year of 1943, when the fate of our country was decided near Stalingrad. It was in that battle that the Russians won, than determined the outcome of the most terrible war in the 20th century.
We see a similar situation in the picture: in the deadly battle two horsemen came together, their spears pierced each other, their horses stood on their hind legs, both warriors are full of rage, but it is still unknown which of them will be the winner.
The Russian chronicle, describing in detail the plot of the battle, ultimately speaks of the victory of Peresvet, because his horse, mortally wounded, was brought back to the Russian troops by his horse, Chelubey died when he fell out of the saddle and was knocked out by the mighty blow of his opponent.
The plot of the work
The duel on the Kulikovo field is depicted by the artist as a dramatic clash of two forces: Russian and Tatar.
The composition of the work is extremely clear. In the center of the canvas are two figures of soldiers sitting on horses. The faces of the soldiers are facing each other, while the face of Chelubey is hidden by a thick beard, and the audience does not see him. The face of Alexander Peresvet, on the contrary, can be seen by looking at the picture.
It is clear that the Russian hero is undergoing tremendous physical and mental stress, all his forces are focused on defeating his enemy.
Heroes are dressed differently. The mankind is clothed in rich robes. Even the horse blanket is made of red material with gold embroidery. On the head of the Tatar warrior is a fur-trimmed helmet trimmed with fur. His shield is painted in expensive script.
The Russian warrior is dressed in simple chain mail, on his head is his iron helmet, on his horse - the usual harness. It can be seen that the Russian hero was not used to showing off his appearance.
Avilov: the duel on the Kulikovo field as a reflection of the meaning of Russian history
The duel on the Kulikovo field represents the most important event in the history of our country. After all, this was one of the first major battles when the Russians, after a hundred-year yoke of the Golden Horde, decided to defend their independence in a terrible battle with the enemy. And this served as the beginning of the process of unification of the Russian lands around the Moscow principality, which helped to make the Russian state stronger.
Turning to the events of a distant history, the artist seems to instill in his compatriots the hope that in 1945 our country will not face defeat, but a future victory over the terrible evil of the 20th century - fascism. Russian soldiers will always defend their homeland, they will never bend in the face of the enemy. Such an example shows us the Russian hero - Alexander Peresvet, and those warriors who stand behind him.
By the way, the Russian troops in the picture are depicted with the help of modest gray colors, the faces of the soldiers are turned to the fighting Peresvet and his rival. The Russians are concentrated, they are not afraid of death, but believe in their victory. The Tatar troops are diverse and unsure of themselves, they howl not for their homeland, but for their future booty, which they can get, once again plundering the Russian lands.
The symbolic meaning of the work
The duel on the Kulikovo field and the subsequent victory of the Russian troops over the Tatars marked the reversal of Russian history from the era of the feudal split to the collection of lands. The same, according to the artist, will happen when Russian troops enter Berlin and show the whole world what the Russian victory means.
The artist anticipates the events of the future, he inspires his viewers with hope that our country cannot be broken by any military force, because the strength of Russia lies in its people, in its defenders, who are ready to sacrifice themselves, but not to give their native land for reproach.
Therefore, the painting “The Duel of Relight with Chelubey on the Kulikovo Field” is so popular among generations of spectators. After all, the very history of our country found its embodiment in it.
Thus , Avilov’s painting , stored today in the Russian Museum, is a talented illustration of Russian history and a prophetic foresight of the outcome of the great liberation war that our country waged.