Vasily G. Perov created many amazing paintings. Among them is the picture "Hunters on a halt." Although her artist wrote at the end of the XIX century, but still connoisseurs of painting are happy to consider the canvas on which real people are depicted, their facial expressions and gestures are conveyed.
Creative biography - the beginning of the way
The artist Vasily G. Perov lived in 1833-82. The exact date of his birth is unknown, tentatively this is the end of December 1833 - the beginning of January 1834. Grigory Vasilievich - illegitimate son of Baron Gregory (George) - the provincial prosecutor. Despite the fact that after the birth of the child the parents got married, he still had no right to the title and surname.
Once, Vasily's father invited an artist to them. The boy loved to watch the work of the painter, and this aroused his great interest in creativity. Despite the fact that due to smallpox, which the child had been ill with, his eyesight had deteriorated, Vasily still studied diligently and independently engaged in drawing.
Then the father sent the child to the Arzamas art school, where he studied from 1846 to 1849. The school was headed by A.V. Stupin, he flattered about the young talent and said that Vasily had talent.
Without graduating from college due to a conflict with a fellow student, the young man moved to Moscow, where he entered the School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.
Awards, paintings
In 1856, for the portrait of Nikolai Grigorievich Kridener Perov was awarded a small silver medal. Then there were the works “Arrival of the camp”, “Scene on the grave”, “Wanderer”. For the painting “First Rank” the artist was awarded a small gold medal, and for the “Rural Religious Procession on Easter” he was awarded a large gold medal.
Then the painter created many more beautiful paintings, among which his famous painting “Hunters on a halt”, “Three”, “Sleeping children”, “The arrival of the institute.” His last works are “The Wanderer in the Field”, Fishermen ”,“ The Old Man on the Bench ”,“ Crying Yaroslavna ”.
About the famous canvas
The painting "Hunters on a Halt" was painted by Perov V.I. in 1871. If in the first half of the period of his work the artist reflects joyless scenes of folk life (“Seeing off the dead man”, “The artisan boy”, “Troika”, etc.), then in the second half he increasingly portrays hunters, bird-catchers, fishermen who like that, what are they doing.
The artist himself was very fond of hunting, so he knew this topic. Now the picture "Hunters at rest" is in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, and a copy created by the author in 1877 can be seen by visiting the State Russian Museum.
Who is depicted on the canvas - real prototypes
Hunters at Perov's halt are fictional characters. If you pay attention to the canvas, you will see the narrator on the left. In his appearance, the artist conveyed the image of D.P. Kuvshinnikov, who was a famous Moscow doctor, a great lover of gun hunting.
Vasily Grigorievich Perov did an excellent job for the physician, glorifying him even more. After the picture was presented at a traveling exhibition, D.P. Kuvshinnikov became very popular in art, theater, and literary circles. In his apartment, artists, writers, and artists began to gather.
The skeptic hunter on the canvas also has its own real prototype. In the image of this man Perov captured the doctor V.V. Bessonov, who was a friend of Kuvshinnikov.
The youngest hunter was drawn from Nikolai Mikhailovich Nagornov. This 26-year-old boy was a colleague and friend of Bessonov and Kuvshinnikov. A year later, the young man married the niece of the famous writer L.N. Tolstoy.
Now that we know who these hunters are at Perov’s halt, looking at the picture, peering into its smallest details will be even more interesting.
Description of the plot of the picture
In the foreground are three hunters. Apparently, from the early morning they wandered through the forest in search of prey. Their trophies were limited to a duck and a hare. The hunters were tired and decided to halt.
Small islands of snow are visible in the background. On the front and side - damp grass, bushes on which green leaves have not yet blossomed. Most likely, this is the end of March or the beginning of April. It is already getting dark, but men are not afraid of the dark. They feel good in each other’s company, as they share common interests and conversations.
Halt hunters - a description of these brave men
The artist was able to convey facial expressions, facial expressions of his heroes. Looking at them, it becomes clear what they are talking about, thinking about.
So, the man sitting on the left, the prototype of which was D.P. Kuvshinnikov, the eldest. It is evident that he is an experienced hunter. A man talks about his exploits. By the way his hands are strained, it is clear that he says that he somehow met a bear and, of course, emerged victorious from this battle.
It can be seen that the middle-aged man, who is located between the two hunters, sarcastically refers to the story of a friend. Apparently, he heard this bike more than once. This hunter lowered his eyes and barely restrains a smile so as not to laugh, but does not want to betray his older friend and does not tell the young hunter that this story is a fiction. Here they are, halt hunters. The price of a fictional story is low, but the youngest hunter does not know this.
He listens so carefully to the narrator that he does not see what is happening around. He even forgets to smoke - his hand with a cigarette froze - the young man is watching the verbal plot so intensely. Apparently, he only recently joined this company and does not yet know all the tales that his new friends can tell.
You think about all this, looking at the picture that the author so realistically painted. Hunters on a halt, though frozen in one pose, but it seems that now they will stand up and go towards new adventures.