The emergence of the fabulous epic genre of painting is usually attributed to the second half of the 19th century. The emergence of this new direction in art was associated with an increased interest not only of artists, but of the Russian educated public in general, to the nationally distinctive sources of our country.
Cultural situation
At the beginning of the century, sharp debates arose between several circles of the intelligentsia regarding the development paths of our country. Some said that the state is one of the European powers and that it has a common development path with them. Others, on the contrary, believed that Russia should follow its own original and unique path of development, to which they sought confirmation in examples of ancient history.
Prerequisites for the emergence of the genre
Such discussions were very fruitful not only for socio-political thought, but also for the state of culture in general. The fabulous epic genre appeared, so to speak, on the wave of the above philosophical currents and trends. At the same time, it became a natural result of the development of Russian fine art, in which historical subjects traditionally occupied one of the leading places. As early as the 18-19 centuries, many artists captured paintings from ancient Russian history on their canvases, which served as an impetus for interest in Russian folk tales, epics, and ancient legends. Indeed, many old Russian plots were fanned by epic romance, which gave them such attractiveness.
Features of the compositions
The fabulous epic genre in the second half of the 19th century took one of the leading places in the visual arts. This new direction had its own characteristics. First of all, most of the images were colorful and extraordinary expressiveness. If you recall the most famous works in this genre, then they amaze with a wealth of colors and shades. This is explained by the desire of the painters to give plasticity to the images and at the same time attract public attention to them.
Secondly, the fabulous epic genre was distinguished by its scale and monumentality. This is due to the theme of the plot. The fact is that artists, as a rule, chose heroic plots from the past of the country as an object for their canvases and very often dwelled on those plots of epics that especially corresponded to their ideas. For example, the painting “Three Heroes” is distinguished by extraordinary seriousness and solemnity. It is made in the spirit of ancient Russian legends and epics, glorifying the exploits of the defenders of the Russian land.
The images
The fairy-tale epic genre also has that characteristic feature that the authors working in this direction chose the most expressive images and plots as objects of the image, which in one way or another reflected the most famous pages of the past, as well as conveyed the spirit of the ancient era. The most frequent image in the painting of this direction is the hero, warrior, defender of the Russian land. For example, the painting “The Knight at the Crossroads” is at the same time a reflection of ancient legends and at the same time shows how the author imagined the era of Ancient Russia. At the same time, the picture has references to folk tales: the hero is depicted on the canvas, who chooses his own path by reading the inscription on the stone. The combination of fabulous, epic and historical elements surprisingly harmoniously converged in this picture. This principle is generally characteristic of the work of Vasnetsov, which provided his paintings with such popularity.
The fairy-tale-epic genre in the fine arts took one of the leading places in Russian painting. Another image characteristic of him is female characters. Especially popular were the fairy-tale heroines, for example, Vasilisa the Wise or the Swan Princess. These female images were the most popular in fairy tales, so it is not surprising that the authors so often turned to them.
Another image is the narrator. For example, one of Vasnetsov’s most famous paintings is the Bayan painting, which depicts an old Russian hussar singer telling soldiers an old legend. It is characteristic that this particular hero became the subject of the image. The appeal to his image is very indicative in the sense that the artists understood that it was thanks to such storytellers that these epics, fairy tales and legends reached us.
Connection with music
The fairy-tale-epic genre of painting has largely been given an impetus to development due to the fact that during the period under review, many composers when writing operas turned to Old Russian themes. Of course, the motives of fairy tales, epics and ancient legends were also present in their works. Very often, artists wrote the scenery in the appropriate spirit, which contributed to the flowering of the studied genre. As an example of operas of this kind, we can mention the musical works of Rimsky-Korsakov, who very often turned to historical, epic and fairy-tale themes. Other composers also attracted these subjects in their works (for example, Stravinsky). These works were very popular in the West, which served as an impetus for the development of this direction in painting.
Famous paintings
Pictures of the fabulous epic genre occupy a prominent place not only in a number of works on historical subjects, but also in fine art in general. In addition to the above works, one should mention canvases dedicated exclusively to plots from ancient Russian folk tales. For example, the painting "Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf" is a masterpiece in this regard. Fairytale and historical elements were combined in this work of the author in such a harmonious unity that, looking at it, it is difficult to distinguish between the fabulous and the real.
Another example in this series is the picture of the same author, "Alyonushka." It is known that he wrote it with a simple peasant girl, which gives the canvas such brightness and expressiveness. The undoubted advantage of the works of this direction is the fact that the motives of fairy tales, epics and legends in them were so lively and expressive that the plots received a historical sound and were perceived as part of the cultural past.
Representatives
Artists of the fairy-tale epic genre have international recognition. Their work is a worthy contribution not only to domestic but also to world culture. In addition to Vasnetsov, Bilibin should also be mentioned in this row. He became famous for writing drawings on fairy tales. Particularly popular are his illustrations for the famous "Tale of Tsar Saltan" by Pushkin. His works are distinguished by brightness and richness of colors, and in appearance are very similar to frames from cartoons. In this regard, the author has survived his time: his drawings are still used as a reference for creating animations.
Vrubel also turned to fairy tales. His painting “The Swan Princess”, based on the same tale, is known. The style of this artist is very original and specific and therefore very different from the work of his predecessors. His colors are somewhat blurry and muffled, in contrast to the vivid drawings of Bilibin.
The meaning of the genre
The fairy-tale epic genre (7th grade) occupies a prominent place in the educational process at school. Already at the middle level of students are introduced to the main works in this direction. Moreover, they can be shown both in history lessons and in literature. These works help to demonstrate in a visual form both the features of the artist’s creativity and the specifics of ancient Russian society. Very often, on the basis of them, everyday life, clothes, homes, and the culture of those distant times are studied. In addition, at this age, schoolchildren very vividly perceive vivid images, and therefore the paintings of the above masters should be analyzed in the context of works of ancient Russian literature. This was a crucial stage in the development of Russian painting, which should be distinguished as a separate period in the visual arts.