Moscow businessman and philanthropist Slavophile A.A. Porokhovshchikov took part in the construction of an elegant and chic hotel and luxury restaurant "Slavic Bazaar" (architect August Weber). It was decided to decorate it with the painting "Slavic composers". It was originally called the “Collection of Russian, Polish and Czech Musicians”. She was supposed to convey to the viewer the idea that all the Slavs are brothers.
History of the painting
The list of composers who should have been written in the picture for A.A. Porokhovschikova, composed by Nikolai Grigorievich Rubinstein.
He was a virtuoso pianist, a wonderful conductor, founder and first director of the Moscow Conservatory. He came up with a list of biases. He did not include such geniuses as P.I. Tchaikovsky, M.P. Mussorgsky,
A.P. Borodin, and C. Cui.
Porokhovshchikov wanted a large-scale multi-figured canvas to be painted by a recognized master K. Makovsky. The price of 25 thousand rubles was unacceptable to the organizers. Other painters requested 15 thousand. The case ended with I.E. Repin is a young graduate of the Academy of Arts, for only one and a half thousand rubles, who was financially very poor.
Beginning of work
Most of the musicians had already passed away by the time of writing the painting in 1872. The work of I. Repin began to help the music critic, who at one time supported the "Mighty Handful", Vladimir Vasilievich Stasov.
In the picture “Slavic composers” it was required to write both the musicians living at that time, and already dead. The indefatigable V. Stasov, helping the artist, everywhere looked for their portraits. I. E. Repin did almost all the work in St. Petersburg. Only the musicians who lived at that time posed for him: M. A. Balakirev, N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, and E. Napravnik. Ilya Efimovich himself wrote about this in his memoirs. He brought to Moscow an almost finished canvas, which he had just finished in the ancient capital.
Place of painting
Restaurant "Slavic Bazaar" was opened in late spring 1872 in the business center of Moscow on Nikolskaya Street. It combined Russian cuisine (the chef studied in Paris) and European service. Only wealthy people could visit him regularly. It was considered good form to have breakfast in it and at this time to talk about business and make a deal. Transactions were not cheap, but millionths. Lunches and dinners were not popular in it.
One feature appeared in the restaurant, which was nowhere else. Having finished breakfast with champagne and coffee with liquor, the client demanded cognac. If the guest ordered expensive, excellent quality, worth 50 rubles cognac, then in the calculation he was presented with a crystal decanter from this cognac, painted with golden cranes. Merchants gathered these, as they called, "cranes", and competed among themselves in their quantity. The ceiling of the restaurant was glass, gable, and it was supported by metal structures in the form of gratings. They were reflected in the plates standing on the table.
In the concert hall of the restaurant, made in the Russian style, which had the name "Russian Chamber", among other portraits, the canvas "Slavic Composers" was placed.
Who is painted?
In the center are, talking, M.I. Glinka (died in 1857), M.A. Balakirev and V.F. Odoevsky (died in 1860). Behind them is sitting on a chair A. S. Dargomyzhsky, who was also no longer alive. Behind him, I.F. Laskovsky. In the court uniform on the right - A.F. Lviv He listens to what A.N. Verstovsky.
The group at the piano is formed by brothers A. and N. Rubinsteins. A.N. Serov (father of the artist V. Serov) stands between A. Rubinstein and Lvov.
The deceased A.P. Gurilev, D.S. Bortnyansky and P.I. Turchaninov. Foreign Slavic composers are written in the background and left. Czechs on the left: E. Napravnik is standing; B. Smetana, K. Bendel and V. Gorak are sitting. In the background I.E. Repin located the Poles. K. Lipinsky stands against the background of the door. Next to it is the far right - S. Monyushko. Further F. Chopin and M. Oginsky.
The painting "Slavic composers", the description of which was limited to the enumeration of the depicted musicians, allows us to say nothing more. It is informative.
Oddities of Design
The very idea of ​​mixing the composers of different countries and peoples, living and dead, in one painting "Slavic composers" was surprising not only for the young painter. I. Turgenev spoke of her as a “vinaigrette”. He believed that it was impossible to come up with anything worse than this plot.
It's difficult to talk about the artistic merits of the work. The painting "Slavic Composers" (Repin) is surprising and good only because you do not have to leaf through albums looking for portraits. However, the Moscow public did not accept her enthusiastically, but she had success.
Over time, the canvas "Slavic Composers" was moved to the Moscow Conservatory, as the restaurant was closed at one time, and later a fire broke out in it.
Rubinstein’s strange and unusual plan lives his own life exactly where the virtuoso pianist worked - at the Moscow Conservatory.