Friendship is a special relationship between people built on selflessness, trust, sympathy, common interests and mutual respect. A true comrade will never betray, he will be the first to lend a helping hand in difficult situations and will not turn his back on a person even if the whole world is against him.
But not only people are familiar with this priceless feeling. Strong friendship can arise between a person and his four-legged pet. A lot of books and films are devoted to warm relations between people and animals. This theme found its reflection in painting. A striking example characterizing the partnership between a child and a dog is the picture "Friends" by the wonderful Ural painter Yevgeny Shirokov.
Artist Biography
Shirokov Evgeny Nikolaevich was born in 1931 in the city of Kasli (Chelyabinsk region). Being a pupil of the St. Petersburg art school (in 1958 he graduated from the Higher Industrial Art School in Leningrad), he moved to Perm in his youth, where he stayed forever. Today Evgeny Nikolaevich is one of the most famous painters of the Ural land. In 1986 he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the USSR. He was awarded the orders of the Badge of Honor, Peter the Great, as well as many medals and diplomas.
Despite his advanced age, until today he is engaged in teaching: he heads the department of painting at the Institute of Art and Culture of Perm. Since 1993 - professor.
Creativity of Evgeny Nikolaevich
Today, Shirokov’s paintings can be seen in 15 Russian museums, including the famous Tretyakov Gallery. The artist’s works belong to the so-called harsh style of painting. This trend arose in the 50-60s of the last century. The plots of works written in a harsh style, realistically glorified the workdays of ordinary people. Shirokov’s brushes belong to the painting “Bread to the Front”, “Mallow”, “Ballad about the Earth”, “In the Middle of Russia”, portraits of Dmitry Kabalevsky, Viktor Astafiev, Yuri Gagarin, Sergey Korolyov, Andrey Mironov and other famous people. The painter has his own self-portrait. Among the most recognizable works of the master is his work "Friends", written in 1979.
History of creation
There is an opinion that Evgeny Nikolaevich depicted his son on the canvas. The story of the creation of Shirokov’s Friends, thus, has life roots. Indeed, sincere and warm relationship between man and animal is not so rare. Until 1986, the painting was in the family collection of the painter, then the author presented it to the Perm Art Gallery.
Description of the painting by E. Shirokov "Friends" should begin with a description of its main characters. In the foreground of the canvas, a teenage boy and his dog are depicted: they are located next to a red-brown warm blanket spread on the floor of the room. The fact that the painter placed the child and the dog in the central part of the canvas indicates the equivalence of these two characters. Shirokov Evgeny Nikolaevich did not draw the background of the picture, due to which all the attention of the audience is focused on the boy and his four-legged friend.
Description of the child
The teenager painted on the canvas is no different from other boys of the Soviet era. He is dark-haired, dark-skinned, looking about 14 years old. The hero of the picture is a dark blue summer T-shirt, the same color socks, gray trousers and simple open sandals. Streetwear indicates that he recently came from somewhere and has not yet had time to change clothes. The artist Shirokov portrayed a little boy in a sitting position with legs crossed. With one hand he rests on the floor, with the other - stroking his dog.
The teenager’s face is very sad: his eyes down and pouting lips indicate that he is very upset. It is not known what events spoiled the mood of the owner of the dog. Perhaps his peers offended him or his parents punished him, or maybe he got a bad mark at school and is now afraid to admit this mom to his dad.
Faithful dog
The only one the boy can tell about his problems is his four-legged pet. For a child, a dog is not just a pet. She is a faithful friend who, although she does not know how to talk, always understands and supports her master. The boy’s facial expression shows how much he loves his dog. The animal, like a teenager, is the main character of the picture "Friends". E.N. Shirokov portrayed him in the foreground with the boy, thanks to which the attention of the audience goes to both characters equally.
It is not known what breed the dog is in the picture. She is medium in size, with short black hair and white paws. By the well-groomed appearance of the animal, one can judge that they are adequately taken care of. His black coat glistens in the light, and the plaid on which he lies is clean and tidy. Continuing the description of E. Shirokov’s painting “Friends”, it should be noted that the dog is as sad as its owner. The boy gently strokes his pet on the back and shares with him the most secret. The four-legged friend, although lying in a calm pose, does not at all think of falling asleep. He carefully raised one ear and listens to the little boy. It can be seen from the sad eyes of the animal that the mood of the teenager was completely transmitted to him. Although the dog cannot comfort his master verbally, she sincerely sympathizes with him.
Friends chatting
The picture "Friends" is painted in dark and calm colors. E.N. Shirokov did not use bright colors when creating his masterpiece, so as not to distract the attention of others from the emotions that the main characters experience. The whole picture is riddled with sadness, but longing for acquaintance with it does not arise in a person, because she sings true friendship. The plot shows that the little boy is inseparable from his favorite and is used to sharing any problems with him. It has long been known that pets are the best psychologists, and after talking with them, people always feel better at heart. Most likely, the boy will speak out to his faithful dog, and the problem that spoiled his mood will no longer seem insoluble to the child. Feeling the support of a four-legged friend, he will be able to adequately cope with any hardships that have befallen his fate.
The meaning of the work
Making a description of E. Shirokov’s painting “Friends”, one should try to reveal all its deep meaning. On the canvas, the painter depicted not just an upset boy and his dog. He masterfully was able to convey everything that lies in the concept of "friendship." A disinterested and faithful dog does not care who its owner is. He is not interested in the welfare and position in the society of this person. All that an animal needs is affection and care. Feeling good about himself, the dog will never betray his master. Unfortunately, in the relationship between people to meet such sincerity, honesty and selflessness is obtained infrequently.
Description of the painting by E. Shirokov “Friends” at school
The canvas depicting the touching friendship of a boy and a dog is familiar to all middle school students. In accordance with the school curriculum, children should, with the help of the teacher, analyze the picture, and then write an essay based on its plot. The study of this work of art allows not only to develop an artistic flair among the younger generation, but also to form such an important human quality as the ability to make friends.