Just a decade ago, before the turning point, Russian art was literally associated with the "hunters" for the masterpieces of Aivazovsky or Repin with big money. And that is precisely why these people were ready to give a fortune for the canvases of the great Russian artists, because they knew that they could easily sell them in the future for double the price. Times have changed, and now contemporary Russian art does not cause such a stir among auctioneers. But the real art itself in Russia, oddly enough, has not changed, it has remained the same and it lives here in the State Russian Museum of St. Petersburg. This museum was specifically created in order to carefully preserve the masterpieces of Malevich, Chagall and other famous and talented artists of Russia. And here, in this article, it will be told about the 10 most outstanding works of these great Russian painters.
1. "Black Square" - Kazimir Malevich
The painting "Black Square" is truly the most famous work of the artist Kazimir Malevich and perhaps the most recognizable and controversial work in the whole world. And, for sure, you will be surprised by the fact that there are 4 versions of this masterpiece of Russian avant-garde painting. The earliest of them was painted by the artist in 1915. Regarding the final version, many art critics believe that it was created between the 20s and 30s of the last century.
"Black Square" by Kazimir Malevich is rightfully considered one of the most mysterious and enigmatic paintings of the 20th century. According to many artists, this work of art is not painted in one color, as we all think and, of course, see with our own eyes when we admire this painting. It's amazing that this work has all the most basic shades and colors ... with the exception of black! Also, in fact, the figure depicted is in fact not a square, since it lacks parallel lines to each other inherent in this geometric shape. But, unfortunately, now it will forever remain a mystery what color this square was at the very beginning of its creation. It is known that Kazimir Malevich tried to paint a picture in the style of cubism, but later decided to depict only a black square, placing it in the upper part of the canvas.
2. "The Ninth Wave" - Ivan Aivazovsky
The Ninth Wave, a painting by the artist Ivan Aivazovsky, is the greatest work of Russian art of the 19th century. This painting was painted in 1850.
In the 19th century, most sailors saw the so-called ninth shaft as a truly evil omen, since it was a large-scale and most destructive phenomenon at sea. On the canvas, we just see 6 sailors who were not lucky enough to meet face to face with this disaster. It can be seen that nothing was left of their ship and that they could die at any second. In truth, all the waves skillfully drawn by the artist are not so frightening in size, so the heroes of this picture probably have a chance to escape, which is also hinted at by the very warm tones in which this work was created. Ivan Aivazovsky is rightfully considered a brilliant and outstanding marine painter known all over the world. His "Ninth Wave" demonstrates all the beauty and at the same time the powerful destructive power of the sea element.
3. "The Last Day of Pompeii" - Karl Bryullov
The painting "The Last Day of Pompeii" was painted by the famous Russian artist Karl Bryullov in 1833.
Initially, the canvas was hung in Rome, and a little later it was transported to the Louvre in France. In Russia, namely in St. Petersburg, this outstanding in every sense painting appeared only in 1834, when Alexander Demidov (a Russian businessman of the 19th century) showed it to the Russian Emperor Nicholas 1. The very plot of the canvas was invented by the artist while he was traveling near Mount Vesuvius. Scientists believe that just next to this area was the infamous city of Pompeii, which was razed to the ground during the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. We see that all the people depicted in this picture are on the verge of death and that some of them even try to pray, sincerely believing that death will pass them and they will certainly be saved. Most art critics claim that it is precisely two, in their opinion, the key characters depicted on the canvas that attract a lot of attention - a dead woman and her little child left at the mercy of the elements.
4. "The Cossacks write a letter to the Turkish Sultan" - Ilya Repin
The painting "Cossacks of Zaporozhye compose a manifesto to the Turkish Sultan" by Ilya Repin, also known as "The Zaporozhians write a letter to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Mehmed IV", was painted on such a huge canvas that it took the artist a decade to complete the creation of this stunning canvas, as the artist wrote him from 1880 to 1891.
Initially, this painting was acquired by the great Russian emperor Alexander 3, and only then, after some time, it was placed in the State Russian Museum of St. Petersburg. The first sketches of this remarkable work were made already in 1880, when the artist was spending time in Zaporozhye with his friend, then a young Russian artist who was starting his career, Valentin Serov. Interestingly, all the people depicted on the canvas had their real prototypes. Despite all the originality of the picture, some critics argue that the work is not entirely accurate in historical terms. Therefore, the artist, after having painted the first version of this well-known canvas, began to create a second work of the same, which would more truthfully reflect that era, and accordingly it would be more accurate in historical terms, but unfortunately, he did not manage to finish the second picture.
5. "Walk" - Marc Chagall
The work of Marc Chagall "Walk", created in 1917, shows us two simple figures - a man and a woman. Unusually, these figures have real prototypes - that man is the author of the painting himself, and the woman is his wife Bella. The artist loved his wife incredibly deeply and painted only her on his canvases, even after she suddenly died (although he tried to establish relationships with other women after that).
Marc Chagall tried to convey to the viewer that absolutely nothing is impossible for a couple in love. We see that the artist depicted his wife hovering over him, while they hold each other's hands, which is undoubtedly the symbol through which their mutual love is expressed. Some people suggest that while working on the picture, the author was thinking about the famous Russian proverb: "Better a bird in the hands than a crane in the sky." But this canvas, on the contrary, tries to show that sometimes it is not at all necessary to make a choice in favor of one thing, therefore in the picture we see how a man simultaneously holds both a small bird and the hand of his beloved hovering above the ground.
6. "Maslenitsa" - Boris Kustodiev
The painting "Maslenitsa" by the Russian artist Boris Kustodiev, created in 1916, is not the only canvas dedicated to this wonderful and original holiday, since there are also versions created by the painter in 1917 and 1921.
In this picture, we can see the last days of winter, when people are having fun and preparing to burn a scarecrow-symbol of Maslenitsa at the stake in order to end the coldest and most frosty season.And now the sky is already turning into a warm blue, which heralds the arrival of the long-awaited spring. The artist deliberately uses a palette of gentle light shades to convey all the emotions of people involved in this holiday, namely joy and happiness. It is noteworthy that all the cities written by Boris Kustodiev are faceless, in them we cannot guess a specific Russian city. This was done because Maslenitsa was celebrated and is widely celebrated now in every city of vast and immense Russia. Despite the harsh winter, sometimes it is very hot on Shrovetide, if you want to see all the beauty and originality of the holiday, you can watch some videos that captured people during this merry holiday in St. Petersburg in 2017.
7. "The Knight at the Crossroads" - Viktor Vasnetsov
The painting "The Knight at the Crossroads" was painted by Viktor Vasnetsov in 1882, although the first pencil sketches of this famous work were made by him already in the 1870s.
It is noteworthy that the plot of the Russian epic about the hero Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the robber had a great influence on the concept of this picture. On the canvas, we see a real inscription on a stone standing at a crossroads, and, which is very interesting, all the inscriptions on this stone exactly repeat the words from the famous epic. In the first pencil sketches, the figure of the knight, the protagonist of this work, was facing the viewer, and the road itself was also present in these draft versions, i.e. crossroads. However, already when creating the final version of the picture, Viktor Vasnetsov decided to give the canvas more drama and showiness and enlarged the figure of the hero-hero, making it more monumental. By the way, in the Russian State Museum of St. Petersburg you can see the second version of this outstanding work of the great Russian artist.
8. "Christ and the Sinner" - Vasily Polenov
Christ and the Sinner, also known as Who Is Without Sin? - the work of the outstanding Russian artist of the 19th century Vasily Polenov. It was written by him in 1888.
The plot of the picture is based on a story taken from the Gospel according to John. She tells about Christ and the sinner. It took a whole 15 years from the appearance of the first awkward pencil sketches to a full-fledged canvas, skillfully painted by the artist in oils. This famous painting, like many others, was acquired by the Russian Emperor Alexander 3, and only in 1897 did it add to the collection of stunning works of the State Russian Museum. We see that a lot of people are depicted in the picture, but among them some part seems to be especially highlighted by the artist. Namely, Christ, his disciples, as well as a sinner woman who is accused of infidelity and treason by those around her and whom an angry crowd wants to beat with sticks for this sin. According to the Gospel, Christ suggested that a woman should be punished by the one who has never sinned in his life. Of course, there was not a single sinless person around, so they let the woman go without causing her physical suffering.
9. "Barge Haulers on the Volga" - Ilya Repin
The well-known painting by Ilya Repin "Barge Haulers on the Volga" was painted by a talented Russian artist in 1873.
The plot of the picture was inspired by the author after he first saw the barge haulers working near the Neva. He was literally amazed by what he saw: the barge haulers working in incredibly difficult conditions were completely unlike happy healthy people, they looked emaciated, tired. Before creating the final version of the painting, Ilya Repin made a lot of both pencil and watercolor sketches. The final version of the painting "Barge Haulers on the Volga" shows the viewer how difficult and tense the work of the barge haulers, who are deeply unhappy and exhausted by their daily depressing and exhausting work. In the background of the canvas, we can see a tug, which here embodies the symbol of the technological progress of Russia in the 19th century, which the barge haulers, of course, cannot yet use and facilitate their painful work.
10. "Overseas guests" - Nicholas Roerich
The painting "Guests from Overseas" by the Russian artist Nicholas Roerich was painted in 1901 in Paris.
It is part of a whole series of works united under the title “The Beginning of Rus. Slavs". This canvas, striking in its beauty and brightness, was also acquired by the Russian emperor, namely Nicholas 2, and only then was placed in the State Tretyakov Gallery. A little later, the painting was transported to the State Russian Museum of St. Petersburg. The work "Guests from Overseas" by Nicholas Roerich is truly distinctive and original, since in this picture both the style of Russian icon painters and the style modern for that time are intertwined. An interesting fact is that according to the opinion of art critics, the ship depicted in the painting is sailing towards the settlement of the Slavs in order to end the exhausting war and establish peace and quiet. It is likely that the Slavs would not be afraid of the arrival of overseas guests, since they, on the contrary, travel in peace, and the sea depicted in the picture seems to hint at this to the viewer, calm and serene, - a sure sign of the peaceful visit of overseas guests to the land of the Slavs.
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