Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov
After the rain ( Wet terrace)
Canvas, oil. 78 x 85
State Tretyakov Gallery,
Moscow.
By 1935, having painted many portraits of V.I. Lenin, I.V. Stalin and other Soviet leaders, A.M. Gerasimov advanced to greatest masters socialist realism. Tired of the struggle for official recognition and success, he went to rest in his home and beloved city of Kozlov. This is where the “Wet Terrace” was created.
The artist’s sister recalled how the painting was painted. Her brother was literally shocked by the appearance of their garden after one unusually heavy rain. “There was a fragrance of freshness in nature. The water lay in a whole layer on the foliage, on the floor of the gazebo, on the bench and sparkled, creating an extraordinary picturesque chord. And further, behind the trees, the sky cleared and turned white.
Mitya, hurry up and get the palette! - Alexander shouted to his assistant Dmitry Rodionovich Panin. The painting, which my brother called “Wet Terrace,” appeared with lightning speed - it was painted within three hours. Our modest garden gazebo with a corner of the garden received poetic expression under my brother’s brush.”
At the same time, the picture that arose spontaneously was not painted by chance. The picturesque motif of nature refreshed by rain attracted the artist even during his years of study at the School of Painting. He was good at wet objects, roofs, roads, grass. Alexander Gerasimov, perhaps without even realizing it, was heading towards this painting long years and latently I wanted to see with my own eyes what we now see on the canvas. Otherwise, he could simply not pay attention to the rain-drenched terrace.
There is no strain in the film, no rewritten parts or invented plot. It was truly written in one breath, as fresh as the breath of green leaves washed by rain. The image captivates with its spontaneity; the artist’s lightness of feelings is visible in it.
The artistic effect of the painting was largely predetermined by the high painting technique based on reflexes. “Lush reflections of garden greenery fell on the terrace, pinkish and blue reflections fell on the wet surface of the table. The shadows are colorful, even multicolored. The reflections on the moisture-covered boards are cast in silver. The artist used glazes, applying new layers of paint on top of the dried layer - translucent and transparent, like varnish. On the contrary, some details, such as garden flowers, are painted impasto, emphasized by textured strokes. A major, elevated note is brought into the picture by backlighting, the technique of lighting from behind, point-blank, the crowns of trees are somewhat reminiscent of flickering stained glass windows” (Kuptsov I. A. Gerasimov. After the Rain // Young artist. 1988. No. 3. P. 17.).
In Russian painting Soviet period There are few works where the state of nature would be so expressively conveyed. I believe this is best picture A. M. Gerasimova. The artist lived long life, wrote many canvases on different subjects, for which he received many awards and prizes, but at the end of the journey, looking back on what he had passed, he considered this work to be the most significant.
An essay based on the painting After the Rain by A.M. Gerasimov for 6th grade students.
Plan
- The plot of A. Gerasimov’s painting “After the Rain”
- Description of the terrace, table, jug with flowers
- Background of the picture (garden, house, building)
- Painting technique
- My mood from what I saw.
I look at A.M. Gerasimov’s painting “After the Rain”. Everything I see, I need to describe in an essay. I'll start with the plot of the picture. A small terrace appears before our eyes after the rain. The artist chose objects as the subject of his canvas: a table, a jug of flowers, part of a terrace with railings, and depicted them against the backdrop of nature.
It just rained. We see small puddles spilled on the bench and floor of the terrace. Everything is reflected in the shine of the wet surface. There is an overturned faceted glass on the table. Apparently, the rain was very heavy if it left so many “traces” behind.
The terrace itself is not completely visible to us. Vertical supports hold up the roof (we only see its corner), and the wooden platform has steps leading out into the garden. The narrow bench ends with simple railings. It’s nice to sit on such a terrace in the evening and enjoy the smells of nature. Or you can get together with your family and have a cup of tea.
On the left is a table with carved legs. The figured table top is also covered with raindrops. And on the table there is a glass jug with flowers. A bouquet of beautiful flowers also felt the power of the rain. Some petals have fallen and lie in the water that has accumulated on the edge of the table. Or maybe the wind dropped the jug and scattered the delicate petals? The flowers are painted white and red, in some places they have shades of pink and soft green. The leaves are very dark and rich green color. The bouquet was probably collected just before the rain to decorate the table. But suddenly it began to rain, and the bouquet was left on the terrace.
In the background of the picture we see part of the garden. All its greenery is replete with different shades. Somewhere it is very bright, light, even turning into light green color, and somewhere dark green, juicy, with a tint of emerald and even blue colors. There are a lot of trees in the garden. To the side you can see some kind of wooden building, maybe it’s a small barn or a small bathhouse. There is a pipe on its roof.
On the right in the picture, behind the thick foliage, we see the corner of the house, to which the terrace adjoins. A. Gerasimov used interesting technology Images. All objects have blurry outlines. There are no clear correct lines. The blurry brushstroke technique makes the painting interesting. If you look closely, you can see instead of leaves on the tree just a vague brush stroke. It’s as if the artist didn’t try to draw all the elements the way they look and left blurry spots on the canvas the right colors. Also depicted are flowers in a jug, and part of the terrace, and a piece of the sky that shines through the dense foliage. The colors mix well here. They combine with each other to form a new shade.
The picture on creates good mood. After the rain it becomes light and joyful, nature is renewed, everything around is fresh. No sad thoughts, only positive emotions!
To write an essay on the topic “After the Rain” with a description of the painting, we will draw up a plan according to which the text itself will then be written.
Essay plan
In the introduction it is worth giving general words about the time the painting was painted and the personality of the artist. Then - about how the picture was painted, what is depicted on it. Next, you need to talk about what impression this work made on you. At the end of the essay you should make a short conclusion.
So, the plan for an essay on the topic “After the Rain” is as follows:
Introduction.
1. The history of the creation of the painting.
2. What and how is depicted.
3. My impressions of the picture.
Conclusion.
Introduction
The painting “After the Rain” by Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov (the second version of the title is “Wet Terrace”) was painted in 1935, when the artist had already become a mature master. His work today is usually attributed to the movement socialist realism. Gerasimov painted many paintings. Among them are portraits, genre scenes, landscapes, and still lifes. Such a quantity required enormous efficiency and creative concentration from the master. I think most of his life was spent at the canvas.
As you know, Gerasimov was especially popular with Joseph Stalin. Today it is even customary to say that he was the leader’s favorite artist. The painter has many canvases depicting Stalin, Lenin, Voroshilov and other communist figures. The creation of these official and pretentious canvases imposed demands on the artist for increased responsibility. Any errors or inaccuracies were unacceptable. This is approximately the same as if a student from our school began to paint a portrait of the school principal or even the mayor of the city. Although, of course, in the case of Stalin everything was much more serious.
I am writing all this because it is clear that such a number of “commissioned” works could not but be created by the artist precisely at the request of the leader. It would hardly have been possible otherwise at that time. Moreover, as you know, Klimenty Voroshilov once saved Gerasimov’s family from dispossession (the artist’s father was a merchant-cattle breeder), helped preserve the estate and introduced him to the leader.
Well, and then - “master of socialist realism”, “Stalin’s favorite artist”, as well as quite official regalia (the first president of the USSR Academy of Arts, four times laureate of the Stalin Prize, folk artist THE USSR). And all this had to be justified by constant and fruitful work. Which, it seems to me, could not but leave an imprint on the artist’s work as a whole.
The history of the painting
One of the indicators of this is the painting “After the Rain. Wet terrace." The artist’s sister said that the artist created it in literally three hours, inspired by the view of the terrace and garden refreshed after a rainstorm.
According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Alexander Gerasimov, as a person and an artist, was partial to flowers. His favorite flowers were always peonies and roses. The artist’s brushes include many canvases with images of various bouquets or simply flowers growing in a meadow. And in the garden of his house in the provincial town of Kozlov (now the city of Michurinsk) both peonies and roses grew.
Alexander Mikhailovich himself said that he felt it was his duty as an artist to reflect “these beautiful creatures of nature.” But, he added, “Konstantin Alekseevich Korovin, of course, did it better than me. His roses have more tenderness, poetry, and airiness. As a steppe dweller, I have something else in my roses: the power and abundance of the earthly forces of black earth fertility.”
Yes, his writing style is close to Korovin’s (as you know, Konstantin Korovin was his teacher), but why is the sophistication and lyricism of Korovin’s style so clearly felt in comparison with some of the simplicity and clumsiness of Gerasimov’s? Even when Korovin does not write down the details, but paints almost sketchily, the faces of his portraits are so interesting that you want to peer into them and figure out who these people were, how they lived, what they thought. On the faces and poses of the heroes of Gerasimov’s portraits, the artist depicted everything he wanted to depict, and there is no need to unravel anything. Compare the canvases with images of people or genre scenes of both of these artists, and you will understand what I am talking about.
What and how is shown
Gerasimov’s painting “Wet Terrace” depicts a terrace flooded after the rain, on which there is a table with a bouquet of flowers. Behind the terrace is a garden, soaked and disturbed by the downpour.
Of course, the painting was made by a master. There can be no doubt about this. It has a lot of space and light colors. And the wet floors of the terrace, and the bench, and the table, and the flowers - everything was painted with love and skill, with confident and at the same time soft strokes. The rain-drenched terrace and table turned out to be especially realistic.
But for some reason it seems to me that some moments in this picture are far-fetched and the whole composition is built in such a way that everything is immediately clear to the person looking at it. As they say - “head on”.
There is an overturned glass on the table. The artist seems to be saying: “It started to rain, it blew strong wind, the glass was knocked over by a gust of this wind, feel it!" Why didn’t the glass roll off the table and fall to the floor? It’s just that the bad weather ended as suddenly as it began, everything calmed down.
What about a bouquet of peonies? After all, everyone knows: peonies are very delicate flowers, they fall off easily. If the wind had blown so hard that the glass had tipped over, the bouquet would have lost many more petals than shown in the picture. It is possible, and even most likely, that the vase would not have stood. But the petals under the vase are drawn, or rather, marked, only slightly so that we believe in artistic production.
The table seems alien on this canvas. It stands on the side, completing the composition and filling the hole leading out of the terrace. It was necessary for an artist who was solving a specific compositional problem. And he first saw the terrace and the wet garden, took a full breath of the humid summer air and was delighted. And then he brought and set the table, a bouquet of peonies, after shaking them so that they dropped a few petals. Nearby, he carefully placed a glass on its side - so that we could understand: a man was sitting at the table, drinking something, looking into the garden, admiring the flowers on the table, thinking... And suddenly - rain! And there was such a wind that the man from the terrace rushed into the house, leaving everything behind.
Opposite the terrace, behind the trees, there is an old barn. I will never believe that people who own such a generally simple and not very well-kept household would put a finely crafted table with bent elegant legs on the terrace to deteriorate in the rain and winds. But this can be called just nitpicking, I understand.
My impressions
Overall, I was not impressed with the picture. The simplest things prevented me from perceiving all this lyricism, which the viewer should have to imagine here - the humid air, the freshness, the fragrance of wet grass and trees, the quiet breeze, already only hinting at the passing thunderstorm, which I talked about in my essay on the topic " After the Rain" based on a painting by Gerasimov. In my opinion, the composition of the picture is empty and something is missing in it - something more lively and interesting than an overturned glass. Therefore, I, as a viewer, became bored.
When Gerasimov later called this painting “favorite,” he probably meant the admiration from the terrace that he experienced, and the very process of working on the painting. But the admiration was not conveyed to me personally. But a table and a bouquet placed in the right place is not enough.
Conclusion
An essay on the topic “After the Rain” (6th grade) is dedicated to the painting of the same name by Gerasimov. It's really beautiful picture. It is no coincidence that today it is on display at the State Tretyakov Gallery.
Gerasimov’s canvas is light and should please, but it’s not interesting to me. But I’m not an artist, and in my essay on the topic “After the Rain” I can talk about this viewer’s impression of mine.
I bring one of possible options understanding this work of art in this mini-essay on the topic "After the Rain". It is hardly possible for everyone to agree on this picture. As well as about any story, poem, song.
If a person likes or doesn’t like something, let him ask himself - why? It is not enough to trust emotions; you must try to comprehend what you see or listen to. In my essay on the topic “After the Rain” (Gerasimov A.M.) I did exactly this.
The artist in his painting tried to convey something to us. Whether he succeeded, only we will decide, but each in his own way.
Essay based on the painting by A. M. Gerasimov “After the Rain”
Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov is a famous Russian painter. He was born on July 31, 1881 in the city of Kozlov, into a merchant family. The artist spent his childhood and youth in this provincial town, surrounded by Russian nature. The young man knew how to see beauty in the simplest everyday things. And this became the basis for many of his future works.
Only for real talented artist can notice the most inconspicuous, at first glance, details of the environment. We see this in his paintings. And we cannot help but admire this.
In his youth, the artist was attracted to impressionism. But then he became an adherent of socialist realism, the new artistic direction. Gerasimov painted portraits of political leaders of that time - Lenin, Voroshilov, Stalin and other Soviet leaders. The artist was considered a recognized master of socialist realism; he was Stalin’s personal artist. Gerasimov's works were considered canonical at that time.
However, Alexander Mikhailovich himself, already in the mid-thirties, was tired of the constant desire for official recognition. And he decides to go on vacation to his hometown Kozlov. It was then that the artist created amazing picture"After the rain".
This work is strikingly different from all the paintings that were created by the artist. He himself believed that this was the most best work of all that he created during his life.
Alexander Mikhailovich’s sister recalled that the artist was literally shocked by the garden after the rain. It was an amazing sight that Gerasimov definitely wanted to capture on canvas. “There was a fragrance of freshness in nature. The water lay in a whole layer on the foliage, on the floor of the gazebo, on the bench and sparkled, creating an extraordinary picturesque chord. And further, behind the trees, the sky cleared and turned white.” The artist immediately demanded a palette from his assistant.
The picture was painted very quickly, in a few hours. This testifies to how great the artist’s admiration for the amazing beauty of nature was.
In fact, the creation of this picture was not accidental. Even in his youth, Gerasimov was attracted by the motif of nature after the rain.
The rain seemed to symbolize renewal. And the world around me took on different shapes, became brighter and fresher. When the artist studied at the School of Painting, he painted wet roofs, roads, and objects.
There is no carefully thought-out plot in the film “After the Rain”. It was created in one go. The work cannot leave the audience indifferent; it has sincerity and lightness.
The lush reflections of garden greenery are reflected on the terrace. Multi-colored reflections are reflected on the wet surface of the table, here they are blue and pink. The shadows are multi-colored and colorful. Silvery reflections are visible on boards covered with moisture. The state of nature is conveyed extremely expressively. This simple picture remembered by everyone who saw it.
The terrace, drenched in rain, appears before us along with a corner of the garden. Water covers the foliage, floor, benches and railings. The water together with the sun that illuminates the terrace is a truly mesmerizing sight. The water sparkles in sunlight, acquires a special character, sophistication and clarity.
On the left side of the terrace we see round table on carved legs. They are also reflected in puddles. On the table there is a glass jug containing a bouquet of garden flowers.
Garden flowers are amazing; there is no deliberate pomp and luxury in them. They are gentle, but at the same time invisible. Flowers are so real that you want to touch them. It seems that you are about to smell their delicate aroma. There is a glass on its side next to the vase. Probably a sharp gust of wind knocked him down. As if in a mirror, a glass and a vase are reflected in the surface of the table, drenched in rain.
After the rain there is a special atmosphere in the garden. Everything around looks extremely beautiful and harmonious. The picture gives a good mood. It is impossible to be sad and sad while admiring such a beautiful painting.
The corner of the house opens into the garden, we can see how beautiful the garden is after the rain. The foliage shines in the sun. A lilac branch leans over the bench. The sky is already getting brighter. The gloomy clouds are about to disappear. And the rays of the gentle sun will rush down.
In the depths of the garden you can see the roof of an old barn. Every detail is simple and unpretentious. But taken together they take on a completely different meaning. This real life, the beauty of which we sometimes do not notice. We are busy with other things. And our attention is unlikely to be attracted by the garden after the rain, unremarkable, familiar and simple. Only a true artist is able to notice all the splendor of the colors and shades of an ordinary everyday landscape.
After the rain
Looking at Gerasimov’s painting “After the Rain,” you can smell the fresh summer shower and hear the sound of drops hitting the leaves of the trees. The entire terrace is flooded with light and the extraordinary purity of rain-washed nature. The reflections of objects in rainwater gives the picture a special atmosphere of mystery, romance and comfort. I really want to stay on this terrace, immersed in this atmosphere of serenity, breathe in Fresh air and forget about all the problems at least for a moment.
How realistically the artist conveys the beauty of wet surfaces: floors, tables, railings, benches. Basically the creator uses dark colors, but through the tree branches bent under the weight of the water one can see the sky, on which the last clouds are dissipating. The rays of the emerging sun play merrily and sparkle in the drops of water. This gives the picture some kind of mysterious glow. Deep behind the trees, in the background, buildings can be seen. Their roof literally shines.
In a transparent vase on the table, which is located on the left side of the terrace, there is a bouquet of beautiful garden flowers. They look so real that when you look at them, it seems that you are about to feel the subtle, delicate aroma emanating from them. I would also like to note how the artist depicted the transparency of the glass from which the vase and glass are made.
It is impossible to clearly establish the genre of this picture. On one side it depicts a landscape, because quite a large part of the picture is occupied by garden trees, the consequences of a natural phenomenon. But on the other hand, we see this beautiful bouquet of flowers, a table on which fallen petals lie, a glass that fell under the pressure of heavy drops of water.
This picture is impressive and makes you think high. I think no one will be able to remain indifferent after viewing this picture.
Essay on the painting After the Rain Gerasimova, 6th grade
Alexander Gerasimov is a versatile artist. IN different time(pre-war and post-war periods) he painted portraits of top officials in the Soviet state, and the master was also interested in depicting natural phenomena. The theme of rain and the renewal of nature after it is not new, not only in general artistic arts, but also in the works of Gerasimov. As a student, he depicted roofs of houses and road surfaces after rain. But this canvas stands apart from them.
Impression from the picture
The impression from the picture is contradictory. We see an image of a terrace after rain. This natural phenomenon itself can be interpreted in two ways - it is not only a renewal of nature with the hope of its revival, but also a kind of heavenly “tears”. This is an element that man cannot cope with; he can only contemplate it while burying himself in secluded place and waiting out bad weather. The artist is in just such a place - we see the image through his eyes from the opposite corner of the veranda.
In general, rain brings a feeling of discomfort to a given space. But this discomfort is “experienced” by man and the objects he has created - we see how the puddles glisten on the veranda bench - now we can’t sit on it; table located at the entrance, as if welcoming guests, on this moment cannot gather them around himself; a glass falling from the raging elements - all this is a confirmation of man’s powerlessness in front of natural phenomena. Only the trees, saturated with life-giving moisture, shine, reflecting the clouds gradually emerging from behind the clouds. Sun rays. There is a change of cycles, one phenomenon replaces another and it has always been and will be so, and nature will continue to live and triumph no matter what.
Painting colors
The color scheme that Gerasimov chose is not very diverse, but its brevity makes a lot of sense. We see natural colors found in nature. However, they oppose each other in terms of intensity, in the presence of life in them. The table and the wooden extension have dark brown shades, and the cut flowers in the vase “dilute” this gloom with their freshness, albeit former: white, pink, subtle delicate shades, but the greenery (leaves and stems of flowers) is darker than natural, living ones. And your sorrow for old life in the lap of nature, flowers show fallen petals on the table.
But in the end, life wins - the picture is planned to be divided into two parts - the foreground with a terrace (the world of people) and the background (the world of nature), where the greenery of the most different shades, proving that there is “no bad weather” in nature, that everything in it is harmonious. The sun is about to come out and not a trace of the rain will remain...
6th grade.
- Essay based on Shevandronova’s painting On the terrace, grade 8 (description)
Irina Vasilyevna Shevandrova’s painting “On the Terrace,” like most of her paintings, is inspired by childhood and youth. After all, even during her lifetime, Irina Shevandrova was called a children's artist.
