Description of Kustodiev’s painting “Maslenitsa”

One of my favorite celebrations in winter time of the year is Maslenitsa.
After all, it is she who tells us about the approaching spring.
With what joy people come to celebrate to spend the winter, and I am no exception.
Kustodiev in his film shows how people say goodbye to winter.
We see the theater and houses, a lot of people who are moving out.
Closing my eyes, I imagined for a moment that I was among them.
So I hear the voices of merchants calling me to buy souvenirs from them, then I run to participate in the competition and win, as a reward they give me a lollipop in the shape of a cockerel.
I hear music and the ringing laughter of children.
Troikas passing by beckon me to take a ride with them.
Sitting in the sleigh, we barely make our way through the snowdrifts.
Driving past the old people, I understand that they live in abundance, they talk to each other, leisurely discuss the celebration.

The artist dressed everyone depicted on the canvas in bright costumes.
Women wear shawls and short fur coats, men wear fur coats and hats with mittens.
Even for a minute I was able to feel the frost that the artist depicted.
But the sunny mood suggests that spring is very close.

Kustodiev paints his picture in bright colors.
The contrast of snow and bright patterns on sleighs, bright houses conveys to us an atmosphere of celebration and good mood.
I want to have fun with them.
One of the important elements that the artist painted is the church.
In my opinion, it symbolizes the fast approaching after Maslenitsa.
By depicting the church, the artist seemed to protect all human people depicted in the picture from all adversity.
The golden domes stand out against the background of frost-covered trees that are depicted nearby.
Taken together, they symbolize faith, justice and purity, which are characteristic of the soul of a Russian person.

Painting: 1919
Canvas, oil.
Size: 98 × 71 cm

Description of the painting “Maslenitsa” (1919) by B. Kustodiev

Artist: Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev
Title of the painting: “Maslenitsa”
Painting: 1919
Canvas, oil.
Size: 98 × 71 cm

The creativity of B. Kustodiev can be compared with folk popular prints– small images, the main purpose of which was to disseminate among the people. Somewhat simple and rough lines, but at the same time the visual language and a certain primitivism ensured popularity of this genre. Add bright colors and explanatory text to them - the end result is something that will “reach” every person.

B. Kustodiev studied a lot with popular print artists and that is why his works are so colorful, varied and cheerful. Among the artist's ancestors there were merchants, which could not but affect his perception of the world - he loved to depict folk festivities. Each painting by Kustodiev is an event in which both people and architectural structures, and nature, and they also have a mood.

The painter more than once addressed the theme of Maslenitsa - national holiday farewell to winter, when they bake mountains of pancakes, ride sleighs and burn effigy, as in pagan times. There are known works depicting Maslenitsa, dated different years– 1916, 1919 and 1920. He constantly drew sketches of festive festivities, created different images people and events, among which Maslenitsa 1919 stands out.

Russia at that time was one of the states that was affected by the First World War, and it was a difficult time for the artist. He was diagnosed with a spinal cord tumor back in 1909, but the operation was performed much later. Kustodiev spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair, but, overcoming the pain, he painted amazing and vibrant canvases. “Maslenitsa” is full of fresh, frosty and happy mood, it is opposed to illness and war, and is also made in best traditions popular genre.

The picture is dynamic, because the sleigh rushing through the snow, the white horses, the crowd in the background, the candy seller, the company in the right corner are built on the principle of a theater. You can see here contrasts of chiaroscuro, backstage, and even a kind of “choir”. The coloring and decor of the canvas allows us to compare it with a box painted with outlandish motifs. It is surprising that this work was written from memory, most of the images are taken from childhood, they represent a generalized national life. There is none at Maslenitsa negative character, they are filled with naive kindness, poetry and self-esteem. You will never see such positive and bright stories again - the patriarchal way of life is a thing of the past.

Maslenitsa, however, will always remain that ancient holiday of seeing off winter and welcoming spring, when competitions were held, merchants in the square praised their goods, snow towns were built, pancakes with all kinds of fillings were fried, the boring image of winter was burned, the best outfits were pulled out of chests. A bunch of shaggy earflaps and sheepskin coats, colorful women's scarves and skirts, children's mittens - everything flashed in a wonderful round dance. Kustodiev had amazing talent, because he managed to depict all this on a single canvas.

“Maslenitsa” is colorful, unusual and, despite the primitivism of its brush strokes, is perceived as the ideal of folk festivities. The height of the holiday week in a provincial town is reflected in the pink rays of the setting sun and creates reflections on the snow-white snow. The city is in motion - the sleigh is racing down the hill and along the central part of the canvas. young people are having fun and catching up with each other, and a sleigh with snow-white horses and cheerful bells rides decorously along the alley married couple merchants. The atmosphere of special fun is conveyed by the painting of the sleigh and details of clothing, and the relaxation is reflected in the decorously marching nobility. One gets the impression that people have abandoned all their affairs - all that remains is unbridled fun and brisk trade.

The images in the painting are multifaceted. You will see a dashing young man, who whispers tempting speeches to the beauty, from which she blushes, or a bearded coachman of a merchant's team, dashingly raising his whip. The sweets peddler looks in surprise at the three horses rushing past him, and two families in luxurious fur coats slowly conduct dialogues. The men are convincing each other of something, one of them is even actively gesticulating, and their wives are gossiping a little further away and giggling quietly into their hands.

There is joy in the city - actors from a traveling theater have come to visit them. You can tell this by the inscription. The “Theater” sign is another confirmation that Kustodiev’s work belongs to the popular print genre, which is characterized by explanatory texts. The establishment promises viewers the strongman Borka, funny scenes from life and a good mood.

People flock to the narrow street leading from the temple. The artist uses a very interesting compositional technique: The church is located in the background, but it seems to tower over the city. This detail in Maslenitsa is not without reason - the Russian people have long been known for their religiosity.

The picture is painted in bright colors - this is another aspect of the popular print. There are rich tones of green, red, yellow, blue and pink. Even the snow on the canvas is not crystal white, but with reflections. The yellow house, yellow theater and golden domes of the church bring solemnity to the atmosphere of the festivities. Brown shades clothes and houses in the left corner somewhat calm the riot bright colors, creating a sense of regularity in life.

The canvas is riotous, wide, rollicking, cheerful, hospitable and vital. There are no specific images of merchants, shopkeepers or ordinary people - Kustodiev creates a generalized image of a people who are not alien to human desires.

The sunset fills the world, which remains in the artist’s memory, with cheerful tones. Everything here is fleeting, vital and unique - just a real kingdom of a carefree, good-natured atmosphere in which there is no place for military losses and post-operative pain. “Maslenitsa” transports everyone to a fairy tale, inspires them to dream and inspires optimism. It makes it possible for modern, eternally busy people to understand that every moment of our life can become a holiday, and we need to create it with our own hands.

(1878 - 1927)

This is, perhaps, the only case in the world when a person doomed to immobility and slow death created the most festive, most colorful and joyful creations. From thirty three years artist Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev I began to feel signs of a serious illness, which later turned out to be a spinal cord tumor. Five years later, in 1916, despite painful operations, his legs became paralyzed. And he, sometimes in a wheelchair, sometimes lying down, overcoming terrible pain, painted on canvases radiant with health, brightly dressed merchants, cheerful Maslenitsa, noisy taverns... Even knowing that death was very close, Boris Mikhailovich did not change his favorite holiday themes , did not make the palette darker and duller; it was then that he conceived a large series of works close to popular popular print and new ones for him in technology. The plots were taken from modern folk ditties which he carefully wrote down. He managed to make only two compositions: “To the sweet accordion” and “I robbed the strawberries.” How the names of these linocuts do not fit with the word “death”, which interrupted the artist’s work!

From the very beginning creative path Kustodiev declared himself not only as a writer of everyday life, but no less interestingly as a portrait painter. While still a student, in 1901 he painted a portrait of I. Ya. Bilibin. The beauty of the painting, the bold strokes, and the nobility of the image attracted everyone’s attention. At an exhibition in Munich, the young artist received a gold medal for this portrait.

With all his creativity, Kustodiev asserts that the Russian people are not a sad, suffering mass, that centuries of poverty, deprivation and severe social oppression could not kill the dreams of a happy life in the Russian people.

The painting “Maslenitsa” has a festive mood. The artist seems to be saying that great are the people who, after hard work, are able to have fun and enjoy life with all their hearts. Exploding the snowdrifts, well-fed horses race the sleigh. Diving among white hills and frost-covered bushes on the high slope of a ravine, sleigh owners strive to outdo each other with their prowess, speed, and the beauty of their horses and decorations. The arches are painted, the horse harness is decorated, and the backs of the sleigh are lined with colored fabric. Coachmen in bright blue caftans and hats with scarlet tops drive dashingly; people sitting in sleighs, wrapped in warm fur coats, in furs, covered with bright canopies, are smiling. On a nearby hillock, boys and girls have gathered, sitting on a log, talking, listening to an accordion, and on the other, boys are having a snowball fight and sledding. Clearly against the background of snow from above you can see booths, people crowding around, groups of people at intersections. Smoke swirls above the city roofs in the frosty darkness, colored domes and bell towers flaunt, bright and colorful close up and transparent and airy from afar; and the whole city looks like a winter fairy-tale mirage, spread out in blue snow under a sky in pink, lemon-yellow and green tints.

The movement in the picture takes place as if in a huge spiral, and the center is a giant bell tower: as if all of Russia, cheerful, flushed with frost, decorated with frost, pink and blue snow, laughing and rejoicing, rushes along a huge carousel around the pink bell tower.

Russian artist - Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev

According to T. Savitskaya, V. Lebedeva

Dialogues about painting

Vivid scenes from folk life always attracted the attention of the artist B.M. Kustodiev. Maslenitsa is one of the brightest holidays that has always been loved by the people. It meant the end of the harsh winter, which was seen off with noisy revelry. Maslenitsa is also a time of hope for the imminent arrival of warmth.Kustodiev in his painting showed a noisy folk festival. In this work, the horizontally elongated canvas contains a panorama of the entire city, opening from a hill. Sunny frosty day, snowdrifts all around, trees shrouded in silvery frost, sparkling with thousands of sparks. All this creates a festive mood. And although winter is not yet losing ground, there are signs of approaching warmth: icicles appear on the roofs on the sunny side, indicating that the days of winter are numbered.There are a lot of people on the streets. From afar you can hear noise and fun coming from everywhere. Especially many people gathered at the theater, where buffoons are expected to perform. Everyone you meet on the street: here are mummers, and sedate merchants, stepping on the hems of their own fur coats, with them elegant wives, fat merchants’ wives, who came out to look at people and show themselves off. The mummers vying with each other invite everyone to take part in the general fun. Here and there there are peddlers with trays, each praising their pancakes. The innkeepers invite you to taste the pancakes, fluffy and hot, as clear as the sun. Fun outside. Organ organs hum, harmonicas sing, songs, laughter and funny jokes are heard from everywhere.
The author dwells in detail on various details everyday life, on the inhabitants of the city, joyfully accepting the arrival of Maslenitsa. The artist shows how the holiday transforms the life of the city. Here's a troika galloping dashingly. Her horses are dressed up and harnessed to huge painted sleighs. Bells are pouring under the arc. The coachman in a red-topped hat waved his whip because the horses slowed down their run at the turn, as if specifically so that the viewer could admire the beauty of its decoration. People sitting in the sleigh laugh and wave cheerfully to passers-by. There are many sleighs and more modest ones, drawn by a pair of horses. After all, Maslenitsa is a fun ride through the frosty streets. Laughter and jokes, joy and fun will not cease in the city until late in the evening, because everyone is saying goodbye to the harsh Russian winter. In the distance, the golden domes of churches shine, and joyful chimes can be heard from the bell towers, creating an indescribable feeling of celebration. Kustodiev seems to be enjoying the richness of the observations of folk life, folk types, and the picturesqueness of the entire situation that have revealed themselves to him in the picture. Kustodiev’s painting is like a poeticized image of the Motherland, for which the artist expressed his love. He conveys his impressions with amazing spontaneity. It’s as if we are being drawn into a whirlwind of a mischievous procession of the daring Russian people.

First World War, revolution, Civil War... And at this time, the sick master creates wonderful in composition and color, life-loving and joyful images of ideal Rus', with its bright scarves and pot-bellied samovars, cheerful peasants and broken merchants, shining domes of churches and carved platbands of huts. Like the city of Kitezh or “The Summer of the Lord” by Ivan Shmelev, Boris Kustodiev’s Russia appears before the viewer. And a special place here is occupied by a series of works dedicated to Maslenitsa.

The first three Maslenitsa paintings were painted in 1916, and this theme did not leave the artist until 1922. So, more and more new versions were created in 1917 and 1919, and in 1921 Kustodiev painted a portrait of Fyodor Chaliapin again against the backdrop of Maslenitsa festivities. The action of these works always takes place in a city, the landscape of which is collective image from many provincial and metropolitan places, and the plot is almost always divided into many mise-en-scenes, in which a variety of “folk” types take part - peasants, merchants, peddlers, merchants, officers and accordion players. The atmosphere of holiday and carnival is conveyed by the artist through extremely rich and bright colors. Here the viewer sees sleigh rides, a booth, and ice slides - typical “pre-revolutionary” entertainment on Maslenitsa.

“Maslenitsa” most fully reflected Kustodiev’s passion for painting by old Dutch masters, primarily Pieter Bruegel the Elder. It is impossible not to note the similarity in composition, abundance small parts and scenes, as well as the peculiarities of the perspective of all the paintings - a look at what is happening from a high point, as if “in flight”, which allows you to simultaneously show the beauty of the landscape and provide many “theatrical” plans for the actions of the characters. But what is even more important to note is the common (for both Kustodiev and Bruegel) love for everyday joys ordinary people, sincere admiration for life and its poetry.

Here is what the artist himself wrote about this: “In my works I want to approach Dutch masters, to their attitude towards their native life... Dutch artists they loved simple, everyday life, for them there was neither “high”, nor “vulgar”, “low”, they all wrote with the same enthusiasm and love.”

Boris Kustodiev’s canvases, dedicated to Russian festive life, are always realistic at the same time, full of authentic details - beautifully painted costumes and utensils, architectural motifs, signs of the season. And at the same time, these are, of course, collective, idealized images that convey to the viewer a special, magical world full of folk poetry, similar to the fairy tales of Pushkin and Gogol.

And it is impossible not to admire the feat of the master, who recreated in his works the picture of the bygone Russian world with its bright festive colors shining against the backdrop of white winter, the joys of the “little people” so beloved by Russian literature. “Love of life, joy, cheerfulness, love for one’s own, “Russian” - have always been the only “plot” of my paintings,” is how Boris Kustodiev himself described his work at the end of his life.

Boris Kustodiev

Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev was born in Astrakhan in 1878. There he received his first painting lessons, and then as a young man he went to St. Petersburg and ended up in the studio of Ilya Efimovich Repin at the Academy of Arts. Kustodiev quickly grew from a simple student into an assistant and young colleague of his professor; he helped Repin work on the monumental canvas “Great Meeting” State Council May 7, 1901." Ilya Efimovich did not skimp on praise in response: “I have high hopes for Kustodiev. He is a gifted artist, loving art, thoughtful, serious, and a careful student of nature. Distinctive features his gifts: independence, originality and deeply felt nationality..."

Even during his years of study, Boris Kustodiev established himself as an excellent and subtle portrait painter (just remember the wonderful portrait of the artist Ivan Bilibin). However, as a diploma he chooses genre painting and created, based on Kostroma sketches and observations, the work “At the Bazaar”, which received a gold medal and the right to a pensioner’s trip abroad.

Upon returning from Europe, where the artist copied and studied old masters, Kustodiev worked a lot, later becoming a member of the Academy of Arts and various art groups, communities and circles, the most famous of which was, of course, the “World of Art”. He continues to be occupied by peasant and folk life - this is how the series “Village Holidays” and “Fairs” are created.

The brighter and purer the colors on Boris Kustodiev’s canvases become, the heavier the atmosphere in Russia and the personal circumstances of the artist’s life become. Since 1909, he has undergone a series of operations caused by a spinal cord tumor. For the last 15 years of his life, Kustodiev was practically chained to wheelchair and paints pictures while lying down.