Moonlit night on the Dnieper Kuindzhi. The tragic fate of the "moonlit night on the Dnieper"

The moonlit night on the Dnieper Kuindzhi created a real sensation and almost immediately acquired mystical fame. Many did not believe that the light of the moon could be transmitted in this way only artistic means.

In the summer and autumn of 1880, Arkhip Kuindzhi worked on new picture. By that time, he had already severed his relationship with the Partnership of Itinerants, considering it too commercialized. Rumors that the artist was creating something enchanting spread throughout the Russian capital instantly. On Sundays he opened the workshop for two hours and those who wished could get acquainted with the work even before its completion. So the picture gained truly legendary fame. Writer Ivan Turgenev, artists Yakov Polonsky, Ilya Kramskoy and Pavel Chistyakov, and scientist Dmitry Mendelev came to Arkhip Ivanovich’s studio. The famous publisher and collector Kozma Soldatenkov had an eye on the painting. However, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich was ahead of everyone. He bought “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” even before its presentation to the general public for five thousand rubles.

The painting was shown in St. Petersburg, and it was the first exhibition of one painting in Russia. Arkhip Kuindzhi has always been very attentive to the exhibition of his works. I placed them so that each was well lit and was not disturbed by neighboring paintings. In a separate room of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists, “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” hung on the wall alone. The room was not illuminated, but a bright electric beam fell on the picture. This deepened the image even more, and the moonlight became simply dazzling.

Visitors entered the dimly lit hall and stood before the cold glow of moonlight. A wide space stretching into the distance opened up before the audience. The plain, crossed by the greenish ribbon of a quiet river, almost merges with the horizon dark sky covered with rows of light clouds. The silvery-greenish disk of the moon flooded the earth with a mysterious light. There are no people on the canvas, and the main thing in the image is not the river or the moon itself, although none of the painters did it better than Kuindzhi. The main thing is light, giving peace and hope. This phosphorescent light was so strong that some of the spectators tried to look behind the painting to find a lantern or lamp. The curious were in for a strong disappointment - there was, of course, no lamp there.

Only Gogol sang about the Dnieper like that

This majestic spectacle still immerses viewers in thoughts about eternity and the enduring beauty of the world. So I only sang about the Dnieper before Kuindzhi the great Gogol. The number of sincere admirers of the artist’s talent grew. There were no indifferent spectators, and some even considered the picture to be witchcraft.

Decades later, witnesses to that triumph continued to recall the shock experienced by the audience who “got” the picture. This word perfectly suits the description of the exhibition. According to contemporaries, Bolshaya Morskaya, where the exhibition took place, was so densely packed with carriages that one had to wait for hours to see this extraordinary work. To avoid crowding, the public was allowed into the hall in groups.

Nicholas Roerich still found Maxim's servant alive, who received a ruble each (at that time the sum was simply huge - author) from those who tried to get to the painting out of turn. An artist’s performance with a personal exhibition, and even consisting of only one small painting, became an unusual event. The success exceeded all expectations and turned into a real sensation.

There were rumors that Kuindzhi painted with “magic lunar” paints from Japan. Envious people argued with contempt that drawing with them did not require great intelligence. The superstitious accused the master of being in cahoots with evil spirits.

The secret of the “artist of light” was his fantastic ability to play with contrasts and long experiments on color rendering. In the process of creating a painting, he mixed not only paints, but also added chemical elements. Kuindzhi was helped in this by his close friend Dmitry Mendeleev. Unfortunately, due to the careless mixing of chemically incompatible paints, the canvas became very dark.

The decisive role in creating the impression of the use of phosphorus was played by the unusual coloristic structure of the canvas. By using additional colors in the painting that enhance each other, the artist managed to achieve the incredible effect of the illusion of lunar color. For example, he contrasted the warm reddish tone of the earth with cold silvery shades and thereby deepened the space. Small dark strokes in illuminated areas created a feeling of vibrating light.

People left with tears in their eyes

People, according to Ilya Repin, stood in “prayerful silence” in front of Kuindzhi’s canvas and left the hall with tears in their eyes. “This is how the poetic spell of the artist acted on selected believers, and they lived in such moments with the best feelings of the soul and enjoyed the heavenly bliss of the art of painting,” wrote the great artist.

Newspapers and magazines responded to the exhibition with enthusiastic articles. Reproductions of “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” were sold in thousands of copies throughout Russia. The poet Yakov Polonsky wrote: “I honestly don’t remember standing in front of any painting for so long... What is it? Picture or reality? In a gold frame or open window Have we seen this month, these clouds, this dark distance, these “trembling lights of sad villages” and these shimmers of light, this silvery reflection of the month in the streams of the Dnieper, skirting the distance, this poetic, quiet, majestic night? And the poet Konstantin Fofanov, impressed by the painting, wrote the poem “Night on the Dnieper,” which was later set to music.

Ilya Kramskoy foresaw the fate of the canvas: “Perhaps Kuindzhi combined together such colors that are in natural antagonism with each other and after a certain time will either go out, or change and decompose to the point that descendants will shrug their shoulders in bewilderment: why did they come to the delight of the good-natured spectators? So, in order to avoid such unfair treatment in the future, I would not mind drawing up, so to speak, a protocol that his “Night on the Dnieper” is all filled with real light and air, and the sky is real, bottomless, deep.”

Unfortunately, our contemporaries cannot fully appreciate the initial effect of the painting. It has reached our times in a distorted form. And the reason for everything is the special attitude towards the canvas of its owner, Grand Duke Constantine, who, due to Great love I didn’t want to part with it and took it with me everywhere. The picture even visited circumnavigation, which could not but have a negative impact on its safety.

It is worth saying that due to the enormous popularity of the painting, Kuindzhi created two copies of Moonlit Night on the Dnieper. One of them is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the other in the Livadia Palace in Yalta. The original is in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

“Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” (1880) is one of the most famous paintings Arkhip Kuindzhi. This work created a real sensation and acquired mystical fame. Many did not believe that the light of the moon could be conveyed in this way only through artistic means, and they looked behind the canvas, looking for a lamp there. Many stood silently for hours in front of the painting, and then left in tears. Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich bought “Moonlit Night” for his personal collection and took it with him everywhere, which had tragic consequences.


Famous artist Arkhip Kuindzhi.
Photo: pravkonkurs.ru and abmortitua.xyz

The artist worked on this painting in the summer and autumn of 1880. Even before the exhibition began, rumors spread that Kuindzhi was preparing something completely incredible. There were so many curious people that on Sundays the painter opened the doors of his studio and let everyone in. Even before the exhibition began, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich bought the painting.

V. Vasnetsov. Portrait of A. I. Kuindzhi, 1869. Fragment.
Photo: artcontext.info

Kuindzhi was always very zealous about exhibiting his paintings, but this time he outdid himself. It was a personal exhibition, and only one work was shown - “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper”. The artist ordered to drape all the windows and illuminate the canvas with a beam of electric light directed at it - in daylight Moonlight it didn't look so impressive. Visitors entered the dark hall and, as if under hypnosis, froze in front of this magical picture.

I. Kramskoy. Portraits of A.I. Kuindzhi from 1872 to the 1870s.
Photo: artcontext.info and tanais.info

There was a queue for days in front of the hall of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists in St. Petersburg, where the exhibition took place. The public had to be allowed into the room in groups to avoid crowding. The incredible effect of the painting was legendary. The shine of the moonlight was so fantastic that the artist was suspected of using some unusual mother-of-pearl paints brought from Japan or China, and was even accused of having connections with evil spirits. And skeptical viewers tried to find reverse side canvas hidden lamps.

I. Repin. Portrait of the artist A.I. Kuindzhi, 1877. Fragment |
Photo: artscroll.ru

Of course, the whole secret lay in Kuindzhi’s extraordinary artistic skill, in the skillful construction of the composition and in such a combination of colors that created the effect of radiance and caused the illusion of flickering light. The warm reddish earth tone contrasted with the cool silver tones, thereby deepening the space. However, even the professionals could not explain the magical impression that the painting made on the audience with skill alone - many left the exhibition in tears.

Famous artist Arkhip Kuindzhi, 1907.
Photo: newconcepts.club

I. Repin said that the audience froze in front of the painting “in prayerful silence”: “This is how the artist’s poetic charms acted on selected believers, and they lived in such moments with the best feelings of the soul and enjoyed the heavenly bliss of the art of painting.” The poet Ya. Polonsky was surprised: “I honestly don’t remember standing in front of any painting for so long... What is this? Picture or reality? And the poet K. Fofanov, impressed by this painting, wrote the poem “Night on the Dnieper,” which was later set to music.

The colors have darkened over time.
Photo: rubooks.org

I. Kramskoy foresaw the fate of the canvas: “Perhaps Kuindzhi combined together such colors that are in natural antagonism with each other and after a certain time will either go out, or change and decompose to the point that descendants will shrug their shoulders in bewilderment: why did they come to the delight of the good-natured spectators? So, in order to avoid such unfair treatment in the future, I would not mind drawing up, so to speak, a protocol that his “Night on the Dnieper” is all filled with real light and air, and the sky is real, bottomless, deep.”

The colors have darkened over time.
Photo: art-assorty.ru

Unfortunately, our contemporaries cannot fully appreciate the original effect of the painting, since it has survived to our times in a distorted form. And the reason for this is the special attitude towards the canvas of its owner, Grand Duke Constantine. He was so attached to this painting that he took it with him on a trip around the world. Having learned about this, I. Turgenev was horrified: “There is no doubt that the painting will return completely destroyed, thanks to the salty fumes of the air.” He even tried to persuade the prince to leave the painting in Paris for a while, but he was adamant.

Kuindzhi’s painting also inspires modern photographers.
Photo: flickr.com

Unfortunately, the writer turned out to be right: the salt-saturated sea air and high humidity had a detrimental effect on the composition of the paints, and they began to darken. Therefore, now “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” looks completely different. Although the moonlight still has a magical effect on viewers today, the landscape philosophy of the famous artist arouses constant interest.

1. Kuindzhi worked on the painting “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” for about six months. A few months before the completion of the work, rumors spread throughout St. Petersburg about the incredible beauty of this work. Long lines lined up outside the windows of his workshop. Everyone wanted to at least get a glimpse of this work of art. Kuindzhi went to meet the people of St. Petersburg and lifted the veil of secrecy. Every Sunday, the artist opened the doors of his workshop to everyone for exactly 2 hours.

2. During this time, many great people of that time became guests of his workshop - I.S. Turgenev, D.I. Mendeleev, Ya.P. Polonsky, I.N. Kramskoy, P.P. Chistyakov. One Sunday, a modest naval officer came to the artist and inquired about the cost of the painting. Arkhip Ivanovich named an incredible amount for those times - 5 thousand rubles. He didn't expect him to agree at all. But the officer replied: “Okay. I’ll leave it behind.” It turned out that it was Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov, who acquired the painting for his collection.

3. “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” was exhibited on Bolshaya Morskaya Street in St. Petersburg, in the hall of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists. It is important that this was the first exhibition of one painting in Russia. And people stood in line for hours to see the work of the “artist of light.” This is exactly what fans of his work began to call Kuindzhi.

4. Arkhip Kuindzhi approached the exhibition of his painting responsibly. The idea came to him in a dream: in order to achieve a greater effect, the artist asked to curtain all the windows in the hall and illuminate the picture with a beam focused on it. When visitors entered the dimly lit hall, they could not believe their eyes - the sparkling silvery-greenish disk of the moon flooded the entire room with its deep, bewitching light. Many of them looked behind the painting in the hope of finding a lamp there in order to convict the author of charlatanism. But she was not there.

5. In this painting, Kuindzhi managed to show all the beauty of nature on a calm and serene Ukrainian night - the majestic Dnieper, dilapidated huts and the cold radiance of moonlight. I.E. Repin recalled how dozens of people stood in front of the canvas “in prayerful silence” with tears in their eyes: “This is how the artist’s poetic charms acted on selected believers, and they lived in such moments with the best feelings of the soul and enjoyed the heavenly bliss of the art of painting.”

6. There were rumors that Kuindzhi paints with “magic lunar” paints from Japan. Envious people argued with contempt that drawing with them did not require great intelligence. The superstitious accused the master of being in cahoots with evil spirits.

7. The secret of the “artist of light” was the artist’s fantastic ability to play with contrasts and long experiments on color rendering. In the process of creating a painting, he mixed not only paints, but also added chemical elements to them. Kuindzhi was helped in this by his close friend D.I. Mendeleev.

8. The new owner, Grand Duke Constantine, liked the painting so much that he decided not to part with it even when traveling. He placed the canvas on his yacht and went sailing. I.S. Turgenev was horrified by this. He wrote to D.V. Gigorovich: “There is no doubt that the picture... will return completely destroyed.” I even personally persuaded the prince to leave the painting, but he was adamant. Of course, dampness, wind and air saturated with salt negatively affected the condition of the canvas. The paint is cracked and faded. But despite this, the picture still fascinates the viewer.

9. The picture was extremely popular. This prompted Kuindzhi to create two more original copies of Moonlit Night on the Dnieper. They were written 2 years later - in 1882. The first is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the other in the Livadia Palace in Yalta.

10. The fame that befell Kuindzhi after “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” almost “crushed” the artist. At the peak of your creative powers great creator took an unexpected step. He closed the doors of his workshop and ceased exhibition activities. He explained his action this way: “...an artist needs to perform at exhibitions while he, like a singer, has a voice. And as soon as the voice subsides, you have to leave, not show yourself, so as not to be ridiculed.” For 30 years of “silence” there was not a day when the artist did not pick up a brush or pencil. Even before his death, he remained faithful to his life's work. Not having the strength to get out of bed, he lay down and drew pencil sketches.

11. The museum-apartment of the talented master is located in the famous “house of the artist” on Birzhevoy Lane. The initiative to create a museum-apartment was made by Kuindzhi’s student, Nicholas Roerich. Unfortunately, it was possible to open the exhibition only in 1991 - on the 150th anniversary of the artist.

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Arkhip Ivanovich KUINDZHI born on January 27, 1842 in the family of a poor shoemaker. The surname Kuindzhi was given to him by his grandfather’s nickname, which in Tatar means “goldsmith.” In the 60s, the aspiring artist “failed” the exam twice and entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts only on the third try. There he became friends with V.M. Vasnetsov and I.E. Repin, met I.N. Kramskoy, the ideologist of advanced Russian artists. Early works The artist's works were written under the influence of Aivazovsky's manner. Over time, he begins to think about themes, writing style, independently studying paints, color, lighting effects and by the age of forty he becomes famous. In the early 90s, Kuindzhi began a period of “silence” and for almost 30 years he painted “on the table”. In the period 1894-1897, Kuindzhi headed the Higher Art School at the Academy of Arts. His students were A. Rylov, N. Roerich, K. Bogaevsky. In 1909, Kuindzhi organized the Society of Artists. He donated his money, lands and paintings to this organization. The “Artist of Light” died in St. Petersburg on July 11, 1910.

"Moonlit Night on the Dnieper"(1880) - one of the most famous paintings Arkhip Kuindzhi. This work created a real sensation and acquired mystical fame. Many did not believe that the light of the moon could be conveyed in this way only through artistic means, and they looked behind the canvas, looking for a lamp there. Many stood silently for hours in front of the painting, and then left in tears. Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich bought “Moonlit Night” for his personal collection and took it with him everywhere, which had tragic consequences.

The painter, “artist of light” Arkhip Kuindzhi celebrated his 176th birthday on January 27. What is striking is not only Kuindzhi’s skill in creating amazing landscapes, but also the tenacity with which he pursued his goal - to become an artist. In many ways, he became an innovator in painting, and also held the first exhibition of one painting in Russia. It was “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper”; audiences were willing to stand in line for hours to see the masterpiece.

Artist Greek origin Arkhip Kuindzhi was born in Mariupol (now Donetsk region of Ukraine) in the family of a poor shoemaker. The boy was left an orphan at the age of three and was taken in by his paternal aunt and uncle. Kuindzhi's interest in painting appeared in childhood; he was not a very good student, but he drew on everything that came to hand - scraps of paper, fences, walls. At the age of 14, on the advice of friends, he went to Feodosia in Crimea to become a student famous Ivan Aivazovsky. However, he was only allowed to paint fences and prepare paints. Arkhip returned to his native Mariupol, worked as a retoucher for a local photographer, then went to Taganrog and continued to work as a retoucher.

In 1865, when Kuindzhi was 24 years old, he decided to enter the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. The first two attempts were unsuccessful. However, the artist did not give up - he continued to study on his own, observing nature. The artist created the painting “Tatar saklya in Crimea” (it has not survived to this day). This work was included in an academic exhibition in 1868. The Academy Council awarded Kuindzhi the title free artist. He asked permission to take exams and on the third attempt became a volunteer student at the Academy.

Arkhip Kuindzhi “On the Island of Valaam”, 1873

Kuindzhi was fascinated by the ideas of the Itinerants, and he joined them. The artist traveled a lot, visited the island of Valaam several times, created the painting “On the Island of Valaam,” which was exhibited in Vienna, and then it was bought by Pavel Tretyakov. Each new job aroused more and more admiration among the public. At the fifth exhibition of the Itinerants, he presented the painting “Ukrainian Night”; it impresses with the decorativeness of the landscape and the light that seems to emanate from the canvas itself.

Arkhip Kuindzhi “Ukrainian Night”, 1876

Arkhip Kuindzhi was with the Wanderers for a short time. The reason for the break was an anonymous article in one of the newspapers, where the critic spoke harshly about Kuindzhi’s work and about the Association of Itinerants in general. In particular, Kuindzhi was accused of monotony, abuse of special lighting when presenting paintings and a desire for excessive showiness. It turned out that this critic was the artist Mikhail Klodt from the audit commission of the Association of Itinerants. Kuindzhi realized that Klodt would not be expelled from the Partnership, so he decided to leave himself. However, the painter had long been following his own path, and the society of the Itinerants was in many ways a restraining factor for him. However, Arkhip Ivanovich remained on friendly terms with many Peredvizhniki artists.

After leaving the Partnership, Arkhip Kuindzhi worked for about six months on the painting “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper.” During this time, Ivan Turgenev, Dmitry Mendeleev, Ivan Kraskoy and others visited the artist’s studio. Soon all of St. Petersburg was buzzing that Kuindzhi was preparing a work incredible beauty. Grand Duke Konstantin Romanov was also a guest of the workshop. When asked about the price, the artist told him a fabulous sum for those times - five thousand rubles, without even expecting him to agree. But Romanov asked to leave the painting behind him.

Arkhip Kuindzhi “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper”, 1800

The painting “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” was exhibited in the hall of the Society for the Encouragement of Artists on Bolshaya Morskaya Street in St. Petersburg. This was the first exhibition of one painting in Russia. People stood in line for hours to see Kuindzhi's work. The artist approached the exhibition with special care. He asked to close all the windows in the hall and direct a beam of light onto the painting. The effect was stunning. The spectators, entering the dimly lit room, did not believe that with the help of paints it was possible to create such light from the silvery-greenish disk of the moon. Many even looked behind the painting in the hope of finding a lamp and convicting the artist of charlatanism. And the secret was Kuindzhi’s masterful ability to play with contrasts and constant experiments with color rendering.

After the exhibition, Prince Romanov took the painting into his collection. He liked her so much that he did not want to part with her even during a round-the-world sea voyage. Ivan Turgenev was horrified by this act; he was worried that the dampness could ruin it. And so it happened, under the influence of sea air the colors darkened, but at the same time the picture did not lose its beauty.

Now the painting “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” (oil on canvas 105x144) is kept in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. In 1882, Kuindzhi made two original repetitions. The first is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, and the second in the Simferopol Art Museum.

After incredible success painting “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper” everyone expected new masterpieces from Kuindzhi. However, at the peak of his fame, the artist decides to take an unexpected step - he stops exhibiting his works. He explained his action this way: “An artist needs to perform at exhibitions while he, like a singer, has a voice. And as soon as the voice subsides, you have to leave, not show yourself, so as not to be ridiculed.” Arkhip Kuindzhi did not become a complete recluse; he founded the Society of Independent Artists, taught at the Higher art school at the Academy. One of his most famous students is Nicholas Roerich.

Arkhip Kuindzhi “Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane”, 1901

Many believed that the artist had exhausted himself. But that was not the case. Kuindzhi continued to work every day until the end of his life. The masterpieces he created in last period of his work, for example, “Rainbow” and “Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane” are not inferior in their significance to “Moonlit Night on the Dnieper”. In 1910, the artist, while in Crimea, fell ill with pneumonia. He was unable to recover from his illness. Kuindzhi died on July 24, 1910, he was 69 years old.

Interesting fact about the artist's family

Throughout his life, the artist was supported by his Russified Greek wife Vera Kuindzhi (nee Ketcherdzhi-Shapovalova). They had known each other almost since childhood. Vera refused all suitors for her hand and heart, and when the artist became famous and rich, the girl’s father finally allowed her to marry him in 1874. They loved to perform duets together musical works, traveled often. The wife took all the care of Kuindzhi upon herself, even keeping his brushes and palette in order. They had no children.

One of latest photos artist

Arkhip Kuindzhi and his wife led a modest lifestyle, although he had enough money - the master’s paintings were highly valued. The artist traveled in third-class carriages and stayed in inexpensive hotels. Kuindzhi was surprisingly unselfish and did charity work. Once he donated 100,000 rubles to the Academy of Arts, which went towards the establishment of 24 annual awards, awarded to young painters. A year before his death, he created the Kuindzhi Society ( creative association artists of St. Petersburg, existed until 1930). He bequeathed all his property to the Society, and assigned his wife a monthly pension of 2,500 rubles. The will also mentioned all the artist’s living relatives at that time, and part of the money was donated to the church in which he was baptized for the founding of a school named after him. Not much is known about the fate of Kuindzhi’s wife. Vera Leontyevna Kuindzhi died ten years later in Petrograd in 1920 from hunger.