Still lifes of great masters. Famous still lifes

I. Mashkov "Still Life" (1930)

The word “still life” is translated from French as “dead nature” (fr. nature morte).

About still life

Everything that no longer lives, does not breathe, that has been torn off, cut off, but continues to delight a person with its existence - all this is the subject of a still life.

Still life began to exist as an independent genre of painting in the 17th century. in the works of Dutch and Flemish artists. Previously, it was only a decoration and performed a utilitarian function.

Early still lifes often contained a hidden allegory (allegory), which was expressed through everyday objects endowed with symbolic meaning. Sometimes still lifes depicted a skull, which was supposed to remind of the transience of life and the inevitability of death.

The allegorical still life was called Vanitas (lat. vanitas, lit.: “vanity, vanity”). Its compositional center is traditionally the human skull.

Bartholomeus Brain the Elder (1st half of the 16th century). Vanitas

“Vanity of vanities,” said Ecclesiastes, “vanity of vanities, everything is vanity!”

Willem Claes Heda. Vanitas

The skull symbolizes frailty human life. A smoking pipe is a symbol of fleeting and elusive earthly pleasures. Glass symbolizes the fragility of life. Keys are the power of the housewife who manages her supplies. The knife reminds us of human vulnerability and mortality. A sheet of paper usually with a moralizing (often pessimistic) saying. For example:

Hodie mihi cras tibi - today for me, tomorrow for you;

Memento mori - memento Mori;

Aeterne pungit cito volat et occidit - the glory of heroic deeds will dissipate in the same way as a dream;

Omnia morte cadunt mors ultima linia rerum - everything is destroyed by death, death is the final boundary of all things;

Nil omne – everything is nothing.

But more often, in still lifes, one can feel the artist’s admiration of the objects: kitchen utensils, flowers, fruits, household items - customers purchased such paintings to decorate the interiors of their homes.

From the middle of the 17th century. still life in Dutch painting has become widespread as an independent genre. And one of the very first to stand out was the floral still life, especially in the works of Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder and Balthasar van der Ast, and then continued its development in the luxurious still lifes of Jan Davids de Hem in the second half of the 17th century. Floral still life is also popular among artists of our time.

The subject matter of still lifes is extensive: these are the already mentioned floral still lifes, images of breakfasts, served tables, scientific still lifes that depicted books and other objects of human activity, musical instruments and etc.

Let's look at some of the most famous still lifes.

Willem Claes Heda (1594-1682) “Still life with ham and silverware” (1649)

Willem Claes Heda "Still Life with Ham and Silverware" (1649)

In this picture, the artist’s virtuoso skill in conveying ordinary, everyday objects is noticeable. Kheda depicts them in such a way that it is obvious that he himself admires them: a feeling of tangibility of each of the objects is created.

On a small table covered with a rich, heavy tablecloth, we see a lemon and admire its amber softness, feel the aroma of fresh ham and hear the clink of sparkling silver. Breakfast is over, so the items on the table are in natural disarray.

Silverware means earthly wealth, ham - sensual joys, lemon - external beauty, within which bitterness is hidden. The picture concludes with a reflection on the fact that one should take care not only of the body, but also of the soul.

The still life is designed in a single brown-gray tone, characteristic of the whole Dutch painting that time. The canvas is not only beautiful, it also tells about the hidden “quiet life” of objects, seen by the attentive eye of the artist.

The still life is in the State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin in Moscow.

Paul Cézanne (1830-1906) Peaches and Pears (1895)

Paul Cezanne "Peaches and Pears" (1895)

Paul Cézanne was the greatest French artist late XIX V. Having experienced the influence of impressionism, Cezanne opposed them with his own method. He opposed their desire to follow only their visual impression in art - he was for an objective transmission of reality based on patterns in nature. He wanted to see not her changeable, but her constant qualities. Cezanne said: “I want to return eternity to nature.” The artist conducted his creative searches through the synthesis of form and color, form and space. This search is especially evident in his still lifes.

Each of the objects in this still life is depicted from a different point of view. We see the table from above, the tablecloth and fruit from the side, the table from below, and the jug from different points of view simultaneously. Cezanne strives to show as fully as possible the shape and volume characteristic of peaches and pears. His technique is based on the optical law: warm colors (red, pink, yellow, gold) seem to us to protrude, and cold colors (blue, cyan, green) seem to recede deeper into the canvas.

The shape of objects in Cezanne's still lifes does not depend on random lighting, but becomes constant, inherent in each object. Therefore, Cezanne's still lifes seem monumental.

The painting is in the State Museum of Fine Arts. A. S. Pushkin in Moscow.

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) "The Blue Tablecloth" (1909)

Henri Matisse "The Blue Tablecloth" (1909)

The famous French artist Henri Matisse in foreign art XX century occupies one of the leading places. But this place is special.

At the very beginning of the 20th century. Matisse became the head of the first new group in European painting, which was called Fauvism(from the French "wild"). A feature of this direction was the freedom to use any color arbitrarily chosen by the artist, and the desire for decorative colorfulness. This felt like a challenge to the established norms of official art.

But after some time, this group broke up, and Matisse no longer belonged to any direction, but chose his own path. With his clear, cheerful art, Matisse sought to give peace to the tormented souls of people in the emotional atmosphere of the 20th century.

In the still life "Blue Tablecloth" Matisse uses his favorite compositional device: fabric descending from the top. The matter in the foreground seems to close the space of the canvas, making it shallow. The viewer admires the whimsical play of blue ornaments on the turquoise background of the tablecloth and the lines of the still life objects. The artist generalized the shapes of the golden coffee pot, green decanter and ruddy apples in the vase; they lost their volume, and small objects obeyed the rhythm of the fabric; they complement the colorful accent of the picture.

Still life in Russian painting

Still life as an independent genre of painting appeared in Russia in early XVIII century, but initially it was considered as a “lower” genre. Most often it was used as an educational production and was accepted only in a limited understanding as painting of flowers and fruits.

But at the beginning of the twentieth century. Still life in Russian painting flourished and for the first time became an equal genre. Artists were looking for new possibilities in the field of color, form, and composition of still life. Among Russian still life painters one can name I.F. Khrutsky, I.E. Grabar, P.P. Konchalovsky, I. Levitan, A. Osmerkin, K. Petrov-Vodkin, M. Saryan, V. Nesterenko and others.

The most famous still life by P. Konchalovsky is his “Lilac”.

P. Konchalovsky “Lilac” (1939)

P. Konchalovsky "Lilac" (1939)

P. Konchalovsky was a follower of Cezanne in painting; he sought to express the festivity of color characteristic of Russian folk art, with the help of the constructive color of Paul Cezanne. The artist gained fame precisely thanks to his still lifes, often executed in a style close to cubism and fauvism.

His still life “Lilac” is full of this festive color, pleasing to the eye and imagination. It seems that the spring aroma of lilac is wafting from the canvas.

Clusters of lilacs are depicted in general terms, but inner memory tells us the outlines of each flower in the bunch and that’s why Konchalovsky’s painting seems realistic.

Konchalovsky’s contemporary, I. Mashkov, was no less generous in depicting the materiality of the world and the colorful palette.

I. Mashkov “Berries on the background of a red tray” (1910)

This still life also has a riot of colors, the ability to enjoy every moment that life gives, because every moment is beautiful.

All the objects of the still life are familiar to us, but it is felt that the artist admires the generosity of nature, the richness of the surrounding world and invites us to share this joy with him.

V. Nesterenko “Father of the Fatherland” (1997)

V. Nesterenko “Father of the Fatherland” (1997)

This is a still life contemporary artist V. Nesterenko. The theme of the painting is expressed in its title, and the content is revealed in the depiction of still life objects - symbols of the imperial power of Peter I. The portrait of the emperor is set against the backdrop of a battle scene, of which there were many in his life. There is no point in retelling all those deeds for which Peter I is called the Father of the Fatherland. You can hear different opinions about the activities of the first Russian emperor, but in this case the artist expresses his opinion, and this opinion is expressed very convincingly.

The still life is in the Kremlin, in the reception room of the President of the Russian Federation.

What is still life?

Still life is a genre of painting that depicts inanimate nature. The genre originated in the 17th century.

Still life is, first of all, surprising and interesting because it makes people see beauty and harmony in everyday, boring things that constantly surround us, but do not attract our attention.

The genre is not as simple as it seems at first glance: in most of these paintings, artists use allegory - they try to tell people something important through a certain set of objects, their arrangement, chosen colors, general composition, convey what worries them, tell about their feelings and thoughts.

Despite the gloomy translation "dead nature", the canvases are often full of bright colors, delighting the viewer with their originality and whimsicality, awakening the desire to live and admire the world around us, to see the beauty in it.

There are many types and subtypes of still life, for example, plot-thematic, creative, educational-creative, educational. They are also divided according to the colors used, illumination, coloring, execution time, location, etc.

The founders of still life as an independent genre were Dutch and Flemish artists. Initially, the paintings appeared in religious use. Also in the era of the genre’s birth, paintings of a gloomy nature with a deep philosophical meaning and dark tones, in the center of the composition, which included skulls, candles and some other attributes, became widespread. Then, gradually developing, the genre absorbed more and more new directions and over and over again became more widespread in all circles of society. Flowers, books, vegetables and fruits, seafood, dishes and other household items - everything is reflected in art. One of the most famous artists still life artists were Ambrosius Buschaert, Miguel Parra, Jan Brueghel, Joseph Launer, Severin Rosen, Edward Ladell, Jan Davids de Hem, Willem van Aalst, Cornelis Briese.

In Russia, the genre arose at the beginning of the 18th century, but no one seriously studied it; it was considered a “lower” genre. At the beginning of the 20th century still life painting reached its greatest prosperity; artists created their masterpieces, set new goals for themselves and reached untold peaks in skill, used unusual techniques, selected new images. Russian still life, unlike Western ones, did not develop gradually, but at an accelerated pace. Working in this genre, such Russian artists as K. Petrov-Vodkin, I. Levitan, I.F. became famous. Khrutsky, V. Nesterenko, I.E. Grabar, M. Saryan, A. Osmerkin, P.P. Konchalovsky, S.E. Zakharov, S.I. Osipov and many others.

In modern painting, still life undergoes new rise and now firmly takes its rightful place among other genres visual arts. Now this is one of the most popular areas in painting. Having a huge number of opportunities for self-realization in creativity, artists paint a wide variety of still lifes. And viewers, in turn, buy paintings, decorate their interiors with them, enlivening their home and bringing comfort and joy into it. Museums are constantly being replenished with still lifes, more and more new exhibitions are opening in various cities and countries, which attract crowds of spectators interested in art. Several centuries later, having gone through a long, full-fledged path of development, still life is still relevant and has not lost its significance in world painting.

What a strange painting this is - still life: it makes you admire a copy of those things whose originals you cannot admire.

Blaise Pascal

And really, have you ever looked at the fruit from the kitchen table? Well... except when you were hungry, right? But you can admire a picture with a fruit arrangement or a luxurious bouquet of flowers for hours. This is precisely the special magic of still life.

Translated from French, still life means "dead nature"(nature morte). However, this is only a literal translation.

In fact still life- this is an image of motionless, frozen objects (flowers, vegetables, fruits, furniture, carpets, etc.). The first still lifes are found on the frescoes of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.

Still life (fresco from Pompeii) 63-79, Naples, National Gallery of Capodimonte. Author unknown.

When a friend came to visit a Roman, good manners required that the owner of the house show the best of his silverware. This tradition is clearly reflected in the still life from the tomb of Vestorius Priscus in Pompeii.

In the center of the composition is a vessel for mixing wine and water, the embodiment of the god of fertility Dionysus-Liber. On both sides of the golden table there are jugs, scoops, and wine horns symmetrically placed.

However, a still life is not only fruits, vegetables and flowers, but also... a human skull, designed to reflect the transience of human life. This is exactly how still life was imagined by supporters of the “Vanitas” genre, representatives of the early stage of still life development.

An outstanding example is an allegorical still life Dutch artist Willem Claes Heda, where a pipe is depicted next to the skull - a symbol of the elusiveness of earthly pleasures, a glass vessel - a reflection of the fragility of life, keys - a symbol of the power of a housewife managing supplies. The knife symbolizes the vulnerability of life, and the brazier, in which the coals are barely glowing, means its extinction.

Vanity. Vanitas, 1628, Willem Claes Heda.

Willem Heda is rightly called "master of breakfast" With the help of an interesting arrangement of food, dishes and kitchen utensils, the artist surprisingly accurately conveyed the mood of the paintings. And his skill in depicting reflections of light on the perfectly smooth surfaces of silver bowls and glass goblets amazed even the artist’s eminent contemporaries.

It’s incredible how accurately and delicately Heda was able to convey every little detail: the play of light, the features of shape, the colors of objects. All the Dutchman’s paintings contain mystery, poetry, and sincere admiration for the world of objects.

Still lifes of famous artists

Still life was often fascinated famous artists. It is about the masters of the brush and their amazing works that I will tell you next.

Pablo Picasso is the most expensive artist in the world

Unique and inimitable - this is what they call an outstanding Spanish artist XX century Pablo Picasso. Each work of the author is a tandem of original design and genius.

Still life with a bouquet of flowers, 1908

Still life with bulbs, 1908

In addition to the traditionally perfect realistic, light-filled and bright colors, or gloomy still lifes executed in bluish-gray tones, Picasso was fond of cubism. The artist arranged objects or characters in his paintings into small geometric shapes.

And although art critics did not recognize Picasso’s cubism, now his works are selling well and are owned by the richest collectors in the world.

Guitar and sheet music, 1918

Eccentric Vincent Van Gogh

Along with the famous Starry Night, the series of paintings with sunflowers became a unique symbol of Van Gogh's work. The artist planned to decorate his house in Arles with sunflowers for the arrival of his friend Paul Gauguin.

“The skies are a delightful blue. The sun's rays are pale yellow. This is a soft, magical combination of sky blue and yellow tones from the paintings of Vermeer of Delft... I cannot paint something so beautiful...”- Van Gogh said doomedly. Perhaps this is why the artist painted sunflowers countless times.

Vase with 12 sunflowers, 1889

Unhappy love, poverty and rejection of his work prompt the artist to crazy actions and significantly undermine his health. But about painting talented artist persistently wrote: “Even if I fall ninety-nine times, I will still get up the hundredth time.”

Still life with red poppies and daisies. Auvers, June 1890.

Irises. Saint-Rémy, May 1890

All-encompassing still lifes of Paul Cézanne

“I want to return eternity to nature”- the great French artist Paul Cezanne liked to repeat. The artist did not depict random game light and shadow, not changing, but constant characteristics of objects.

Trying to show objects from all sides, he describes them in such a way that the viewer admires the still life, as if from different angles. We see the table from above, the tablecloth and fruit from the side, the box in the table from below, and the jug from different sides at the same time.

Peaches and pears, 1895

Still life with cherries and peaches, 1883-1887.

Still lifes by contemporary artists

The palette of colors and a wide variety of shades allows today's still life masters to achieve incredible realism and beauty. Do you want to admire the impressive paintings of talented contemporaries?

Briton Cecil Kennedy

It is impossible to take your eyes off the paintings of this artist - his forbs are so enchanting! Mmmm... I think I can already smell these amazingly beautiful flowers. And you?

Cecil Kennedy is rightfully considered the most outstanding British artist of our time. Owner of several prestigious awards and the favorite of many “powers that be,” Kennedy nevertheless became famous only when he was well over 40.

Belgian artist Julian Stappers

Information about the life of the Belgian artist Julian Stappers is scarce, which cannot be said about his paintings. The artist's cheerful still lifes are in the collections of the richest people in the world.

Gregory Van Raalte

Contemporary American artist Gregory Van Raalte Special attention pays attention to the play of light and shadow. The artist is convinced that light should not fall directly, but through the forest, tree leaves, flower petals, or reflected from the surface of the water.

The talented artist lives in New York. He enjoys painting still lifes using watercolor technique.

Iranian artist Ali Akbar Sadeghi

Ali Akbar Sadeghi is one of the most successful Iranian artists. In his works, he skillfully combines the compositions of traditional Iranian paintings, Persian cultural myths with iconography and the art of stained glass.

Still lifes by contemporary Ukrainian artists

Whatever you say, Ukrainian brush masters have their own unique vision of His Majesty’s still life. And now I will prove it to You.

Sergei Shapovalov

The paintings of Sergei Shapovalov are colorful sunny bunnies. Each of his masterpieces is filled with light, goodness and love for his native land. The artist was born in the village of Ingulo-Kamenka, Novgorodkovsky district, Kirovograd region.

Sergei Shapovalov is an Honored Artist of Ukraine, a member of the National Union of Artists.

Igor Derkachev

Ukrainian artist Igor Derkachev was born in 1945 in Dnepropetrovsk, where he still lives. For twenty-five years he attended the art studio of the House of Culture for Students named after. Yu. Gagarin, first as a student, and then as a teacher.

The artist’s paintings are pierced with warmth, love for native traditions and gifts of nature. This special warmth is transmitted through the author’s paintings to all fans of his work.

Victor Dovbenko

According to the author, his still lifes are a mirror of his own feelings and moods. In bouquets of roses, in scatterings of cornflowers, asters and dahlias, in “fragrant” forest pictures - a unique summer aroma and priceless gifts of the rich nature of Ukraine.

Let's move on to the final stage of this series of posts about the still life genre. It will be dedicated to the work of Russian artists.

Let's start with Fyodor Petrovich Tolstoy (1783-1873). Still life graphics by F.P. Tolstoy, a famous Russian sculptor, medalist, draftsman and painter, is probably the most outstanding and valuable part of his creative heritage, although the artist himself said that he created these works “in his free time from serious studies.”

The main property of Tolstoy’s still life drawings is their illusory nature. The artist carefully copied nature. He tried, in his own words, “with strict clarity to convey from life to paper the copied flower as it is, with all the slightest details belonging to this flower.” To mislead the viewer, Tolstoy used illusionistic techniques such as the image of dew drops or translucent paper covering the drawing and helping to deceive the eye.

Ilya Efimofich Repin (1844-1930) also more than once turned to such a still life motif as flowers. Such works include the painting “Autumn Bouquet” (1892, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), where the artist depicts with equal attention autumn landscape, a young woman standing against a background of golden trees, and a modest bouquet of yellow and white flowers in her hands.

I. Repin. Autumn bouquet. Portrait of Vera Repina. 1892, Tretyakov Gallery

The history of the painting “Apples and Leaves” is somewhat unusual. The still life, combining fruits and leaves, was staged for Repin’s student, V.A. Serova. The teacher liked the object composition so much that he decided to paint such a still life himself. Flowers and fruits attracted many artists, who preferred these among other things, which most poetically and beautifully showed the natural world. Even I.N. Kramskoy, who was dismissive of this genre, also paid tribute to still life by creating spectacular picture"Bouquet of flowers. Phloxes” (1884, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow).

Valentin Aleksandrovich Serov (1865-1911) is known to most of us as an artist who paid attention in his work to landscape, portrait and historical painting. However, it should be noted that the subject in his work always played an important role and often occupied the same equal position as other elements of the composition. A little higher, I already mentioned his student work “Apples on Leaves,” 1879, completed under the direction of Repin. If you compare this work with a work written on the same topic by Repin, you can see that Serov’s still life is more etude-like than his teacher’s painting. The novice artist used a low point of view, so the first and second plans are combined and the background is reduced.

The painting “Girl with Peaches,” known to everyone since childhood, goes beyond the portrait genre and it is no coincidence that it is called “Girl with Peaches” and not “Portrait of Vera Mamontova.” We can see that the features of portrait, interior and still life are combined here. The artist pays equal attention to the image of a girl in a pink blouse and a few but skillfully grouped objects. On a white tablecloth lie soft yellow peaches, maple leaves and a shiny knife. Other things on the in the background: chairs, a large porcelain plate decorating the wall, a figurine of a toy soldier, a candlestick on the windowsill. The sunlight pouring from the window and casting bright reflections on objects gives the image a poetic charm.

Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel (1856-1910) wrote: “And again it hits me, no, it doesn’t, but I hear that intimate national note that I so want to catch on the canvas and in the ornament. This is the music of a whole person, not dismembered by the distractions of the ordered, differentiated and pale West.”

At the Academy of Arts, Vrubel’s favorite teacher was Pavel Chistyakov, who taught the young painter to “draw with form” and argued that three-dimensional forms should not be created in space with shading and contours, they should be built with lines. Thanks to him, Vrubel learned not just to show nature, but to conduct an intimate, almost loving conversation with her. The master’s wonderful still life “Rose Hip” (1884) was made in this spirit.

Against the background of exquisite drapery with floral motifs, the artist placed an elegant round vase painted with oriental patterns. The delicate White flower rose hips, shaded by blue-green fabric, and the leaves of the plant almost merge with the dimly shimmering black neck of the vase. This composition is filled with inexpressible charm and freshness, which the viewer simply cannot help but succumb to.

G.N. achieved great skill in creating “fake” still lifes. Teplov and T. Ulyanov. Most often they depicted a plank wall on which knots and veins of wood were drawn. Various objects are hung on the walls or tucked behind nailed ribbons: scissors, combs, letters, books, music notebooks. Clocks, inkwells, bottles, candlesticks, dishes and other small items are placed on narrow shelves. It seems that such a set of items is completely random, but in fact this is far from the case. Looking at such still lifes, one can guess about the interests of artists who played music, read, and were interested in art. The masters lovingly and diligently depicted things dear to them. These paintings touch with their sincerity and spontaneity of perception of nature.

Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev (1878-1927) also devoted a lot of his work to the still life genre. On his cheerful canvases you can see bright satin fabrics, sparkling copper samovars, the shine of earthenware and porcelain, red slices of watermelon, bunches of grapes, apples, and delicious cupcakes. One of his wonderful paintings is "Merchant's Wife at Tea", 1918. It is impossible not to admire the bright splendor of the objects shown on the canvas. A sparkling samovar, bright red pulp of watermelons, glossy apples and transparent grapes, a glass vase with jam, a gilded sugar bowl and a cup standing in front of the merchant’s wife - all these things add a festive mood to the image.

In the still life genre, much attention was paid to the so-called “trick still lifes.” Many “trick” still lifes, despite the fact that their main task was to mislead the viewer, have undoubted artistic merits, especially noticeable in museums, where, hung on the walls, such compositions, of course, cannot deceive the public. But there are exceptions here. For example, “Still Life with Books”, made by P.G. Bogomolov, is inserted into an illusory “bookcase”, and visitors do not immediately realize that it is just a painting.

“Still Life with a Parrot” (1737) by G.N. is very good. Teplova. With the help of clear, precise lines turning into soft, smooth contours, light, transparent shadows, and subtle color nuances, the artist shows a variety of objects hung on a plank wall. The wood is masterfully rendered, its bluish, pink, yellowish shades helping to create an almost real feeling of the fresh smell of freshly planed wood.

Russian “false” still lifes of the 18th century indicate that artists are not yet skillful enough in conveying space and volumes. It is more important for them to show the texture of objects, as if transferred to canvas from reality. Unlike Dutch still lifes, where things absorbed by the light environment are depicted in unity with it, in the paintings of Russian masters, objects painted very carefully, even meticulously, live as if by themselves, regardless of the surrounding space.

IN early XIX century big role The school of A.G. played a role in the further development of still life. Venetsianov, who opposed the strict distinction of genres and sought to teach his students a holistic vision of nature.

A.G. Venetsianov. Threshing floor, 1821-23

The Venetsian school opened a new genre for Russian art - interior design. The artists showed various rooms of a noble house: living rooms, bedrooms, offices, kitchens, classrooms, servants' rooms, etc. In these works, an important place was given to the depiction of various objects, although still life itself was of almost no interest to representatives of Venetsianov’s circle (in any case, very few still lifes executed by students of the famous painter have survived). Nevertheless, Venetsianov urged his students to carefully study not only the faces and figures of people, but also the things around them.

An object in Venetsianov’s painting is not an accessory; it is inextricably linked with the rest of the details of the picture and is often the key to understanding the image. For example, a similar function is performed by sickles in the painting “The Reapers” (second half of the 1820s, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg). Things in Venetian art seem to be involved in the unhurried and serene life of the characters.

Although Venetsianov, in all likelihood, did not paint still lifes himself, he included this genre in his teaching system. The artist wrote: “ Inanimate things are not subject to those various changes that are characteristic of animate objects; they stand, hold themselves at attention, motionless in front of an inexperienced artist and give him time to delve more accurately and more judiciously, to peer into the relationship of one part to another, both in lines and in light and shadow with the color itself , which depend on the space occupied by objects”.

Of course, still life played a big role in the pedagogical system of the Academy of Arts in the 18th century. XIX century x (in the classrooms, students made copies of still lifes by Dutch masters), but it was Venetsianov, who encouraged young artists to turn to nature, who introduced into his first-year curriculum a still life composed of such things as plaster figures, dishes, candlesticks, multi-colored ribbons, fruits and flowers. Venetsianov selected subjects for educational still lifes so that they would be interesting to beginning painters, understandable in form, and beautiful in color.

In the paintings created by Venetsianov’s talented students, things are conveyed truthfully and freshly. These are the still lifes of K. Zelentsov, P.E. Kornilov. In the work of the Venetian artists there are also works that are not still lifes in their essence, but, nevertheless, the role of things in them is enormous. One can name, for example, the paintings “Office in Ostrovki” and “Reflection in the Mirror” by G.V. Magpies kept in the collection of the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

G.V. Magpie. “Office in Ostrovki.” Fragment, 1844, Russian Museum, St. Petersburg

Still lifes in these works do not appear independently, but as parts of the interior uniquely arranged by the master, corresponding to the general compositional and emotional structure of the picture. The main connecting element here is light, gently moving from one object to another. Looking at the canvases, you understand how interesting the world an artist who lovingly depicted every object, every smallest thing.

The still life presented in the “Office in Ostrovki”, although it occupies a small place in general composition, seems unusually significant, highlighted due to the fact that the author fenced it off from the rest of the space with a high back of the sofa, and cut it off on the left and right with a frame. It seems that Soroka was so carried away by the objects lying on the table that he almost forgot about the other details of the picture. The master carefully wrote out everything: a quill pen, a pencil, a compass, a protractor, a penknife, an abacus, sheets of paper, a candle in a candlestick. The point of view from above allows you to see all things, without any of them blocking the other. Attributes such as a skull, a watch, as well as symbols of “earthly vanity” (a figurine, papers, abacus) allow some researchers to classify the still life as a vanitas type, although such a coincidence is purely accidental; most likely, the serf artist took advantage of what was lying on the table his owner.

A famous master of object compositions of the first half of the 19th century was the artist I.F. Khrutsky, who wrote many beautiful paintings in the spirit Dutch still life XVII century. Among his best works are “Flowers and Fruits” (1836, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), “Portrait of a Wife with Flowers and Fruits” (1838, Art Museum Belarus, Minsk), “Still Life” (1839, Museum of the Academy of Arts, St. Petersburg).

In the first half of the 19th century in Russia, “botanical still life”, which came to us from Western Europe. In France at this time, works by botanists with beautiful illustrations were published. Great popularity in many European countries received by artist P.Zh. Redoute, who was considered “the most famous flower painter of his time.” “Botanical drawing” was a significant phenomenon not only for science, but also for art and culture. Such drawings were presented as gifts and decorated albums, which thus put them on a par with other works of painting and graphics.

In the second half of the 19th century, P.A. paid great attention to the depiction of objects. Fedotov. Although he did not actually paint still lifes, the world of things he created delights with its beauty and truthfulness.

Objects in Fedotov's works are inseparable from people's lives; they take a direct part in the dramatic events depicted by the artist.

Looking at the painting “Fresh Cavalier” (“Morning after the Feast”, 1846), you are amazed at the abundance of objects carefully painted by the master. A real still life, surprising in its laconicism, is presented in Fedotov’s famous painting “The Major’s Matchmaking” (1848). The glass is tangibly and realistically conveyed: wine glasses with high stems, a bottle, a decanter. The thinnest and most transparent, it seems to emit a gentle crystal ringing.

Fedotov P.A. Major's matchmaking. 1848-1849. Tretyakov Gallery

Fedotov does not separate objects from the interior, so things are shown not only authentically, but also in a picturesque subtlety. Every ordinary or not very attractive object that takes its place in the common space seems surprising and beautiful.

Although Fedotov did not paint still lifes, he showed an undoubted interest in this genre. His instinct told him how to arrange this or that object, from what point of view to present it, what things would look next to him not only logically, but also expressively.

The world of things, which helps to show human life in all its manifestations, endows Fedotov’s works with a special musicality. Such are the paintings “Anchor, another anchor” (1851-1852), “Widow” (1852) and many others.

In the second half of the 19th century, the genre of still life practically ceased to interest artists, although many genre painters willingly included elements of still life in their compositions. Things acquire great importance in the paintings of V.G. Perova (“Tea Party in Mytishchi”, 1862, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), L.I. Solomatkina (“City Slavers”, 1846, State historical Museum, Moscow).

Still lifes are presented in genre scenes by A.L. Yushanova (“Seeing Off the Chief”, 1864), M.K. Klodt (“The Sick Musician”, 1855), V.I. Jacobi (“The Pedlar”, 1858), A.I. Korzukhina (“Before Confession”, 1877; “In the monastery hotel”, 1882), K.E. Makovsky (“Alekseich”, 1882). All these paintings are now kept in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.

K.E. Makovsky. “Alekseich”, 1882, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

In the 1870-1880s, everyday life remained the leading genre in Russian painting, although landscape and portrait also occupied an important place. Huge role for further development Russian art was played by the Peredvizhniki, who sought to show the truth of life in their works. Artists began to attach great importance working from life and therefore increasingly turned to landscape and still life, although many of them considered the latter a waste of time, a meaningless passion for form, devoid of internal content. So, I.N. Kramskoy mentioned the famous French painter, who did not neglect still lifes, in a letter to V.M. Vasnetsov: “It won’t talented person spending time on the image of, say, basins, fish, etc. This is good to do for people who already have everything, but we have a lot to do.”

Nevertheless, many Russian artists who did not paint still lifes admired them when looking at the paintings of Western masters. For example, V.D. Polenov, who was in France, wrote to I.N. Kramskoy: “Look how things go here, like clockwork, everyone works in their own way, in the most various directions, what anyone likes, and all this is valued and paid for. For us, what matters most is what is done, but here it is how it is done. For example, for a copper basin with two fish they pay twenty thousand francs, and in addition they consider this coppersmith to be the first painter, and, perhaps, not without reason.”

Having visited the exhibition in Paris in 1883, V.I. Surikov admired landscapes, still lifes and paintings of flowers. He wrote: “Gibert’s fish are good. The fish slime is rendered masterfully, colorfully, mixing tone on tone.” There is in his letter to P.M. Tretyakov and these words: “And Gilbert’s fish are such a miracle. Well, you can really take it in your hands, it’s written to the point of deception.”

Both Polenov and Surikov could become wonderful craftsmen still life, as evidenced by the masterfully painted objects in their compositions (“Sick” by Polenov, “Menshikov in Berezovo” by Surikov).