Thursday, February 4, 2016
Apollinary Vasnetsov. "Foundation of Moscow". The second half of the 12th century, by order of Yuri Dolgoruky, a wooden fortress was built on Borovitsky Hill at the confluence of the Neglinnaya and Moscow rivers
Apollinary Vasnetsov, amazing artist, master historical reconstruction, always seemed to be in the shadow of his older brother Viktor Vasnetsov, the author of the famous Russian paintings “Bogatyrs”, Alyonushka” and others.
After himself, Apollinaris Vasnetsov left many picturesque and graphic works with a meticulous reconstruction of Moscow in different eras. In this publication we will look at the brightest of them with comments.
Watch the amazing old Moscow of Apollinary Vasnetsov —>
Construction of new walls. 12th century
Courtyard of the appanage prince.
The Kremlin under Ivan Kalita.
In the first half of the 14th century, Moscow became the most important city in northeastern Rus'. Under Ivan Kalita, a new wooden Kremlin was built. Metropolitan Peter moved his residence to Moscow, as a result the first stone cathedrals appeared in the Kremlin
White stone Kremlin under Dmitry Donskoy. Around 1368
Most likely, Vasnetsov is exaggerating a little, since according to excavations, only the towers and the most vulnerable sections of the fortress were made of stone, while the fortifications mostly remained wooden.
The Kremlin under Ivan III
At the end of the 15th century, Italian architects erected the current red-brick Kremlin, still without hipped roofs and spiers with wooden roofs on typically Italian towers. There are already stone chambers inside the fortress, the Assumption Cathedral has been built, and the Annunciation Cathedral is under construction. They have already begun to dig the Alevizov ditch up the Vasilievsky descent. A floating bridge has already been built across the river to Zamoskvorechye.
Kremlin at the end of the 14th century
In 1382, Tokhtamysh’s troops approached Moscow. For two days, Muscovites and Lithuanians desperately fought off the attacks, the powerful fortress walls could not be taken by storm, then Tokhtamysh resorted to a trick and sent the Nizhny Novgorod princes Vasily Kirdyapa and Semyon Dmitrievich. The princes convinced the defenders to surrender on the condition that Tokhtamysh would not do anything wrong. The gates of the city were open, but the khan did not keep his promise, the city was plundered, and many of the population were killed.
The Kremlin under Ivan the Terrible. 1550s
The walls of the Kremlin were whitewashed (a controversial hypothesis for that time). Intercession Cathedral (St. Basil's Cathedral) under construction
Messengers. Early morning in the Kremlin. Early 17th century.
Time of Troubles ended. The first of the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail, is in power. The Kremlin was extensively reconstructed.
Ivan the Great Square in the Kremlin, 17th century.
Trinity Bridge and Kutafya Tower
Nowadays the official tourist entrance to the Kremlin and the Alexander Garden instead of the river.
Book stalls on Spassky Bridge, 17th century
Bridge over the Alevizov ditch in front of the Spasskaya Tower on Red Square
The rise of the Kremlin. All Saints Bridge and the Kremlin at the end of the 17th century.
View of the Kremlin from the current Bersenevskaya embankment. By 1692, the All Saints Bridge, nicknamed the Big Stone Bridge, was built, really large and made of stone with trading shops and travel gates. There were legends about the cost of building the bridge; the saying “as expensive as a stone bridge” has survived to this day. The bridge survived in its rebuilt form until 1853, after which it was dismantled and replaced with a metal one, but popular name Over the course of a century and a half, it has taken root and is still in use today.
All Saints Bridge in winter and buffoons in the foreground.
View of the Kremlin and All Saints Bridge from Zamoskvorechye.
Zamoskvorechye was then a region of archers who defended the city from the south from raids Crimean Tatars on the defensive fortifications of the Crimean Wall.
This is how Peter I received Moscow
There is still a wall adjacent to the Kremlin White City, through the hole in which Neglinnaya flows.
Resurrection Bridge over Neglinnaya in front of the entrance to Red Square at the gate of the same name, 17th century
Spassky water gates of Kitay-Gorod. Vasilievsky Spusk Kitaygorod wall
Leaving a fist fight. Same place in winter
In the 17th century, the city grew greatly, and in his works dedicated to this period and later, Vasnetsov was already moving away from the Kremlin.
Seven-peaked corner tower of the White City.
The tower stood approximately on the site of the current Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Her guns were aimed at the Crimean Ford. During the Time of Troubles there was a big battle at this tower.
Cannon foundry yard on the Neglinnaya River
In the 17th century, about 500 craftsmen worked here, using water wheels on the river. It was the cannons for the archers that were cast, and the Tsar Cannon was cast in the 16th century. Pushechnaya Street behind the Central Children's World still serves as a reminder of this courtyard.
At the Myasnitsky Gate.
On the site of the Temple of Frol and Laurus there is now a vacant lot near the Et Cetera theater; to the right of the unpreserved gate there is now the lobby of the Chistye Prudy metro station.
Bast trade on Truba.
Trubnaya Square, named after the hole in the wall of the White City (hole) for the Neglinnaya River. Here they traded bast and finished logs for building houses.
Exit of the noblewoman
Bears
It's blizzarding. Blizzard. Old Moscow
At the sacrum (at the crossroads) in Kitai-Gorod.
Densely populated quarter of Zaryadye. Nowadays this place is a wasteland along Varvarka
And again Zaryadye. Vasnetsov is increasingly giving free rein to his imagination. In these paintings, the line between history and legends begins to blur. Let’s finish the selection with a completely fantastic picture:
fictional architecture, fictional characters, but the Kremlin across the river is real
Memorial plaque on house 6 in Furmanny Lane, where Apollinary Vasnetsov lived and worked
1922; paper on cardboard, pencil, charcoal, watercolor; 64x108; Museum of History and Reconstruction of the City of Moscow. Apollinary Mikhailovich Vasnetsov is the younger brother of the painter Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, whose famous illustrations for works of Russian folklore […]
The canvas “Fishermen” was created in 1887. The drawing was done in oil on canvas by the great Russian artist Appolinary Mikhailovich Vasnetsov. The master was famous for his landscapes, thematic historical works and knowledge of art. Studied painting […]
This landscape received a well-deserved medal at an exhibition that took place abroad. We see a mysterious edge fairy forest. She was shackled by severe frost. The path that those who passed along the road goes deep into the picture [...]
A. Vasnetsov was a sensual master of transmission true beauty Russian nature. With his works he showed strength and greatness native land. His technique is unique and his images are imbued with realism. The film “After the Rain” has epic notes. […]
At first glance, it may seem that Vasnetsov painted a completely unremarkable picture of nature. But it was this picture that became a serious application for depicting the image of the entire homeland as a whole; we see an ordinary landscape of a Russian village. […]
This work was written by Apollinariy Mikhailovich Vasnetsov in 1926. This last picture the artist, which is a kind of reflection of his inner experiences at the end of his life. This is definitely an autobiographical masterpiece. Looking closely [...]
Apollinary Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1856-1933), the younger brother of the artist V. Vasnetsov, without receiving a systematic art education, nevertheless, he was an excellent landscape painter. He was especially interested in city landscapes and reconstructions. The artist did not immediately find his path. We will talk about his life and creative path.
Apollinaris's childhood
In the family of the parish priest of the Vyatka province, Mikhail Vasilyevich, and his wife Apollinaria Ivanovna, 6 children were born. The youngest was Apollinaris, who was born in 1856, on July 25. The village of Ryabovo, where he was born and grew up, was surrounded by mighty virgin coniferous forests and stood on the Ryabovka River. The characters of the two brothers, future artists, were shaped not only by the harsh Vyatka nature, but by the way of life of their fellow countrymen, who kept ancient legends and beliefs, ancient epics and songs.
In the family, rural and urban lifestyles coexisted. The father tried to give his children an education. At home we read aloud a lot, drew with pencil and watercolors. To study, he sent his sons to the Vyatka Theological School, and then to the seminary, which had an extensive library and outstanding teachers. However, Apollinary Vasnetsov became an orphan early. When he was 10 years old, his mother died, and at the age of 14 he lost his father.
Support came from brother Victor, who was 8 years older and was in Moscow at that time. Brother, knowing about artistic abilities teenager, advised him to take up drawing. His teacher was the Polish exiled artist Edviro Andrioli. At the age of 16, Apollinaris graduated from theological school and moved to St. Petersburg.
Northern capital and return to Vyatka
Brother Victor prepared him for admission to the Academy of Arts and introduced him to I. Repin. But Apollinary Vasnetsov became interested in geology, and then in 1875 he returned to Vyatka, passed exams at a real school and began to “go among the people,” enlightening them together with the populists. But he quickly became disillusioned and returned to his brother in Moscow in 1878.
Job in Moscow
At first, Apollinary Vasnetsov studied with his brother and drew for newspapers and magazines. Then I became acquainted with the works of I. Repin, I. Shishkin, A. Kuindzhi, was amazed at their skill and worked a lot on myself.
Savva Mamontov's circle
Since 1882, Apollinary Vasnetsov, together with his brother, entered the circle of artists who determined the development of Russian art (V. Surikov, V. Serov, K. Korovin, V. Polenov, M. Vrubel, M. Nesterov). He painted his first significant landscape, Gray Day, in 1883. It was purchased by V. Tretyakov. But the artist was not pleased with himself. The epic features that will characterize A. Vasnetsov’s paintings appear fleetingly in the canvases “Motherland” and “Twilight” (1889).
The artist himself believed that he was most successful in “Twilight,” where he depicted a large lonely pine tree against the backdrop of a sky rapidly becoming covered in darkness and a lonely traveler. He is visible to the viewer only from the back, and in the distant village where he is heading, the first light has already appeared. The tree shows us the brevity of our lives; centuries have flown over it. This is the first epic, not momentary, moment that appeared in the work of the novice artist.
Ural and Siberia
The theme of the virgin Russian North, untouched by the hand of man, attracted all our artists of that time: K. Korovin, I. Ostroukhov, I. Levitan, V. Serov, A. Rylov, M. Nesterov. Apollinary Vasnetsov made a long trip around the Urals and Siberia in 1890-1891. He brought not only sketches and sketches, but also large epic paintings“Taiga in the Urals. Blue Mountain."
This work is simply frightening with the power of nature. The ancient forest froze in uncertain anticipation. Birds circle far behind it, and even further away the horizon is closed by the silhouette of a blue mountain. The sky is hazy and sunless. The diagonal composition draws attention to the mossy tree that almost fell into the lake. And next to it stands a withered trunk, near which, in contrast, a tall slender coniferous tree has risen to the right. The painting is made in ominous, muted, lead-gray, dark green tones that convey the fabulous witchcraft of the taiga. Later, after 1885, he would write after a trip to Southern Urals“Kamu” is a large canvas, equally dark, powerful and harsh. It will reflect the eternal theme of the Russian landscape - the river as the road of life, which moves across the endless expanses of our land.
Getting closer to archaeologists
In 1891, while creating illustrations for the anniversary edition of M. Lermontov, the artist became closely acquainted with historians and archaeologists. After a trip abroad, to France, Italy, Germany in 1898, his interest in the history of Moscow deepened. In 1900, the artist was accepted into the Commission for the Preservation of Moscow Ancient Monuments. Since 1901, he has been heading the landscape class, taught by the deceased I. Levitan, for 17 years. In 1906, historians such as V. Klyuchevsky and I. Zabelin unanimously elected the artist a full member of the MAO.
By this time, in 1903, he had started a family with Tatyana Ivanovna Odoevtseva.
Turn of the century
At this time, the artist immersed himself in a theatrical atmosphere, creating the scenery for historical operas, which were actively staged in Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, at the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg, with S. Mamontov at the Private Opera, with S. Zimin at opera house. Operas by M. Mussorgsky (“Khovanshchina”), N. Rimsky-Korsakov, and P. Tchaikovsky (“The Oprichnik”) were staged with its scenery.
New way
Constantly developing as an artist and scientist, historian and archaeologist, he finds a theme for himself that will determine his place in art. Now deep, with scientific approach and at the same time, Apollinary Vasnetsov interestingly and vividly recreates the life of the ancient capital. Moscow, the heart of Russia, became inexhaustible for him. The 17th century especially attracted him. He lived in Zamoskvorechye. Apollinary Vasnetsov could clearly see the Kremlin from the windows of the apartment in which he lived. But he imagined him completely different - as he had been before, when the life of ordinary merchants and peasants was seething and seething around him, when cruel executions were carried out on the Kremlin square, still white stone. From the paintings of Apollinaris Mikhailovich one can consistently trace all the changes that our capital has undergone. These are the works of a scientist who, without errors, in accordance with all the archaeological finds found in his time, presented the romance of the centuries that swept over Moscow. We now see authenticity and romanticism in his works, which can be divided into two parts: graphic and paintings.
Painting
In the painting “Street in Kitai-Gorod. The beginning of the 17th century” depicts the excitement and bustle of the townspeople that characterized the period of the Troubles. On the canvas “At dawn at the Resurrection Bridge. End XVI I century" Moscow is harsh and lyrical at the same time.
A grandiose picture, which shows a clear winter day with a carnival, with a group of buffoons, is recreated in the painting “All Saints Stone Bridge. End of the 17th century." The bright, joyful coloring is demonstrated by a winter city with a frozen river.
A completely different, scary Kremlin, which people are afraid to walk near, takes the viewer to the dark Middle Ages. During the time of Ivan IV, a torture chamber was added to the Konstantino-Elenenskaya Tower of the Kremlin, and the tortured people were then simply thrown out. In the painting “Moscow dungeon. The end of the 16th century”, only relatives wander around the snowy square, looking for their loved ones.
The erudition of the painter
The artist Apollinary Vasnetsov deeply studied historical sources: chronicles, miniatures, engravings. He read a lot of descriptions of Muscovy left by travelers from the West, carefully examined ancient plans of Moscow, took part in excavations, and made reports. He needed to depict everyday life as authentically as possible and penetrate into that difficult and often incomprehensible life that is separated from us by many centuries. Creative imagination and the artist’s imagination helped to make complex illustrations for scientific facts, maintain accuracy and authenticity, three-dimensionally depict a bygone time, starting with the founding of Moscow by Yuri Dolgoruky, skillfully paint both wooden and stone walls Kremlin.
Moscow Kremlin
More than once Apollinary Vasnetsov wrote about the Moscow Kremlin. The first stone fortress was built under Prince Dmitry Ivanovich, when the wooden walls, which were erected from centuries-old oak trees under Prince Ivan Kalita, were completely replaced. The building fell into disrepair, Rus' strengthened itself without fear of the Mongols. From quarries near Moscow, as historian I. Zabelin suggested, stone was brought along the river on ships, and in winter - on sleighs. The towers and walls took many years to build. After this, Moscow began to be called white-stone.
The white stone Kremlin with the cathedrals in the Chudov and Resurrection monasteries appears unusually beautiful.
Judging by the buildings, this is the last Kremlin that was built under Ivan III. There is already a Spasskaya Tower with a clock, St. Basil's Cathedral (Pokrovsky Cathedral) has already been built. But the red walls of the Kremlin, its towers and cathedrals, were flooded with a wonderful surreal white-lilac light, perhaps morning or evening, as people were bustling about under the walls. The most delicate shades of lilac-white light that falls from the sky have covered the distance with haze and clearly outline the slender snow-white beauty Beklemishevskaya and the low, darker three-story Petrovskaya tower. The greenery of the tower tents is repeated in the green lawns inside the Kremlin, and the stonework that goes down is reflected with it. The painter’s coloristic skill is admirable and amazing to such an extent that you hardly pay attention to the perfect composition, it is so organic.
Museum of Apollinary Vasnetsov
The memorial apartment museum was created through the efforts of the artist’s son and daughter-in-law. It is located in the center of Moscow, in Furmanovsky Lane, 6, where Apollinariy Mikhailovich lived the last 30 years of his life. Three rooms - an office, a workshop and a living room - introduce the artist’s personal belongings. In the studio, on an easel, stands the master’s last completed work.
A special place is occupied by the exposition, dedicated to works painter and scientist. Tretyakov Gallery, which includes this museum, found the opportunity to place the exhibition in two apartments on the third floor. More than a thousand graphic works and two hundred canvases are exhibited in this cozy compact museum, where you can get acquainted with both early works artist, and with more late paintings. In total, the museum has nine thousand storage units.
Below are Interesting Facts about the artist:
- A map for 1885-1886 has been preserved, on which Vasnetsov marked about a hundred points where he wrote sketches in different places in Russia.
- He created over 125 paintings based on historical subjects.
- To study Moscow, in 1900 A. Vasnetsov rose above it to hot-air balloon and made sketches of the capital from a bird's eye view.
- In 1931, he was the only artist who publicly spoke out against the demolition of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
Publications in the Museums section
Junior Vasnetsov
And Pollinarius Vasnetsov is the younger brother of the famous painter Viktor Vasnetsov. He did not get lost in the shadow of his successful relative and first teacher. Artist and scientist, historian and poet of Russian nature. While studying history and archeology, I chose in my work main theme native spaces and old Moscow.
“Siberia”, “Kama”, “Northern Territory”. Apollinary Vasnetsov retained his love for the Russian North from an early age. The artist grew up in a small house in the village of Ryabovo, Vyatka province. My father, a priest, was an enlightened man, interested in natural sciences and astronomy, drew, knew and loved nature. Instilled a love for native land and to your children.
“At night he drew my attention to the sky, and since childhood I knew the main constellations and stars... Love for nature brought up in me a love for the landscape, and I owe this to my father,”- the artist wrote in his autobiography.
View from the dining room window. Ryabovo. 1919
But at the age of 13, Apollinaris was left an orphan, and at that moment his older brother became his main mentor. Victor was already studying at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts and, seeing his brother’s drawings, recognized the future painter. After graduating from theological school in 1872, Apollinaris, at the insistence of Victor, moved to St. Petersburg. There he meets Repin, becomes interested in geology and almost enters the Geological Institute. But six years later, having gone through a passion for populist ideas, he goes to Moscow, where he devotes all his energy to art.
Communication with his brother’s comrades, members of the Abramtsevo circle, Ilya Repin, Valentin Serov, Konstantin Korovin, Vasily Polenov and Abramtsevo’s creative atmosphere had an invaluable influence on Apollinary Vasnetsov. He creates the set “Sloboda Berendeyevka” for the play “The Snow Maiden”, makes sketches of furniture for the Abramtsevo workshop and writes...
Alley in Abramtsevo. 1917
Vasnetsov excitedly painted a series of sketches of the sky and “moody” clouds, preserved in the Vasnetsov Apartment Museum in Moscow. The passion for astronomy was also embodied on canvas, as in “ Solar eclipse on Vyatka”, and in the scientific journal of the Russian Astronomical Society.
Konstantin Korovin called Vasnetsov “an artist who paints from impressions.” He went for these impressions all over the world: Crimea, the Caucasus, Siberia, Ukraine, the Urals.
« Familiar pictures of my childhood came to life before me, reborn into a melancholy, harsh landscape. The character of the Urals and its nature reminded me very much of the Vyatka region, the same coniferous forests, ridges, only of a grandiose size, and the forests are taiga bristles along the mountain ridges»…
Gray day (Gray day). 1883
The first recognition for young artist was the purchase of his landscape “Gray Day” by Pavel Tretyakov. A path that divides the landscape into two parts, two trees, a lonely figure wandering towards the grove, and a bird soaring in the sky. Nature without embellishment. This is exactly what I tried to portray the world the artist, marking city by city with a red pencil - about a hundred points on the map of Russia. The painting “Dnieper before the Storm” became a pass to the Association of Itinerants.
Dnieper before the storm. 1888
« My travels and trips in my homeland and abroad also raised me as a landscape artist."- wrote Vasnetsov.
The impressions of the vast expanses were embodied in the painting “Motherland”. Fields, copses, arable land. The artist creates a whole series of monumental landscapes: “Taiga in the Urals. Blue Mountain", "Mountain Lake. Ural”... Epic scope - and then the gentle “Elegy”, which received a large silver medal at the World Exhibition in Paris. The artist receives recognition from both the public and venerable colleagues. “I really like Apollinaris’s paintings. What a fellow he is, what imagination!” - Ilya Repin wrote in one of his letters to Viktor Vasnetsov.
Homeland. 1886
From native spaces - to the historical landscape. The artist’s passion for history, architecture, and archeology allowed Apollinaris Vasnetsov to look into the distant past on canvas. The painter did not reconstruct the appearance of Moscow, but resurrected images ancient city. The artist created illustrations for “The Song of the Merchant Kalashnikov” for anniversary edition Lermontov's works - he studied city plans in libraries and museums.
« I was amazed by the view of Moscow, - the artist recalled, - of course, mainly by the Kremlin. I lived nearby on Ostozhenka, and my favorite walks after work were circling around the Kremlin: I admired its towers, walls, cathedrals. But almost main reason was that I love science: collecting material, classifying facts, studying them».
Street in Kitay-Gorod. Beginning of the 17th century. 1900
The artist traced the unique transformation of the Kremlin: from the construction of wooden walls to the heyday of the Moscow fortress of the 17th century. And showed different Moscow. Gloomy, like in the painting “Moscow dungeon. The end of the 16th century", awarded a gold medal at International exhibition in Munich. Joyful and sparkling in the snow - like in the watercolor “Ivan the Great Square in the Kremlin”.
Ivan the Great Square in the Kremlin. 17th century 1903
While working on images of the capital, Apollinaris became close to historians and archaeologists, became a member of the Moscow Archaeological Society, and then honorary chairman of the Commission for the Study of Old Moscow. He studied ancient icons and supervised restoration. He recreated the appearance of the city not only on his canvases, but also in real life.
He approached each work from a scientific point of view - whether it was an artistic reconstruction of Moscow or work in the theater. When creating the scenery for “Sadko,” Vasnetsov visited Novgorod twice, but did not forget to give free rein to his imagination - as in the scenery for Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “The Tale of the Invisible City of Kitezh,” where the historian gave way to an original Russian artist.
Such amazing artists, like Apollinary Vasnetsov, there are few among all the painters late XIX- beginning of the 20th century. He found a topic that is dear and close to the hearts of many Russian people - the topic of historical transformations of medieval Moscow.
Childhood
Vasnetsov Apollinariy Mikhailovich (1856 - 1933) was born in a small village near Vyatka. He was orphaned early, his brother went to study in Moscow. By this time it was clear that the teenager was very talented and he needed to learn painting. But he was engaged in religious school and simply took drawing lessons from a Polish artist who was in exile.
Years of study
In 1872 (at the age of 16) Apollinary Vasnetsov moved to St. Petersburg and began to truly study painting. His first teachers were his brother Victor and outstanding Peredvizhniki artists. He is interested in literature, mineralogy, astronomy, but most of all, Apollinary Vasnetsov, at the age of 19, became interested in the ideas of the populists. He abandoned painting. Vasnetsov leaves to teach in the very outback. But the ideas of populism disappointed him, and the matured Apollinary Vasnetsov returned to Moscow at the age of 21. Now he takes painting seriously as a calling.
How it is formed under the influence of I. Shishkin and A. Kuindzhi. But he did not become a simple imitator of the great masters. He developed his own style of writing.
First successes
Since 1882, the young artist has lived for a long time at his brother’s dacha and is a member of S.I.’s circle. Mamontov, and in 1883 he began to exhibit his paintings at exhibitions of the Itinerants. And here is the first success: P. Tretyakov acquires his painting “Gray Day” at the exhibition.
A lonely path winds through the meadow between two trees, inviting you to follow it into the distance.
Studying history
Gradually (this is facilitated by historical knowledge), the artist begins to be attracted to dramatic, epic motifs. The first such picture was “Homeland” (1886), and the next was “Twilight” (1889). Here and there isolated, widely spread oak trees stand alone in the field. The blue night is deepening in the distance. In the foreground, everything is covered with haze, and grayish shadows have already fallen on the grass. Ancient oak trees invite the viewer to reflect on the past. Thus, through the landscape, epic motifs appear in the work of A. Vasnetsov, and the eternity of nature is affirmed.
Ural
Later, in the 90s, he will go to the Urals. Inspired by what he saw, he writes majestic works, showing the courageous and harsh characters of the people who grew up here. It was as if his childhood began to come to life before him. Everything reminded him of his native Vyatka. In 1891 he painted the painting “Taiga in the Urals. Blue Mountain." The pile of standing and fallen trees and the mysterious lake fascinate and frighten with their power. And in the distance the mountain turns blue in the haze. This landscape reflects the character of the people living in these parts.
The artist managed to visit France, Italy, and Germany in 1898. Under the influence of the Impressionists, changes occurred in his palette. His work brightened up.
Singer of the ancient capital
A new theme appeared in the work of such an artist as Apollinary Vasnetsov. The paintings now depict medieval Moscow, its bridges as they were in ancient times, the Kremlin changing over time and, of course, the Moscow people.
In the 1900s, he became so interested in the life of old Moscow that he took part in excavations. All this affected his work. The historical and everyday genre attracted Vasnetsov’s attention for a long time. First he paints the picture “Street in Kitai-Gorod. Beginning XII century." In its cramped, narrow winding streets, townspeople and archers are rushing around restlessly. These unrest immerse the viewer in the period of Troubles. Moscow is noisy (“At dawn at the All Saints Bridge. The end of the 12th century”).
On a clear winter day, buffoons are having fun. And a stunningly spectacular picture of both the Kremlin and the bridge was created. The color of the picture is rich and bright, as required by the holiday depicted or just fun.
In the painting “Moscow dungeon. The end of the 16th century” depicts a torture chamber attached to the Kremlin tower, which was used both during the time of Ivan IV and during the reign of Tsar Boris Godunov. The corpses of those tortured in dungeons were thrown out onto the street, and relatives came to pick them up and bury them.
And again the viewer is presented with a picture of the Troubles (“Messengers. Early morning in the Kremlin. Beginning of the 17th century”). Impostors, the diversity of kings, the seven-boyars, the generally very gloomy and alarming atmosphere of that time is conveyed through the rapid gallop of two horsemen: a monk and a warrior. But despite everything, the heart of Moscow stands unshakable - its Kremlin, where messengers rush at dawn in winter.
During these years (1901 - 1918), Apollinariy Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, already an academician, led a sculpture and painting class in Moscow.
From the artist’s works one can study how Moscow has changed from century to century. He works in oils, paints watercolors, and deeply studies the works of Moscow historian I. Zabelin. Delves into scientific works V. O. Klyuchevsky. Having such deep knowledge and creative imagination, the artist achieves more and more complete authenticity in his paintings.
In 1925, “Red Square in the second half of the 17th century” was created. The painting depicts a bright and festive day.
Apollinary Vasnetsov dedicated a lot (about one hundred and twenty paintings) to Moscow. And in almost all of his works the Kremlin is present different time and in different types. The dynamics of its changes are visible everywhere.
Vasnetsov Apollinaris, artist, was courageous man. At the age of 75, in 1931, having written a letter to the newspaper Izvestia, he became the only person, who opposed the demolition of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.
This is how Apollinaris lived his entire life - in the paintings that he left. The artist died in Moscow at the age of 76.
