27 Works, Today, May 3rd. is artist Viktor Vasnetsov's day, his story, illustrated with footnotes #122

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

Sirin and Alkonost. A song of joy and sorrow, c. 1896

Oil on canvas

the Tretyakov Gallery

Sirin is a mythological creature of Russian legends, with the head and chest of a beautiful woman and the body of a bird (usually an owl). According to the myth, they lived "in Indian lands" near Eden or around the Euphrates River.

These half-women half-birds are loosely based on the Greek stories about sirens. They sang beautiful songs to the saints, foretelling future joys. For mortals, however, the birds were dangerous. Men who heard them would forget everything on earth, follow them, and ultimately die. People would attempt to save themselves Sirins by shooting cannons, ringing bells and making other loud noises to scare the bird off. More on Sirin and Alkonost

Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov (May 15, 1848 – July 23, 1926) was a Russian artist who specialized in mythological and historical subjects. He is considered the co-founder of Russian folklorist and romantic nationalistic painting, and a key figure in the Russian revivalist movement.

Vasnetsov was born in the remote village of Lopyal in Vyatka Governorate in 1848. His father was a member of the priesthood, and of scholarly dictation in the natural sciences and astronomy. His grandfather was an icon painter. 

It was in Lopyal that Viktor started to paint, mostly landscapes and scenes of village life. During his seminary years, he worked for a local icon shopkeeper. He also helped an exiled Polish artist, Michał Elwiro Andriolli, to execute frescoes for Vyatka's Alexander Nevsky cathedral.

Viktor Vasnetsov (1848-1926)

A Bogatyr, c. 1920

Oil on canvas

62 3/8 x 83 3/8 in. (158.5 x 211.8 cm.)

Private collection

Vasnetsov returned to the theme of the Bogatyrs once more in his 1915 oil of Ilya Muromets which is today in the collection of the Vasnetsov House Museum in Moscow and the present work is another version of this dating from 1920. It is of the same monumental scale as the Bogatyrs but is even more dynamic with its warrior sitting astride a rearing horse. More on this painting

Having graduated from the seminary, Viktor decided to move to Saint Petersburg to study art. He auctioned his paintings of Woman Harvester and Milk-maid (both 1867) in order to raise money required for the trip to the Russian capital.

In August 1867 Viktor tried to enter the Imperial Academy of Arts, but failed. He succeeded one year later in August 1868. 

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

Battle between the Scythians and the Slavs, c. 1881

Oil on canvas

I have no further description, at this time

It is ironic, but Viktor, whose name is associated with historical and mythological paintings, initially avoided these subjects at all costs. For his graphic composition of Christ and Pontius Pilate Before the People, the Academy awarded a small silver medal to him.

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

Book shop, 1876

Oil on canvas

Tretyakov Gallery

In the early 1870s he executed a lot of engravings depicting contemporary life. Two of them Provincial Bookseller (See above) from 1870 and A Boy with a Bottle of Vodka from 1872) won him a bronze medal at the World Fair in London (1874).

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

Moving House, c. 1876

Oil on canvas

Height: 53 cm (20.8 in); Width: 67 cm (26.3 in)

Tretyakov Gallery

Victor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848-1926)

Russian: Beggar-singers (Bogomolets), c. 1873

Oil on canvas

I have no further description, at this time

At that period he also started producing genre paintings in oil. Such pieces as Peasant Singers (1873)  (See above)and Moving House (1876) (See above) were warmly welcomed by democratic circles of Russian society.

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

Acrobats. Festival in a Paris suburb, between 1876 and 1877

Oil on canvas

Height: 221 cm (87 in); Width: 136 cm (53.5 in)

Mikhailovsky Palace,

In 1876 Repin invited Vasnetsov to join the Peredvizhniki colony in Paris. While living in France, Viktor studied classical and contemporary paintings, academist and Impressionist alike. At that period, he painted Acrobats (1877) (See above), produced prints, and exhibited some of his works at the Salon. It was in Paris that he became fascinated with fairy-tale subjects, starting to work on Ivan Tsarevich Riding a Grey Wolf (See below).

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

Boyan, c. 1910

Oil on canvas

303X408 CM

STATE RUSSIAN MUSEUM, ST. PETERSBURG

Boyan is the name of a bard who was mentioned in the Rus' epic The Lay of Igor's Campaign as being active at the court of Yaroslav the Wise. He is apostrophized as the god Volos's grandson in the opening lines of The Lay (probably a reference to Veles as the patron of musicians). More on Boyan

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

Three Princesses of the Underground Kingdom, c. 1884

Oil on canvas

Height: 164 cm (64.5 in); Width: 297 cm (116.9 in)

Kyiv National Picture Gallery 

This picture Victor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov wrote under the order of Savva Mamontov, chairman of the board of the Donetsk Railway. 

Fairy princess is the embodiment of wealth, hidden in the thick of the earth. In the legends of the Russian people, there were only two princesses – gold and precious stones (in some sources it is called copper). Especially for railway customers, Vasnetsov introduces a coal princess into the plot. More on this painting

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

The frog Princess, c. 1918

Oil on canvas

Tretyakov Gallery

The king wants his three sons to marry. To accomplish this, he creates a test to help them find brides. The king tells each prince to shoot an arrow. According to the King's rules, each prince will find his bride where the arrow lands. The youngest son's arrow is picked up by a frog. The king assigns his three prospective daughters-in-law various tasks, such as spinning cloth and baking bread. In every task, the frog far outperforms the two other lazy brides-to-be. In some versions, the frog uses magic to accomplish the tasks, and though the other brides attempt to emulate the frog, they cannot perform the magic. Still, the young prince is ashamed of his frog bride until she is magically transformed into a human princess. More on The frog Princess

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

The Unsmiling Tsarevna (Nesmeyana), between 1916 and 1926

Oil on canvas

262*190

Vasnetsov Memorial Museum Moscow

There was once a princess that never smiled or laughed. Her father promised that whoever made her smile could marry her, and many tried, but none succeeded.

Across the town, a honest worker worked hard for his master. At the end of the year, the master put a sack of money before him and told him to take as much as he wanted. To avoid sinning by taking too much, he took only one coin, and when he went to drink from a well, he dropped the coin and lost it. The next year, the same thing happened to him. He took the same amount of coin as before, but when he drank from the well, he did not lose his coin, and the other two coins floated up to him. He decided to see the world. A mouse asked him for alms; he gave him a coin. Then he did the same for a beetle and a catfish.

He came to the castle and saw the princess looking at him. This astounded him, and he fell in the mud. The mouse, the beetle, and the catfish came to his aid, and at their antics, the princess laughed. She pointed him out as the man, and when he was brought into the castle, he had been turned into a handsome man. The honest worker, now a handsome man, married the princess. More on Nesmeyana

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

The Princess at the window (Princess Nesmeyana), c. 1920

The princess that never smiled or laughed

Oil on canvas

The Chelyabinsk regional picture gallery, Chelyabinsk

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

Knight at the Crossroads, c. 1882

Oil on canvas

Height: 167 cm (65.7 in); Width: 299 cm (117.7 in)

Russian Museum

Due to the utter lack of choice ahead, the rider is made more bitter by the inscription on the milestone which reads: "If you go left, you will lose your horse. If you go right, you will lose your head". An imagined reproduction of the most famous of all the bogatyr knights, Vasnetsov's contemplative rendering of Ilya Muromets is staged like an actual historical event. More on this painting

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

After prince Igor’s battle, c. 1880

Oil on canvas

Height: 205 cm (80.7 in); Width: 390 cm (12.7 ft)

Tretyakov Gallery

Prince Igor Svyatoslavich the Brave was a Rus’ prince. Chronicle evidence reveals that he had an enviably successful military career; he led many campaigns against the Cumans from among which the chronicles report only one defeat. But it was his defeat at the river Kayala that has become immortalized through its literary rendering in “The Lay of Igor’s Campaign”, the most celebrated epic of Rus’. More on this painting

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926) 

Flying Carpet, c. 1880

Oil on canvas

Height: 165 cm (64.9 in); Width: 297 cm (116.9 in)

Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

Alenushka, c. 1881

Oil on canvas

221 × 173 cm (87 × 68.1 in)

Tretyakov Gallery

Not targeting a specific theme or event, Vasnetsov managed to portray in his picture the soul of Russian fairy tale, akin to quiet Mid-Russian nature. The image of Alyonushka, painted with a peasant girl as the model, conveys the suffering of a meek, lonely orphan, abandoned by everybody, who is present in many a tale. She spends an eternity sitting on a white stone, as if turned into stone with suffering, her eyes a mirror of unspoken despair. The girl's eyes pull you in like a whirlpool. The deep dark water, with a shimmering transparent reflection, is pulling at Alyonushka like a magnet. The girl's figure seems to have been put together using naturally occurring shapes, dying evening colours and foliage patterns, to project a distilled inward-turned sadness of autumn nature, which takes care to conceal and safeguard the heroine. Nature consoles her like a mother consoles her baby. Landscape motifs are suggested by poetical folklore images, for example the swallows that are gathered on a twig above Alyonushka's head as good message bringers, while the fluttering aspens are a symbol of bad luck. More on this painting

In the late 1870s Vasnetsov concentrated on illustrating Russian fairy tales and the epic narrative poem Bylinas (See above), executing some of his best known pieces: The Knight at the Crossroads (1878) (See above), After prince Igor’s battle (1878) (See above), Three princesses of the Underground Kingdom (completed 1884 ) (See above), The Flying Carpet (1880) (See above), and Alionushka (1881) (See above).

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, c. 1887

Oil on canvas

Height: 72 cm (28.3 in); Width: 136 cm (53.5 in)

Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture 

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are figures in Christian mythology, appearing in the New Testament's final book, Revelation, an apocalypse written by John of Patmos, as well as in the Old Testament's prophetic Book of Zechariah, and in the Book of Ezekiel, where they are named as punishments from God.

Revelation 6 tells of a book/scroll in God's right hand that is sealed with seven seals. The Lamb of God/Lion of Judah opens the first four of the seven seals, which summons four beings that ride out on white, red, black, and pale horses. To Zechariah, they are described as "the ones whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth" causing it to rest quietly. Ezekiel lists them as "sword, famine, wild beasts, and plague." More on The Four Horsemen

These works were not appreciated at the time they appeared. Many radical critics dismissed them as undermining the realist principles of the Peredvizhniki. Even such prominent connoisseurs as Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov refused to buy them. The vogue for Vasnetsov's paintings would spread in the 1880s, when he turned to religious subjects and executed a series of icons for Abramtsevo estate of his patron Savva Mamontov.

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnyecov  (1848-1926)

The Baptism Of Rus, c. 1896

The preparatory composition of the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev,

Oil on canvas

the Tretyakov Gallery

The Baptism of Rus' refers to the seminal event of the mass baptism of the residents of Kiev in 988 as Grand Prince Vladimir accepted Orthodox Christianity as the religion of his lands. The event, as recorded in the Primary Chronicles, has been considered the turn point for the introduction of Christianity among the eastern Slavs. More on The Baptism of Rus

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnyecov  (1848-1926)

Detail; The Virgin and the Child

Fresco

Cathedral of St. Vladimir in Kiev

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnyecov  (1848-1926)

Baptism of Saint Prince Vladimir, c. 1890

Sketch for Vladimir Cathedral fresco

State Museum of Russian Art, Kiev

Vladimir Sviatoslavich (c. 958 – 15 July 1015), called the Great, was Prince of Novgorod, Grand Prince of Kiev, and ruler of Kievan Rus' from 980 to 1015. More on Vladimir Sviatoslavich

In 1884-1889 Vasnetsov was commissioned to paint frescos in the St Vladimir's Cathedral of Kiev (See above).

This was a challenging work which ran contrary to both Russian and Western traditions of religious paintings. The influential art critic Vladimir Stasov labelled them a sacrilegious play with religious feelings of the Russian people. Another popular critic, Dmitry Filosofov, referred to these frescoes as "the first bridge over 200 years-old gulf separating different classes of Russian society".

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnyecov  (1848-1926)

Ivan Tsarevich on the Grey Wolf, 1889

Oil on canvas

the Tretyakov Gallery

"Tsarevich Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf" is a Russian fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Russian Fairy Tales. More on Ivan Tsarevich on the Grey Wolf

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

Bogatyri/ Heroes, from 1881 until 1898

Oil on canvas

Height: 295.3 cm (116.2 in); Width: 446 cm (14.6 ft)

Tretyakov Gallery

A bogatyr is a stock character in medieval East Slavic legends, akin to a Western European knight-errant. Bogatyrs appear mainly in Rus' epic poems, bylinas. Historically, they came into existence during the reign of Vladimir the Great (Grand Prince of Kiev from 980 to 1015) as part of his elite warriors, akin to Knights of the Round Table. Tradition describes bogatyrs as warriors of immense strength, courage and bravery, rarely using magic while fighting enemies in order to maintain the "loosely based on historical fact" aspect of bylinas. They are characterized as having resounding voices, with patriotic and religious pursuits, defending Rus' from foreign enemies and their religion. In modern Russian, the word bogatyr labels a courageous hero, an athlete or a physically strong man. More on bogatyr 

While living in Kiev, Vasnetsov made friends with Mikhail Vrubel, who was also involved in the cathedral's decoration. While they worked together, Vasnetsov taught the younger artist a great deal. It was in Kiev that Vasnetsov finally finished Ivan Tsarevich Riding a Grey Wolf (See above) and started his most famous painting, the Bogatyrs (See above).

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

Snow Maiden, c. 1899

Oil on canvas

116*80

Tretyakov Gallery

Snegurochka or The Snow Maiden, is a character in Russian fairy tales. More on Snow Maiden

In 1885 the painter travelled to Italy. The same year he worked on stage designs and costumes for Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera The Snow Maiden (See above).

The following two decades were productive for Vasnetsov. He increasingly turned to other media during this period. In 1897 he collaborated with his brother Apollinary on the theatrical design of another Rimsky-Korsakov premiere, Sadko.

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

Baba Yaga, c. 1917

Oil on canvas

House museum of Viktor Vasnetsov

Baba Yaga is a literary character of almost all Russian fairy tales, where she is assigned the role of a terrible villain abducting children. But among artists, the theme of fairy tales for some reason did not catch on, because right up to the end of the XIX century, painters prefer to depict something realistic or classical, but not fairy tales. The only exception is the work of V. Vasnetsov, who already at the dawn of the new century embodies his old dream, to tell the world about all the beauty of the Russian fairy tale, which from his very childhood has been exciting and fascinating. Therefore, in 1917, the famous painting “Baba Yaga” was born. More on Baba Yaga 

At the turn of the century, Vasnetsov elaborated his hallmark "fairy-tale" style of Russian Revivalist architecture. His first acclaimed design was a church in Abramtsevo (1882), executed jointly with Vasily Polenov. In 1894, he designed his own mansion in Moscow. The Russian pavilion of the World Fair in Paris followed in 1898. Finally, in 1904, Vasnetsov designed the best known of his "fairy-tale" buildings — the façade of the Tretyakov Gallery.

Victor Vasnetsov

News from the Front, c. 1878

Oil on canvas

Tretyakov Gallery of Moscow

Anxiety rallied all. Gathered society motley and heterogeneous. Here is an educated young lady, and intelligent men, and simple poor people. War concerns everyone, news is necessary for all. While one of the participants reads the news, the rest express their emotions. The only woman is scared and discouraged. The faces of the rest are full of anxiety and sadness. News from the front is disappointing. Even the raining seems to go unnoticed by most of the crowd. The impression is complemented by a wet and gray pavement that carries anguish. More on this painting

Between 1906 and 1911, Vasnetsov worked on the design of the mosaics for Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Warsaw; he was also involved in the design of Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Moscow.

In 1912, he was given a noble title by Czar Nicholas II. In 1914, he designed a revenue stamp intended for voluntary collection for victims of World War I.

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov  (1848–1926)

Guslyars. c. 1899

Oil on wood

34.3 × 44

Perm State Art Gallery

Guslar, plural guslari, the traditional name in the Bosniak-Croatian-Serbian language for an epic singer who performs long narrative tales while accompanying himself on a one- or two-stringed instrument.

Even prior to the Russian Revolution, Vasnetsov became active as a regent of the Tretyakov Gallery. He allocated a significant portion of his income to the State Historical Museum, so that a large part of the museum's collection was acquired on Vasnetsov's money. After the October Revolution he advocated removing some of the religious paintings (notably those by Alexander Ivanov) from churches to the Tretyakov Gallery.

V. M. Vasnetsov , 1885-1896

God of Hosts, c. 1885-96

Oil on Canvas

Tretyakov Gallery - Moscow.

Victor Vasnetsov completed the hard work on the painting “God of Hosts” in 1896. The painting depicts a Christian deity, begotten by the Lord of forces. 

The story of this mythical hero is found in the pages of the Old Testament. Absolute power is attributed to this God. Universal opinion converges in the recognition of the hosts to the only ruler of the earth, the sky and the stars. More on this painting

In 1915 Vasnetsov participated in the designing of a military uniform for the Victory parade of Russian army in Berlin and Constantinopole. Vasnetsov is credited with the creation of the budenovka (initially named bogatyrka), a military hat reproducing the style of ancient Rus' cone-shaped helmets.

He died in Moscow in 1926. More on Viktor Vasnetsov

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