Viktor Vasnetsov was the first Russian artist to paint on the themes of epics and fairy tales. His "Alyonushka", "The Knight at the Crossroads" and "Bogatyrs" are now known to both children and adults.
early years
Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov was born on May 15, 1848 in the village of Ryabovo, in Vyatka. He spent his childhood there. Victor had a younger brother Apollinaris, who later also became a painter, but not so famous.
Vasnetsov's mother died early. The father, a village priest, was in charge of raising his sons. He loved to walk with his sons in nature. He also introduced them to drawing, teaching the first lessons.
Comprehending the basics of painting at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, Vasnetsov became friends with the artist Ilya Repin and the sculptor Mark Antokolsky. They loved to organize evenings dedicated to Ancient Russia and folklore. Vasnetsov was a frequent guest at them, he really liked this topic.
Creation
Soon Vasnetsov moved to Moscow, where he began to communicate closely with a wealthy businessman Savva Mamontov. Many artists worked at that time on his Abramtsevo estate, which was famous for its picturesque landscapes. There Vasnetsov first painted a picture with an epic fairy tale plot. He became an innovator, because no one had done this before him.
On Vasnetsov's canvases, as if alive, for the first time appeared folk characters beloved by many: Dobrynya Nikitich, Ilya Muromets, Princess Nesmeyana, Koschey the Immortal.
Vasnetsov was a versatile and enthusiastic person. He not only worked on paintings, but also engaged in illustrations for books, theatrical costumes and decorations, sketches of furniture in the Old Russian style, architectural projects, mosaics and painting of temples.
He is the author of the facade of the Tretyakov Gallery, without which it is already difficult to imagine Moscow. In Abramtsevo, there is the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands, designed by him, as well as a fabulous wooden hut on chicken legs.
The largest wall painting by Vasnetsov can be seen in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev. He did it for ten years.
Famous paintings
Despite the variety of works, Vasnetsov became famous for his fabulous and epic paintings.
The most famous of them are:
- "Ivan Tsarevich on the Gray Wolf";
- "Fight of Dobrynya Nikitich with a three-headed snake";
- The Sleeping Princess;
- "Fight of Ivan Tsarevich with the seven-headed Serpent Gorynych."
The painting "Heroes" deserves special attention. Vasnetsov worked on it for almost two decades. The huge canvas moved with him from place to place. He himself considered it the main work of his life.
Vasnetsov's paintings are kept in the Tretyakov Gallery and the Russian Museum. Some of the works are in the artist's house, where he worked in the last years of his life. The house itself and all the furniture in it are made according to his design. Now the building houses the Vasnetsov Museum.
