The author describes the picture on the hunt. Perov, the painting "Hunters at rest": description, interesting facts

Secrets of great paintings: "Hunters at rest"
Looking at "Hunters at Rest" by Vasily Perov, modern viewer hardly notices that the picture depicts the same nonsense as in the hunting tales that one of the characters “poisons”.

Painting "Hunters at rest". Oil on canvas, 119 x 183 cm
Year of creation: 1871. Now kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

Two author's copies of the painting are in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg and in the Nikolaev Regional art museum named after V.V. Vereshchagin in Ukraine.

“What a delight! Of course, to explain - so the Germans will understand, but they will not understand, like us, that this is a Russian liar and that he is lying in Russian. After all, we almost hear and know what he is talking about, we know the whole turn of his lies, his style, his feelings, ”Fyodor Dostoevsky praised the picture, admiring the expressiveness and reliability of the characters. However, the scene of the rest of the three comrades is not at all true in detail. Characters mishandle weapons, and their equipment and loot are classified as different types hunting. It seems that the painter chose a topic in which he understood little.

In fact, Perov was well versed in hunting. The artist went to the beast, as his first biographer Nikolai Sobko put it, “at all times of the year and tirelessly,” later even sharing his experience in essays for the Nature and Hunting magazine, which was published by naturalist Leonid Sabaneev. Ultimately, the passion for hunting cost the artist his life: due to a cold caught in the forest, Perov developed consumption, from which he died before he was 50 years old.

And Perov created “Hunters at Rest” as an anecdote picture, so that the understanding viewer would laugh at it no less than at the very outrageous hunting stories.


1. Skeptic. The peasant laughing at the story of the master, written from the doctor, amateur artist and writer Vasily Bessonov. Perov portrayed him as a commoner, emphasizing that the excitement of hunting, like this meal on the grass, unites the nobles and their servants.


2. Beginner. He listened to the narrator so much that he forgot to light a cigarette. Judging by the new sheepskin coat and expensive equipment that had not yet worn out in the forests, the character became interested in hunting recently. Perov wrote a gullible neophyte from 26-year-old Nikolai Nagornov, in whose house his friends Kuvshinnikov and Bessonov used to gather to go hunting together.

3. Hare-hare. Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences Valentin Golovin noted: the molting of the animal can be determined: the action takes place in late autumn. It is strange that the carcass was not damaged: according to the rules of canine hunting, the killed hare had to be chopped off (poked with a dagger between the shoulder blades), cut off (cut off the front paws) and trimmed (inserted into the saddle).


4. Grouse. A forest bird could not be killed on the same hunt as a hare, an inhabitant of the fields.


5. Vral. Perov's friend, police doctor Dmitry Kuvshinnikov, posed for the role of the landowner-narrator. In the 1880s-1890s, the doctor, together with his wife Sophia, organized a literary and artistic salon in his house. The Kuvshinnikovs and landscape painter Isaac Levitan, with whom Sophia cheated on her husband, became the prototypes for the heroes of Chekhov's story "The Jumper".


6. Boots. The beginner's shoes, as Professor Golovin noted, also betray the character's inexperience: it was very inconvenient to hunt in such high heels.


7. Binoculars. The narrator has binoculars of the old model, the first half of XIX century, which indicates a solid hunting experience.


8. Horn. Used for canine hunting to pack hounds, but there is no sign of a flock of hounds. The only dog different versions, or a greyhound, or a setter - a cop. On dog hunting, guns are not needed, since the dog takes the game. And on a rifle you don't need a horn.


9. Shotguns. An experienced hunter, in order not to clog the bore, will never put the gun with the muzzle on the ground. Especially if it is a first-class, expensive weapon from the English company Enfield, like here.

Artist Vasily Perov

1834 - was born on January 2 (new style) in Tobolsk. The artist was illegitimate son Baron Grigory Kridener, who served there as provincial prosecutor.
1841 - for beautiful handwriting received from the teacher the nickname Perov, which became a surname.

1853–1862 - student at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture.
1861 - painted the paintings "Rural religious procession at Easter" and "Sermon in the village."

1862–1864 - visited Germany and France
1862–1869 - was married to Elena Shaynes, three children were born in the marriage, but only son Vladimir survived to adulthood.

1866 - created "Troika" and "Arrival of a governess in a merchant's house".
1870–1877 - was a member of the Association of Traveling Exhibitions.

1872 - remarried to Elizaveta Druganova.
1882 - died of consumption in Kuzminki (now a district of Moscow).

Serious passions burned around this work by master Vasily Perov from the moment it appeared: V. Stasov compared the canvas with the best hunting stories of I. Turgenev, and M. Saltykov-Shchedrin accused the artist of excessive theatricality and unnatural characters. In addition, in the "Hunters at rest" everyone easily recognized real prototypes- acquaintances of Perov. Despite mixed ratings critics, the picture became incredibly popular.



V. Perov. Self-portrait, 1870. Detail

Vasily Perov himself was a passionate hunter, and the topic of hunting was well known to him. In the 1870s he created the so-called "hunting series": the paintings "Birdcatcher", "Fisherman", "Botanist", "Pigeon", "Fishing". For "Ptitselov" (1870), he received the title of professor, as well as a teaching position at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. But the most striking and recognizable in this cycle, of course, was the painting "Hunters at Rest".

V. Perov. Birder, 1870

The canvas was exhibited for the first time at the 1st traveling exhibition and promptly elicited mixed responses. Critic V. Stasov admired the work. M. Saltykov-Shchedrin criticized the picture for the lack of immediacy and life truth, for the affectation of emotions: “It is as if, when showing a picture, some actor is present, to whom the role instructs to speak aside: this is a liar, and this is a gullible one, inviting the viewer not to believe the liar hunter and have fun with the gullibility of the novice hunter. Artistic truth should speak for itself, and not through interpretation. But F. Dostoevsky did not agree with critical reviews: “What a charm! Of course, to explain - so the Germans will understand, but they will not understand, like us, that this is a Russian liar and that he is lying in Russian. After all, we almost hear and know what he is talking about, we know the whole turn of his lies, his style, his feelings.

Left: D. Kuvshinnikov. On right - central character*Hunters at rest*

Hunters became prototypes real people, acquaintances of Vasily Perov. The doctor Dmitry Kuvshinnikov, a great lover of rifle hunting, acted as a "liar", enthusiastically telling fables, the same one who also served as the prototype of Dr. Dymov in Chekhov's Jumping Girl. Kuvshinnikov's wife Sofya Petrovna was the mistress of the literary and artistic salon, which was often visited by V. Perov, I. Levitan, I. Repin, A. Chekhov and others famous artists and writers.

Left - V. Perov. Portrait of V. Bessonov, 1869. On the right - an incredulous listener, one of the *Hunters on a halt*

In the image of an ironically grinning hunter, Perov portrayed the doctor and amateur artist Vasily Bessonov, and the 26-year-old Nikolai Nagornov, a future member of the Moscow city council, served as the prototype for the young hunter, naively listening to hunting stories. This is confirmed in his memoirs by A. Volodicheva, the daughter of Nagornov. In 1962, she wrote to art critic V. Mashtafarov: “D. P. Kuvshinnikov was one of my father’s closest friends. They often went hunting for birds. My father had a dog, and therefore gathered with us: Dmitry Pavlovich, Nikolai Mikhailovich and Dr. Bessonov V.V. They are depicted by Perov (“Hunters at Rest”). Kuvshinnikov tells, father and Bessonov listen. Father - carefully, and Bessonov - with distrust ... ".

V. Perov. Hunters at rest, 1871. Fragment with game

Great importance in this work have gestures of characters with which the artist creates psychological portraits their heroes: the narrator's outstretched hands illustrate his "terrible" story, a grinning commoner scratches his head incredulously, the young listener's left hand is tensely clenched, right hand froze with a cigarette, which betrays the enthusiasm and ingenuous horror with which he listens to fables. The prey of hunters depicted in the lower left corner could well become an independent still life with game, but the artist deliberately focused all his attention on the faces and hands of the characters, highlighting these accents with bright light.

I. Kramskoy. Portrait of V. Perov, 1881. Detail

Today, reproductions of this painting have become a traditional gift for avid hunters. The canvas painted by V. Perov in 1871 is now in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, and a copy created in 1877 is in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

V. Perov. Hunters at Rest, 1877 copy

School students may be given the difficult task of describing a work of art. At first glance, the painting "Hunters at rest" does not give wide scope for creativity. Nevertheless, if you look closely, you can understand that it contains a piece of life filled with emotions and experiences. The painting “Hunters at Rest”, a photo of which can be seen in magazines or school textbooks, can evoke feelings for everyone. The task of parents is to correctly convey to their son or daughter the essence of such a task, so that the child can easily cope with it.

Plan for constructing a description of the picture

In order for the student to be able to understand how to write a story about what he saw in the artist’s drawing, he should be offered a plan. Famous picture"Hunters at rest" contains a fairly broad meaning. The order of writing may be as follows:

Approximately such a plan will help to describe the work that the artist Perov wrote. “Hunters at Rest” is a painting that reveals to everyone their emotions, worries and the state of mind of prey lovers depicted on canvas.

Descriptions for schoolchildren

The texts of the story about the image seen can be approximately the following content.

"The famous painting by Perov "Hunters at Rest" evoked various sensations in me, but they are all pleasant. The artist in pastel colors managed to convey vivid and overflowing emotions.

In the foreground, three tired hunters can be seen, who, most likely, have either already gathered at home, or simply decided to rest. One of the hunters, judging by the expression on his face and gestures, enthusiastically tells a true story or fiction that happened to him during the hunt. The second lover of ambush, waiting for prey, listens attentively to the narrator. And the third, relaxed and smiling. Most likely, he either does not believe the story, or plunged into his own thoughts and dreams.

Also in the foreground, you can see that the hunters will not come home empty-handed. They have already got a duck, a hare.

A thunderstorm is visible in the background of the image. Clouds thickened over a wide field and darkened menacingly. The trees bent their crowns, as if they wanted to protect themselves from strong wind. But the hunters, apparently, are not embarrassed by the approaching bad weather.

The artist managed to convey all the emotions, the picture is alive and allows you to fully plunge into the atmosphere of what is happening."

Approximately in this way the picture "Hunters at rest" can be described. But it is possible to describe a work of art more broadly.

Details

The painting "Hunters at rest" is perceived by everyone in their own way. Another description could be the following.

“Perov very vividly and emotionally depicted those chasing game at a halt. It is clear that the hunters are tired, but satisfied with their campaign. In the foreground, it is clearly visible that one of them will bring game home, and someone will bring a hare.

It seems that the hunter in a black cloak that looks expensive did not catch anything that day and decided to colorfully describe his past victories. Although, having looked fleetingly, it becomes clear that the hunter's gestures go off scale. Therefore, it is likely that he is telling a fable.

A very young hunter is also dressed decently enough, carefully listening to every word. This can be seen both in his facial expression and in the way he froze in anticipation of the outcome of the story.

And the third lover of hunting with a smirk looks at what is happening. It seems that he has heard various fascinating and fictional stories from the narrator more than once. But, despite some doubts in his face, the hunter is quite satisfied with today.

It looks like all the friends had a great time. This is reflected in the faces and in their mood. It is also noticeable that all of the depicted are quite wealthy and not poor people of that time. This can be seen in their clothes, grooming, accessories.

A dog of one of the hunters is running nearby. She does not want to rest and everything shows that she is still looking for prey.

In the background artwork clouds are visible. Birds, as if flying away from a thunderstorm. In the endless field, the trees bowed their branches, sheltering their trunks from the weather, as if wrapping themselves up.

However, the hunters are in no hurry to leave the friendly and sweet atmosphere. After all, they did a good job today with weapons and they have something to brag to each other.

Description of the artwork "Hunters at rest" for high school students

High school students are often asked to write sayings about artistic creations. famous authors. Usually graduates write briefly, but richly. For example:

“The picture shows three comrades who hunted excellently and decided to take a break. The active dog of one of them does not let you forget the meaning of coming to an open field.

It can be seen that this is not the first time that men visit hunting. Each of them is different, but they are all positive characters. Boasting, joy, surprise, and doubt are conveyed in their emotions.

In the background, you can see that there will be a thunderstorm soon. Apparently, the bad weather does not frighten the hunters, and they will continue to continue the action.

An excellent picture, evokes a whirlpool of emotions and experiences. It feels like I've been out in the open field chasing game."

What emotions does the painting “Hunters at Rest” convey?

It is difficult to say in one word what is shown in the picture. But it is clearly visible - the artist tried very hard to fill his creation with many experiences, so that everyone who looks sees his own. Here is the sadness of nature, and positive thinking, despite what is happening around, and the state of mind of a hunter satisfied with the prey.

How to end the description of the picture

In the description of the picture, all the nuances are important. The conclusion is one of the most important parts of a work. Therefore, it is beautiful, filled and with emotions to complete the presentation of what he saw.

Around this picture Vasily Perov since its appearance, serious passions have been burning: V. Stasov compared the canvas with the best hunting stories of I. Turgenev, and M. Saltykov-Shchedrin accused the artist of excessive theatricality and unnaturalness of the characters. Besides, in "Hunters on a Rest" everyone easily recognized the real prototypes - Perov's acquaintances. Despite the mixed reviews from critics, the picture became incredibly popular.


Vasily Perov himself was a passionate hunter, and the topic of hunting was well known to him. In the 1870s he created the so-called "hunting series": the paintings "Birdcatcher", "Fisherman", "Botanist", "Pigeon", "Fishing". For "Ptitselov" (1870), he received the title of professor, as well as a teaching position at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. But the most striking and recognizable in this cycle, of course, was the painting "Hunters at Rest".
The canvas was exhibited for the first time at the 1st Traveling Exhibition and immediately caused conflicting responses. Critic V. Stasov admired the work. M. Saltykov-Shchedrin criticized the picture for the lack of immediacy and truth of life, for the affectation of emotions: “It’s as if some actor is present when the picture is shown, to whom the role instructs to speak to the side: this is a liar, and this gullible, inviting the viewer not to believe the liar hunter and have fun with the gullibility of the novice hunter. Artistic truth should speak for itself, and not through interpretation. But F. Dostoevsky did not agree with critical reviews: “What a charm! Of course, to explain - so the Germans will understand, but they will not understand, like us, that this is a Russian liar and that he is lying in Russian. After all, we almost hear and know what he is talking about, we know the whole turn of his lies, his style, his feelings.
The prototypes of the hunters were real people who knew Vasily Perov. The doctor Dmitry Kuvshinnikov, a great lover of rifle hunting, acted as a "liar", enthusiastically telling fables, the same one who also served as the prototype of Dr. Dymov in Chekhov's Jumping Girl. Kuvshinnikov's wife Sofya Petrovna was the mistress of the literary and artistic salon, which was often visited by V. Perov, I. Levitan, I. Repin, A. Chekhov and other famous artists and writers.

In the image of an ironically grinning hunter, Perov portrayed the doctor and amateur artist Vasily Bessonov, and the 26-year-old Nikolai Nagornov, a future member of the Moscow city council, served as the prototype for the young hunter, naively listening to hunting stories. This is confirmed in his memoirs by A. Volodicheva, the daughter of Nagornov. In 1962, she wrote to art critic V. Mashtafarov: “D. P. Kuvshinnikov was one of my father’s closest friends. They often went hunting for birds. My father had a dog, and therefore gathered with us: Dmitry Pavlovich, Nikolai Mikhailovich and Dr. Bessonov V.V. They are depicted by Perov (“Hunters at Rest”). Kuvshinnikov tells, father and Bessonov listen. Father - carefully, and Bessonov - with distrust ... ".


Of great importance in this work are the gestures of the characters, with the help of which the artist creates psychological portraits of his heroes: the narrator’s outstretched hands illustrate his “terrible” story, a grinning commoner scratches his head in disbelief, the left hand of a young listener is tensely clenched, the right hand with a cigarette froze, which betrays enthusiasm and ingenuous horror with which he listens to fables. The prey of hunters depicted in the lower left corner could well become an independent still life with game, but the artist deliberately focused all his attention on the faces and hands of the characters, highlighting these accents with bright light.

Plot

What good hunting is complete without tale-telling gatherings? Vasily Perov, as an enthusiastic hunter, has himself visited such meetings more than once, almost certainly also poisoned adventure stories about the strength of the beast, his prowess and good luck. That enthusiasm, which is read on the faces of the characters, causes the viewer to dialogue, we are involved in the scene, as if we read by the lips what exactly the bayun says.

“What a delight! Of course, to explain - so the Germans will understand, but they will not understand, like us, that this is a Russian liar and that he is lying in Russian. After all, we almost hear and know what he is talking about, we know the whole turn of his lies, his style, his feelings,” Fyodor Dostoevsky praised the picture.

"Hunters on the run". (wikipedia.org)

Contemporaries easily recognized the artist's acquaintances in the characters. IN real life all three were comrades and colleagues. Doctor Dmitry Kuvshinnikov posed for the narrator, doctor Vasily Bessonov for the "experienced" one, and 26-year-old doctor Nikolai Nagornov for the newcomer. Together with Perov, they often went hunting.

Still life painted in detail. A simple snack is forgotten behind a fascinating story. However, are the narrator and his listeners so experienced? An excellent gun lies carelessly in the grass, which is unacceptable. The horn that was used for dog hunting looks superfluous - there are no signs of a flock of hounds, that is, the inventory was collected without really understanding its purpose. The heel of the shoes is high, which is not convenient when hunting. It is obvious that none of the hunters is a master, they are all amateurs.

The colors of the landscape and the hare among the prey say that the events take place in late autumn. However, the hazel grouse lying right there makes it obvious that the artist himself is lying to us: they could not have been killed on the same hunt and forest bird, and the hare is an inhabitant of fields and steppe zones.

The landscape, which plays the role of a "listener" here, was completed by Alexei Savrasov. Perov reported this in one of his letters, without specifying exactly how much work was done by Savrasov.


"Birdcatcher", 1870. (wikipedia.org)

The canvas "Hunters at rest" was created in late period Perov's work. At this time, the artist departs from his usual themes of a heavy peasant lot, the hypocrisy of the authorities and churchmen, and the general disorder of the country. The image of a peasant-contemplator, who is in unity with nature, comes to the fore.

The fate of the artist

Vasily Perov, as the illegitimate son of the Tobolsk prosecutor, received the surname of his godfather- Vasiliev, and the pseudonym with which he entered the history of art was given to him by a clerk who taught reading and writing: “He draws letters beautifully, as if he was born with a pen in his hand. And therefore I will call him Perov.


"Rural religious procession at Easter". (wikipedia.org)

In Vasily's childhood, the family often moved: his father was fired from the service and it was necessary to get settled in a new way. At the age of 10, the boy had smallpox, which affected his vision - it never fully recovered.

Already in childhood, Vasily decided to become an artist. He was sent to study in Arzamas, but was expelled from school for a plate of hot porridge thrown at a classmate. At the age of 19 he entered Moscow school painting, sculpture and architecture. Life was hard. In winter, he even skipped classes - there was nothing to go in the cold. It was hardly enough to pay for classes and an apartment, he lived from hand to mouth. If not for the help of one of the teachers, Perov would not have been able to complete the course.

Perov was one of those rare painters who did not benefit from a retirement trip to Italy. He is back ahead of time, stating that he does not understand Europe and cannot create anything worthwhile. Perov spent the rest of his life in Moscow, where, despite his growing popularity, he continued to fight poverty.


"Troika". (wikipedia.org)

On initial stage movement of the Wanderers Perov worked closely with them. But as soon as he realized that their exhibitions did not bring him the financial peace he needed, he left the partnership. The last decade of Perov's life was marked by a state close to depression: he ruled early work looking for new ideas. Those stories that made him a name - the life of the streets, faces ordinary people, dullness, dirt and poverty, which some did not talk about, while others did not know at all, no longer fascinated the artist. He was disappointed. Perov tried to prove himself in history painting, V genre scenes, but many of his ideas remained at the stage of sketches. Last work artist became a large-scale canvas "Nikita Pustosvyat".

In 1882, during his favorite hunt, Perov caught a cold, the disease developed into consumption, from which the artist died at the age of 48.