What is a battle scene? Historical battle painting

BATTLE GENRE (from the Italian battaglia - battle), depiction of battle, war, military life in art. The battle genre, when recreating military episodes of past or mythological events, merges with the historical genre and the mythological genre; sometimes it is close to the everyday genre and portrait (the image of a commander against the background of a battle), often contains elements of landscape (including marinas), animalistic genre (cavalry, war elephants, etc.) and still life (armor, trophies, etc.).

The earliest depictions of battles are in Neolithic rock paintings. The wars of the Ancient East are depicted in numerous reliefs and paintings. Ancient Egyptian temples and tombs depicted the pharaoh general, sieges of cities, processions of prisoners, and so on. Similar subjects are also cultivated in the art of Mesopotamia (“Battle of Camels”, relief from the palace of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, mid-7th century BC, British museum, London). IN ancient greek art the military valor of mythological characters (Amazonomachy, Centauromachy, Titanomachy), heroes and real commanders is glorified (see descriptions of battle paintings by Pliny the Elder; “The Battle of Alexander with Darius”, a Roman mosaic copy of the 2nd century BC from a Hellenistic example of the 4th-3rd centuries BC era, National Museum, Naples). A specific type of battle genre in art Ancient Rome- battle reliefs of triumphal arches and columns (Arch of Titus, 81 AD; Trajan's Column, early 2nd century; both in Rome).

In medieval art, the battle genre is represented in European book miniatures and carpet weaving (the so-called Bayeux Carpet with scenes of the Battle of Hastings, around 1080), sculpture of Chinese funerary structures, Japanese graphics, Indian painting, Iranian miniature. In the painting of the Italian Renaissance, the battle genre has been developing since the mid-15th century in the works of P. Uccello and Piero della Francesca. Masters High Renaissance in the battle genre they create ideal heroic images (unsurvived cardboards of “The Battle of Cascina” by Michelangelo and “The Battle of Anghiari” by Leonardo da Vinci, 1500s), including generals against the backdrop of the battle (“Charles V at the Battle of Mühlberg” by Titian, 1548, Prado, Madrid); Tintoretto was attracted to the battle genre by the opportunity to depict large masses of people (“Battle of Dawn,” circa 1585, Doge’s Palace, Venice). The battle genre received a unique sound in the art of the Northern Renaissance: in the painting by A. Altdorfer “The Battle of Alexander the Great with Darius” (1529, Alte Pinakothek, Munich) the battle is shown against the backdrop of a cosmic landscape; P. Bruegel the Elder used the battle genre to allegorize the Spanish terror in the painting “The Triumph of Death” (1562-63, Prado).

In the 17th and 18th centuries, within the framework of the battle genre, biblical and mythological stories(“Battle of the Israelites with the Amalekites” by N. Poussin, around 1625, Hermitage, St. Petersburg, etc.). The battle plot is revealed as historical event in the paintings of D. Velazquez (“Surrender of Breda,” 1634-35) and F. Zurbaran (“Liberation of Cadiz,” 1634; both in the Prado). P. P. Rubens creates a number of dynamic works of the battle genre (“Battle of the Greeks with the Amazons,” circa 1618, Alte Pinakothek, Munich; allegorical painting “The Consequences of War,” circa 1637-38, Pitti Gallery, Florence), under the influence of which a type of battle painting was emerging in Baroque art (S. Rosa in Italy, F. Wauerman in Holland, J. Bourguignon in France). Scenes of military life by Flemish painters (D. Teniers the Younger), with all the reliability of the details, also contain allegories (soldiers playing cards or dice - an allegory of the vicissitudes of fate). The battle genre received an acute tragic sound in the etchings of J. Callot (two series of “Disasters of War”, 1632-33).

The Napoleonic wars fed the battle genre of the 1st half of the 19th century: pathetic paintings by A. Gros and J. L. David dedicated to Napoleon; romantic images of T. Gericault, O. Vernet, Pole P. Michalovsky, German artists P. Hess, A. Adam and F. Kruger. The heroic resistance of the Spaniards to the French intervention was reflected in the work of F. Goya (series of etchings “Disasters of War”, 1810-20). One of the main masters of French romanticism, E. Delacroix, created a number of battle paintings on subjects of history and modernity (“Liberty Leading the People,” 1830, Louvre, Paris); in late romantic painting, the battle genre comes closer to historicism (J. Matejko). The development of realism in the 2nd half of the 19th and early 20th centuries led to the strengthening of genre motifs in the battle genre (A. von Menzel in Germany, F. von Defregger in Austria, G. Fattori in Italy, W. Homer in the USA). The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 was realistically depicted in the paintings of E. Detaille and A. Neuville; events of Mexican history - in the works of E. Manet. The battle genre also flourished in salon art (paintings by P. Delaroche, H. Macart, E. Meissonnier).

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, the theme of war received a mystical and symbolic interpretation (F. von Stuck, M. Klinger, A. Kubin, O. Dix). The battle genre is associated with the essentially anti-war works of P. Picasso (Guernica, 1937, Reina Sofia Center for the Arts, Madrid) and S. Dali (Premonition of the Civil War, 1936, Museum of Art, Philadelphia). Battle genre in Nazi Germany was focused on the style of late romanticism and cultivated pathetic heroism. The battle genre of the 2nd half of the 20th century was dominated by historical and anti-war themes.

In Russian art, the battle genre appears in medieval book miniatures and icon painting. In the 18th century, Western European battle painters were brought to Russia to glorify the victories of Peter I (“Battle of Poltava” by L. Caravaque, Hermitage, etc.). Masters of engraving (A.F. Zubov) and mosaics (M.V. Lomonosov) worked in the battle genre. With the founding of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, the battle genre is taught in two classes - battle and history. Historical painters create portraits of commanders (G. I. Ugryumov) and depict the exploits of heroes (A. I. Ivanov). A. I. Sauerweid, B. P. Villevalde, A. E. Kotzebue gravitate toward documentary accuracy; an allegorical image of the Patriotic War of 1812 - in the reliefs of F. P. Tolstoy. A romantic version of the historical battle genre was created by K. P. Bryullov (unfinished canvas “The Siege of Pskov,” 1839-43, Tretyakov Gallery), naval battles by I. K. Aivazovsky and A. P. Bogolyubov. Outside the academic tradition are the works of M. N. Vorobyov, the “Cossack scenes” of A. O. Orlovsky, the works of G. G. Gagarin and M. Yu. Lermontov on the themes of the Caucasian war. The everyday element was introduced into the battle genre by P. O. Kovalevsky, historical themes were interpreted in a realistic spirit by V. I. Surikov, I. M. Pryanishnikov, A. D. Kivshenko. A major role in the development of the battle genre in Russian art was played by the accusatory works of V.V. Vereshchagin. The appearance of panoramas and dioramas is associated with the battle genre: the works of F. A. Rubo (“Defense of Sevastopol”, 1902-04, Sevastopol; “Borodino”, 1911, Moscow) served as a model for a number of later works of such kind.

During the Soviet period, the battle genre was translated into graphics from the Civil War period of 1918-1922 (ROSTA Windows), works by members of the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia and the Society of Easel Painters. Of particular importance for the development of the Soviet battle genre is the work of M. B. Grekov (“Trumpeters of the First Cavalry”, 1934, Tretyakov Gallery). The Great Patriotic War became the main theme of the battle genre of the 1940s and the 2nd half of the 20th century. The most significant contribution was made by the masters of the Studio of Military Artists named after M. B. Grekov; a series of front-line sketches and graphic cycles were created by N. I. Dormidontov, A. F. Pakhomov, L. V. Soyfertis. The events of the war are devoted to the works of Kukryniksy, A. A. Deineka, G. G. Nissky, Ya. D. Romas, F. S. Bogorodsky, V. N. Yakovlev and others. In Russian art, since the mid-20th century, interest in historical battle themes: Battle of Kulikovo (M. I. Avilov, A. P. Bubnov, I. S. Glazunov, S. N. Prisekin), Patriotic War 1812 (N.P. Ulyanov).

Associated with the battle genre are monuments to heroes and commanders, war memorials and the like - works of architecture and sculpture containing military paraphernalia (see Armature), decorated with reliefs with scenes of battles and victories.

Lit.: Tugendhold Ya. The problem of war in world art. M., 1916; Sadoven V.V. Russian battle painters of the 18th-19th centuries M., 1955; Hodgson R. The war illustrators. L., 1977; Zaitsev E.V. Artistic chronicle of the Great Patriotic War. M., 1986; Peace and war through the eyes of artists. (Cat. exhibition). B. m., 1988; Hale J.R. Artists and warfare in the Renaissance. New Haven, 1990.

Battle genre, fine art genre

Battle genre(from French bataille - battle), genre of fine art, dedicated to topics war and military life. The main place in the battle genre is occupied by scenes of battles (including sea battles) and military campaigns of the present or past. The desire to capture a particularly important or characteristic moment of a battle, and often to reveal the historical meaning of military events, brings the battle genre closer to the historical genre. Scenes of everyday life in the army and navy found in works of the battle genre echo the everyday genre. Progressive trend in the development of the battle genre of the 19th-20th centuries. is associated with a realistic disclosure of the social nature of wars and the role of the people in them, with the exposure of unjust aggressive wars, with the glorification of popular heroism in revolutionary and liberation wars, with the education of civil patriotic feelings among the people. In the 20th century, in the era of destructive world wars, works that reflect the cruelty of imperialist wars, the innumerable suffering of peoples, and their readiness to fight for freedom are closely connected with the battle genre, historical and everyday genres.

Images of battles and campaigns have been known in art since ancient times (reliefs of the Ancient East, ancient Greek vase painting, reliefs on the pediments and friezes of temples, on ancient Roman triumphal arches and columns). In the Middle Ages, battles were depicted in European and oriental book miniatures ("Facebook Chronicle", Moscow, 16th century), sometimes on icons; images on fabrics are also known ("The Bayeux Carpet" with scenes of the Norman feudal lords conquering England, circa 1073-83); There are numerous battle scenes in the reliefs of China and Kampuchea, Indian paintings, and Japanese painting. In the 15th-16th centuries, during the Renaissance in Italy, images of battles were created by Paolo Uccello and Piero della Francesca. Heroic generality and great ideological content battle scenes were depicted in cardboards for frescoes by Leonardo da Vinci (The Battle of Anghiari, 1503-06), who showed the fierce ferocity of the battle, and Michelangelo (The Battle of Cascina, 1504-06), who emphasized the heroic readiness of the warriors to fight. Titian (the so-called "Battle of Cadore", 1537-38) introduced a real environment into the battle scene, and Tintoretto - innumerable masses of warriors ("Battle of Dawn", circa 1585). In the formation of the battle genre in the 17th century. big role played a sharp exposure of the robbery and cruelty of soldiers in the etchings of the Frenchman J. Callot, a deep disclosure of the socio-historical significance and ethical meaning of military events by the Spaniard D. Velazquez (“Surrender of Breda”, 1634), the dynamics and drama of the battle paintings of the Fleming P. P. Rubens. Later, professional battle painters emerged (A.F. van der Meulen in France), types of conditionally allegorical composition were formed, exalting the commander presented against the background of the battle (C. Lebrun in France), a small battle painting with a spectacular depiction of cavalry skirmishes, episodes of military life (F. Wauerman in Holland) and scenes of naval battles (W. van de Velde in Holland). In the 18th century In connection with the War of Independence, works of the battle genre appeared in American painting(B. West, J. S. Copley, J. Trumbull), the Russian patriotic battle genre was born - the paintings “Battle of Kulikovo” and “Battle of Poltava”, attributed to I. N. Nikitin, engravings by A. F. Zubov, mosaics from the workshop of M V. Lomonosov "Battle of Poltava" (1762-64), battle-historical compositions by G. I. Ugryumov, watercolors by M. M. Ivanov. Great French revolution(1789-94) and the Napoleonic wars were reflected in the works of many artists - A. Gro (who went from a fascination with the romance of revolutionary wars to the exaltation of Napoleon I), T. Géricault (who created heroic-romantic images of the Napoleonic epic), F. Goya (who showed the drama of the struggle of the Spanish people with the French invaders). Historicism and the freedom-loving pathos of romanticism were clearly expressed in the battle-historical paintings of E. Delacroix, inspired by the events of the July Revolution of 1830 in France. National liberation movements in Europe were inspired by the romantic battle compositions of P. Michalovsky and A. Orlovsky in Poland, G. Wappers in Belgium, and later J. Matejko in Poland, M. Alyosha, J. Cermak in the Czech Republic, and others in France in Official battle painting (O. Vernet) combined false-romantic effects with external plausibility. Russian academic battle painting moved from traditionally conventional compositions with a commander in the center to greater documentary accuracy of the overall picture of the battle and genre details (A. I. Sauerweid, B. P. Villevalde, A. E. Kotzebue). Outside the academic tradition of the battle genre were I. I. Terebenev’s popular prints dedicated to the Patriotic War of 1812, “Cossack scenes” in Orlovsky’s lithographs, drawings by P. A. Fedotov, G. G. Gagarin, M. Yu. Lermontov, lithographs by V. F. Timma.

The development of realism in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. led to the strengthening of landscape, genre, and sometimes psychological principles in the battle genre, attention to the actions, experiences, and everyday life of ordinary soldiers (A. Menzel in Germany, G. Fattori in Italy, W. Homer in the USA, M. Gierymsky in Poland, N. Grigorescu in Romania, J. Veshin in Bulgaria). A realistic depiction of the episodes of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 was given by the French E. Detail and A. Neuville. The art of naval battle painting flourishes in Russia (I.K. Aivazovsky, A.P. Bogolyubov), and battle-everyday painting appears (P.O. Kovalevsky, V.D. Polenov). With merciless truthfulness, V.V. Vereshchagin showed the harsh everyday life of war, denouncing militarism and capturing the courage and suffering of the people. Realism and rejection of conventional schemes are also inherent in the battle genre of the Itinerants - I. M. Pryanishnikov, A. D. Kivshenko, V. I. Surikov, who created a monumental epic of the military exploits of the people, V. M. Vasnetsov, who was inspired by the ancient Russian epic. The greatest master of the battle panorama was F. A. Roubaud.

In the 20th century social and national liberation revolutions, unprecedentedly destructive wars radically changed the battle genre, expanding its boundaries and artistic sense. Many works of the battle genre raised historical, philosophical and social issues, problems of peace and war, fascism and war, war and human society etc. In the countries of fascist dictatorship, brute force and cruelty were glorified in soulless, falsely monumental forms. In contrast to the apology of militarism, the Belgian F. Maserel, the German artists K. Kollwitz and O. Dix, the Englishman F. Brangwin, the Mexican J.C. Orozco, the French painter P. Picasso, the Japanese painters Maruki Iri and Maruki Toshiko and others, protesting against fascism , imperialist wars, cruel inhumanity, created vividly emotional, symbolic images of the people's tragedy.

In Soviet art, the battle genre was very widely developed, expressing the ideas of protecting the socialist fatherland, the unity of the army and the people, revealing the class nature of wars. Soviet battle painters highlighted the image of the Soviet patriotic warrior, his fortitude and courage, love for the Motherland and the will to win. The Soviet battle genre was formed in the graphics of the Civil War period of 1918-20, and then in the paintings of M. B. Grekov, M. I. Avilov, F. S. Bogorodsky, P. M. Shukhmin, K. S. Petrov-Vodkin, A A. Deineka, G. K. Savitsky, N. S. Samokish, R. R. Frenz; it experienced a new rise during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45 and in the post-war years - in posters and “TASS Windows”, front-line graphics, graphic cycles of D. A. Shmarinov, A. F. Pakhomov, B. I. Prorokov and others. , paintings by Deineka, Kukryniksy, members of the Studio of Military Artists named after M. B. Grekov (P. A. Krivonogov, B. M. Nemensky, etc.), in sculpture by Yu. J. Mikenas, E. V. Vuchetich, M. K Anikushina, A. P. Kibalnikov, V. E. Tsigal, etc.

In the art of socialist countries and in the progressive art of capitalist countries, works of the battle genre are dedicated to the depiction of anti-fascist and revolutionary battles, major events in national history (K. Dunikowski in Poland, J. Andreevich-Kun, G. A. Kos and P. Lubarda in Yugoslavia, J. Salim in Iraq), the history of the liberation struggle of peoples (M. Lingner in the GDR, R. Guttuso in Italy, D. Siqueiros in Mexico).

Lit.: V. Ya. Brodsky, Soviet battle painting, L.-M., 1950; V. V. Sadoven, Russian battle painters of the 18th-19th centuries, M., 1955; The Great Patriotic War in works Soviet artists. Painting. Sculpture. Graphics, M., 1979; Johnson P., Front line artists, L., 1978.

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Battle genre

The battle genre (from the French bataille - battle), a genre of fine art dedicated to the themes of war and military life. The main place in the battle genre is occupied by scenes of battles (including sea battles) and military campaigns of the present or past. The desire to capture a particularly important or characteristic moment of a battle, and often to reveal the historical meaning of military events, brings the battle genre closer to the historical genre. Scenes of everyday life in the army and navy found in works of the battle genre echo the everyday genre. Progressive trend in the development of the battle genre of the 19th-20th centuries. is associated with a realistic disclosure of the social nature of wars and the role of the people in them, with the exposure of unjust aggressive wars, with the glorification of popular heroism in revolutionary and liberation wars, with the education of civil patriotic feelings among the people. In the 20th century, in the era of destructive world wars, works that reflect the cruelty of imperialist wars, the innumerable suffering of peoples, and their readiness to fight for freedom are closely connected with the battle genre, historical and everyday genres.

Images of battles and campaigns have been known in art since ancient times (reliefs of the Ancient East, ancient Greek vase painting, reliefs on the pediments and friezes of temples, on ancient Roman triumphal arches and columns). In the Middle Ages, battles were depicted in European and Eastern book miniatures (“Facebook Chronicle”, Moscow, 16th century), sometimes on icons; images on fabrics are also known (“The Bayeux Carpet” with scenes of the Norman feudal lords conquering England, circa 1073-83); There are numerous battle scenes in the reliefs of China and Kampuchea, Indian paintings, and Japanese painting. In the 15th-16th centuries, during the Renaissance in Italy, images of battles were created by Paolo Uccello and Piero della Francesca. Battle scenes received heroic generalization and great ideological content in cardboards for frescoes by Leonardo da Vinci (“Battle of Anghiari”, 1503-06), who showed the fierce ferocity of the battle, and Michelangelo (“Battle of Cascina”, 1504-06), who emphasized heroic readiness warriors to fight. Titian (the so-called "Battle of Cadore", 1537-38) introduced a real environment into the battle scene, and Tintoretto - innumerable masses of warriors ("Battle of Dawn", circa 1585). In the formation of the battle genre in the 17th century. a major role was played by the acute exposure of the robbery and cruelty of soldiers in the etchings of the Frenchman J. Callot, the deep disclosure of the socio-historical significance and ethical meaning of military events by the Spaniard D. Velazquez (“Surrender of Breda”, 1634), the dynamics and drama of the battle paintings of the Flemish P.P. Rubens. Later, professional battle painters emerged (A.F. van der Meulen in France), types of conventionally allegorical compositions were formed, exalting the commander presented against the backdrop of the battle (C. Lebrun in France), a small battle painting with a spectacular depiction of cavalry skirmishes, episodes of military life (F. Wauerman in Holland) and scenes of naval battles (W. van de Velde in Holland). In the 18th century in connection with the War of Independence, works of the battle genre appeared in American painting (B. West, J.S. Copley, J. Trumbull), the Russian patriotic battle genre was born - the paintings “Battle of Kulikovo” and “Battle of Poltava”, attributed to I.N. . Nikitin, engravings by A.F. Zubov, mosaic from the workshop of M.V. Lomonosov “Battle of Poltava” (1762-64), battle-historical compositions by G.I. Ugryumov, watercolors by M.M. Ivanova. The Great French Revolution (1789-94) and the Napoleonic Wars were reflected in the works of many artists - A. Gro (who went from being fascinated by the romance of revolutionary wars to the exaltation of Napoleon I), T. Gericault (who created heroic-romantic images of the Napoleonic epic), F. Goya (who showed the drama of the struggle of the Spanish people with the French invaders). Historicism and the freedom-loving pathos of romanticism were clearly expressed in the battle-historical paintings of E. Delacroix, inspired by the events of the July Revolution of 1830 in France. The national liberation movements in Europe were inspired by the romantic battle compositions of P. Michalovsky and A. Orlovsky in Poland, G. Wappers in Belgium, and later J. Matejko in Poland, M. Alyosha, J. Cermak in the Czech Republic, etc. In France in Official battle painting (O. Vernet) combined false-romantic effects with external plausibility. Russian academic battle painting moved from traditionally conventional compositions with a commander in the center to greater documentary accuracy of the overall picture of the battle and genre details (A.I. Sauerweid, B.P. Villevalde, A.E. Kotzebue). Luboks by I.I. stood outside the academic tradition of the battle genre. Terebenev, dedicated to the Patriotic War of 1812, “Cossack scenes” in Orlovsky’s lithographs, drawings by P.A. Fedotova, G.G. Gagarina, M.Yu. Lermontov, lithographs by V.F. Timma.

The development of realism in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. led to the strengthening of landscape, genre, and sometimes psychological principles in the battle genre, attention to the actions, experiences, and everyday life of ordinary soldiers (A. Menzel in Germany, G. Fattori in Italy, W. Homer in the USA, M. Gierymsky in Poland, N. Grigorescu in Romania, J. Veshin in Bulgaria). A realistic depiction of the episodes of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 was given by the French E. Detail and A. Neuville. In Russia, the art of naval battle painting flourishes (I.K. Aivazovsky, A.P. Bogolyubov), and battle-everyday painting appears (P.O. Kovalevsky, V.D. Polenov). With merciless truthfulness, V.V. showed the harsh everyday life of the war. Vereshchagin, who denounced militarism and captured the courage and suffering of the people. Realism and rejection of conventional schemes are also inherent in the battle genre of the Wanderers - I.M. Pryanishnikova, A.D. Kivshenko, V.I. Surikov, who created a monumental epic of the military exploits of the people, V.M. Vasnetsov, who was inspired by the ancient Russian epic. The greatest master of battle panorama was F.A. Rubo.

In the 20th century social and national liberation revolutions, unprecedentedly destructive wars radically changed the battle genre, expanding its boundaries and artistic meaning. Many works of the battle genre raised historical, philosophical and social issues, problems of peace and war, fascism and war, war and human society, etc. In the countries of the fascist dictatorship, brute force and cruelty were glorified in soulless, falsely monumental forms. In contrast to the apology of militarism, the Belgian F. Maserel, the German artists K. Kollwitz and O. Dix, the Englishman F. Brangwyn, the Mexican H.C. Orozco, French painter P. Picasso, Japanese painters Maruki Iri and Maruki Toshiko and others, protesting against fascism, imperialist wars, cruel inhumanity, created vividly emotional, symbolic images of the people's tragedy.

In Soviet art, the battle genre was very widely developed, expressing the ideas of protecting the socialist fatherland, the unity of the army and the people, revealing the class nature of wars. Soviet battle painters highlighted the image of the Soviet patriotic warrior, his fortitude and courage, love for the Motherland and the will to win. The Soviet battle genre was formed in the graphics of the Civil War period of 1918-20, and then in the paintings of M.B. Grekova, M.I. Avilova, F.S. Bogorodsky, P.M. Shukhmina, K.S. Petrova-Vodkina, A.A. Deineki, G.K. Savitsky, N.S. Samokisha, R.R. Frentz; it experienced a new rise during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45 and in the post-war years - in posters and “TASS Windows”, front-line graphics, graphic cycles by D.A. Shmarinova, A.F. Pakhomova, B.I. Prorokov and others, paintings by Deineka, Kukryniksy, members of the Studio of Military Artists named after M.B. Grekova (P.A. Krivonogov, B.M. Nemensky and others), in sculpture by Yu.Y. Mikenas, E.V. Vuchetich, M.K. Anikushina, A.P. Kibalnikova, V.E. Tsigala and others.

In the art of socialist countries and in the progressive art of capitalist countries, works of the battle genre are devoted to the depiction of anti-fascist and revolutionary battles, the largest events of national history (K. Dunikowski in Poland, J. Andreevich-Kun, G.A. Kos and P. Lubarda in Yugoslavia, J. Salim in Iraq), the history of the liberation struggle of peoples (M. Lingner in the GDR, R. Guttuso in Italy, D. Siqueiros in Mexico).

Leonardo da Vinci. "Battle of Angyari". 1503-1506. Drawing by P.P. Rubens. Louvre. Paris

M.B. Grekov. "Tachanka". 1925. Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow

V.V. Vereshchagin. "They attack by surprise." 1871. Tretyakov Gallery. Moscow

A.A. Deineka. "Defense of Sevastopol". 1942. Russian Museum. Leningrad

battle fine military battle

The formation of the battle genre began in the Renaissance (Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Tintoretto), it experienced its heyday in the 17th-18th centuries. (D. Velazquez, Rembrandt, N. Poussin, A. Watteau) and especially vividly conveys the tragedy of war during the period of romanticism in the 1st half of the 19th century. (F. Goya, T. Gericault, E. Delacroix). Battle painters, as a rule, strive to convey the heroic readiness to fight, glorify military valor, the triumph of victory, but sometimes in their works they expose the anti-human essence of war, curse it (P. Picasso “Guernica”, paintings by V. Vereshchagin, M. Grekov , A. Deineki, E. Moiseenko, G. Korzheva, etc.).

Formation of B. dates back to the 16th-17th centuries, but images of battles have been known in art since ancient times. Reliefs of the Ancient East represent a king or commander exterminating enemies, sieges of cities, processions of warriors. In ancient Greek vase paintings, reliefs on the pediments and friezes of temples, the military valor of mythical heroes is glorified as a moral example; a unique depiction of the battle between Alexander the Great and Darius (Roman mosaic copy of a Hellenistic sample from the 4th-3rd centuries BC). Reliefs on ancient Roman triumphal arches and columns glorify the conquests and victories of emperors. In the Middle Ages, battles were depicted on fabrics (“The Bayeux Carpet” with scenes of the Norman conquest of England, circa 1073-83), in European and oriental book miniatures (“Facebook Chronicle”, Moscow, 16th century), sometimes on icons; There are numerous battle scenes in the reliefs of China and Cambodia, Indian paintings, and Japanese paintings. The first experiments in realistic depictions of battles date back to the Renaissance in Italy (Paolo Uccello, Piero della Francesca - 15th century); it received heroic generalization and great ideological content in the cardboards for frescoes by Leonardo da Vinci (“Battle of Anghiari”, 1503-06), who showed the fierce ferocity of the battle and the “brutal madness” of civil strife, and Michelangelo (“Battle of Cascina”, 1504-06 ), who emphasized heroic readiness to fight; Titian introduced a real environment into the battle scene (the so-called “Battle of Cadore”, 1537-38), and Tintoretto introduced countless masses of warriors (“Battle of Dawn”, circa 1585).

In the formation of B. in the 17th century a major role was played by the acute exposure of the cruelty of the conquerors in the etchings of the Frenchman J. Callot, the deep disclosure of the socio-historical meaning of military events in the “Surrender of Breda” by the Spaniard D. Velazquez (1634-35), the dramatic passion of the battle paintings of the Flemish P.P. Rubens. Later, professional battle painters emerged (A.F. van der Meulen in France), types of conventionally allegorical compositions were formed, exalting the commander presented against the backdrop of the battle (C. Lebrun in France), a small battle painting with a spectacular (but indifferent to the meaning of the events ) depicting cavalry skirmishes or episodes of military life (S. Rosa in Italy, F. Wauerman in Holland) and scenes of a naval battle (W. van de Velde in Holland). In the 18th century conventional official battles were opposed true images the hardships of camp and camp life (A. Watteau in France), and later - paintings by American painters (B. West, J.S. Copley, J. Trumbull), who introduced sincere pathos and fresh observations into the depiction of military episodes: the Russian patriotic B . and. - paintings “Battle of Kulikovo” and “Battle of Poltava”, attributed to I.N. Nikitin, engravings by A.F. Zubov with naval battles, mosaic from the workshop of M.V. Lomonosov “Battle of Poltava” (1762-64), large battle-historical compositions by G.I. Ugryumov, watercolors by M.M. Ivanov with images of the assaults of Ochakov and Izmail. The Great French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars gave rise to large battle paintings by A. Gro (who came from a fascination with the romance of revolutionary wars to the false exaltation of Napoleon and the external effectiveness of the exotic surroundings), dry documentary paintings by German artists A. Adam and P. Hess, but at the same time psychologically true romantic images of the Napoleonic epic in the paintings of T. Gericault and stunning dramatic scenes of the struggle of the Spaniards with the French invaders in the paintings and graphics of the Spanish artist F. Goya. The historicism and freedom-loving pathos of progressive romanticism were clearly expressed in the battle-historical paintings of E. Delacroix, who showed the dramatically passionate tension of mass battles, the cruelty of the conquerors, and the inspiration of freedom fighters.

Liberation movements inspired the romantic battle compositions of P. Michalovsky and A. Orlovsky in Poland, G. Wappers in Belgium, and later J. Matejko in Poland, J. Cermak in the Czech Republic, J. Jaksic in Serbia, etc. In France, the romantic legend of Napoleon colors the semi-genre paintings of N.T. Charlet and O. Raffe. In the dominant official battle painting (O. Berne), nationalist concepts and false-romantic effects were combined with external plausibility. Russian academic battle painting moved from traditional conventional compositions with a commander in the center (V.I. Moshkov) to greater documentary accuracy of the overall picture of the battle and genre details (A.I. Sauerweid, B.P. Willewalde and especially A.E. Kotzebue) , but even K.P. could not overcome her traditional spirit of idealization. Bryullov, who tried to create a folk-heroic epic in the Siege of Pskov (1839-43). Outside the academic tradition of B. zh. there were popular prints of I.I. Terebenev, dedicated to the people’s feat in the Patriotic War of 1812, “Cossack scenes” in Orlovsky’s lithographs, drawings by P.A. Fedotov on the themes of barracks and camp life, drawings by G.G. Gagarin and M.Yu. Lermontov, vividly recreating scenes of the war in the Caucasus, lithographs by V.F. Timm on the themes of the Crimean War 1853-56.

The apotheosis of war in the vision of V.V. Vereshchagin.

Having learned in April 1868 that the Bukhara emir, who was in Samarkand, declared a “holy war” on the Russian troops, Vereshchagin rushed after the army to meet the enemy. "War! And so close to me! In the very central Asia! I wanted to take a closer look at the anxiety of the battles, and I immediately left the village.” Vereshchagin did not see the battle that unfolded on the outskirts of Samarkand on May 2, 1868, but shuddered at the picture of the tragic consequences of this battle. “I have never seen a battlefield, and my heart bleeds.” These words of the artist are a cry of horror from a not yet coarsened, impressionable soul, which has received the first impetus for deep reflection about what war is. From here it was still a very long way to the development of firm anti-militarist views. And yet the first strong shock had far-reaching consequences.

Stopping in Samarkand, occupied by the Russians, Vereshchagin began studying the life and way of life of the city. But when the main troops under the command of Kaufman left Samarkand to further fight the emir, the small garrison of the city locked itself in the citadel and was besieged by thousands of troops of the Shakhrisabz Khanate and the rebellious local population. The opponents outnumbered the Russians by almost eighty times. From their fire, the ranks of the courageous defenders of the Samarkand citadel were greatly thinned. The situation sometimes became simply catastrophic. Vereshchagin, having exchanged a pencil for a gun, joined the ranks of the defenders.

The defense of Samarkand not only strengthened Vereshchagin’s character and will, but also forced him to reflect on what he had experienced and seen. The horrors of the battle, the death and suffering of masses of people, the atrocities of the enemies, who subjected prisoners to excruciating torture and cut off their heads - all this left an indelible mark on the artist’s mind, greatly worried and tormented him. He later said that the looks of the dying remained a painful memory for him forever.

During his second trip to Turkestan, Vereshchagin worked especially hard and very successfully in the field of painting.

To summarize the material accumulated in Turkestan, Vereshchagin settled in Munich from the beginning of 1871, where he began creating a large series of paintings. A number of battle paintings were combined by the artist into a series, which he called “Barbarians.” In the paintings in this series: “Looking out” (1873), “Attack by surprise” (1871), “Surrounded - persecuted” (1872), “Presenting trophies” (1872), “Triumphing” (1872), “At the tomb of the saint they thank the Almighty "(1873) and "Apotheosis of War" (1871-1872), depict interconnected episodes from the Turkestan War, telling about its cruelty. The final painting of the series, “The Apotheosis of War,” depicts a pyramid of human skulls stacked in a Central Asian valley, against the backdrop of a war-torn city and dried-out gardens. Flocks of hungry birds of prey circle over the pyramid and land on the skulls. The hot air is conveyed with great skill. The expressive grayish-yellow color perfectly conveys the feeling of sun-dried, dead nature. In “Apotheosis of War” the artist achieves significant tonal unity, testifying to the growth of his skill in conveying space, air and light.

“The Apotheosis of War” is the artist’s stern condemnation of wars of conquest that bring death, destruction, and destruction. The painting reproduces one of the “pyramids”, which, on the orders of Tamerlane and other eastern despots, were built from the skulls of their defeated enemies. On the frame of the painting, the artist inscribed significant words: “Dedicated to all great conquerors, past, present and future.” The picture fully retains its incriminating power to this day, revealing the crime of modern imperialist aggression, which dooms entire countries and peoples to destruction.

War painting 1941-1945.

The most difficult test for the country was the Second World War with Hitler's Germany. When the second one broke out World War, the history of world art has gone through extraordinary events. The social movements of those years gave rise to revolutionary trends in artistic creativity. National movements excite new ideas and art forms. In these years, a highly developed artistic culture collides with elementary ideologism and crude populism. In this period government and political parties are increasingly showing their interest in art.

Increasingly, this interest was expressed in cultural policy, in the spirit of which the rights to the national and classical heritage are proclaimed and modern artistic movements receive ideological and political qualifications, from which practical conclusions flow. The painters of that time tried to reflect the intensity of the people’s fierce struggle through the depiction of Russian nature, for which the presence of alien invaders was alien, revealing much of the events of the war. The chronicle of mournful losses was forever captured in Russian painting. The events of the Great Patriotic War will never be erased from human memory. Artists will turn to her again and again. The deepest drama experienced by humanity over the past decades of the 20th century - the invasion of fascism and the Second World War - placed historical and artistic processes in the most direct connection and dependence on it. The emigration of architects and artists from countries captured by fascism made significant changes in demographics artistic culture peace. Flight from fascism, rejection of it by artists who had withdrawn into their own inner world, preserving the images and ideals of their creativity, was an act of spiritual resistance to fascist aggression.

Capital works of easel art are also created in the USSR. In countries captured by fascism, the art of Resistance is formed - an artistic movement with political effectiveness and developing its own properties of content and style. This art contains a keen response to the tragedy of war and embodies the nightmares of fascism in allegorical and event-specific compositions.

Arkady Alexandrovich Plastov

Plastov A.A. born in 1893 in the village. Leaning against the Simbirsk lips. His best paintings became classics of Russian painting of the 20th century. Plastov is a great artist of peasant Russia. She looks at us from his paintings and portraits and will remain in eternity the way Plastov depicted her.

He was the son of a village bookworm and the grandson of a local icon painter. He graduated from theological school and seminary. From his youth he dreamed of becoming a painter. In 1914 he managed to enter the Moscow School of Painting and Painting, but he was accepted only into the sculpture department. At the same time he studied painting. In 1917-1925 Plastov lived in his native village; as “literate”, he was involved in various public affairs. Only in the second half of the 1920s. he was able to return to professional artistic work.

In 1931, Plastov A.A. The house burned down, almost everything created by that time was destroyed. The artist is almost forty years old, and he finds himself practically in the position of a beginner. But another forty years of tireless work - and the number of his works approached 10,000. There were several hundred portraits alone. These are mostly portraits of fellow villagers. The artist worked a lot and fruitfully in the 1930s, but he created his first masterpieces during the war years.

Arkady Alexandrovich is a natural realist. Modernist pride, the search for something completely new and unprecedented were completely alien to him. He lived in the world and admired its beauty. Like many Russian realist artists, Plastov is convinced that the main thing for an artist is to see this beauty and be extremely sincere. You don’t have to write beautifully, you have to write the truth, and it will be more beautiful than any fantasy. The artist tested every shade, every feature in his paintings many times while working from life.

Unpretentiousness complete absence what is called “manner” distinguishes Plastov even from those wonderful masters, the heir of whose painting principles he was - A.E. Arkhipova, F. A Malyavina, K.A. Korovina. Plastov A.A. recognizes himself as a successor of the entire national artistic tradition. In the color of Russian nature he sees the enchanting colors of our old icons. These colors live in his paintings: in the gold of the grain fields, in the green of the grass, in the red, pink and blue of peasant clothes. The place of holy ascetics is taken by Russian peasants, whose work is both hard and holy, whose life for Plastov is the embodied harmony of nature and man.

Plastov's works reflect the trials of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War ("The Fascist Flew", 1942), the patriotic work of women, old people and children on collective farm fields during the war years ("Harvest", "Haymaking", 1945, both paintings were awarded in 1946 Stalin Prize). The painting “Haymaking” sounded like a colorful hymn to the new peaceful life, the joy of the people who emerged from the difficult trials of war with honor and glory. In the painting “Harvest” the theme of war is hidden, it is in the absence of the fathers and older brothers of the children sitting next to the elderly peasant. Its triumph is in the radiance of the sun's rays, the riot of herbs and flowers, the breadth of the Russian landscape, the simple and eternal joy of working in its native land.

During the war, the artist lived and worked in the village of Prislonikha. Plastov’s canvas “The Fascist Flew” (1942) is one of the most disturbing and unforgettable works of painting. Russian autumn, with its golden headdress of falling leaves, withering greenery in the fields and the figure of a dead shepherd boy in the foreground, bears traces of senseless military cruelty. The silhouette of a flying German killer plane is barely visible on the horizon.

And subsequently, in his best works, Plastov maintained the achieved level: “Spring” (1952), “Youth” (1953-54), “Spring” (1954), “Summer” (1959-60), “Dinner for Tractor Drivers” (1951) . Among Plastov’s works, the painting “Spring” (1951) also stands out. This canvas exudes a poetic feeling of life. A young girl, running out of a village bathhouse, carefully dresses the little girl. The artist masterfully conveys the beauty of a young naked female body, the transparency of the still chilly air. Man and nature appear here in an inextricable connection.

It is no coincidence that the titles of many of his paintings contain something general. Arkady Alexandrovich was given the rare ability to turn real life events, often the most mundane, into perfect image, as if to discover their innermost, true meaning and significance in the general system of the structure of the universe. That is why he, a modern Russian realist, naturally continued the classical artistic tradition.

The happiness of existence, the inexplicably sweet feeling of the Motherland literally pours out on us from Plastov’s paintings. But... the Russia that Plastov loved so much, of which he was a part, was already becoming a thing of the past before his eyes. “From the Past” (1969-70) is the name of one of the artist’s last major works. Peasant family in the field during a short rest. Everything is so naturally simple and so significant. Peasant Holy Family. A world of harmony and happiness. A piece of heaven on earth.

Plastov’s illustrations to the works of Russian poets and prose writers are also interesting. They are very close in worldview to his paintings. The brightness and emotionality of the concept distinguish Plastov’s works in the field of illustration (“Frost, Red Nose” by N.A. Nekrasov, 1948; “The Captain’s Daughter” by A.S. Pushkin, 1948-1949; works by L.N. Tolstoy, 1953; story by A. .P. Chekhov, 1954, etc.).

Canvas "Collective farm holiday". For a number of reasons, this work fits the definition of style socialist realism, proclaimed fundamental to Soviet art. However, it should be clarified that the mentioned picture was included in realistic method with reservations, because it is too bright and demonstratively popular. The author overloaded the plot with details several times, but this helped him create the impression of natural village fun, devoid of official idleness.

Plastov A.A. - Soviet painter, People's Artist of the USSR. Plein air genre paintings and landscapes, Plastov’s portraits are imbued with a poetic perception of nature, the life of the Russian village and its people (“The Fascist Flew Over,” 1942, the cycle “People of a Collective Farm Village,” 1951-1965). Lenin Prize (1966). State USSR Prize (1946).

Completed in 1945 long period history of 20th century art. The victory of democratic forces over fascism and the enormous socio-political, national and international changes that followed it decisively restructured the artistic geography of the world and made serious changes in the composition and course of development of world art. With its new problems, art enters the post-war period, when the three main factors that determine its development - socio-political, national and international, ideological and artistic - create a new historical and artistic situation.

The work of artists and sculptors was imbued with the spirit of wartime. During the war years, such forms of operational visual propaganda as military and political posters and caricatures became widespread. These posters, memorable to the entire military generation of Soviet people, were published in thousands of copies: “Warrior of the Red Army, save us!” (V. Koretsky), “Partisans, take revenge without mercy!” (T. Eremin), “The Motherland is calling!” (I. Toidze) and many others. More than 130 artists and 80 poets took part in the creation of the satirical “TASS Windows”.

Gerasimov Sergei Vasilievich (1885-1964)

A gifted painter and graphic artist, a master of book illustration, a born teacher, S.V. Gerasimov successfully realized his talent in all these areas of creativity.

He received his art education at SKhPU (1901-07), then at MUZHVZ (1907-12), where he studied with K.A. Korovin and S.V. Ivanova. In his youth, Gerasimov preferred watercolors and it was in this subtle technique that he developed the exquisite color scheme characteristic of his works with silvery-pearl tints of free, light strokes. Along with portraits and landscapes, he often turned to motifs of folk life, but it was not the narrative or ethnographic details that attracted the artist here, but the very elements of rural and provincial city life (“At the Cart,” 1906; “Mozhaisk Rows,” 1908; “Weddings in a Tavern” ", 1909). In drawings, lithographs, engravings of the early 1920s. ("Men" series), the artist was looking for a more acute, dramatically intense expression of peasant characters. These searches partly continued in painting: “Front-line soldier” (1926), “Collective farm watchman” (1933). Gerasimov is a lyricist by nature, an exquisite landscape painter. His highest achievements are in small full-scale sketches of Russian nature. They are remarkable for their poetry, subtle sense of life, harmony and freshness of color (“Winter”, 1939; “The Ice Has Passed”, 1945; “Spring Morning”, 1953; series “Mozhaisk Landscapes”, 1950s, etc.). Meanwhile, according to the official hierarchy of genres adopted in his time, a painting with a detailed and ideologically consistent plot was considered a full-fledged work of painting. But such paintings were to a certain extent successful for Gerasimov only when in them he could convey a lyrical state that unites the poetry of the natural environment: “On the Volkhov. Fishermen" (1928-30), "Collective farm holiday" (1937).

Attempts to convey dramatic situations turned out to be not very convincing (“Oath of the Siberian Partisans,” 1933; “Mother of the Partisan,” 1947). Among graphic works The artist's most famous illustrations for the poem by N.A. Nekrasov “Who Lives Well in Rus'” (1933-36) and to M. Gorky’s novel “The Artamonov Case” (1939-54; for them Gerasimov was awarded a gold medal at the 1958 World Exhibition in Brussels). From a young age and throughout his entire career, Gerasimov was passionate about teaching: at the art school at the printing house of the I.D. Partnership. Sytin (1912-14), at the State School of Printing at the People's Commissariat for Education (1918-23), at the Vkhutemas - Vkhutein (1920-29), the Moscow Printing Institute (1930-36), MGHI (1937-50), MVHPU (1950- 64). In 1956 he was awarded the academic degree of Doctor of Art History.

Alexander Alexandrovich Deineka

Alexander Alexandrovich Deineka was born on May 8 (20), 1899 in Kursk, in the family of a railway worker. He received his primary education in Kharkov art school(1915-1917). The artist’s youth, like many of his contemporaries, was associated with revolutionary events. In 1918, he worked as a photographer in Ugrozysk, headed the Fine Arts section of Gubnadobraz, designed propaganda trains, and participated in the defense of Kursk from the Whites. From 1919 to 1920, Deineka was in the army, where he headed an art studio at the Kursk political department and “Windows of ROST” in Kursk.

From the army he was sent to study in Moscow, at VKHUTEMAS in the printing department, where his teachers were V.A. Favorsky and I.I. Nivinsky (1920-1925). Great value in creative development and in shaping the artist’s worldview, they had years of apprenticeship and communication with V.A. Favorsky, as well as meetings with V.V. Mayakovsky. Creative look Deineki was clearly and clearly represented in his works at the first exhibition in 1924, in which he participated as part of the “Group of Three” (the group also included A.D. Goncharov and Yu.I. Pimenov), and at the First Discussion Exhibition of Associations active revolutionary art. In 1925 Deineka became one of the founders of the Society of Easel Painters (OST). During these years, he created the first Soviet truly monumental historical and revolutionary painting, “The Defense of Petrograd” (1928). In 1928, Deineka became a member of the October art association, and in 1931-1932 - a member of the Russian Association of Proletarian Artists (RAPH). In 1930, the artist created posters that were expressive in color and composition: “We are mechanizing Donbass”, “Physical worker”. In 1931, paintings and watercolors very different in mood and theme appeared: “On the Balcony,” “Girl at the Window,” “Mercenary of the Interventionists.”

A new significant stage in Deineka’s work began in 1932. The most significant work of this period is the painting “Mother” (1932). During these same years, the artist created works that were bold in their novelty and poetry: “ Night landscape with horses and dry herbs" (1933), "Bathing girls" (1933), "Afternoon" (1932), etc. Along with works of lyrical sound, socio-political works also appeared: "Unemployed in Berlin" (1933), filled with anger drawings for the novel “Fire” by A. Barbusse (1934). Since the mid-1930s, Deineka became interested in modern themes. The artist had addressed the topic of aviation before (“Parachutists over the sea”, 1934), but in 1937 he worked on illustrations for a children’s book by pilot G.F. Baidukova’s “Across the Pole to America” (published in 1938) contributed to the master’s renewed interest in aviation. He wrote a number of paintings, one of the most romantic - “Future Pilots” (1937). The historical theme is embodied in monumental works, devoted mainly to pre-revolutionary history. The artist made sketches of panels for exhibitions in Paris and New York. Among the most significant works of the late 1930s and early 1940s is “Left March” (1940). During the Great Patriotic War, Deineka created intense and dramatic works. Painting “Outskirts of Moscow. November 1941" (1941) is the first in this series. Another work, “The Burnt Village” (1942), is imbued with deep suffering. In 1942, Deineka created the canvas “Defense of Sevastopol” (1942) filled with heroic pathos, which was a kind of hymn to the courage of the city’s defenders. Significant works of the post-war period include the paintings “By the Sea. Fisherwomen" (1956), "Military Moscow", "In Sevastopol" (1959), as well as mosaics for the foyer of the assembly hall of Moscow University (1956), mosaics for the foyer of the Palace of Congresses in the Moscow Kremlin (1961). Deineka’s mosaics decorate the Moscow metro stations “Mayakovskaya” (1938) and “Novokuznetskaya” (1943), and for the mosaics “Good Morning” (1959-1960) and “Hockey Players” (1959-1960), he was awarded the Lenin Prize in 1964 .

Deineka taught in Moscow at the Vkhutein (1928-1930), at the Moscow Printing Institute (1928-1934), at the Moscow art institute named after V.I. Surikov (1934-1946, 1957-1963), at the Moscow Institute of Applied and Decorative Arts (1945-1953, director until 1948), at the Moscow Architectural Institute (1953-1957). He was a member of the presidium (since 1958), vice-president (1962-1966), academic secretary (1966-1968) of the decorative arts department of the USSR Academy of Arts. Awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and medals, hero Socialist Labor (1969)

On June 12, 1969, Alexander Alexandrovich Deineka died in Moscow and was buried at the Moscow Novodevichy Cemetery

Korin Pavel Dmitrievich

Korin Pavel Dmitrievich (1892-1967), Russian artist. Born in Palekh on June 25 (July 7), 1892 in the family of an icon painter. In 1912 he entered the Moscow school painting, sculpture and architecture, which he graduated in 1916. Among his mentors were K.A. Korovin and S.V. Malyutin; however, Korin’s main teachers were A.A. Ivanov and M.V. Nesterov. Korin lived in Moscow, often visiting Palekh.

The young artist’s dreams of creating a large canvas equivalent to Ivanovo’s Messiah finally took shape in the Donskoy Monastery, on the day of the funeral service for Patriarch Tikhon (1925). The mass of thousands of believers inspired Korin to create the Requiem, a picture that would embody “holy Rus'” on the verge of tragic changes. In line with this plan, he creates wonderful type portraits (Father and Son, 1930; Beggar, 1933; Abbess, 1935; Metropolitan (future Patriarch Sergius), 1937, etc.; almost all of the works are in the Korin House Museum); His original style of writing is being developed, much tougher and more severe than that of Nesterov. At the invitation of M. Gorky (who suggested calling future picture Rus' is leaving) Korin managed to visit Italy and other European countries in 1931-1932. In the 1930s, work on the passing of Russia (as a result of direct threats from the NKVD) had to be interrupted. Following the tragically lonely image of Gorky (1932), Korin wrote in 1939-1943 (by order of the Committee for Arts) a series of portraits of Soviet cultural figures (M.V. Nesterov, A.N. Tolstoy, V.I. Kachalov; all - in the Tretyakov Gallery; etc.), ceremonial and at the same time sharply dramatic. The triptych Alexander Nevsky (1942-1943, ibid.) and the mosaics at the Komsomolskaya metro station (1953) created in the war and post-war years are imbued with the pathos of struggle and victory. In the post-war decades, Korin completed the compositional sketch of the Requiem (1959, house museum) and continued the series of “heroic portraits” (S.T. Konenkov, 1947; Kukryniksy, 1958; both portraits in the Tretyakov Gallery; Lenin Prize 1963).

In 1932-1959 Korin led the restoration workshops of the A.S. Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin. He collected a most valuable collection of ancient Russian art (exhibited - along with the works of the artist himself - in his Moscow house-museum, which opened in 1971).

TASS windows

“TASS Windows” are political propaganda posters produced by the Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS) during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Like “Windows of GROWTH” - an art series created by Vladimir Mayakovsky during the Civil War - this is a unique type of propaganda-mass art. Sharp, intelligible satirical posters with short, easy-to-remember poetic texts exposed the enemies of the Fatherland.

Any war is not only a confrontation between armies, weapons and tactical schemes. Any war is a powerful ideological battle, the advantage in which helps to win on the battlefield. The Great Patriotic War became the most striking, visible confirmation of this fact. Having defeated the enemy in mortal battles, we defeated him morally. We won in the terrible and disastrous 1941. Because even then they appealed to the best, brightest sides of the human soul. Our war was just, sacrificial, patriotic. We fought for our land, for our people, for the desecrated honor of our country.

In the “Windows of TASS” - a series of posters that were regularly published throughout the war and reflected in a satirical or patriotic form the most significant, current events that took place at the front, in the rear or in the international arena, the team worked talentedly best artists, writers and poets of that time. “TASS Windows” are color satirical posters that have entered the history of the Great Patriotic War as a unique heroic page, as one of the formidable types of ideological weapons that mercilessly defeated the Nazi occupiers and their generals. These posters were made, as a rule, with great skill and had an extraordinary impact on the viewer, giving birth to a flame in him Soviet patriotism, inciting sacred anger and withering hatred towards the cruel and deadly enemy who treacherously attacked our Motherland. They were well known at the front and in the rear, underground in the occupied territory and in partisan detachments, in many countries of the world, including in Germany itself.

The artists managed to convey in their caricatures a portrait resemblance to the original and at the same time highlight the most characteristic things in the appearance or actions of the fascist leader. Tassovites said that they spent a long time carefully watching German newsreels, photographs, studying the characteristic gestures, gait, and appearance of their future “heroes”: Hitler, Goebbels, Goering, Himmler and others. Here, in addition to artistic skill, it was necessary to be a subtle psychologist. Boris Efimov recalls: “I read somewhere that in the intimate circle of Hitler’s elite, Goebbels bore the nickname “Mickey Mouse” after the famous cartoon mouse. I liked this comparison, and I began to portray the “master of the big lie” in the appropriate guise.” Kukryniksy depicted Hitler in feverish movement with a pointing finger, intimidating gestures, and disheveled hair.

The first TASS Window poster was released on June 27, 1941, and later posters began to be published weekly. More than 130 artists and 80 poets worked at TASS Windows. In a single patriotic impulse, people from the most different professions: sculptors, painters, painters, theater artists, graphic artists, art critics.

The main core of the team consisted of those who worked with Vladimir Mayakovsky in “Windows of ROSTA” in the early 20s: artists M. Cheremnykh, N. Denisovsky, B. Efimov, V. Lebedev and V. Kozlinsky. Many names of artists and poets who worked at TASS Windows were widely known not only in the Soviet Union, but also in the world - the Kukryniksy trio (Kupriyanov, Krylov, Sokolov), Demyan Bedny, Samuil Marshak, Konstantin Simonov.

Each release of "Windows" in the active army was expected no less than the supply of ammunition and military equipment. Contact with the front was maintained constantly. At the doors of the workshop on Kuznetsky Most one could constantly see front-line vehicles arriving for the next edition. Often, Tassovites themselves went to the location of military units and organized impromptu exhibitions of “TASS Windows” right on the front line.

TASS Windows posters were an effective ideological weapon during the war. They could be seen on the armor of tanks and on airplanes. The posters infuriated the Nazis. The partisans were especially zealous in inciting this feeling among the occupiers. For example, in Kharkov, partisans completely covered the local Gestapo building with “TASS Windows.” There is no need to explain what the fascists felt when they saw so many caustic and satirical anti-Nazi posters in the morning. And in Tula and Vitebsk, posters pasted on houses and severely frozen by the frost - so that there was no way to tear them off the walls - were shot by the Nazis in rage. The impotent anger of the Germans towards TASS Windows was so fierce that Goebbels personally threatened to “hang up everyone who works at TASS Windows immediately after the capture of Moscow by German troops.”

The Political Directorate of the Red Army made small format leaflets of the most popular “TASS Windows” with texts in German. These leaflets were dropped into the territories occupied by the Nazis and distributed by partisans. The texts, typed in German, indicated that the leaflet could serve as a surrender pass for German soldiers and officers.

Already in the first posters, Tassovites sought to resurrect the heroic past of the Russian people, to once again recall the difficult trials that the Russian people endured in the fight against foreign invaders. One of the posters was called “Russian people”. It depicted pictures of the battles of Russian soldiers with the Teutons on Lake Peipus, with the hordes of Mamai, with the Prussian troops, and the troops of Napoleon. All these battles ended in victory for the Russian army.

More than once the theme for the image became legendary historical figures, great Russian commanders: Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Kutuzov, Suvorov. The winged lines of Pushkin, Lermontov, Griboedov, and Mayakovsky were also often used in posters. Written about other events, they acquired a modern sound.

Without any printing facilities, the team of authors still managed to release a new “Window” every day. It is important to note: it was not just a single poster that was published, but an entire circulation of several hundred copies (at the end of the war it reached one and a half thousand), which, under the most difficult conditions, was hand-stenciled in a workshop on Kuznetsky Most. At the same time, they often worked as a “family contract” - there was enough work for everyone. As soon as Sofinformburo messages were broadcast on the radio, artists immediately sketched a sketch, and poets, often ahead of artists, wrote poetry. Usually the poster was ready within 24 hours, and in some emergency cases - no more than 4 hours! For example, posters were created dedicated to the Battle of Kursk and the capture of Stalingrad and Kharkov. Often the posters used texts that had already been published in periodicals. So, 18 hours after the publication of K. Simonov’s poem “Kill him!” A Kukryniksy poster was created, in which a fascist in the form of a gorilla-shaped monster with a machine gun in his hands walked over the corpses of women and children. Needless to say, the furious, appealing lines of Konstantin Simonov, combined with the image of the inhuman appearance of the occupier, had a powerful moral impact on the souls of the soldiers fighting for the Motherland!

“TASS Windows” were printed in several colors using stencils and were continuers of Russian traditions folk pictures and the satirical “Windows of GROWTH” of the 20s. last century: laconic, accurate drawing, ringing contrasting color, biting, witty text, easy to remember rhyme. Here are some text signatures on the first posters: “The fascist took the route to the Prut, but the fascists are not from the Prut”, “Every blow of the hammer is a blow to the enemy”!, “Death to the fascist vermin!”, “We knew: the defender of Moscow does not unite!” , “Smashing the fascists without mercy, naval guns say: whoever beats the enemy at Leningrad defends Stalingrad! If you put down the enemy in the North, you will help beat the enemy on the Volga!”…

The defense of Moscow occupied a special place in the editorial work. In the most difficult conditions of the besieged city, when most enterprises and cultural institutions were evacuated to the east of the country, including the main backbone of the editorial office of TASS Windows, a handful of Tass artists, led by M. Sokolov-Skalya, remained in the city to help with their work The Red Army defends its native capital. In order to convince all Muscovites and soldiers at the front that the editorial office works calmly even in a dangerous situation, it was decided to write the date and the word “Moscow” on the stamp of each “window”. In just two months - October and November - about 200 posters were released! It was truly heroic work. The popularity and significance of “TASS Windows” was such that already in 1942, at the Historical Museum exhibition “The Defeat of Nazi Troops on the Approaches to Moscow”, a significant part of the exhibition consisted of posters from the workshop on Kuznetsky Most. This aroused great interest among city residents. From March 22 to May 3, the exhibition was visited by 10,199 people.

“TASS Windows” have gained wide popularity not only in our country, but also abroad. At the beginning of the war, six exhibitions were held abroad - in England, the USA, Latin America, China, Sweden. In China, for example, after viewing the exhibition, 12 Chinese came to the Soviet consulate and applied to be accepted as volunteers into the ranks of the Red Army. In Helsinki, where the exhibition was held immediately after Finland ceased to be a German satellite, many visitors left enthusiastic notes in the guest book: “The Soviet Union knows how to fight, but it is also a master at drawing. Brilliant! Hats off! One of the American manufacturers sent a letter to Moscow with a request to issue a subscription in his name to “TASS Windows”, motivating his request by the fact that although he does not share the ideology conveyed in these posters, however, those posted in the workshops of his enterprise, they significantly contribute increasing worker productivity, which is extremely beneficial. “Some of the “Windows,” wrote “Evening Moscow” in August 1942, “are reprinted in their entirety abroad and are published as posters with foreign text.”

The Soviet government highly appreciated the work of the team. In 1942, a group of poets and artists were awarded nine State Prizes. They were received by S. Marshak, Kukryniksy, P. Sokolov-Skalya, G. Savitsky, N. Radlov, P. Shumikhin, M. Cheremnykh. In total, 1,250 posters were issued during the war, which were a truly poetic and artistic chronicle of the Great Patriotic War. There is no doubt that TASS Windows will forever remain one of the brightest pages in the cultural history of our country. And the high civic position of the best representatives national culture, who brought victory closer with their selfless work in the art workshops on Kuznetsky Bridge, without a doubt, is an example of service to the Motherland and their people.

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Studio of military artists named after M. B. Grekov

The emergence of the studio is inextricably linked with the name of the wonderful artist Mitrofan Borisovich Grekov, one of the founders of Soviet battle painting. His paintings “Tachanka”, “Trumpeters of the First Cavalry Army”, “In the Detachment to Budyonny”, “Flagman and Trumpeter” are among the classic works of Soviet painting.

In 1934, after the artist’s death, by a special resolution of the Council of People’s Commissars, the “Art Workshop of Amateur Red Army Art named after M. B. Grekov” was created in Moscow. The studio was called upon to continue and creatively develop the best traditions of the Soviet battle genre. Initially, it was a training workshop for the most gifted Red Army artists, who improved their skills under the guidance of prominent artists: V. Baksheev, M. Avilov, G. Savitsky and others. In 1940, the studio became an art organization of the Red Army, uniting military artists.

During the Great Patriotic War, many Greeks went to the front. The main type of creative work in military conditions was full-scale sketches. Their historical and artistic significance cannot be overestimated. Military drawings by N. Zhukov, I. Lukomsky, V. Bogatkin, A. Kokorekin and other artists are a kind of visible chronicle of the Great Patriotic War, its main military battles, and front-line life. They are marked by great love for the main character of this greatest battle for the Motherland - the Soviet soldier.

The theme of the people's feat in the Great Patriotic War is creatively enriched at the present time. In the first post-war years, the Greeks created canvases, graphic series, and sculptural compositions that received the widest recognition. These are the paintings “Mother” by B. Nemensky, “Victory” by P. Krivonogov, the monument to the Liberator Soldier E. Vuchetich, installed in Treptower Park in Berlin.

The studio's artists have created and are creating many monumental monuments of military glory in various cities of the Soviet Union and abroad. The most significant battles are depicted in such works as the panorama “Battle of Stalingrad” in Volgograd (made by a group of artists under the leadership of M. Samsonov), the diorama “Battle for Perekop” in Simferopol (author N. But) and others. In these works, it is as if anew the events of the war come to life, they help to realize what at a huge cost a great victory for the Soviet people was achieved.

The works of artists reflect in various ways modern life The Soviet Army, its peaceful everyday life, military exercises. The works of the studio's leading masters N. Ovechkin, M. Samsonov, V. Pereyaslavets, V. Dmitrievsky, N. Solomin and others reveal the image of a Soviet warrior, a man of high moral purity, ideological commitment, selflessly loving his socialist Motherland.

In the 17th century, a division of painting genres into “high” and “low” was introduced. The first included historical, battle and mythological genres. The second included mundane genres of painting from everyday life, for example, everyday genre, still life, animal painting, portrait, nude, landscape.

Historical genre

The historical genre in painting does not depict a specific object or person, but a specific moment or event that took place in the history of past eras. It is included in the main genres of painting in art. Portrait, battle, everyday and mythological genres are often closely intertwined with the historical.

"Conquest of Siberia by Ermak" (1891-1895)
Vasily Surikov

Artists Nicolas Poussin, Tintoretto, Eugene Delacroix, Peter Rubens, Vasily Ivanovich Surikov, Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev and many others painted their paintings in the historical genre.

Mythological genre

Tales, ancient legends and myths, folklore- the depiction of these subjects, heroes and events has found its place in the mythological genre of painting. Perhaps it can be distinguished in the paintings of any people, because the history of each ethnic group is full of legends and traditions. For example, such a plot of Greek mythology as the secret romance of the god of war Ares and the goddess of beauty Aphrodite is depicted in the painting “Parnassus” Italian artist named Andrea Mantegna.

"Parnassus" (1497)
Andrea Mantegna

Mythology in painting was finally formed during the Renaissance. Representatives of this genre, in addition to Andrea Mantegna, are Rafael Santi, Giorgione, Lucas Cranach, Sandro Botticelli, Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov and others.

Battle genre

Battle painting describes scenes from military life. Most often, various military campaigns are illustrated, as well as sea and land battles. And since these battles are often taken from real history, the battle and historical genres find their intersection point here.

Fragment of the panorama “Battle of Borodino” (1912)
Franz Roubaud

Battle painting took shape during the times Italian Renaissance in the works of artists Michelangelo Buonarroti, Leonardo da Vinci, and then Theodore Gericault, Francisco Goya, Franz Alekseevich Roubaud, Mitrofan Borisovich Grekov and many other painters.

Everyday genre

Scenes from everyday, social or privacy ordinary people, be it urban or peasant life, is depicted in the everyday genre in painting. Like many others genres of painting, everyday paintings are rarely found in their own form, becoming part of the portrait or landscape genre.

"Musical Instrument Seller" (1652)
Karel Fabricius

Origin household painting occurred in the 10th century in the East, and it moved to Europe and Russia only in the 17th-18th centuries. Jan Vermeer, Karel Fabricius and Gabriel Metsu, Mikhail Shibanov and Ivan Alekseevich Ermenev are the most famous artists household paintings during that period.

Animalistic genre

The main objects of the animalistic genre are animals and birds, both wild and domestic, and in general all representatives of the animal world. Initially, animal art was included in the genres Chinese painting, since it first appeared in China in the 8th century. In Europe, animal painting was formed only during the Renaissance - animals at that time were depicted as the embodiment of human vices and virtues.

"Horses in the Meadow" (1649)
Paulus Potter

Antonio Pisanello, Paulus Potter, Albrecht Durer, Frans Snyders, Albert Cuyp are the main representatives of animal painting in the fine arts.

Still life

The still life genre depicts objects that surround a person in life. These are inanimate objects combined into one group. Such objects may belong to the same genus (for example, only fruits are depicted in the picture), or they may be dissimilar (fruits, utensils, musical instruments, flowers, etc.).

"Flowers in a Basket, Butterfly and Dragonfly" (1614)
Ambrosius Bosshart the Elder

Still life as an independent genre took shape in the 17th century. Particularly distinguished are the Flemish and Dutch school still life. Representatives of the most famous people painted their paintings in this genre. different styles, from realism to cubism. Some of the most famous still lifes were painted by painters Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, Albertus Jonah Brandt, Paul Cezanne, Vincent Van Gogh, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Willem Claes Heda.

Portrait

Portrait is a genre of painting, which is one of the most common in the fine arts. The purpose of a portrait in painting is to depict a person, but not just his appearance, but also to convey the inner feelings and mood of the person being portrayed.

Portraits can be single, pair, group, as well as a self-portrait, which is sometimes distinguished as a separate genre. And the most famous portrait of all time, perhaps, is the painting by Leonardo da Vinci called “Portrait of Madame Lisa del Giocondo,” known to everyone as the “Mona Lisa.”

"Mona Lisa" (1503-1506)
Leonardo da Vinci

The first portraits appeared thousands of years ago in Ancient Egypt- these were images of pharaohs. Since then, most artists of all times have tried themselves in this genre in one way or another. The portrait and historical genres of painting can also overlap: the image of a great historical figure will be considered a work of the historical genre, although at the same time it will convey the appearance and character of this person as a portrait.

Nude

The purpose of the nude genre is to depict the naked human body. The Renaissance period is considered the moment of the emergence and development of this type of painting, and the main object of painting then most often became the female body, which embodied the beauty of the era.

"Rural Concert" (1510)
Titian

Titian, Amedeo Modigliani, Antonio da Correggio, Giorgione, Pablo Picasso are the most famous artists who painted nude paintings.

Scenery

The main theme of the landscape genre is nature, the environment - city, countryside or wilderness. The first landscapes appeared in ancient times when painting palaces and temples, creating miniatures and icons. Landscape began to emerge as an independent genre in the 16th century and has since become one of the most popular genres. genres of painting.

It is present in the works of many painters, starting with Peter Rubens, Alexei Kondratyevich Savrasov, Edouard Manet, continuing with Isaac Ilyich Levitan, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque and ending with many contemporary artists of the 21st century.

"Golden Autumn" (1895)
Isaac Levitan

Among landscape paintings, one can distinguish such genres as sea and city landscapes.

Veduta

Veduta is a landscape, the purpose of which is to depict the appearance of an urban area and convey its beauty and flavor. Later, with the development of industry, the urban landscape turns into an industrial landscape.

"St. Mark's Square" (1730)
Canaletto

You can appreciate city landscapes by getting acquainted with the works of Canaletto, Pieter Bruegel, Fyodor Yakovlevich Alekseev, Sylvester Feodosievich Shchedrin.

Marina

Seascape, or marina depicts nature sea elements, her greatness. The most famous marine painter in the world is perhaps Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky, whose painting “The Ninth Wave” can be called a masterpiece of Russian painting. The heyday of the marina occurred simultaneously with the development of the landscape as such.

"Sailboat in a Storm" (1886)
James Buttersworth

Katsushika Hokusai, James Edward Buttersworth, Alexey Petrovich Bogolyubov, Lev Felixovich Lagorio and Rafael Monleon Torres are also famous for their seascapes.

If you want to learn even more about how painting genres in art arose and developed, watch the following video:

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