The State Tretyakov Gallery possesses a unique collection of Russian art which includes masterpieces which span a period of a thousand years.
The Gallery was founded by a Russian merchant and patron of the arts Pavel Tretyakov. He donated his collection to the city of Moscow in 1892. The State Tretyakov Gallery has since become a world-famous museum. Nowadays it contains more than 170,000 works by Russian artists from early religious paintings to modern art.
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The viewer is intrigued both by the model and her name. We see here depicted a young woman in a carriage against the background of the Anichkov Palace in St Petersburg. The woman is not particularly beautiful but she is impressive and “chic.” Her costume corresponds to the latest fashion of the time and indicates that she belonged to the “ladies of the demi-monde.” Not without reason the critics called her “the coquette in a carriage,” “the dear camellia” and “one of the offspring of big cities.” Kramskoi emphasizes a certain demonism in his heroine’s features - the sensuous lips; eyes that seem to be hazy, under a veil, thick eyebrows forming a broken arc. The topic of the beauty of sin became fashionable among the next generation of Russian artists. The painting is unusually bright, densely painted, and relaxed. Kramskoi clearly tried to shine with his outstanding painterly mastery.
The
Morning in a Pine Forest turned very popular, being reproduced on various items, including the "Clumsy Bear" chocolates by
Krasny Oktyabr. According to one poll, the painting is the second most popular in Russia behind
Bogatyrs by
Viktor Vasnetsov. Shishkin's similar paintings are the
Forest in Spring (1884) and
The Sestroretsk Forest (1896).
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Having revived the images of Old Russia's legendary defenders, mighty in
their spiritual power, such as Ilya Muromets, Dobrynya Nikitich and
Alyosha Popovich, Vasnetsov attempted at the turn of the 20th century to
bridge the heroic past of the Russian people and its great future.
Concrete as the images might be, the heroes are seen as a mythical
epitome of the creative power of the Russian land. Mighty figures on
horseback rise like mountains or colossal trees. The hooves of the
heroes's horses tread on fragile young growth of fir and pine trees: a
metaphor for intergenerational continuity. By turning to a pictoral
hyperbole, Vasnetsov imparts to his heroes true qualities of Russian
nature. Ilya Muromets epitomizes solidity, wise deliberate ways and
tapping of experience and traditions of the people. Proud fighting
spirit and desire to defend the motherland are embodied in Dobrynya
Nikitich. And the image of Alyosha Popovich reflects a poetical,
contemplative streak of the Russian soul, sensitivity to all
manifestations of beaut.
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The rape of Europa is a popular theme in global art. The story is
borrowed from Ancient Greek mythology. Europa is the daughter of
Phoenician king Agenor. Having turned into a bull, the king of gods Zeus
abducted beautiful Europa.
The work is produced under the impression of the artist's trip to
Greece. Serov turned to monuments of Crete-Mycenaean culture,
introducing into the picture's imagery a vessel in the shape of a bull
head from the smaller palace in Knossos on the island of Crete, fresco
paintings from the Knossos palace with the motif of flying fish and
other monuments of the archaic period.
Serov draws a comparison between the academic image of antiquity and
archaic Antiquity. A unique treatment is also evident in the
interpretation of the theme: the rushing forward bull turns back against
its will: the uncouth abductor of beauty has underrated her power.
Serov's Europa, unlike the frightened heroines of works by old masters,
is self-composed. She has a perfectly symmetrical face of Greek
Persephone; she embodies the perfection triumphant. The bull's horns
take on the shape of a lyre, whose invisible strings seem to give voice
to the sky and the sea.
Many thanks to my friend Inna :)
