February 22, 1850 was born Fedor Vasilyev.

[Victor_art]

"boy-wizard"

(1850-1873)

Russian school has lost in him an artist of genius.

 

Kramskoy

 


 
Fedor Aleksandrovich Vasiliev lived a short life, but his contribution to Russian art is great: he left a wonderful picture of nature, where the truth is combined with a subtle, soulful lyricism.

        Undoubted talent recognized him all his contemporaries: both artists and critics. Kramskoy compared it with the fabulous rich who do not know your account treasures and generously and recklessly throwing them anywhere. Before his canvas, especially when he wrote or rewrote the clouds, stopped in amazement and Kramskoy and Repin. In his landscapes always a lively excitement of the artist in love with the beauty of nature.

        His contemporaries, and later explorers saw Vasiliev artist who could make a huge revolution in the whole landscape painting, if not for early death.

        Fyodor was born in Gatchina, February 22, 1850. Moving to St. Petersburg did not improve the situation of poor families. His father, a petty officer, was a player, I drank a lot. A small apartment on Vasilevsky Island does not need leave. Already twelve children, the future artist served at the post office, a time for drawing found with difficulty, worked in the evenings and Sundays.

        After a relatively early death of his father in 1865, fifteen-year-son, the future artist, was the mainstay of the family, left without any means.

        Premature adult vulnerable and easily made the boy Vasilyev all experienced, having developed a rare artist in the complexity of the spiritual organization and attention to moral issues of life.

        Having chosen the path of the artist, he works with the seriousness of an adult, already burdened with the cares of the family, and his decision to subordinate the whole routine of life. In addition to the device to work for the Academy of Arts restorer PK Sokolov, to some extent, the future artist approaching the mysterious and alluring field of painting. Sokolov was personally acquainted with many artists, including Kramskoi, PP Chistyakov, Ivan Shishkin. Even more promising step towards gaining professional skills was his arrival at the same time in the evening drawing school (the Exchange), which made it possible to combine employment with earnings. The school, founded at the time the Ministry of Finance, was to the 1860s run by Society for the Promotion of artists and arts through the establishment of the class quickly gained popularity among the most talented young people of different social strata of St. Petersburg.

       [SPOILER] Among the teachers of the school was then not only enjoyed great love and authority Kramskoy, but other artists from the group of fourteen protesters defiantly emerged from the Academy in 1863. Signs of change taking place in the arts, especially became apparent when the annual academic exhibitions.

        In 1863 a group of students of the Academy of Fine Arts, headed by Kramskoy refused to write a given program and organized the famous "Artel of Artists", which became the center of a democratic, progressive art. Sympathy Vasiliev had already been on the side of the Academy. Among his students' paintings can be seen with a copy of the work Perov, sketches of domestic scenes. The arrival of a young artist in the "Artel" was a natural.

        The atmosphere of camaraderie, disputes, hot discussions on all the new phenomena of art and life and, more importantly, the daily hard work - all this fascinated the young artist. However, Vasilyev became "Artel" is not a shy student. The extraordinary talent equates it with the senior members of the "Artel". "By this all pulled the lucky, and he keenly and quickly grasped all the phenomena of range" - recalled Repin. In the evenings, "Artel" Vasiliev delighted his comrades improvisations in the drawings, an inexhaustible wit. He worked hard and thoughtfully.

        The creative and spiritual development Vassiliev went so fast, as if he knew in advance that the fate released him too little time and need to get done as much as possible not to lose their attention and memory of any one moment, what gives life. The surrounding amazed his phenomenal talent. It is manifested in everything - speed and ease with which they perceived skills and knowledge accumulated from many different areas. Surprised by his erudition, knowledge of the subjects, the ability to deeply judge things difficult by the fact that a formal education he simply was not there. Natural gifts enabled him to grasp all of the fly, and a deep knowledge of nature is recycled into a serious system.

        By the end of study (1867), Vasiliev has met with a number of artists and began her in their midst. Especially close were relations with Kramskoi, who took him under the caring tutelage, and with Ivan Shishkin, whom he constantly worked on location. Communication and friendship with these wonderful people and artists have become major universities and professional life novice painter.

        From a young artist Kramskoy tied a deep sense of cardiac impulse, transformed quickly into a spiritual intimacy and companionship. Archaeology of the unusual observation abilities of his pupil. "In drawing and painting from life, he very quickly oriented: he sensed almost immediately as the need to approach a subject that is not essential, and where to start. He studied so that it seemed as if he lived in another time and that he remains just something to remember long forgotten. He worked passionately apathetic and absent-mindedness is not broke to him in a time when in the hands of a pencil, or, rather, - mechanically, without the involvement of the heart, he could not work. "

        By the age of eighteen, Vasiliev had reason to call himself a landscape painter: few artists so early was able to determine their vocation. Significant role played by this major landscape Ivan Shishkin. Together with Vasiliev worked two summers in a row. For a young painter, is inclined to see the world with emotion and poetic, it was difficult to find a more useful and sober school.

        Summer is spent on Valaam, a small island in Lake Ladoga, the artist prepared to work independently. Five months Vasiliev worked side by side with Shishkin on Valaam. Shishkin has just been awarded the title of Academician. He was young and full of energy and fun with a talented young man went to Balaam. The family Vassiliev Shishkin at the time was accepted as a native person. Sister Vasilyeva, Evgenia, became the bride, and a year later and the wife of Ivan Shishkin.

        All the best, what has been achieved it is still confined to the region the figure. Meanwhile, his creative growth, and most road further searches were not possible without the development of professional painting skills.

        Shishkin taught Vassiliev see a variety of forms of nature, to distinguish the design, the nature of trees and leaves. He instilled a love for student scrutiny, to the analysis and, finally, to the process of artistic production. In the early landscapes of many Vassiliev "shishkinskogo": a closer analytical look at the world, attention to detail. However, even then Vasiliev could not look at the world dispassionately: the restless nature of his canvases. Heavy clouds hang over the silent plain, fast and low-sweep bird, the horizon haze gray-blue veil of rain. In the works of his youth urge toward romantic perception of nature. In these scenes more action than the mood the artist is just beginning his discovery of the world.

        Many pictures were thought to them as blanks for future paintings. It is no accident, they often provides a framework, and sometimes the artist drew a large and magnificent frame, presenting a general view of the future picture.

        Communication with Shishkin and other artists who worked on the island, convinced of the need for Fedor does not blindly follow anyone's style. The most important feature of nature has always been Vasilieva susceptibility, a great ability to borrow many things remain independent.

        Returning to Balaam, Fyodor Vasilyev decided to first put to the audience and his fellow artists for a summer full of drawings and sketches. Together with the works of Shishkin they were exhibited at the Society for Promotion of artists. The work bears comparison with Vassiliev works of the famous masters, and one of the studies - "On the island of Valaam. Stones", was purchased by Count PS Stroganov, a major philanthropist who played a major role in promoting the Society of Artists. He took a serious interest of the artist's seventeen, and then followed with attention for its successes, actively favoring the young talent.

        Henceforth, the name Vasiliev became the artistic life of St. Petersburg.

       Everything that could reach Vasiliev in the first stage of their studies, reveals perhaps most clearly in his work in 1868 related to the summer life in the village, near the Red Konstantinovka Village near St. Petersburg. Once there a while back about Shishkina, Vasilev, as well as on Valaam, takes something from his influential mentor, but something of his influence is trying to overcome.

        Already in 1868 the artist executed his paintings is quite mature, "Village Street", "After the Storm," "The Return of the herd," which stood out clearly the attraction to the artist's lyrical perception of nature and more colorful than that so far, it is passed. at their outer restraint and inactivity, they will make the content exciting emotional intonation. Although the painting of pictures has not yet overcome some graphic quality and dry methods, not yet the subtleties of light transitions and stingy palette of colors, they both bribed poetic feeling, is likely to pose a future signs of artistic method of Vasiliev.

        Start career Vasilyeva coincides with the rise of a national over the years a realistic landscape. Even in paintings Perov nature is perceived as a reflection of thoughts and emotions of the hero. Shishkin, Savrasov, KORZUKHIN and other artists show their works in a peculiar charm of the Russian landscape, cleared of dead classic schemes. Cloths Vassiliev immediately occupy a prominent place alongside the works of leading artists of time.

        In the film "Return of the Herd" Fyodor Vasilyev received the first prize of four hundred rubles to the competition of the Society to promote artists. Since that time, the artist there are numerous admirers. All he does is get positive feedback from art lovers from among the nobility. His paintings were sold out like hot cakes. Such success could easily turn the head of a young man just emerging from the severe needs, and to send his work to the tastes of a wealthy St. Petersburg indulgence of the public who saw the works of art only a luxury item. It happened with many artists, but not with Vasiliev.

        Travel to Russia in 1869, when I first saw the nature of Vassiliev middle zone of the country, forever memorable artist. "I enjoyed everything, all sympathy and wondered, everything was new," - he wrote in one letter. This ability to "wonder around" to a great extent characterizes the artist's personality. The fact that some took for frivolity - love Vasilyev to the public, in addition, success was a product of the same exuberant love of life. Vasiliev - people are much more complicated than it seemed at first glance. There were in it, and painful self-esteem and the desire to hide his poverty, and most of all - tender love for art.

        At the invitation of Count Stroganov Vasiliev spent the summer and autumn of 1869 in Znamenskoye Tambov province, and then to Ukraine under the Sumy. All that he saw in his travels he has evolved into such full of life and strength of the picture, that it required its embodiment in the drawings, sketches, canvases.

        He was captured the infinite spaces of the steppe, arguing with the immensity of the sky. The impressions received in the Sign, long preserved in his memory, he returned to them under other circumstances, longed to see again the impossibility of these places. Other strong impression of the artist has experienced the same fall, when his family moved to another Stroganov estate - by wanting Sumy. Here he was surrounded by a different nature - the mighty trees in several girths, "oaks - a forest." He came to the delight of the "beautiful trees", succeeding in his drawings and sketches steppe landscapes.

        One of the pictures here in the will, was donated by Stroganov. It is a complete picture of serene silence "Evening." Her ingenuous motive, how the sun's rays paint the tops of trees, as the evening shadows fall languid earth, and in general gold color scheme, expressed in a clear calm night lyric mood.

        This and many other paintings by Vassiliev meet the aesthetic needs of the time. Poetic empathy and romantic emotion seized all who come into contact with nonfictional simple landscapes young painter.

        Feodor Vasilyev developed by this time and its picturesque and plastic language. At the same time for it is characterized by an endless variety of plastic solutions. He often liked to work obedient to every motion of the easiest small weasel tassels. Densely filled with paint brush leaves the canvas multiple texturely identified forms of vegetation. Due to the seemingly purely technical skills and, most importantly, the fact that life on the canvas of light transmitted sgarmonizirovannostyu tones in the relations of heaven and earth, each of his new film has become a kind of beautiful poem with the emotional atmosphere.

        Repin, recalled that when he first came to the studio Vasiliev, then "astonished to complete confusion," not expecting self-assured young man (Vasilyev was twenty years old) is so perfect and mature work. This meeting took place with Repin Vasiliev before a joint trip to the Volga, where Repin collecting material for his "Boatmen". Vasilyev Volga became an inexhaustible source of experience. He drew a lot, hitting perfect companions of his works. Even Repin, being seven years older than Vasilyev, and certainly more experienced than it was under the influence of younger comrade. "We're chasing each other slavishly imitated Vasilyev and believed him .... he was an excellent teacher for us."

        The painting "View of the Volga. Barca" (1870) - the most important result of this trip. The calm majesty of the broad river was struck by Vasilyev, and this feeling of space fills the canvas. Just waving, almost mirror-water, a low sandy beach, an open horizon. The eye slides freely from the foreground to the depths, from one edge of the picture to another, pausing only to barges on the shore - the semantic and visual center of the picture. By all means he tried to express the main impression in its entirety: expanses distance, expanse, tranquility. But for the artist's nature - especially the abode of men. This bright, glittering colors and reflections of the world's life is not easy. We board the barge resting on the sand a few weary boatmen. They are depicted in the background, the artist does not capture any attention to them, but the Volga in its submission is impossible without serious Burlatsky labor.

        The important role played in the creation of pictures from the meeting of the artist haulers, Repin's characters, and very typical of the Volga scenery Burlatsky theme expanded before the eyes of artists in all its social significance.

        In the landscape is more tangible Vassiliev people, not so much as an actor but as a "lyrical hero" that determines the mood of the picture. And the banks of the Volga and the steppes, and sat for the Vassiliev - Witnesses and members of human thoughts and feelings.

        In line with the Volga landscapes, says in his images of the positive ideal and the dream of harmony, "the natural man and nature," suddenly turned another, not with a similar picture of "The Volga lagoon." The remaining unfinished, it is nevertheless confined to a general interest in the artist's posthumous exhibition of Vasiliev and was acquired by PM Tretyakov for his collection.

        Its romantic image immediately attracts the viewer's attention and captures the tension transmitted to the ominous picture of the state of nature. Grandiose and intimidating think risen above the plain sky with towering clouds hanging low over the shore of the Volga with the lost itself among the stiff grass lagoon. But the presence in the painting of a rainbow - a precursor of the coming of enlightenment - expands the content of pure landscape themes and became the key to the interpretation of the intent of the landscape.

        Vasilyev attracted "mood landscape", is well aware of not only Russian artists, but also of French landscape painters, "Barbizon" and German masters. However, when Vasiliev in 1871 wrote one of his best works, "The Thaw", he puts into the canvas rather than dreamy thoughts of the painter, excited the coming of spring, as the amount of impressions and thoughts about the bitter life of the Russian countryside.

        Nature wakes up reluctantly from winter sleep. This awakening is no joy. Rusty shades of melting snow, which is converted into a sticky mud, foggy distance and murky watery sky, lonely figures still weary walkers reinforce oppressive mood of anxiety. But it does not rule, and even emphasizes the peculiar beauty of the landscape. Vasiliev continues his discovery of Russian nature, trying to discern in her most intimate, unique, which is characteristic only of her melodious softness of the lines that outline the hills and hillocks, dull colors tenderness, deserted expanse of fields.

        The picture was a big, huge even for a young artist's success. It was bought by Pavel Tretyakov. The competition, hosted by Society for the Encouragement of Arts, "The Thaw" won first prize, while the "Pechora monastery" Savrasov, which Vasiliev could be considered one of their teachers, received a second.

        Painting Vasiliev of the same name, which adorns the exposition of the Russian Museum - the author's repetition, specially executed for the royal court. It is among the forty best works of Russian artists were sent to the World Exhibition in London in 1872, where it was noted as one of the most decent, prompting enthusiastic article British reviewer.

        The appearance of the painting "Thaw" in the first year of the opening of a traveling exhibition as it is naturally introduced in terms of Vassiliev close to him leading artists.

         Meanwhile, in the creative life of the landscape she was abroad, to separate one from another period of creativity, is associated with his life in the Crimea. Keeping the rest of his life a keen interest in the success of traveling exhibitions, and their sense of belonging to this association of artists, he did for various reasons could not participate in any of the two traveling exhibitions that opened during his lifetime.

        Were accumulated on the Volga, obviously, and professional skill, creativity and spiritual, which appeared already there to such ambiguity works written by him with a clear orientation to any new artistic challenges. "His success at that time were enormous - later recalled Picture. - He brought a lot of drawings, sketches, paintings started, and more plans. Although nothing can be said that this such and such, for example, is quite original, but the manner of the original has already been. " This evidence indirectly Archaeology sheds light on some of the undated Vasilyev, apparently not connected with the Volga subjects, but not similar in all the previous painting.

        All these works (the first version of the "Thaw" sepia "The Village. Thaw", "Cottonwood") in its entirety, no doubt, largely due to past experiences, now received a new interpretation and clearly expressed by the critical focus of their plans. This distinguishes the quality, not always successfully expressed in painting, with some reservation can be included in this series, and an undated picture of the "After the Rain. Country Road", similar to their rhythmic ideas. However, strikingly different from their courage and contrasts entered in a special romantic prevailing systems of the image, but rather is an example of some new pictorial solutions, which could enter into the work of Vassiliev after a trip to the Volga. Throughout the system and painting the landscape is that originality, which he felt while in the paintings of Vasiliev and Picture.

        Referring to the tradition, to what can be called the art of memory, Vasiliev created and its tradition, to which artists have relied not only future generations but also of his contemporaries. Observing the work of Vasiliev, Shishkin introduced in their most picturesque sketches softness and freedom. Repin noted with surprise that this young man, not studied in the Academy, the manner of his work tells him so clear and true compositional and pictorial solutions that do not come into his head, had already graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts. In real life experience and Archaeology Vasilievsky the personality of the artist left a deep mark, influencing and painting, and the master himself.

        And this time, when young, so early found himself the master begins to gain recognition in his life is an unexpected serious illness - tuberculosis. Time for success, passionate work, eager acceptance of life was tragically short. Vasiliev forced to flee St. Petersburg, where he was not destined to return. The inevitability of departure tore him not only from home but close to him from the world of artists and paintings from the Volga started - in short, of all that filled his spiritual life.

        Society for the Encouragement of Arts gave him the money for a trip to the Crimea, before leaving in May 1872, Vasiliev was enlisted as a volunteer student of the Academy of Fine Arts and received the title of artist I-st ​​degree with a condition to withstand scientific examination of the course.

        But first he went to Kharkov estate of Count Stroganov, patronized him. The artist is again in the places memorable in his first trip to Russia. Now the impression is given new price, familiar landscapes Vasiliev takes a look mature artist. The disease is almost deprives him of the opportunity to work, but he dreams of the future scenes, bears a lot of plans.

        This short lifetime of the Ukraine presumably can be attributed to plein-air landscape "Rye" tilting at windmills, "Topol, illuminated by the sun" may study for his future film "Wet Meadow", an unfinished landscape "trees" and a number of extant drawing water mill, later used in the painting.

         But after a few months his health deteriorated so much that the doctors insisted on moving to the Crimea. No matter how tragic it was perceived inevitability of the move to the Crimea and the unsettled conditions in the early stages of life, they could not break down in the soul of the artist's constant desire to be creative, coloring the most significant phase of his career. The necessity of hard work, reflected in his paintings and letters, to be called, and life circumstances that stimulated keep in touch with subsidized his Society for the Encouragement of Artists. Hoping for his help and assistance to go abroad for treatment, Vasiliev tried his best to remind myself and as far as possible take part in competitions. Expensive facing life with continuing treatment and care of the family (mother and little brother) require large funds which force the artist to paint for sale. One after another he performed commissioned paintings for the president of the Academy of Fine Arts of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, not yielding to it, however, neither the joys of creativity, or special achievements.

        The lush beauty of the Crimea for a long time did not touch Vasiliev. He wrote a letter to St. Petersburg sad, sad. When an artist able to work, he returns to the images of Russian nature. Away from your favorite places Vasiliev takes them through the prism of poetic memories. The images are a representation of an embodiment of the artist of Russia, all the experience accumulated over the past few years.

        The term is drawing contest in St. Petersburg Society for the Encouragement of Artists and the need to participate in it helped, obviously, the idea arose to specify and choose something more available to him from the set of surviving, and agitated his soul memories. The choice was made, and Vasilyev clearly sets out the contents of the letter and intent Kramskoy their future Russian paintings, on which he will work till the end of life, striving to express in them the high harmony of nature, which apparently struck him in kind.

        "In this case, I wish to draw the morning of the swampy place, - he writes Kramskoy December 27, 1871 - (By the way, do not think that it is a real swamp - not now, then in front, and it just made). On a swamp, marsh : If you knew how painful the heart shrinks from the grave forebodings. Well, if I can not breathe again this spaciousness, this life-giving force of the steaming water, waking in the morning? After all, I would take everything, everything, if you take it. After all, I like artist, will lose more than half! "

        It was finished by the deadline and 20 February in the hands of Archaeology was sent by Vasilev one of his best works, apparently has nothing similar to the previous works of the artist and is now known as "wet meadow" (1872).

        One of the features of the "wet meadows", typical of most other things Vasiliev - is the integrity of the image, yet thorough and detailed elaboration of details. Under the artist's brush, each blade of grass, a stone with a gleam of sun, a dry branch, everything seems equally precious, all as if the reflection is attentive and loving gaze of the artist. For Vasilyeva, in the words of Nekrasov, "there is no ugliness in nature" - just to be able to see.

        "Wet Meadow" won warm praise Archaeology, whose letters have been Vasilieva for almost the only, but a fruitful relationship with the Russian artistic life. Vasiliev was very proud tips Archaeology, to whom he confided his plans and doubts. He writes about the intrinsic finality of painting a picture, a fantastic natural light and at the same time, from which you can not tear my eyes, and about the veracity of the transferred Vasiliev state of nature, so differently manifested in all wet from the rain trees in the breeze on the water flown in escaping the shadows of the clouds and the bright greens of spring rain washed herbs, shown in the foreground.

        Appearing in the early seventies, during the formation of a new type of landscape painting has been Vasilieva for its time, a rare and remarkable phenomenon, which opened a new path for Russian landscape painting, "The new road is always a little travelers, though, and it was the shortest - wrote Kramskoy Vasilyev during the occurrence of "wet meadows" in the competition - and it will take, time, until all convinced that this is the road has long been needed. "

        Written not from nature, and composed by the artist based on sketches made in different places and at different times, she was struck by the freshness of contemporary painting, recreating the atmosphere within and above all, coming from her feeling painfully unclear. The picture won the Society for the Encouragement of Arts.

        The Academy has awarded the title of Vasilyev "class artist of the first degree." In the next contest, he won second prize. He writes a lot, draws. Gradually, his art is the nature of the Crimea.

        The degree of intensity of his creative life was amazing. In addition to frequent interruptions in the painting classes for health reasons and necessary in his position, performance custom paintings, consuming much of their time, with the same spring of 1872 along with Russian themes began to develop the various motives Vasilyev Crimean nature.

        The stock of memories of Russia is gradually drying up, along with the hope of returning home, sadness, melancholy soul more and more comes through in the paintings of Vasiliev. Crimean his landscapes are imbued with melancholy meditation and very far removed from traditional notions of "beauty of the South." Vasiliev wrote with great difficulty, custom work, "View from Eriklika", a picture which Kramskoy said that she was "first and foremost, of course, the Treasury ..." But autumn landscapes of the Crimean mountains, cloud forests, all that close to his heart northerner, carried away by the artist. He begins to dream of creating landscapes imbued with the sublime nature of perception. This was facilitated by his maturity as an artist, and the grandeur of landscapes of the Crimea, which gradually takes possession of his imagination.

        Vasiliev thinks a lot about the impact of art on the audience, about the ennobling influence of landscape painting on the formation of man. He was at that age, when the artist is just beginning his career and it is clear that instead of still life of intoxication occurred deep thought about the role of the artist, the high purpose of his work. The belief in the moral power of art led him to believe the deep ideological meaning of landscape painting. "If you paint a picture consisting of one of the blue air of the mountains, without a single cloud, and pass it as it is in nature, then I am sure that criminal intent a person looking at this picture, full of grace and endless celebrations and purity of nature, will be exposed and will appear in all its hideous nakedness "- he wrote Kramskoy, talking about the delights of the Crimean spring.

        They created a series of small landscapes depicting mountains, the thick veil of the hidden rain clouds, then listed on the slopes of snow, as if filled with sadness of the coming night, canceling the beauty of light and daytime colors. Deprived of external effectiveness and beauty, all these works remain in their images of something draws him, strange and solemn, as if something unsolved, and behind this curtain descended on the mountain rain and snow. No accident that almost each of these small works of Vasilyev introduces the motif of the road, emphasizing the difficulties of the way to the mountain tops and giving rise to them an artist. Works of that time is peculiar exalted idea of ​​being a special mountain in the world.

        What did Vasiliev in the last year of his life (1873), was seeking a new path. "Not many people would not be frightened by the huge goal that I have decided to either achieve or die," - he wrote to Grigorovich. In recent works the artist in pencil or sepia drawings, sketches in oil, there is the desire to create a clear and majestic image of nature. The result of these searches was the last great work of Vassiliev "In the Crimean Mountains." It marks a new period of creativity Vassiliev, a period that was to just start.

        You had to have flair and flavor Vasilyeva, to the exotic nature of the Crimea chosen so simple and yet so important theme: the road on the hillside, a mountain chain stretching away to the sky and pine trees - single trees on the bare, sun calcined the ground, drawn by oxen cart slowly rolls along the stony road, swirling clouds over the mountain ridges. In the heights before the eyes of the spectator unfolds the magnificent picture of the life of the elemental forces of nature, is associated not only with the mountains, but with the clouds and sky. Clearly there is a lot included in the picture space, the movement of the clouds passed from top to bottom. In comparison with the slope of the clouds seem more tangible, pictorial surface of the canvas becomes plasticity in the general outlines of the slope is expressed appreciable upward movement in the kingdom of mists and clouds, no longer subordinated to the laws of the land.

        In this complex story for the perception and compositional structure, perhaps the first time so clearly able to reveal the depth of penetration of the artist's life in the mysterious world of nature, brought before him in all its purity and harmony of its high order. The impact of this beautiful image with feeling expressed in the letter of Archaeology: "Something vague, almost mystical, enchanting, just not a picture, but it kind of comes to hearing the symphony out on top ..."

        His last picture Vasilyev said the new designs, showed that he was standing on the threshold of new discoveries in the art.

        The picture is largely incomplete, but its flaws were evidence of a sharp new and unexplored ways in which entered Vasiliev. It felt fine Kramskoy, Vasiliev wrote about the painting: "This picture - no matter what do not like anyone does not imitate, do not have the slightest, even a distant resemblance with any artist with any school, it's something to the extent original and isolated from all influences, standing outside of the present art movement that I can only say one thing: it's not good, is not quite well, even sometimes bad, but it - brilliant. "

        Real to the artist in the final period of his work is a return to work on Russian themes, often referred to them in the letters under the common names of "big swamp" and "small marsh". According to the letter Vasilyev Pavel Tretyakov on 29 July 1872, nine of them started work identified three on Russian themes, which to a greater extent, and determines the need for them to finish (it is characteristic that came in the same year in Yalta Tretyakov has not yet decided to retain any of them seen pictures).

        Apart from the most-developed picture of "Dawn", in the same letter from the Tretyakov Vassiliev June 29, 1872 found very little mention of the move the film "Morning", whose dimensions are exactly the same as now located in the State Russian Museum of scenery with the same title. The time of its completion is naturally associated with recent works by the artist, as a circle of works carried out by him at the end of 1872, is well known for his letters. Another work, written probably in that brief period working condition, was never mentioned them in letters to a small picture of the "Abandoned Mill."

        The basis of the composition of landscape "Morning" includes full-scale sketches of a specific motif with barely outlines the targeted marshland and going during the rainy morning, a hunter. But it was enough to re-alive in the soul of the artist's memories of the morning over a marshy place.

        Most of the canvas is an image of the sky, covered the horizon a cloud of grayish ash, which rises above the bar of morning sunshine. It affects the tonal beauty of harmony and the feeling of living like a moving light in the eyes of altering the natural color of nature.

        Among all the works executed by Vasiliev in the Crimea, "Abandoned Mill" stands alone and it seems surrounded by mystery, since none of his letters we do not find any mention of it. Externally, as in some way incomplete, this picture actually goes far beyond the content of their particular story and expresses the most experienced Vasiliev enchanting experience of nature in Ukraine, with its peculiar temperament of "poetic soul".

        The painting is executed in green and silver-gray shade, the color green seems to have changed its natural color. Thanks to all the cold dim light, relaxed haze of fog, it has become more uncertain and bought silver shades. All entered into the picture colors combine to form a truly found a surprisingly common coloristic structure, characteristic of the dawn hours.

        Held by attention to contemporary posthumous exhibition of Vasiliev in 1874, it is perceived now as one of the highest of his achievements, expressing the aspirations of the main goal - to be able to "guess" and disclose in the film that can only be seen by the artist inner eye. This probably explains the long and difficult path of its creation, to some extent reflected in the performance of composite figures.

        His last work, indirectly associated with the same theme of sunrise over the marsh, was obviously a Vassiliev unfinished painting "The marsh in the forest. Autumn", the story that he did not report details of any one letter, except for mention of it started in 1872 , the picture under the title "great marsh." The landscape depicts autumn forest in all the brightness of a reddish-orange fall foliage. And by reason, and the picturesque, he ranks among the last stands of landscapes Vasilyeva, although there fore given grassy swamp with resting egrets.

        With an overall unfinished painting is difficult to say anything definite about most of her paintings. Its main feature at this stage is the extensive writing and the desire to express and preserve in the movie the sound of pure color.

        The painting "Marsh in the woods. Fall" along with such works as "The Morning" and "Abandoned Mill", gives a particularly clear idea of ​​how varied have been Vasilieva a search expression would affect his subjects. They are manifested not only in variations of the plot, but in a purely pictorial solutions. And this last picture is no less than the other two of the group, says the offensive in the creation of a new Vasilyeva, which was interrupted by death phase.

    September 24, 1873 Fedor Aleksandrovich Vasiliev died in Yalta. Friends of the artist composed the epitaph for the monument at the place of his calm:
    "He was generously endowed with
    mighty and wondrous talent.
    Wonderful sense of power and color
    He possessed the art. "

        The impression of the works brought from Yalta Vassiliev was an amazing and profound. In addition to the abundance of paintings, drawings and sepy, startling originality and maturity were all executed, as if rediscovering a creative person who lived in the solitude of the artist.

        On the set up in St. Petersburg posthumous exhibition of his work was all sold out even before it opened to people who were standing close to a circle of good art, and who saw in the papers of the deceased young artist is not just a phenomenal work of art, but something deeply affected the all and independently expressed.

        This fact astonished all artists Kramskoy very astutely wrote then lived in Paris, Repin: "When a talent is not a fake, when the artist responds to what is done in public, then she flatly says his sentence. It would seem that all the seats are occupied, each branch has its own representative, but sometimes not one, but the art is boundless, comes a new stranger and calmly takes his place, without disturbing anyone, no one otymaya value, and if he has something to say, he will find the audience. "

        This "boy-wizard," as Repin, already in his youth was able to see and depict nature as an experienced landscape. But his creative life in fact lasted only five years. Vasiliev worked at the same time as Shishkin, Savrasov, and many other recognized masters. But next to them, he, a young man, managed to stay himself and make a significant contribution to landscape painting. Inherited from the older generation is strictly realistic approach to nature, the ability to accurately and truthfully to transfer Russian nature, he introduced the art of living in a lyrical sense, the immediacy of experience, sensitivity to all shades of the changing nature of the state. "Vasiliev died on the threshold of a new phase of his talent, a very original and unique. I think he was destined to make to the Russian landscape is that the latter was lacking and not lacking: the poetry in the naturalness of execution" - wrote the Picture.

        Made enough for them to get into some of the biggest artists of Russian landscape painting. The artist's life in the long run is measured by its creatures. A short way Vasileva - a long way in the great master.