1812 VVVereschagin

[Konstantin]

The historical museum has opened a very interesting exhibition. Remarkably framed with light and sound effects. The sounds of fighting and battles are heard and a corresponding number of paintings.

March 11, 2010 - May 10, 2010
Napoleon I-without a doubt, the most vivid figure of the XIX century, and the campaign in 1812 --
most outstanding military event of the century, the enormity of design, speed
events and the importance of their impact unwittingly focused attention to cases that took
influence on all the XIX century "
VVVereschagin
Vasily Vereshchagin (1842-1904) - artist, soldier, traveler "belongs to the democratic traditions of Russian art school the second half of XIX century. His ideal in art was "the truth and simplicity" and purpose - service to creativity

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the Fatherland. Unusual path of the artist in art, dramatic story of creation and life of his famous works.
VV Vereshchagin was born in Cherepovets, Novgorod province in the family of the landowner. He studied first at the Alexander Cadet Corps for juveniles in Tsarskoe Selo, then in the Sea Cadet Corps in St. Petersburg, visiting the drawing school parallel Society for the Promotion of Artists. After graduating from the Corps, he immediately resigned and entered the Academy of Fine Arts, which soon left and went on a trip to Europe, the Caucasus, Turkestan. During his stay in Samarkand, the artist took part in the battle and, distinction, received the highest military award - the St. George Cross 4-th degree, who proudly wore all his life. The first major creative work - a picture of Turkestan series - was done in Paris and Munich and shows the audience at his first personal exhibition in London. The artist came to fame. In 1874, the Council of the Academy of Arts awarded him the rank of professor, but the artist refused it because it does not recognize the ranks of art. Academy for neglecting to revenge himself by deleting Vereshchagin from its members.
Vereshchagin attracted new impressions, far off, dramatically expressive subjects. War and brought by her suffering, violence and morally unjustified - these are the problems that put the artist in his work. In India, he appears intent trilogy "Executions" - shooting guns in the uprising of the sepoys in India, the crucifixion in the Roman Empire, hanging in Russia. In 1877, Vereshchagin sent to the Danube, in the army, where he was severely wounded. By living impressions of the artist creates a series of paintings devoted to the events of the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 years.
Truly was a triumphant success of all hits made by the master, at the exhibitions of his paintings in the years 1879-1880 in Europe and Russia. In 1880 - again travel: India, Palestine, Syria. Vereshchagin drawn to evangelical theme, creates a series of paintings from the life of Christ "by Renan", the famous French explorer of the New Testament.
In 1887, the Paris workshop, Vereshchagin begins work on a series of paintings devoted to the War of 1812. The artist had to implement a grand plan. In the series were to enter the twenty paintings. To collect material Vereshchagin turned to memoirs of the Napoleonic era invasion: Sources in Russian, French and English. Much of what witnesses described the event was unexpected, discredited the romantic myth of Napoleon and the "knights" of the French army. A halo of reverence that surrounded the personality of Napoleon I in the minds of contemporaries Vereshchagin, shielded from many fellow artist cruelty of the tragedy of the Napoleonic invasion. At the heart of the wizard is the method
 
artistic reconstruction of historical events. The artist tried to recreate the "simplicity and truth of history, which was then greeted with critical acclaim and audience ambiguous. In 1891 the artist returned to Russia and continues to work on the series. In 1895, in the halls of the Historical Museum in Moscow were exhibited 10 paintings of the cycle. They have been enthusiastically accepted by the public, however, the official circles, which depended on the acquisition of the series, have shown restraint. Artist's scolding of deliberately belittling the image of Napoleon. Part of a series of paintings was presented to the public in 1897 in Paris. "Rarely in such brevity and force showed the precariousness of fame and enticing ugliness of war", - wrote the critic for Le Figaro. Recognition in Russia did not come immediately.
In 1900, the series was completed. This grandiose pictorial chronicle of the 20 works covering events from the battle of Borodino to the flight of Napoleon from Russia Ahead of the retreat of his army through a river. Berezina (this topic is devoted to 21-I, the last, unfinished painting, the artist wrote in 1902-1904). In the series includes two portraits of the French emperor. The limited narrative possibilities of painting led to his Vereshagina create paintings of historical commentary wing, which he published in the editions for their exhibitions. This kind of literature connecting the subjects of paintings in the merged story. Exactly match the historical testimony of a series of pictures related to the stay of Napoleon's army in Moscow (this topic devoted to 10 paintings). These reflect events, starting on September 2, when the French army reached the summit of Mount Poklonnaya before Moscow, before 7 October 1 812, when after fruitless attempts to make peace with Russia, Napoleon left Moscow. Artist concentrates action of several series of paintings in the Kremlin-national and religious shrines Russian. The known facts of the desecration of graves in the Archangel Cathedral, the device of the furnace for melting of church silver and gold in the Assumption Cathedral, the device stables in the churches of the city, shooting people in the Moscow Kremlin have led to painful reflections on Vereshchagin against invading armies, and Napoleon himself to the Christian faith.
The first and last series of paintings in particular benefit from the comparison of their artistic decisions and picturesque expressiveness bases on opposite principles and create the effect of contrast. The bright morning light, which plays a shine to gold-embroidered uniforms of officers surrounded the seated figure of Napoleon (Napoleon at Borodino Heights "), contrasts with the hazy light, escape from the darkness of the whitish stynuschih in anticipation of crossing, the doomed French soldiers (" Night halt the great army ") .
The artist liked to accompany the exhibit of his paintings special theatrical lighting, music, display of antique art objects, which he used to work on paintings. Poly colors, sounds and light, comparing works of different epochs gave additional effect for perception.
The artist refused to sell the paintings abroad. He entered into negotiations to continue working with the royal court. You do not take place. Finally, after many delays, in 1902 the Government acquired the series. The subsequent death of the artist at the flagship battleship "Petropavlovsk" from the explosion of Japanese mines March 31, 1904 led to a series that has been neglected. Only in connection with the Jubilee of 1912, when Russian society was celebrated 100 years of World War II a number of exhibitions and publications, a series of paintings were exhibited at the exhibition "The Patriotic War of 1812" in the halls of the Historical Museum as a gift from Emperor Nicholas II. Museum in 1812, showing their unique collections at an exhibition, and was not open to the public. Paintings series, along with other exhibits that were in the public repositories until 1930 and then fell into a collection of the Historical Museum, where for many years been in a permanent exhibit. 18 paintings from the series (2 pictures are from abroad) and the nineteenth unfinished will be exhibited, as conceived Vereshchagin, with special lighting, music and noise, accompanied, with literary texts of the artist.
Author of the exhibition: Natalya Perevezentseva
Artist Exhibitions: Andrew G. Reiner

[Konstantin]

Go on big pictures, the fragments will be separated, very expressive. Separately, signatures, cartoons. But it all tomorrow.