The Tretyakov Gallery contains many masterpieces of painting. The gallery's paintings amaze visitors with their beauty, naturalism and technique. Each painting is a unique piece of art that combines the skill of the artist and a specific era. You should definitely see them!
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"The Appearance of Christ to the People", Alexander Ivanov
A large-scale painting, for which a separate hall was built. The masterpiece tells about the event that preceded the baptism of Jesus Christ. In the picture you can see many details and figures, each of which has its own symbolism and secret of creation.
"Morning in a pine forest", Ivan Shishkin
One of the most famous masterpieces of the gallery, which managed to visit the candy packaging. The coniferous forest is Shishkin's favorite motive. The work shows in detail the nature seen by the artist on the Gorodomlya Island. Shishkin is often indicated as the author of the picture, but in fact, K. A. Savitsky.
"Girl with Peaches", Valentin Serov
The eleven-year-old daughter of the patron Savva Mamontov posed for the masterpiece. The girl posed for the artist for two months. After Serov presented the finished painting to the girl's mother. The work attracts people's eyes with its carefree, childlike atmosphere.
"Black Square", Kazimir Malevich
The most famous painting of the Russian avant-garde, which made a splash at the exhibition of the futurists. The work was hung in the "red corner", where icons were usually hung in houses. Some people are still actively debating the masterpiece and its meaning for art.
"Ivan the Terrible kills his son", Ilya Repin
The scandalous painting by Ilya Repin depicts a legendary episode from the life of Ivan the Terrible, when he killed his son, inflicting a fatal blow with his staff in anger. Tretyakov bought this painting despite Alexander III's ban on showing it. Later, the emperor lifted the ban on the public display of the canvas.
"Unknown", Ivan Kramskoy
Historians are still wondering who acted as a model for the picture. The canvas depicts a young woman driving in an open carriage along Nevsky Prospekt near the pavilions of the Anichkov Palace. The woman is dressed in the fashion of the 1880s.
Sitting Demon, Mikhail Vrubel
Vrubel is considered one of the most mystical authors, to whom a whole hall is dedicated in the Tretyakov Gallery. The inspiration for the creation of the picture was Lermontov's poem "The Demon". The author wrote about his work in the following way: "A demon? A spirit not so much evil as suffering and sorrowful, with all this a domineering, majestic spirit …"
Boyarynya Morozova, Vasily Surikov
A large, multi-figured painting, purchased for 25 thousand rubles for the Tretyakov Gallery, where it remains one of the main exhibits. The canvas depicts a scene from a 17th century church schism. The author noted that he took the image of a noblewoman from a crow with a black wing that he saw once and thrashed against the snow.
"Princess Tarakanova", Konstantin Flavitsky
One of the first masterpieces of the Tretyakov Gallery. The painting became the most famous work of the artist Flavitsky. The subject for the canvas was taken from the legend about the death of Princess Tarakanova during a flood in St. Petersburg. Largely because of the painting "Princess Tarakanova" this version of her death was entrenched in the people's memory.
"The Apotheosis of War", Vasily Vereshchagin
The author, a former military man, became famous as a battle painter. There are many versions about what inspired the painting. The most famous of them is associated with Tamerlane, whose troops left behind the same piles of skulls that the artist depicted in the picture. On the frame of the canvas is an inscription that reads: "Dedicated to all the great conquerors - past, present and future."
"The Rooks Have Arrived", Alexey Savrasov
To buy this masterpiece, Tretyakov personally went to Savrasov in Yaroslavl. The appearance of the painting is regarded as an important stage in the development of Russian landscape painting. No one has yet managed to portray nature as melancholy as Savrasov. Contemporaries believe that the Russian soul itself is contained in the canvas.
"Birch Grove", Arkhip Kuindzhi
Kuindzhi was considered a real master in working with light and shadow. The work depicts birches growing in a sun-drenched meadow. The author creates the feeling of very bright sunlight by playing with light and shadow. The picture is distinguished by the unusual image of nature, bright colors and an abundance of green.
"Rainbow", Ivan Aivazovsky
Typical seascape paintings by the marine painter Aivazovsky, but it was this canvas that became the artist's response to accusations that his paintings were out of date. The work "Rainbow" is made in an unusual color solution for Aivazovsky, which attracts the eye. The painting depicts a shipwreck, painted with the pink glow of a rainbow hovering over the sea.
"Over Eternal Peace", Isaac Levitan
A student of Savrasov, who adopted from him his vision of the Russian landscape. Due to this, the artist's works are imbued with the Russian spirit and often evoke a feeling of melancholy in people. The canvas is considered one of the largest in size from Levitan's works. Also, this picture and a couple of others are often combined into the "gloomy" trilogy of Levitan.
"Alyonushka", Viktor Vasnetsov
The main artist, folklorist, Vasnetsov is also known for his painting "Heroes". For a long time the author kept in mind the idea of the painting "Alyonushka". The plot of the picture was formed when the artist accidentally saw an ordinary peasant woman by the pond in the Abramtsevo estate. The result is a masterpiece that has taken its rightful place in the Tretyakov Gallery.
In addition to the above pictures, it is worth familiarizing yourself with such masterpieces as:
- Bathing of the Red Horse, Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin;
- "Future Pilots", Alexander Deineka;
- "A storm begins to play on the Black Sea", Ivan Aivazovsky;
- Unequal Marriage, Vasily Pukirev;
- The Horsewoman, Karl Bryullov.
