Descriptions of the Paintings

Vrubel is a Polish surname; however, by the time Mikhail was born, three generations of the artist's ancestors had already lived in Russia, and they chose a military path....

The painting "Knight at the Crossroads" is partly a reflection of Vasnetsov's fate. As a recognized Itinerant artist, he, like his comrades, did perform genre compositions in the spirit of acute social themes that used to worry the society in the 1870-1890s....

Viktor Mikhaylovich Vasnetsov was born in on 15 May 1848 in a village under funny name Lopyal. Vasnetsov's father was a priest, and same were his grandfather and great-grandfather....

The painting "Oak Grove" depicts a bright sunny day in an oak forest. Powerful, spreading, mute witnesses of the change of centuries and generations amaze with their splendor....

Ivan Shishkin was born on January 25, 1832 in Yelabuga (Vyatka province, which is now referred to as Tatarstan). His father was a merchant belonging to the second guild - Ivan Vasilievich Shishkin....

He subject work represents a "everyday portrait" of a peasant. A thick beard, long uncut hair, leaky ports, and a light shirt belted with a strap....

V.I. Surikov's works represent the top of Russian historical painting of the second half of the nineteenhh century. Once the artist was struck by the image - a candle lit at daytime - as a symbol of tragedy and doom....

Surikov Vasily Ivanovich greatly contributed to the development of the Russian art school. He was born on January 24 (January 12 as per the old style) in 1848 in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk....

Powerfully cutting through the thick sea, the bull carries away the beauty of Europe. Dolphins frolic, accompanying the heroes. The sky merges with the sea. The waves envelop the strong body of the bull like a king's ermine mantle. Europe is calm and even indifferent....

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