Gospel stories in Russian painting. Gospel stories Polenova V.D.

1. In 1827, Ivanov painted for the Society for the Encouragement of Artists a painting based on the biblical story “Joseph interpreting the dreams of the baker and butler imprisoned with him in prison.” For her, the Society for the Encouragement of Artists awarded the young painter a large gold medal.
In the mid 30s. Ivanov again turned to scenes from the Bible. He painted the painting "The Appearance of Christ to Mary Magdalene" (1834-36). Mary Magdalene is a repentant sinner in the Christian tradition, a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, the first to see his resurrection. In the picture, the classical correctness of postures and gestures is combined with the Christian enlightenment of their faces, a sense of miracle. The figure of Mary Magdalene is especially expressive: she rises from her knees towards Christ, stretching out her hands to him. Christ stops her with a gesture. His image corresponds to the academic canons of beauty. For this work, Ivanov received the title of academician.
Ivanov's most grandiose work on the gospel story "The Appearance of Christ to the People" (1837 - 1857). The plot of the painting is based on the legend of the miraculous coming of the Savior from the world.
2. In 1872, Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy painted the painting "Christ in the Desert". In the center of the boundless rocky desert, under a wide bright sky, Jesus Christ sits, residing in intense, mournful meditation. For many contemporaries, the canvas was read as an understandable allegory: the image of Christ was a symbol of moral achievement, readiness for sacrifice in the name of people. Kramskoy wanted to portray a hero who made a difficult choice and foresaw a tragic denouement.
3. In 1863, in Italy, Nikolai Nikolaevich Ge painted the painting The Last Supper. The artist chose a plot that many masters of the past turned to. However, instead of a meal at which Jesus predicts that one of the twelve disciples sitting next to him will betray him, Ge depicted the moment of Judas' break with Christ. Throwing on his cloak with a sharp movement, Judas leaves the Teacher. The tense conflict is emphasized by harsh lighting. The lamp, standing on the floor, is obscured by the dark, sinister silhouette of Judas. The figures of the apostles are illuminated from below and cast huge shadows on the wall; the shocked Peter rose, suffering is written on the face of the young John, the reclining Christ frowned. This work was created thoroughly, it feels the persuasiveness of the details. The picture was enthusiastically received in Russia.
In the 1990s, Ge again turned to the gospel theme.
In the painting "What is truth?" (1890) The tormented Christ, standing with his hands tied before Pontius Pilate, the Roman ruler of Judea, is sullen and concentrated. He just said in response: “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth.” Pilate chuckles in response. This Roman with a powerful figure and free movements is self-confident, his gesture looks mocking. Dramatic conflict is expressed clearly, sharply and psychologically convincing. In the center of the unfinished painting "Golgotha" (1893) is Christ and 2 thieves. The Son of God closed his eyes in despair and threw back his head. To his left is an unrepentant criminal with his hands tied, his eyes wide with horror, his mouth half open. On the right is a young repentant robber, sadly turned away. All figures on the canvas are motionless.

4. Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov conceived a cycle from the life of Jesus Christ and went to Egypt, Syria and Palestine to paint the Son of God against the backdrop of the places where he was born and lived. Polenov showed sketches brought from the trip, sunny, unusual in color, at a traveling exhibition in 1885. And in 1887, the painting “Christ and the Sinner” was exhibited.
The plot of the work is taken from the Gospel of John. A woman caught in adultery is brought to Christ and asked if she should be stoned, as Moses commanded. Christ answered: "He that is without sin, let him first cast a stone at her."
Christ for the artist is a real historical person. He is not highlighted in the picture either compositionally or in color. With a group of disciples, Christ sits under a sprawling tree. They are opposed by a crowd that seized a woman. All this - people, and cypresses and hills stretching into the distance - is flooded with the bright sun of the East.

11. Ivanov "The appearance of Christ to the people." The idea for the composition of the large work "The Appearance of Christ to the People" (1837-1857) arose from Ivanov in the mid-30s. The plot of the picture is based on the gospel legend about the miraculous coming into the world of the Messiah (Savior). Sending a sketch to his father in St. Petersburg, the artist accompanied it with a detailed description, by which one can recognize the heroes of the future picture: the disciples surrounding John the Baptist and ready to follow Christ; people coming out of the water in a hurry to see the Messiah; a young man who has already been baptized and looks at Christ; group of Levites and Pharisees. Even then, Ivanov decided to portray Christ at a distance from other characters. "Jesus must be completely alone," he emphasizes.

The artist worked a lot on individual images, sometimes painting them from several models. So, for example, in the person of Ion the Baptist, the features of a young man and a woman are combined. Creating the image of Jesus Christ, he sketched the heads of ancient statues next to the faces of living sitters and sitters. In some sketches, two opposite characters seem to collide, and the image in the picture reconciles them, it is always more neutral and calm.

Ivanov developed the motives of nature in no less detail in his sketches, many of them even became finished landscapes. The "appearance of Christ to the people" depicts earth and water, valley and mountains, greenery, heaven and sunlight. But this is not a real landscape, in search of which Ivanov initially wanted to go to Palestine, but an image of the whole world, composed, like a mosaic, from the artist’s various impressions of Italian nature.

In 1837 Ivanov began to work on canvas measuring almost 7.5 x 5.5 meters. The main action of the picture is deployed along the plane of the giant canvas. The solemn spectacle that appears before the viewer is full of drama and majesty. With masterful composition, expressive plasticity of individual groups and figures, the artist emphasizes the main idea - the spiritual upheavals of people inspired by the prophecy of John the Baptist that the Messiah coming to the people. Contrary to academic rules, he placed Christ - the semantic center of the picture - in the depths of the composition.

The poses, gestures, facial expressions of the characters, the color scheme of individual images are subordinated by Ivanov to the expression of strong spiritual movements that have engulfed the entire being of each person. These experiences are revealed in people in their own way, depending on their age, character, position in society and different attitudes towards the event.

One of the central places in the composition belongs to the image of a slave, ready to give clothes to the owner. In a suffering, tormented person, the artist reveals a glimmering hope, bright joy, an awakening sense of human dignity. True and deep psychological characteristics are given in the picture to other heroes.

Ivanov connected some heroes in pairs. The young apostle John (he stands behind John the Baptist in a red cloak) and the red-haired naked youth (in the center of the picture) are compared: both of them are directed towards Jesus. The old man and the young man emerging from the water (in the lower left corner of the canvas), on the contrary, are opposed to each other. This is an image of the beginning and end of human life, the meeting of the past and the future. Ivanov associated the future with the appearance of Christ, the past with the prophecy of John the Baptist, so the old man listens to the words of John, and the young man seeks to consider the Messiah. And in the other two pairs of characters (in the center of the canvas, directly below the figure of Jesus, and on the right in front of a group of Levites and Pharisees), the old people listen, and the young ones look.

On the right side of the foreground there is a boy, clasping his hands around himself from the cold, and a trembling man, whose expression - embarrassed and tense - speaks of cowardice. The image of the "trembling" is opposed to the image of the red-haired young man: the state of fear and delight is wonderfully conveyed in their poses. The body of a red-haired young man is beautiful in its impulse, it combines spiritual and physical perfection. "Trembling" personifies the idea of ​​a person's unpreparedness for change, he is afraid of them and is attached to the past (like the old people, he listens, but does not look).

While working on the painting, Ivanov met N.V. Gogol in Rome. The commonality of views brought them closer, and the artist captured the writer on the canvas. On its right side, among a group of Levites and Pharisees, a strange figure stands out: a man in brick-red clothes, with disheveled black hair, enters the crowd from the side of Christ, looking back at him. The viewer reads on the face of this character (the so-called closest to Christ) a lively, acute experience of his own imperfection and dissatisfaction with the world around him.

Ivanov himself became the prototype of the image of the wanderer, or traveler, depicted in the picture. He observes what is happening impartially, as if from the side, although he is located in the center of the canvas, right under the hands of John the Baptist. An observer, a witness, but not a participant in the events - this is how the artist sees his role.

Ivanov did not depict the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove or a shining cloud over the head of Christ, as other artists do in similar scenes. In his work, the miracle of the Epiphany takes place in the minds and souls of people, so there is no action here, the characters of the picture froze in eloquent poses.

The majestic landscape sounds in unison with the images of people. It serves not only as a background, but also as a natural environment for action, at the same time, introducing important semantic accents into the work: the group behind Ion the Baptist compositionally corresponds to the mighty, full of vitality nature on the banks of the Jordan River; to the group of hard-hearted opponents of the truth, as if pushed to the right by the impulse of John, is a stony desert.

For twenty years the master worked on this work. In search of the high beauty of the images, the inseparable truthfulness of life, Ivanov rethought the experience of the great masters of antiquity and the Renaissance, having done a truly titanic preparatory work for the picture, studying nature, and managed to convey the harmony that reigns in it, to which every smallest detail of the depicted is subordinated.

12. Illustrations by Gustave Doré in the Bible. Paul Gustave Doré was born on January 6, 1832 in Strasbourg. He began to draw at the age of four, and at the age of ten he completed illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy. He begins with modest work on the design of small and cheap popular publications. The artist is inquisitively looking for his way. Already in the illustrations for "Gargantua and Pantagruel" (1854), Dore shows himself as an artist of powerful imagination, skillfully dressing the thought that gave birth to him in the form of a specific image.

In 1865, he illustrated a two-volume Bible with two hundred and thirty drawings. Everything in these sheets is extremely grandiose and cosmic: rearing rocks, endless valleys, bottomless gorges, monstrous trees, innumerable human streams, bright flashes of light cutting through the night mist, overwhelming architecture of ancient temples and palaces with its scale.

That is why "background", "atmosphere" is here the main, defining moment. Illustrating the New Testament, Dore is more academic and dry, somewhat constrained and restrains his imagination, although in separate sheets, for example in the Apocalypse, he gives free rein to his imagination.

For many centuries, frescoes, mosaics and relief images on stones, with their precise iconography and halos over certain objects, carried a certain caricature in the perception of many believers. However, in Doré's illustrations, biblical characters and places of events look believable and genuine. Contemporaries of Gustave Dore criticized his work and doubted his competence as an artist. Nevertheless, his illustrations have stood the test of time and still vividly depict important biblical events. Illustrations "The Creation of Light", "The Creation of Eve", "The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden", etc.

The basic concepts of classicism, which found expression in the art and literature of Russia in the 18th century.

The Renaissance in Russia (Peter's era) is an understanding of the truth that was previously unusual for Russian culture. Recognition for science of the ability to give a final interpretation of the worldview. Deification and recognition of the omnipotence of the human mind.
This was an ideologically justified transformation of the world. At this time, a new fundamental principle of being was announced - the principle of statehood (Feofan Prokopovich (1681-1736) - ideologist). He was a hierarch of the Russian church. With the authority of the church hierarch, he reinforced the idea of ​​the subordination of the church to the state benefit and expediency.

The state begins to be perceived not only as the most valuable "treasure on earth", but also rises above all spiritual values; they become subordinate to him. The zemstvo prince is credited with full rights and powers in religious matters. This was enshrined under Peter in the "Spiritual Regulations". This is the program of the Russian reformation.

Art and literature are subject to the approval of a new ideology - the exaltation of the ideals of statehood. In literature and art, a special creative method was intended for this - classicism.

Classicism originated in France in the 18th century (the heyday of absolute monarchy). Classicism is so named because of the outward orientation towards the classical art of the ancient world. The orientation was not only on the basic principles of Aristotle's poetry, but also on the themes and plots of ancient writers, and was not limited to them.

The greatest theoretician of classicism was Boileau. Dramatists (French): Corneille, Rosin, Molière. (Lessing - German clearance. Classicism).
In Russia: Lomonosov, Sumarokov, Trediakovsky, Derzhavin, Fonvizin.
Representatives of classicism in the theater - Fyodor Volkov, Ivan Dmetrevskiy
Classicism (18th century) in architecture: Bazhenov (Polyakov's house (former head of the building of the Rumyantsev Library)), Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov (1st Gradskaya, Column Hall of the House of the Unions, Church of the Ascension on the Gorokhovo Pole, Voronikhin (Kazan Cathedral), Zakharov (Admiralty) , K. Yves Rossi (Arch of the General Staff).

Classicism is characterized by: logical unfolding of the plot, clarity, balance of composition, the leading role of a smooth, generalized drawing.
Classicism is normative. Classicism (as well as socialist realism) are similar to each other, openly ideological and build their poetics on the basis of a distinct scheme of a certain feature of ideology. In classicism, everything is subordinated to the ideas of statehood. The glorification of the state, the monarch as the main carrier of the idea (in socialist realism, this is a party), victims, deeds in the name of the state.

Classicism, which is characterized by the concepts of discipline, norms, systems, plays a centralizing, "imperial" role in culture. It was reflected in the work of Kantemir and Trediakovsky, even more in the poetry of Lomonosov, and most strongly and most clearly in the work of Sumarokov. Russian classicism was distinguished from Western classicism by two main features: 1) its predominantly topical and satirical character, and 2) its proximity to folklore, to the folk origins of art. “Although I am not deprived of tenderness of the heart in love,
Heroes of eternal glory I admire more. (Lomonosov)

Rule of 3 unities: time, place and action.
Painters of classicism: Anton Lochenko (pictures of Russian and ancient history "Vladimir before Rogneda"), Grigory Ugryumov ("The Capture of Kazan" - 1797-99), Jean Ingres.

Representatives of classicism

One of the most important figures for the Russian Enlightenment is Vasily Kirillovich Trediakovsky (1703-1768). He was guided by the idea of ​​serving native literature and science. His fate is characteristic of the time, but also tragic: a passionate seeker of knowledge, a philologist-erudite, an active translator, theorist-creator of treatises on spelling and rhetoric, works on the theory and history of literature, a converter of Russian versification, he during his lifetime

The transformation of the system of versification associated with the names of Trediakovsky, who substantiated the need for a tonic verse in the treatise "A New and Short Way to Compose Russian Poetry" (1735), and Lomonosov - "Letter on the Rules of Russian Poetry" (1739), was the most important thing in creating new literature and, what is very important, in the first place, it conformed to the peculiarities of the Russian language, in which the stress can freely fall on any syllable. He was aware of the significance of the coming changes - they were determined by the task of creating a national poetic culture.

There was not a person in the history of Russian culture whose activity would be so extensive, encyclopedic and significant in relation to the future, as Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov(1711-1765). Lomonosov's works on literary theory and linguistics are remarkable. Of the first, the central one is "Rhetoric", of the second - "Russian Grammar" - the first scientific description and systematic study of the living Russian language; it formed the basis of all further grammatical works in Russia. But perhaps the most important was the article “On the Benefits of Church Books in the Russian Language,” in which Lomonosov outlined his theory of the “three calms.” Lomonosov considers the correct path of synthesis, the unification of Russian and Church Slavonic as stylistic categories of a single language "for an abundance of sayings." According to Lomonosov, the Church Slavonic language is the historical basis of Russian speech, the language of ancient culture, uniting all the diversity of Russian dialects. Lomonosov includes Church Slavonicisms in the Russian language as its inalienable property and divides all the words of this enriched Russian language into three groups: 1) words common to Church Slavonic and Russian languages: god, mlava, hand, now, I believe, are used for poems, odes, solemn speech; 2) the words, “which, although they are used little, and especially in conversations, are intelligible to all literate people, for example: I open, Lord, I cry,” is used to compose poetic friendly letters, satires; 3) words that are not in church books, i.e. purely Russian words: I say, a stream, bye, only. Common words.

The main genre in Lomonosov's work was a high, solemn ode - a long poem, almost a poem, written in honor of some official celebration. The main political idea of ​​Lomonosov was the idea of ​​enlightened absolutism.

Literary classicism was completed in creative work of Alexander Petrovich Sumarokov(1717-1777). If the Lomonosov style was distinguished by “splendor”, which made it similar to the Baroque, then Sumarokov’s poetics is sober and businesslike, the requirement for simplicity, naturalness and clarity of poetic language sounds both in his treatises and in poetic practice. In the treatise "On Unnaturalness" he mocks poets who "gift us with words that are never spoken anywhere" and compose a speech "quite unusual, puffed up with plumpness, let up to heaven." In general, the fate of Sumarokov was connected with the history of the Russian theater. The organizer and director of the St. Petersburg, and then the Moscow theater, he was the creator of Russian tragedy, and his dramas, although they were written according to the rules of classical drama, did not at all copy samples of French classic tragedies, but formed a completely original Russian type of drama, which does not have an exact correspondence in Western literature. The tragedy of Sumarokov is unusually simple and static in composition and its heroes are necessarily kings, princes, nobles - and these are signs of classicism, but the characters in it are clearly divided into virtuous and vicious, the heroes often turn to the hall with moral maxims and whole arguments about politics and morality; endings in tragedies are mostly happy - and all these features are characteristic of the new drama. The philosophy and ideology of Sumarokov's tragedies fits perfectly into the framework of classicism: the mind builds society and the right relations in it; people driven by passions are alien to reason and honor, and only overcoming passions gives a person the right to control people ("Mstislav"). Works: "Horeev" (tragedy, 1747), "Senov and Truvor" (1750), wrote about 600 parables. Some fables are satires on high officials. The main themes: the struggle of passion and reason, duty and personality, condemned human heartlessness.

In contrast to the tradition of European classicism, which prescribes the depiction of events separated in time and space, often taken from ancient and biblical mythology, Sumarokov turns to national history.

Another famous representative of classicism is Gavril Romanovich Derzhavin (1763 - 1816). Born in Kazan, where he spent his childhood. From 1762 he served in St. Petersburg, in the Preobrazhensky Regiment, first as a soldier, and from 1772 as an officer. In 1776-1777 he participated in the suppression of the Pugachev uprising

Literary and public fame comes to Derzhavin in 1782, after writing the ode "Felitsa", which praises the Empress Catherine II. Derzhavin was appointed governor of the Olonets province, and from 1785 - of Tambov. In both cases, Derzhavin's attempts to restore order, the fight against corruption lead to conflicts with the local elite, and in 1789 he returned to the capital, where he occupied various high administrative positions. All this time, Derzhavin did not leave the literary field, creating the ode "God" (1784), "The thunder of victory, resound!" (1791, unofficial Russian anthem), "Velmozha" (1794), "Waterfall" (1798) and many others

Almost from the very appearance of mankind, it has been brought up on the parables and songs that are given in the Bible. In our time, the Bible has come through many centuries, overcoming many difficulties. She was forbidden to read, destroyed, burned in the fire, but she is still intact. It took eighteen centuries to create it, about 30 of the most brilliant authors who lived in different years and eras were engaged in it, in total 66 books of the Bible were written in different languages.

According to the school curriculum, children are necessarily told about biblical themes in the visual arts. Art in school thus introduces students to the biblical characters and stories described in the book.

Biblical scenes in painting. The great artist Rembrandt

The world's great artists have used biblical themes in the visual arts. Perhaps the brilliant artist Rembrandt left his mark more clearly. He was able to very truthfully and really sincerely show the inexhaustible wealth of a person through biblical scenes in painting. His characters are like ordinary people, contemporaries, among whom the artist lived.

In a simple person, Rembrandt could see inner integrity, nobility and spiritual greatness. He managed to convey in the picture the most beautiful qualities of a person. His canvases are filled with genuine human passions, a vivid confirmation of this is the painting "Descent from the Cross" (1634). The famous painting is “Assur, Haman and Esther”, written according to which tells how Haman slandered the Jews before King Assur, wanting their death penalty, and Queen Esther managed to reveal the insidious lie.

Mysterious Brueghel

In the history of art, it is difficult to find a more mysterious and controversial painter than Brueghel. He did not leave behind any notes, treatises or articles about his life, he did not draw self-portraits or portraits of his loved ones. On his canvases, biblical themes in the visual arts are shrouded in mystery, the characters do not have memorable faces, and all the figures are devoid of individuality. In his paintings you can see the Lord and the Blessed Mary, Christ and John the Baptist. The canvas "The Adoration of the Magi" is, as it were, covered with a snow-white veil. That is why the pictures are so attractive. Looking at them, I want to unravel the mystery.

Brueghel's biblical heroes are depicted among contemporaries, they lead their everyday life on the Flemish city streets and in the countryside. For example, the Savior, burdened with the weight of his cross, is lost among the multitude of ordinary people who do not even suspect that they are doing their own looking at God.

Paintings by Caravaggio

The great Caravaggio painted canvases that amaze with their unusualness; to this day they cause heated debate between connoisseurs of art. Despite the fact that in the Renaissance the favorite theme for painting were holiday scenes, Caravaggio remained true to himself, his tragic theme. On his canvases, people experience terrible torment and inhuman suffering. Biblical themes in the fine arts of the artist can be traced on the canvases "The Crucifixion of St. Peter", which depicts the execution of the apostle, crucified upside down on the cross, and "The Entombment" depicting a folk drama.

Everyday life and everyday life of human life are always present in his paintings. He in every possible way despised paintings with a fictitious plot, that is, not copied from life; for him, such canvases were trinkets and childish fun. I was sure that only canvases depicting real life can be considered real art.

icon painting

In Rus', icon painting appeared in the 10th century, after Rus' in 988 adopted the Byzantine religion - Christianity. In Byzantium at that time, icon painting and the plots of the Old Testament in the visual arts turned into a strict, canonical image system. Worship of icons has become a major part of the doctrine and worship.

For a couple of centuries in Rus', only icon painting was the subject of painting, through which ordinary people were introduced to beautiful art. Depicting moments from the life of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the apostles, the icon painters tried to express their individual idea of ​​good and evil.

Icon painters always had to adhere to strict rules; they could not depict a fictitious or fantasized plot. But at the same time, they were not deprived of the opportunity to create, it was possible to interpret biblical scenes in the visual arts at their discretion, choosing a different combination of colors. The icons of some icon painters differ among others in their special style of writing.

Icons by Andrey Rublev

Often the subject of scientific discussions is the belonging of individual icons to the work of Rublev. The only work that Rublev accurately wrote is the Trinity icon. The authorship of the rest is still in doubt.

The "Trinity" depicts the extraordinary simplicity and "laconicity" of the biblical event. With the greatest skill, the artist singled out precisely those details that help to recreate the idea of ​​​​the ongoing event - this is a mountain symbolizing the desert, Abraham's chamber, and thanks to this icon, art, simply illustrating the Bible, has turned into a knowing one. Previously, no one dared to such a reincarnation of the sacred text in the picture.

Ancient Russian painting has always clearly followed the biblical text, its initial task was to recreate the image that the Bible and the Gospel narrate about. Rublev managed to reveal the philosophical meaning of biblical writing.

Plots of the New and Biblical themes in the visual arts

Plots from the New and Old Testament occupy one of the main places in Christian painting. Depicting biblical scenes, the artist must transfer the sacred text to the canvas, contribute to understanding, enhance emotional perception and strengthen faith. Therefore, the visual arts and the Bible are closely related, their history has changed together.

Christian art did not easily reproduce biblical scenes. Talented artists created stunning paintings, each of which is unique, thanks to the fact that they tell a biblical story in a special way.

Initially, Christianity arose as a new doctrine in Judaism, therefore, plots from the Old Testament predominated in early Christian art. But then Christianity began to move away from Judaism and artists began to depict scenes from

Abraham in the visual arts

One of the characters that unites several faiths (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) is Abraham. His image combines several facets:

• the ancestor of the Jews, and through the children of Hagar and Ketura - of various Arab tribes;
• the founder of Judaism, personifying the ideal of devotion to faith;
• intercessor of mankind before God and hero-warrior.

In Jewish and Christian ideas, there is the concept of "Abraham's Bosom" - this is a special otherworldly place for the repose of the dead righteous. In painting, Abraham is depicted sitting on his knees, in his bosom or in his womb the souls of believers in the form of children sit. This can be seen on the canvases "Golden Gate", "Prince's Portal".

Sacrifice of Isaac

But the most beloved plot associated with Abraham is the sacrifice.

The biblical scripture tells how God asked Abraham to burn his son Isaac to prove his devotion. The father built an altar on Mount Moriah, and at the last moment of the sacrifice of Isaac, an angel appeared to them and stopped him. Instead of a child, a lamb was burned.

Such a dramatic episode leads to the deepest reflections on God's justice.

Biblical themes in the visual arts have always attracted artists. Despite the fact that biblical stories are long gone, the painters manage to reflect the modern reality of life through them.

Polivarova Julia

In her work Julia Polivarova examines the paintings of Russian artists of the 19th century, written on gospel stories, from the point of view of morality. What spiritual and moral problems do the artists raise in their paintings?

In the painting "Christ in the Desert" by N. Ge, the theme of choosing a person's life path, the search for the meaning of life, is revealed.

In the painting "Christ and the Sinner" by V. Polenov, the theme of the relationship of man to man, the theme of true justice, is revealed.

In the paintings "The Resurrection of the Daughter of Jairus" by V. Polenov and I. Repin, the theme of the struggle of life with death, the significance of faith in human life, is revealed.

In the painting "The Last Supper" by N. Ge, the question of the meaning of betrayal is raised.

In the painting “What is Truth” by N. Ge, the theme of the search for truth, the relationship between the spiritual and the material in human life is revealed.

The painting “The Crucifixion” reveals the theme of insight, shows the meaning of love and compassion in the life of every person.

The work highlights relevance of gospel paintingXIX century in our time, and its role in the education of spirituality and morality in modern man.

This project can be used in art lessons, the MHC, the basics of Orthodox culture, in class hours aimed at the spiritual and moral education of students.

The project took the 1st place at the III city scientific and practical conference of schoolchildren "Evrika" and the 2nd place at the regional scientific and practical conference "Evrika" of the Minor Academy of Sciences of students of the Kuban in 2006.

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Regional scientific and practical conference of the Minor Academy of Sciences

students of the Kuban "Eureka"

GOSPEL STORIES

IN RUSSIAN PAINTING OF THE XIX CENTURY

(spiritual - moral aspect)

Research project

Made by a 11th grade student

secondary school No. 66 in Krasnodar

Polivarova Yulia Gennadievna

Scientific adviser:

teacher of the basics of Orthodox culture,

music and MHC

MOU secondary school No. 66 of Krasnodar

Tananko Nadezhda Viktorovna.

Krasnodar

2006

annotation

In the research project of Polivarova Yu.G. the theme of gospel stories in Russian painting of the second half of the 19th century is revealed.

The research approach to the topic lies in the fact that the author examines the paintings not from an artistic and analytical point of view, but approaches themfrom the standpoint of spirituality and morality.

On the example of various paintings by N.N. Ge, I.N. Kramskoy, V.D. Polenova and I.E. Repina Polivarova Yu.G. considers,what spiritual and moral problems the artists raise in their paintings, and how they solve these problems with the help of the gospel plot.

In her work, Polivarova Yu.G. analyzed many different articles and studies. Leaving aside a detailed analysis of the means of artistic expression, she focused her attention on thoseassessments that critics, researchers and contemporaries gave to the paintings in terms of their spiritual and moral content and significance.

A large place in the work is given to the views of the artists themselves on the problem they raise. In this regard, the author of the project considersworldview, life and artistic position of each artist, attitude to religion, to the church, which plays an important role in the picturesque embodiment of one or another gospel story.

The purpose of this aspect of the examination of paintings is to identify,the relevance of evangelical painting of the 19th century in our time, and its role in the education of spirituality and morality in modern man.

This work is in demand, because. The problem of educating spirituality and morality in the younger generation is one of the most urgent today.

Gospel stories in Russian painting of the 19th century (spiritual and moral aspect). Polivarova Yu.G.

Russia, Krasnodar Territory, city of Krasnodar, secondary school No. 66, grade 11.

Abstracts

An analysis of the situation in Russia in recent years has shown that the issue of spirituality and morality is very acute in modern society. Our state and all progressive modern society is looking for ways to solve moral problems on this issue.

One of these ways is the fine arts, which carries high spiritual and moral ideas. This theme reached a special depth in the works of Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy, Ilya Efimovich Repin, Nikolai Nikolaevich Ge and Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov, written on gospel stories. These artists raise global, eternal problems of Christian morality in their paintings and look for ways to solve them.

Concepts of spirituality and morality. There is no impassable line between religious and secular understanding of spirituality.

Spirituality is the awareness of holiness and the desire for it, i.e. the spirituality of human life with high moral ideals and the constant improvement of oneself in accordance with the commandments of Christ. Such spirituality radically transforms a person and his whole life. Morality is a way of normative regulation of human behavior in accordance with spiritual ideals. Moral values ​​are determined by spirituality.

Christian themes are an inexhaustible source of creative searches in different types of art and for different peoples. Until the 15th century, art was predominantly religious. Artists painted pictures based on scenes from the New Testament.Plots from the Old Testament left more room for the author's imagination, and they formed the basis of many works of European painting of the 17th - 18th centuries.

Russian artists, as well as foreign ones, also often turned to Biblical subjects in their work. But unlike European painters, the source of their inspiration was the New Testament (Gospel). They were interested in the spiritual and moral foundations of the Christian faith. But most of all, artists are interested in the image of Christ himself.

For the first time in the history of world fine arts, Russian artists of the second half of the 19th century approached the interpretation of the image of Christ not as God, but as a man. From the whole Gospel, Russian artists chose such subjects in which the divine, the unreal completely dissolves and the ordinary human character is most clearly manifested.

What spiritual and moral problems do the artists raise in their paintings?

1. In the painting "Christ in the Desert" by N. Ge, the theme of choosing a person's life path, the search for the meaning of life, is revealed.
2. In the painting "Christ and the Sinner" by V. Polenov, the theme of the relationship of man to man, the theme of true justice, is revealed.
3. In the paintings "The Resurrection of the Daughter of Jairus" by V. Polenov and I. Repin, the theme of the struggle of life with death and the significance of faith in human life are revealed.
4. In the painting "The Last Supper" by N. Ge, the question of the meaning of betrayal is raised.
5. In the painting “What is Truth” by N. Ge, the theme of the search for truth, the relationship between the spiritual and the material in human life is revealed.
6. The painting “The Crucifixion” reveals the theme of insight, shows the meaning of love and compassion in the life of every person.

Not idealized, but close and understandable to every person, the image of Christ in these paintings makes one think about the true meaning of a person’s stay on earth, about the power of human suffering, about the possibility of boundless love for one’s neighbor, for all of humanity. Pictures teach to love, forgive, understand, sympathize. Pictures teach to live and die worthy of the title of Man.

Discussions, disputes, and misunderstandings often took place between clergy and artists. Representatives of the church often categorically did not accept the point of view of artists, accusing them of distorting the Gospel events and their religious meaning, of excessively humanizing Christ, of deviating from church dogmas. Some paintings were removed from exhibitions.

The advanced part of society appreciated the paintings, understanding their true meaning and purpose.

It is generally recognized in the world that none of the Western cultures has risen to such a spiritual and moral height, which became available to the great Russian culture.

Gospel stories in Russian painting of the 19th century (spiritual and moral aspect). Polivarova Yu.G.

Russia, Krasnodar Territory, city of Krasnodar, secondary school No. 66, grade 11.

Research Project Plan

1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….6

The reason for choosing the topic and its relevance.

1. Gospel stories in art………………………………………………..7
2. The search for truth in the painting of I. Kramskoy……………………………………...8

("Christ in the Wilderness")

1. The search for truth in the painting of V. Polenov……………………………………….9

("Christ and the Sinner")

1. Faith works miracles………………………………………………………………..10

(V. Polenov and I. Repin "The Resurrection of the Daughter of Jairus")

1. The search for truth in the painting of N. Ge………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

1) The theme of betrayal…………………………………………………………….11

("The Last Supper").

2) What is Truth……………………………………………………………...12

3) The topic of execution…………………………………………………………………...13

("Crucifixion")

1. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………..15
2. References ………………………………………………………………16
3. List of illustrated applications………………………………………..17

1. INTRODUCTION

An analysis of the situation in Russia in recent years has shown that the issue of spirituality and morality is acute in modern society, because the disunity of people is increasing, the family is being destroyed, the meaning of life is lost, the consciousness is criminalized, in a word, society is following a path that can lead to complete moral degradation. (2)

Such negative phenomena are especially noticeable in the youth environment.

Why is this happening?At the moment of self-determination, the formation of personality, young people are characterized by the search for moral foundations - those criteria that determine the meaning of life. In our time, the younger generation is brought up in a society dominated by the values ​​of market, commodity-money relations, where the concepts of "spirituality" and "morality" are often absent at all, and a person's place in society is determined not by moral positions, but by the thickness of the wallet. In such conditions, it is difficult for young people to find priorities in life, to choose true values. For this reason, young people often solve their problems by avoiding reality - hence the increase in crime, drug addiction, prostitution, suicide and other catastrophically negative phenomena.

Can this be avoided?Our state and all progressive modern society is working on this issue, looking for ways to solve moral problems. And more and more often these searches lead to the realization that the basis in the education of morality should be spirituality in the sense that it was understood in our Christian Orthodox state. And then it becomes clear that there is no need to “reinvent the wheel” at all, since people long before us have already discovered many ways of spiritual and moral education.

One of these ways is visual art, which has a unique ability to capture moments of Truth and bring them to the world, overcoming time. We just need to learn how to find these moments, try to understand them and, passing through ourselves, form our moral positions.

The theme of spirituality and morality has always been one of the main ones in all types of art. In the visual arts, this theme is revealed in bright, concrete, visible images. She excited artists who truly reflect life. These artists sought answers to many questions in real life, but found them in the plots of the New Testament. This theme reached a special depth in the works of Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy, Ilya Efimovich Repin, Nikolai Nikolaevich Ge and Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov.

The purpose of this work- using the examples of paintings by these artists, to understand: why the Gospel stories are relevant in our time, as in all times, and what important issues of spirituality and morality are raised in the paintings painted on these stories.All aspects of viewing paintings lead to the realization of their relevance in modern society in terms of spiritual and moral education.

1. GOSPEL STORIES IN ART.

Christian themes are an inexhaustible source of creative searches in different types of art and for different peoples.

In the West, until the 15th century, art was predominantly religious.

In the Renaissance, the ideas of humanism began to assert themselves in art, i.e. exaltation of man. Nevertheless, the greatest artists of the Renaissance found their aesthetic ideal in the images of the Madonna and Christ, in the images of Biblical heroes. The New Testament was treated with the same respect, but the subjects for paintings were drawn from it less often. And herescenes from the Old Testamentleft more room for the author's imagination, and theyformed the basis of many works of European painting 17th – 18th centuries(5)

Russian artists, as well as foreign ones, also often turned to Biblical subjects in their work. But unlike European painters, the source of their inspiration was the New Testament. And this is no coincidence. Most of the artists treated faith from a humanistic position. They were interested in the spiritual and moral foundations of the Christian faith. In the tragic, psychologically sharp, philosophically deep and complex plots of the New Testament, they searched and founduniversal themes - the choice of a life path, betrayal, relations between people and between a person and society, loyalty to an idea (death for an idea), sin, self-sacrifice.

But most of all, artists are interested in the image of Christ himself.For the first time in the history of world fine arts, Russian artists of the second half of the 19th century approached the interpretation of the image of Christ not as God, but as a man. (21)

From the whole Gospel, Russian artists chose such subjects in which the divine, the unreal completely dissolves and the ordinary human character is most clearly manifested.

The religious theme acquired in the work of leading Russian artists the significance of a peculiar form of expression of their thoughts and ideas about contemporary reality, about modern man.Turning to the religious theme made it possible to focus on moral issues, through the prism of which the contemporary generation solved the most important social problems of their era.

“... art that captures the Truth also becomes its repository, helps the Truth to survive in all historical storms”(F. M. Dostoevsky)

Turning to the gospel stories, Russian artists of the 19th century "captured the Truth."

But what is Truth? Trying to find the answer to this question, we educate ourselves spiritually and improve ourselves morally. Russian gospel painting of the 19th century can help us with this.

1. SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH IN I. N. KRAMSKY'S PAINTING

One of the artists of the 19th century who turned to the gospel stories was

Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy (1837 - 1887).

“Under the influence of a number of impressions, a very heavy feeling from life settled in me. I see clearly- wrote Kramskoy, -that there is one moment in the life of every person, more or less created in the image and likeness of God, when a thought comes over him - whether to go right or left, whether to take a ruble for the Lord God or not to yield a single step to evil. And now I have a terrible need to tell others what I think. But how to tell? How, in what way can I be understood? And so, one day, when I was especially busy with this, I suddenly saw a figure sitting in deep thought....Who was that? Is this Christ? Don't know. But still I guessed thatthis is the kind of character that, having the power to crush everything, endowed with talents to conquer the whole world, decides not to do what his animal inclinations lead him to do. ANDI was sure that no matter what he decided, he could not fall.It seemed to me that this was the best fit for what I wanted to tell.

In the image of Christ, the artist showed a lonely man, “full of heavy thoughts: go to people, teach them, suffer and perish, or succumb to temptation and retreat ...” The main thing in the picture is the face of Christ. But it conveys not only suffering, but in spite of everything expresses incredible willpower and readiness to take the first step on the rocky path leading to Golgotha.

The picture aroused extreme interest and heated debate. The reactionary press accused the artist of completely distorting the image of Christ, and even of being anti-religious. The painting was defended by those whoHe understood Christianity as a moral and philosophical doctrine, and the person of Christ as an example of a high moral ideal.L.N. Tolstoy in his correspondence with P.M. Tretyakov claimed that Christ Kramskoy“this is the best Christ I know.” (9, 11, 16, 22)

Why is the painting exciting today? Because even today life puts a person before the choice of a life path and the search for the meaning of life.

Christ knew when and how his earthly life would end, what was the meaning of his stay on earth in the form of a man. He knew, What he has to bear and for what . Like Christ the Man, we know that our earthly life is finite, but unlike him, we do not know the appointed day and hour. We do not know, what tests waiting for us on the way for what we should overcome them, and is it worth it at all? .. It is this ignorance that makes us rush to search for the meaning of life. Kramskoy's painting "Christ in the Desert" directs these searches to a high spiritual and moral ideal.

1. SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH IN V.D. POLENOVA'S PAINTING

“It seems to me that art should give happiness and joy, otherwise it is worthless. There is so much grief in life, so much vulgarity and filth, that if art fills you with horrors and villainy, then it will become too hard to live.

These words of the great Russian artistVasily Dmitrievich Polenov(1844 – 1927) are the key to understanding his work.

Polenov, as an artist who had a fine sense of his time, saw many of the shortcomings of contemporary society and believed that it was art that could change the world for the better, that it could show society the spiritual and moral ideal to which one should strive.

A story taken from the Gospel of John ch. 8, 3 - 11) , formed the basis of the greatest canvas "Christ and the Sinner". The painting was presented at a traveling exhibition in 1887.

"It was an event, -recalled the Armenian artist E.M. Tatevosyan, - it was a real holiday, especially for us, the youth, his students. After the traditional, almost black paintings... "The Sinner" was a bright, cheerful, hot-sunny work in cold snowy Moscow, besides, it was a daring challenge for religious hypocrites... "

On the left side of the picture we see Christ sitting quietly on the lower step of the Temple. Nearby are the people attentively listening to his sermon.

The wisdom and tranquility reigning next to Christ are sharply opposed to the malice and tension of the crowd headed by the scribes.

The indignant and ruthless expression on the face of the first scribe, demanding severe punishment for the harlot, and the maliciously mocking expression on the face of the scribe standing behind him, speak of the true reason that led them to Christ. What matters to the scribes is not the punishment itself, but what decision Christ will make. They came"tempt Him to find something to accuse Him",to convict him of violating the law given by God to the prophet Moses. (9, 15, 16)

Christ's answer amazed everyone:Whoever is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

“And the hushed crowd dispersed, thinking for the first time about true truth and justice”(S. Vinokurova). Why? Because the answer of Christ makes every person look into his soul and confess to himself the sins committed ...

This answer is not in the past. It should resound today in the heart of everyone who is going to condemn another. In this picture, Polenov touched on a very importantrelationship between man and man.This problem is acute in our time, when relations between people are increasingly built on the basis of material gain, rather than on love and mutual understanding.

“Dear Vasily Dmitrievich. Your work... meets with sympathy. There is no need, therefore, to wait for the passage of centuries to appreciate the elements of eternity in your creative life...” (L. V. Kondaurov)

1. FAITH WORKS MIRACLES.

The struggle of two principles - dark and light, the single combat of life and death. Despite the huge number of works that reflect this problem, it still remains one of the most incomprehensible and therefore the most urgent problems of mankind.

What is immortality, is there eternal life, does life continue after death, is it possible to change the laws of nature and defeat death?.. Not only art, but also science and religion are looking for answers to these questions. And if art and science are in eternal search, then in religion the answers to all the spiritual questions of earthly existence have long been found. And that answer is the Word of God.

That is why many artists who were concerned about the problem of life and death turned to the plots of the New Testament, to the life of Christ, the meaning of which was the victory of Life over Death.

Many stories of the Gospel are devoted to miracles of healing. One of these stories is"The Resurrection of the Daughter of Jairus".(Gospel of Mark, ch.5, 22-43)Two Russian artists addressed this plot in their work -Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov And Ilya Efimovich Repin(1844 – 1930).

Artists approached the interpretation of the same plot in different ways.

In Repin's painting, we see the most tragic moment of this plot, preceding the miracle. We see death.Hiding the girl's face from the viewer, Repin puts us in the face of heartbroken parents. By this, he involuntarily makes the viewer understand and feel the whole tragedy of what is happening and at the same time gives hope. After all, in the expressions of the parents' faces, we see not only grief and despair, but also faith in healing. The artist also puts us before the face of Christ, who is calm, concentrated, wise. He came to fulfill his destiny - to conquer death. (16)

In the picture of Polenov, we see the brightest moment of this plot.- self resurrection. We see life.The characters are located half a turn to the viewer, which makes it possible to understand the enthusiastic feelings of all the people present in the room. The girl, waking up from her deadly sleep, looks at her savior with wide eyes. And only Christ, just like in Repin's painting, is calm and focused.

Despite the different approaches of artists to the same gospel story, nevertheless, both of these paintings are united by one main idea, whichcan be expressed in the words of Christ - "According to your faith, be it to you."

What to believe? Today, more than ever, this issue is acute for the younger generation. The paintings of Repin and Polenov, each in their own way, give an unambiguous answer to it. Even in the most hopeless situations, you need to believe in the light, you need to believe in life.

6. SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH IN PAINTING N.N. GE

One of the brightest artists of the 19th century who embarked on the path of a "preacher of spiritual beauty" wasNikolai Nikolaevich Ge (1831 - 1894).

Until the end of his life, he was inspired by the hope that with the help of art a person can see clearly, and the world can be corrected. This hope led the artist to gospel art.

However Ge's gospel painting had nothing to do with traditional religious art. In the mind of the artist, gospel stories and truths acquired a universal character, and therefore lost their narrowly religious orientation.(12)

Ge spent considerable time reading the Gospel, trying to expose its hidden, "true" meaning."This book has everything a person needs" -he liked to say.

As he discovered the gospel truths for himself, Christ in the mind of the artist turned into a man - a sufferer.According to A.N. Benoit Gay sawChrist "rather like some stubborn preacher of human morality, who perishes at the hands of evil people and sets an example for people how to suffer and die, than a prophet and a god." (19)

1. The theme of betrayal.

The first in a series of paintings on gospel stories was The Last Supper (1863). The artist chose a plot that was used by many masters of the past(Gospel of Matthew. Ch.26, 17-35; from Mark ch.14, 12-31; from Luke ch.22, 7-39, from John ch.13-17), But interpreted it in a completely different way than was customary in religious art.

The church considers the establishment of the Sacrament of the Eucharist to be the main event of the Last Supper, while the moment of Judas' departure is something secondary and insignificant. However, instead of a meal, Ge depicted the moment of Judas' break with Christ.

AlthoughChrist is placed on the left side of the composition, he is perceived as the main character. In his inaction and silence, one can feel resignation to fate and determination to make a sacrifice. The experience of young John, before whom the frightening depth of the moral fall of man was revealed, intensifies the great sorrow of Jesus.

Image of Judas Ge is devoid of one-dimensionality. Evil is infinitely diverse, contradictory and complex. In Ge's view, Judas is the antipode of the universal idea of ​​good, identified with the name of Christ. To himmoral doubts. He leaves his comrades under the weight of hesitation, his pace has slowed down, but he seems to be unable to stop. From a small, insignificant traitor, Judas in Ge turned into an apostate who betrayed the wonderful idea of ​​\u200b\u200blove for people. (22)

In Russia, the picture first appeared at an exhibition in St. Petersburg in 1863. Church authorities opposed it. F.M. did not like the picture either. Dostoevsky due to the fact that Ge allowed an arbitrary interpretation of the source.“If you follow the literal text of the Gospel, -Dostoevsky said- the main content of the Last Supper was the establishment of the Eucharist. Of course, nothing similar can be found in Ge's painting.

Despite such reviews, the picture was perceived as unusually topical and innovative. Saltykov-Shchedrin openly declared that Ge's painting was significant for him because the thoughts it evoked have a modern sound, that history tends to repeat itself and its lessons should be taken into account.

"The outer atmosphere of the drama is over, but its instructive meaning for us has not ended."(M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin). (14, 15, 9, 16)

Does this painting have the same relevance today? Of course, because it raises the eternal theme of universal morality. The picture makes you put yourself in the place of Judas, in the place of Christ and evaluate the consequences of such an immoral act as betrayal.

1. What is truth.

In 1889 - 1890 Ge creates the canvas "What is truth?" ("Christ before Pilate").

(The Gospel of John, ch. 18, 33-40; ch.19, 1-5)

A tormented Christ stands before Pontius Pilate, the Roman ruler of Judea. He is sullen and focused. Christ's answer has just sounded: "For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth." Pilate chuckles in response. He is the governor of Rome - the ruler of the ancient world. With the triumph of the victor, the procurator asks Christ: "What is truth?" Great Rome gave him no answer. Can this ragged beggar, standing on the threshold of a cruel execution, give an answer? And He, literally pressed into the wall by this imperious pressure, remains silent. He is wearing dirty rags, his hair is tousled, and His appearance is very pitiful. But the viewer does not get the impression that the truth is on Pilate's side.

Having chosen the path of "humiliation", Jesus remains the one who knows what really worries a person at the moment. He does not teach, he does not instruct. He sympathizes. Defenselessness becomes a force standing in the way of evil. (13, 14)

The picture was not understood by the viewer, the artist was accused of not only painting the image of Christ without any hint of the Divine nature, but even devoid of any human heroism.

This picture found a response in the hearts much later. In our time, Ge's painting "What is truth?" relevant as ever. What is its relevance to modern society? Let's take a closer look at what is happening on the canvas.

Pilate is sure that he is the truth; those laws of the Great Roman Empire, which he personifies. We see his self-confidence in everything - in the pose, in the gesture, in the attire, in the facial expression. Blinded by self-confidence, Pilate does not even suspect how weak and insignificant he is in his greatness compared to this tormented, humiliated, impoverished man - Christ. The power of Christ is neither in glory, nor in wealth, nor in power, the power of Christ is in truth! He alone knows what the truth is. Therefore he is calm, therefore he is strong, therefore he is not afraid of death.

An important psychological moment was found by Ge in this picture. He managed to show the superiority of the spiritual and moral strength of man over the physical. This is what makes Ge's painting "What is Truth?" relevant in our time, in modern society, which is increasingly inclined to believe that the meaning of human life is to satisfy one's physical and material needs and forgets about true human values, such as love, forgiveness, selflessness...

1. The topic of execution.

Ge's last work was the painting"Crucifixion". (Gospel of Luke, ch. 23, (33-46); Mark, ch. 15, (33-34))The motives that moved Ge when painting the picture are interesting. They are set out in a letter to L. Tolstoy:" I I thought for a long time why crucifixion is needed ... - it is not necessary to arouse pity, compassion ... crucifixion is needed in order to realize and feel that Christ died for me ... I will shake their brains with the sufferings of Christ, I will make them sob, and don't freak out!..»

Ge began work on the painting in 1884.

It took Ge 10 years before the final version of the painting appeared! Over the years, he rewrote The Crucifixion 12 times.The first versions of "Ras Five" are spectacular - a terrible execution. It is not the idea that should shock the viewer, but the fact itself. Ge rejected these options. He confessed that he did not yet understand the meaning of the crucifixion. It took years to figure out the meaning. And with each step next to Christ, you melted and strengthened in the picture a new hero, infinitely far from the ideal, the Robber.

“I write the Crucifixion like this. Three crosses, one robber in insensibility, this is the one who cursed, then Christ in the last minutes of his life, dying, and the third figure of the robber who took pity on Christ. He made a great effort to see Christ, and, seeing his suffering, forgot his own and weeps, looking at the dying ... "

With each new version of the painting, the Robber, “who cursed”, is less and less interested in Ge, in the end, he will understand that he will do without him at all, cut him off from the canvas along with a strip of canvas, so as not to interfere, not to distract the viewer from the main .

And the main thing in the picture is a robber who screamed wildly and senselessly because a man nearby died on the cross, unable to save himself or him from torment. Ge told us about the life of a man who was born beautiful - everyone is born beautiful - but grew up in a world of evil and injustice. He was taught that he must rob, take revenge, not hate, and he himself was robbed and hated ... And suddenly, a minute before his death, he hears words of love. And from whom? From the same as he rejected and crucified. These words turned everything in the Rogue upside down. He longs to hear them again. He stretches from his cross to the one who said them. He screams in horror, calling him. Did not have time.

Ge talked about the need to be in time with insight earlier than a minute before death. In his heart, he hoped that hundreds of "robbers" would move towards insight when they saw his picture.

The latest works of Ge caused not just controversy and attacks, they were perceived as a scandal. "Is that possible?" - the spectator asked. "Isn't this blasphemy?" critics were outraged. The painting "Crucifixion" was removed from the exhibition and sent to London.

The artist himself considered the "Crucifixion" his greatest success in life. And Leo Tolstoy said that this is the first "Crucifixion" in the world and that Ge is the only artist who is able to express the gospel truths. Such a Christ as that of Ge, Russian art did not know. Nikolai Nikolaevich Ge was one of those artists who really managed to touch the mystery of the belittling of Christ, the mystery of His incarnation. Looking at the paintings of Ge, one can say in the words of Pilate:"Behold the man!" (14, 20, 19, 18, 17, 13, 12)

By writing the death of Christ,the artist comprehended the secret of immortality.He believed that it was necessary to live well for people, then after death others would continue it. He comprehended and proved by fate thatonly the one who is brave and patiently bears his convictions acquires eternal life - the apostate has “emptiness around”, for him the past is already today. Ge realized that today to live for people means to live tomorrow.

And he also realized that the truths that art preaches should be eternal, that art should not embellish life, but, on the contrary, expose and even exaggerate it in order to reach people's hearts. He saw the power of art in what it can show"the difference between what we should be and what we are."(9)

Today, delving into the meaning of Ge's gospel paintings, we must try to see this "difference", and, having seen it, strive with all our heart to change ourselves and become what "we should be." Ge's paintings indicate the paths along which a person should move in search of a high spiritual and moral ideal. And this is their enduring historical, artistic and universal significance.

7. CONCLUSION

Recently, in all spheres of life - in the economy, in politics, in art - the idea of ​​permissiveness, unlimited freedom of the individual has begun to dominate. That's whythe issue of spiritualityas spirituality of human life with high moral ideals, its fullness with Christian virtues, boundless striving for perfection.

Spirituality is that inner core that forms a personality, that inner brake that stops a person from violating the norms of morality or inspires him to a feat, asceticism, sacrifice, heroism.

The high spiritual and moral potential that raised it to the pinnacle of cultural and historical progress has always been a feature of Russian culture.

It is generally recognized in the world that none of the Western cultures has risen to such a spiritual and moral height, which became available to the great Russian culture. (2)

The main feature of Russian culture has become close attention to the inner world of man.The great educators of Russian culture considered its task to cultivate spirituality, those high moral qualities that are bequeathed to us in the Bible.. And among all kinds of arts, one of the main places in this regard is painting.

In this work, a small part of what was created by painters of the second half of the 19th century was revealed. But already those few paintings, written on the gospel stories, which are presented in this work, are enough to understand how great is the significance of Russian art for the spiritual and moral development of a person.

These paintings were perceived differently by contemporaries of artists. They were perceived differently throughout the 20th century - the century of atheism and the bloody clash of ideologies.

In our time, when, albeit slowly and cautiously, the process of the revival of Russian religiosity is still taking place, these paintings have acquired particular relevance. They literally “teach” spirituality, reveal to a person the ideas of high morality.

Not idealized, but close and understandable to every person, the image of Christ in these paintings makes one think about the true meaning of a person’s stay on earth, about the power of human suffering, about the possibility of boundless love for one’s neighbor, for all of humanity.

Pictures teach to love, forgive, understand, sympathize. Pictures teach to live and die worthy of the title of Man.

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY.

1. S.I. Ozhegov. Dictionary of the Russian language. Ed. Soviet Encyclopedia, Moscow, 1979
2. L.F. Loginov. Spirituality (faith, work and morality in Christianity and Orthodoxy) Krasnodar, 2004
3. M. Alpatov. Enduring legacy. ed. Enlightenment, Moscow, 1990
4. Encyclopedia for children. T.7 Art, ed. center "Avanta +" Moscow, 1999
5. Biblical and mythological stories. Russian Encyclopedic Association, Moscow, 2001
6. Glinsky readings. May-June 2005 Journal of the Historical and Patriotic Society "Heirs of Alexander Nevsky" ed. "Samshit-izdat", Moscow, 2005
7. Law of God. A guide for families and schools. Comp. arch. S. Slobodskoy, Kyiv, 2004
8. A.V. Borodin. Fundamentals of Orthodox culture. Tutorial. Ed. house "Pokrov", Moscow, 2003
9. A.F. Dmitrenko, E.V. Kuznetsova, O.F. Petrova, N.A. Fedorov. 50 short biographies of masters of Russian art. Ed. "Aurora", Leningrad, 1970
10. Bible. New Testament.
11. Materials: Nezavisimaya Gazeta NG Religii No. 19 (172) December 21, 2005. Article "Where to Get Colors for Truth" by N. Muravyova.
12. N.N. Ge. From the "Bibliological Dictionary" of priest Alexander Men, dictionary op. in three volumes by the Men Foundation (St. Petersburg, 2002)
13. MAIL.RU Newsletters "Masters and Masterpieces"Issue 141 February 1, 2005
14. Vozrozhdenie Center, Decision magazine 2004 - 8, Heading "Link of Times", article by I. Yazykov "This is a man. The image of Jesus Christ in the work of Nikolai Ge.
15. Library of electronic visual aids "World Artistic Culture", Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, GU RC EMTO, CJSC "Infostudiya EKON", 2003
16. Electronic educational tool "History of Art", Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, GU RC EMTO, "Cyril and Methodius", 2003
17. N. N. Ge, Album, comp. T. N. Gorina, Moscow, 19772;
18. Stasov V.V., N.N. Ge. Moscow, 1904.
19. Sukhotina - Tolstaya T. L., Memoirs, M., 1976;
20. N. N. Ge: Letters. Articles. Criticism. Memoirs of contemporaries, comp. N. Yu. Zograf, M., 1978.
21. Journal "Pedagogical Bulletin" No. 4, 1999 Heading "Education by Art" Article by Yu.A. Solodovnikov "A hieroglyph understandable to everyone"
22. ON THE. Ionina. One hundred great pictures. Moscow, "VECHE", 2002

9. LIST OF ILLUSTRATED APPENDICES

1. V. Polenov. Resurrection of the daughter of Jairus
2. N. Ge. The Last Supper
3. N. Ge. What is truth
4. N. Ge. crucifixion.

APPLICATION

1. I.N. Kramskoy. Christ in the wilderness

1. V.D. Polenov. Christ and the sinner

1. I.E. Repin. Resurrection of the daughter of Jairus

1. V. Polenov. Resurrection of the daughter of Jairus.

1. N. Ge. The Last Supper.

1. N. Ge. What is truth

1. N. Ge. crucifixion.

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Gospel stories in Russian painting

Gospel stories

Polenova V.D.

Shevchenko S.I.

Teacher ORKSE, GPC

MOU "Gymnasium No. 1"

Zheleznogorsk

Gospel stories in Russian painting

Gospel stories

Polenova V.D.

Born on May 20 (June 1, according to the new calendar), 1844 in St. Petersburg, in the family of archaeologist and bibliographer D. V. Polenov. After receiving a secondary education, Vasily entered the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (1863), and a little later began to attend lectures at the law faculty at the university.

In 1872, Polenov, who completed both courses with honors, was awarded a trip abroad at the expense of the academy. He visited Vienna, Venice, Florence, Naples, lived in Paris for a long time. The visit home was short-lived; in 1876 the artist volunteered for the Serbo-Montenegrin-Turkish war.

In subsequent years, he traveled extensively in the Middle East and Greece (1881-1882, 1899, 1909), Italy (1883-1884, 1894-1895). In 1879 he joined the Society of Wanderers. In 1882-1895. taught at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture

and architecture.

In recognition of Polenov's merits, in 1893 he was elected a full member of the Academy of Arts. From 1910, he was engaged in the development of provincial theaters, becoming three years later the head of a special section at the Moscow Society of People's Universities.

Polenov is known as the author of works of various genres. He turned to historical and religious themes - "Christ and the Sinner" (1886-1887), "On the Lake of Tiberias" (1888), "Among the Teachers" (1896); in 1877 he created a series of sketches of the Kremlin cathedrals and palace chambers; at various times he made theatrical scenery.

According to his sketches, churches were built in Abramtsevo (in collaboration with V. M. Vasnetsov) and in Bekhov near Tarusa (1906). But Polenov’s landscapes brought him the greatest fame: “Moscow Courtyard” (1878), “Grandmother’s Garden”, “Summer” (both 1879), “Overgrown Pond” (1880), “Golden Autumn” (1893). ), conveying the poetic charm of the corners of urban life and pristine Russian nature.

The artist spent the last years of his life in the Borok estate, where he organized a museum of art and scientific collections. Since 1927, the museum-estate of V. D. Polenov has been operating here.

When Vasily Dmitrievich graduated from the Academy of Arts in 1871, he presented the painting “The Resurrection of the Daughter of Jairus” to the competition, for which he received the Big Gold Medal.

The biblical story is depicted by the artist at the moment when the daughter of Jairus has already risen, that is, the drama is softened, the result of magic is already visible, and not its process itself.

Many noted the great warmth of the feeling expressed by Polenov in the form of a girl stretching her thin hand to Christ.

Resurrection of the daughter of Jairus

Polenov was a humanist. He believed in love, in the victory of good over evil, in purity and kindness. And, nevertheless, in the paintings on the Gospel themes, one can notice some tragically sad note. As if real life has made its own adjustments to the "light" of the conceived canvases. And this is very evident in the painting "Christ and the Sinner".

The plot of "Christ and the Sinner" most corresponded to his desire to show the moral strength and triumph of those humanistic ideas that Christ brought to people, their beauty and truth.

Polenov devoted half a century of his life to the creation of the pictorial cycle "The Life of Christ", which consisted of more than fifty canvases.

He walked the entire path of Christ on foot and more than once. To this end, he traveled to Palestine, Syria and Egypt, making many sketches there.

Picture of Christ and the sinner. 1888

And in the morning he again came to the temple, and all the people went to Him.

Among teachers

Evangelical dynamism, reflected in the paintings of Alexander Ivanov and Nikolai Ge, was replaced by Polenov's quiet contemplation. The landscape surrounding Christ plays a huge role. Eliminated all the theatrical effects that were characteristic of the paintings of many other artists who wrote on biblical themes.

Events take place in an atmosphere of everyday life. Only the majestic oriental nature emphasizes the spiritual meaning of what is happening.

In the painting "On the Genisaret (Tiberias) Lake." 1888 Polenov remains faithful to the interpretation of the image of Christ given in the first picture of the cycle ("Christ and the Sinner".). Before us, first of all, is a person who sharply sympathizes with other people. Only the context has been changed - if in the first work Christ was shown among people, then here he is alone, immersed in himself. Nature, as always with Polenov, corresponds to the state of the human soul, as if emphasizing, revealing this state.

A desert landscape, the outlines of distant hills melting in the air. Blue morning shadows lie at the feet of Christ sitting on the stony ground. Nature embraces him with its peace and silence, plunging him into a state of dreamy thoughtfulness. Soft light and air, muffling the colors, envelop the figure of Christ like a light transparent veil, giving the image spirituality and poetry. Emphasizing the human principle in the image of Christ, the artist draws the viewer into a circle of reflections on the deep meaning of being.

On the Genisaret (Tiberias) lake. 1888

The theme of the harmonious fusion of man and nature is further developed in The Sitting Christ (1893–96)

On a huge boulder - a lonely figure of a wanderer with a staff in his hands. What are his thoughts and dreams about? You can think about this a lot. Perhaps the words of Ernest Renan, whom Polenov so valued and respected, will help to penetrate deeper into the artist’s intention: “These mountains, the sea, the azure sky, these high plains on the horizon for him were not a melancholy vision of the soul questioning nature about its fate, but a certain symbol , a translucent shadow of the invisible world and the new sky."

Seated Christ (1893–96)

"They Brought Children" (1890-1900s, from the cycle "From the Life of Christ")

"They brought the children"

(1890–1900s, from the cycle “From the Life of Christ.”)

In 1909, the work on the creation of the cycle "From the Life of Christ" was completed (although there were still returns to this topic). At the same time, Polenov sought to capture not so much the dramatic episodes and events of his life as to show Christ, the nature that surrounded him. "My paintings serve mainly as an image of nature and the environment in which the gospel events took place," Polenov wrote about his cycle to L. Tolstoy.

She proclaimed joy to those who weep.

From the cycle "From the Life of Christ". 1899-1909

Sources:

Russian artists from "A" to "Z". / E.M. Adlenova, I.A. Borisovskaya, T.I. Volodina, E.S. Gordon and others - M.: Slovo / SLOVO, 1996. - 216p.

Polenov: 50 artists. Masterpieces of Russian painting. 2010, no. 6./ text Alexander Panfilov. - M .: LLC "De Agostini", 2010. - 31 p.

Http://krotov.info/spravki/persons/19person/1844pole.html Yakov Krotov's library

Http://www.artprojekt.ru/gallery/polenov/index.html site dedicated to the life and work of V.D. Polenova

Http://regina-sitnikova2009.ya.ru/replies.xml?item_no=134 reproduction of the painting "Christ and the Sinner"

Http://history-life.ru/post123686646 beautiful reproductions from paintings by V.D. Polenov from the Gospel cycle "From the Life of Christ" watch

The second part of the Bible is called New Testament. This collection of 27 books includes:

4 gospels, Acts of the Apostles, 21 Epistles of the Apostles and a book Revelations of John the Evangelist (Apocalypse).

The New Testament was written already in modern times - the time of the so-called OUR ERA (the Old Testament was written before our era). Our era opens with the gospel texts of the New Testament, which tell about the birth, life and death of Jesus Christ. In the Russian tradition, these books have come down to us in the Greek translation of the Bible - septuag And nte. The New Testament of the Bible is most important for Christianity, while Judaism does not consider it divinely inspired (does not recognize it).

The New Testament consists of books belonging to eight writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, as well as Peter, Paul, James and Jude.

In the Slavic and Russian Bibles, the books of the New Testament are placed in the following order:

historical

gospels (good news)

from Matthew

from Mark

from Luke

from John

Acts of the Apostles Luke

teaching

• The Epistle of James

  The Epistles of Peter

  The Epistles of John

  The Epistle of Jude

  Paul's Epistles

  • to the Romans

    to the Corinthians

    to the Galatians

    to the Ephesians

    to the Philippians

    to the Colossians

    to the Thessalonians

    to Timothy

    to Titus

    to Philemon

    to the Jews

prophetic

• Revelation of John the Evangelist (ApocA lipsis)

Gospel

The first four books of the New Testament of the Bible - Ev A ngelie. Word Gospel translated from Greek as " good news”(message that brings good - a good start for people). This is the news (= news) of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, massAnd And(translated as Savior). The events of the New Testament open a new era, a new chronology (our era).

The gospels that tell about the life of Jesus Christ were written by four evangelists - Matthew, Luke, John and Mark.

Matthew - the author of the first Gospel (his middle name is Levi). Before he became an apostle - a disciple of Christ (there were 12 of them), Matthew was a publican - he collected tribute, taxes. After the death of Jesus, he preached Christianity and died as a martyr in Ethiopia (His symbolic sign is a man).

John (Theologian) – author of the fourth gospel. Beloved disciple of Christ. He was with him in the most important moments of his life. The author of the Revelation from John the Theologian, the Apocalypse (the end, the death of the world) (his sign is an eagle).

The images of the evangelists in the church are on the Royal Doors - this is the entrance to the altar, symbolizing Heavenly Jerusalem.

Gospel events are reflected in the so-called festive or plot cycle of the Russian icon. These events have become precedent situations in Christian culture.