In Nizhny Novgorod Manege there is an exhibition from the funds of the Tretykov Gallery and the State Historical Museum “Viktor Vasnetsov. The joy of the righteous. (Religious paintings and graphics)”. Hundreds of tourists arriving in the city on Christmas eve flocked here.
© Svetlana Khokhrykova
Many visitors know this outstanding master only through his wonderful paintings and do not even know about his religious path. Meanwhile, Viktor Vasnetsov was born into the family of a hereditary priest Mikhail Vasnetsov and the daughter of the priest Apollinaria Vasnetsova, nee Kibardina, which greatly determined his fate.
In 1896, Viktor Vasnetsov made sketches of uniforms for workers at the XVI All-Russian Art and Industrial Exhibition, held in Nizhny Novgorod, and presented the paintings “Flying Carpet”, “Portrait of MM Antokolsky” and the sketch “Head of a Girl” in the exhibition.
What is curious is that three large paintings, including the “Flying Carpet” now kept in the Nizhny Novgorod Art Museum, were written between 1879 and 1881 for the construction of the Donetsk Railway and commissioned by Savva Mamontov.
© Svetlana Khokhrykova
Vasnetsov was one of the first people invited to paint a mural of St. Vladimir's Cathedral in Kyiv, a work carried out between 1862 and 1882. Before starting work, he went to Italy to study Byzantine monuments.
On January 15, 1886, Vasnetsov began work on the church, where he painted the altar wall, main dome, space under the dome, nave and pillars. On August 20, 1896, he was presented to Emperor Nicholas II and was present at the consecration of Vladimir Cathedral.
Among the covers displayed at the exhibition for painting the ceiling of the main nave are “The Last Judgment”, “The Only Son of the Word of God”, “Jesus Christ Crucified”, “God of the Hosts”. Many of them were bought by Pavel Tretykov from the author, and after his death by the Council of the Tretyak Gallery. The exhibition also includes sketches of unrealized paintings, such as “The Kneeling Archangel,” which was rejected by Vasnetsov himself.
In one of the halls there is a high platform, reminiscent of a balcony or high terrace, from where you can view the cardboard boxes of the triptych “The Joy of the Righteous in the Lord”. They were created by Vasnetsov to paint drums on the main dome of St. Vladimir's Cathedral. This is the most ambitious part of the exhibition. Tourists come back to watch again and again.
© Svetlana Khokhrykova
Vasnetsov not only worked on the decoration of the Vladimir Cathedral, but also created cardboard panels for the mosaics of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Darmstadt, Germany, created sketches and originals of the mosaics of the Cathedral of St. George in Gus-Khrustalny, sketches and cardboards for the exterior mosaics of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ (Savior on Spilled Blood) in St. Petersburg. temple named after St. Alexander Nevsky in Sofia, decorative sketch of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior not made by hand in the Abramtsevo estate. Some of these works are included in the exhibition.
The State Historical Museum provided “The Eucharist”, the original for the mosaic of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Warsaw, demolished in 1924-1926. The exhibition ends with the painting “Archangel Michael” painted by Vasnetsov during World War I.
An interesting detail about the New Year – in 1881, the artist not only made sketches of costumes and scenery for the staging of Ostrovsky's “The Snow Maiden” on Savva Mamontov's native stage, but also played the role of Father Frost in the play.
