Video: "The arrival of the governess at the merchant house": what is hidden in the details of Perov's painting
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
January 2 (December 21, old style) marks 183 years since the birth of an outstanding Russian painter Vasily Perov … His name is usually associated with famous paintings. "Hunters at Rest" and "Troika", much less known other works, such as, "Arrival of the governess to the merchant house" … There are many interesting facts hidden in the details of this picture.
Vasily Perov was often called the successor of the work of the artist Pavel Fedotov, with whose paintings Perov has in common the choice of acute social themes, the critical orientation of his works, the special importance of details imperceptible at first glance. In the 1860s. each new picture of Perov became a social phenomenon, his works, exposing the ulcers of society, were consonant with the era of great reforms. The artist was one of the first to focus on the powerlessness of ordinary people of his time.
One of these works was the painting "The Arrival of the Governess at the Merchant House" (1866). Compositionally and stylistically, it is very close to the genre canvases of P. Fedotov, first of all, the roll-overs are noticeable with "The Major's Matchmaking". But Perov's work is more tragic and hopeless. In 1865, in search of nature for the conceived work, the artist went to the Nizhny Novgorod fair, where merchants from all cities of Russia gathered and "spied" there the necessary types.
They seem to have left the pages of A. Ostrovsky's works. These notable analogies sometimes even led to the accusation of Perov being secondary in relation to the writer's artistic world. So, for example, I. Kramskoy wrote about this picture: “The governess herself is charming, there is some embarrassment in her, some kind of haste and something that immediately makes the viewer understand the personality and even the moment, the owner is also not bad, although not new: taken from Ostrovsky. The rest of the faces are superfluous and only spoil the matter."
It is hardly possible to fully agree with the opinion of Kramskoy. The rest of the characters were by no means "superfluous". The colorful figure of a young merchant, the owner's son, who stands next to his father and looks at the young lady without hesitation. Commenting on this picture, Perov spoke of "shameless curiosity" - this phrase characterizes the merchant in the best possible way.
The merchant feels himself not only a full-fledged master of the house, but also a sovereign master of the situation. He stands on his hips, legs wide apart, his stomach outstretched and frankly examines the newcomer, well aware of the fact that from that moment on she will be in his power. The reception cannot be called warm - the merchant looks at the girl condescendingly, from top to bottom, as if immediately pointing her to her place in this house.
In the bowed head of the governess, in the uncertain movement of her hands, when she takes out a letter of recommendation, one feels doom and like a presentiment of future death, inevitable due to the obvious alienation of this poor girl to the dark kingdom of the merchant's world. The critic V. Stasov defined the content of this picture as follows: "Not a tragedy for now, but a real prologue to a tragedy."
On the wall hangs a portrait of a merchant, apparently the founder of this family, whose representatives are currently trying to hide their true nature behind a decent appearance. Although not everyone succeeds equally. The merchant's wife looks at the girl with undisguised mistrust and ill will. She herself is clearly far from those "manners" and "sciences" that the governess will teach her daughter, but wants everything "like people" in their family, so she agreed to let the girl into the house.
In the left corner of the doorway were servants. They, too, look at the young lady with curiosity, but there is no arrogance on their faces - only interest in the one that will soon keep them company. Probably, the girl, having received a good education, dreamed not of such a fate at all. Hardly anyone in this house understands why merchant daughters need to know foreign languages and high society manners.
The only bright spot in the picture is the figurine of the merchant's daughter, to which the governess was invited. The pink color of Feathers is usually used to emphasize spiritual purity. The girl's face is the only one on which, in addition to curiosity, sincere sympathy is reflected.
Not a single character in the picture can be called superfluous or accidental, they are all in their place and serve to realize the artistic idea. Perov, like Gogol, whose work he admired, was obsessed with the idea of creating an encyclopedia of Russian types in his works. And he really succeeded. Details play an important role in other works of the artist. "Hunters at Rest": Secrets of Perov's Most Famous Painting
Recommended:
What Vasily Perov actually told in the painting "The Arrival of the Governess at the Merchant House"
Perov's paintings are always an abundance of important social themes, the plots of which are chosen very subtly and wisely. Not every realist artist reflected the theme of child labor, the theme of alcoholism, religious schism, wealthy church ministers, and, of course, the theme of acute social inequalities. All this was touched upon by Perov in his magnificent works. The latter motive is reflected in the famous work of Perov - "The Arrival of the Governess in the Merchant House." What problems did the artist manage to raise in his work?
"On the Boulevard": what is hidden in the details of the painting by Vladimir Makovsky
February 7 (old style - January 26) marks the 171th anniversary of the birth of the famous Russian Itinerant artist Vladimir Makovsky. His genre paintings, which depict scenes of the everyday life of ordinary people, have long become textbooks. The most famous of them is "On the Boulevard" (1886-1887). As in most of the artist's works, its true essence and deep psychologism are revealed only with a detailed study of the picture
The fantastic house of the merchant Ryabushinsky: the mansion in which the writer Gorky was almost forcibly settled
This house on Malaya Nikitskaya Street in Moscow is very original on the outside, but even more extravagant on the inside. I can't even believe that it was created a hundred years ago. It is even more curious that in such a strange building once lived the writer Maxim Gorky, who loved simplicity in everything and certainly did not differ in his love of modernist experiments. However, the writer did not choose such a house for himself: one day he was simply presented with a fact
What human vices are hidden in the details of the painting by Hieronymus Bosch "The Magician"
An owl is a companion of darkness, a monkey is cunning, frogs are attributes of devils. He hid these and other allegorical symbols in his mysterious picture, ridiculing the clergy. This is the "Magician" by Hieronymus Bosch, one of the most extraordinary painters of the 15th century
What Jan Vermeer encrypted in his favorite painting: The Hidden Symbols of the Allegory of Painting
In the 17th century, self-portraits of artists were commonplace. Craftsmen often painted their own images and reflected the interiors of their workshops. The famous Jan Vermeer, a significant figure in the Dutch Golden Age of Art, was no exception. However, his self-portrait is very peculiar and hides a lot of interesting things