"Catherine II at the tomb of Empress Elizabeth": the unsolved mystery of the painting by Nikolai Ge, which is not shown to visitors to the Tretyakov Gallery

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Painting by Nikolay Ge "Catherine II at the tomb of Empress Elizabeth" - this is the most outstanding work of Russian historical painting of the 19th century, where Yekaterina Alekseevna is a heroine who plays the main role of a historical storyline. The fate of this picture was predetermined by contemporaries, who did not understand it and accepted it as a creative failure. It seemed too intricate and mysterious to them. Unfortunately, even today this canvas is kept in the storerooms of the Tretyakov Gallery and is not an exhibit of the main exhibition. Nevertheless, the public interest in her is enormous.

Nikolay Ge - an outstanding artist of historical and religious painting

Speaking about Nikolai Ge, one cannot ignore the history of the origin of such an unusual surname. Nikolai's grandfather, who bore the surname Gay, came to Russia from France at the end of the 18th century. And in view of his high origin, he was immediately awarded the title of hereditary nobleman of the Russian state.

Nikolai Ge himself was born in Voronezh in 1831. At three months old he was left without a mother, and until he was ten he was brought up by a serf nanny in the village. In 1841 he entered the Kiev gymnasium, where the teachers immediately noted the outstanding abilities of the gymnasium student for drawing and prophesied for him the future of the artist. But the boy's fate was predetermined by his father, who saw him as a student of the physics and mathematics faculty.

After studying for two years, Nikolai leaves the university in Kiev and enters the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. He was one of the diligent students of the Academy, and seven years later, in 1856, he was awarded the Great Gold Medal for the painting "Saul at the Endor Enchantress", which gave the young talent the right to improve his craft abroad at the expense of the Academy. Nikolay Ge, during his internship, visits all the countries of Western Europe. And already living in Florence, he will write his famous painting "The Last Supper", for which the Academy of Arts will award the artist the title of professor, bypassing the title of academician. And he was also elected a Full Member of the Imperial Academy of Arts. And the ingenious painting itself was bought by Emperor Alexander II.

But no matter how great the artist's honors and titles were, many of his paintings were not successful, including the canvas "Catherine II at the tomb of Empress Elizabeth".

And in 1875 there will be a moment in the life of the master when he completely changes the philosophy of life, deciding that art cannot serve as a means of subsistence. Due to material problems, Nikolai Ge leaves Petersburg and settles on a small farm in the Chernigov province. Having abandoned painting, the artist took up rural labor, and at his leisure, issues of morality and religion.

The background underlying the creation of the painting "Catherine II at the tomb of Empress Elizabeth"

To understand the storyline laid down by the author in the content of this work, you need to look into the historical events of that era.

Empress Elizaveta Petrovna dies on December 25, 1761. In the evening of the same day, Peter III, already proclaimed emperor, arranges a joyful feast on the occasion.

The newly-made emperor entrusted the organization of the funeral to his wife. And while Catherine, dressed in mourning, devoted all her time to arranging the upcoming burial ceremony, Peter traveled around St. Petersburg, celebrating Christmastide and accepting congratulations. His behavior not only amazed, but also outraged the inhabitants of the capital.

Catherine, on the other hand, was able to very cleverly beat this situation in her favor. She very subtly and intelligently showed all her best qualities of soul and character, attracting the attention of the best dignitaries, nobles, clergy and military. Who could not help but notice the difference between the new emperor and the new empress.

This is how E. Dashkova recalled the events of those days:

And on January 25, 1762, exactly one month after her death, Elizabeth's body was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. And after half a year, Catherine seized power, rightfully belonging to her husband, Peter III, who lost not only the crown but also his life.

Mysterious storyline of the painting by Nikolai Ge

Just one moment from the life of the court is captured on canvas, but it says so much. There is an opinion that this plot picture was written by the master not at all for creative inspiration, but for some specific events subordinate to political overtones. But be that as it may, it is filled with the deepest meaning, philosophical analysis and conveys the psychological drama of the characters.

In terms of morality, Catherine II for Nikolai Ge was completely "far from ideal", despite her greatness. But the master did not seek to condemn her, he set himself a different task: -, he said.

The plot captures the moment when at the coffin of Elizabeth Petrovna, located outside the canvas, there was a meeting of the spouses of Emperor Peter III, accompanied by the favorites and Catherine II, accompanied by E. Dashkova. Just one moment … and they parted in different directions.

This work is extremely interesting from a compositional point of view, where two female figures in mourning in the foreground of the picture contrast with the departing figures of Peter III and his entourage, painted in the depths of the canvas. But the contrast effect consists not only in the multidirectionality of the moving figures and the diversity of space, but also in the color scheme.

The image of Catherine, which is the center of the composition, is illuminated by the flame of candles, and the expression on her face, She in a mourning dress with a wide red moire sash, approaches an imaginary coffin.

The hero of the third plan, Peter III, is depicted from the back, hastily leaving with his favorites and entourage. He is dressed in a ceremonial white uniform (of the Prussian model), which does not at all correspond to the mood of mourning, and with a blue sash over his shoulder.

Continuing to interpret this historical canvas, we are approaching its solution. The central, isolated figure of the Empress is depicted with his back to everyone present. HER look foreshadows the changes that she is preparing for her unlucky spouse, because it was not for nothing that the artist depicted a soldier next to Catherine, ready to protect the new empress. political life of the country.

The group of the second plan, turned by faces, symbolized a new era: here Ekaterina Dashkova, Nikita Panin, Kirill Razumovsky, Nikita Trubetskoy, who will follow Ekaterina.

In this work of art, the great painter proved to be not just an excellent artist, amazingly depicting the transition from daylight to dim candlelight - through the darkness, but also a scrupulous researcher who preserved the accuracy of historical details. And at this level, Nikolai Ge's painting is a real historical masterpiece.

You can learn about ten most interesting facts from the life of Empress Elizabeth I here.