MIHAIL VRUBEL

Brilliant, original artist XIX - early XX century, MA Vrubel were subject to monumental painting, easel painting, drawing, sculpture. The fate of the artist′s tragic: he suffered a lot and even years, was on the verge of madness. Vrubel a lot of experimenting with colors, and therefore part of his paintings had faded. But the fact remained that gives an indication of the power of his genius.

Mikhail Vrubel was born in Omsk, March 17, 1856. His mother died when he was only three years. Family officer Aleksandr Mikhailovich Vrubel often moved from town to town. In five or six years, the boy began to draw, and in eight years, when Vrubel lived in St. Petersburg, his father brought him to drawing school Society for the Encouragement of Arts. When the next year the family moved to Saratov, a little Michael hired a teacher of drawing.

"In Saratov was brought one day . . . copy of Michelangelo′s fresco "The Last Court" - Michael told his sister Anna. - My father heard this, he led his brother to watch it. Brother strongly requested to repeat the examination . . . and, returning, reproduced it by heart in all specific details.

Much time-consuming studies in high school, lessons in history and natural science. Draws Vrubel only sporadically, and then usually at the request of his father.

School years Vrubel mostly spent in Odessa. According to the sisters, we know that in these years, he is fond of "history, on which he writes in excess of the larger works on the themes of ancient and medieval life. " He thoroughly studied the Latin language and read in the original Ovid and Horace.

After graduating from high school in 1874, Michael entered the Faculty of St. Petersburg University. There he continued to paint. Known some of the drawings Vrubel that period: it is "Vrubel with his university friend Valuev (1877)," Margarita "(1877) - Illustration to Goethe′s" Faust ". But only a final year student Vrubel attached to vocational training art: starts visit in the evening class of Professor PP Chistyakov.

However, once again interrupted, when the end of the University Vrubel serving military service. Finally, in 1880 Michael became a student of the Academy of Arts.

With special gratitude Vrubel said one of his academic teachers - PP Chistyakov, in the class which he again became engaged in the autumn of 1882: "When I started classes at Chistyakov, I liked the passion of its main provisions, because they were nothing like my formula for living relationship to nature, which I invested" .

Photo — «Mihail Vrubel»

Vrubel a continuing need to communicate with Chistyakov, that he had "a sip of the drink reinforcing advice and criticism. "

Being in the academy, Vrubel long and hard work independently.

Vrubel watercolor paints and wrote tirelessly, without ceasing to study the laws of the old art. The efficiency of it is amazing. Somehow overnight he does stofigurnuyu (!) The track "Orpheus in the Underworld

Michael is close friends with two of his classmates - with Valentin Serov and his cousin Derviz. "We three - said Vrubel - the only ones who understand serious watercolor at the Academy. "

They write watercolor of models in an atmosphere of "renaissance". Vrubel said in a letter that connects them "cult grave nature," that they "are busy from morning till night studying nature as form, eagerly looked into her endless twists and yet often lonely sitting with bowed his hand in front of his canvas , which still sees more scraps . . . could not pull all of this from the heart . . . "And then he writes:" I cling, so to speak, to work; altered ten times the same place, and behold, a week ago came the first live piece, which I was delighted. "

Already in early works Vrubel was supposed traits that distinguished him among academics. He had a reputation, and deservedly, a master of watercolor and an amazing composer crowd scenes. His virtuoso drawing and a gift of the composer Vrubel demonstrated, in particular, on multifigure biblical scenes in the "Presentation in the Temple" (1882). However, in the early period of his life he created a true, heartfelt portraits, which could send a concentrated state of mind of man.

In 1884, Vrubel threw academy. He accepted the offer AV Prahova move to Kiev to head there and work on the restoration of paintings in the ancient Church of St. Cyril. It was not only the restoration of the frescoes, but also the creation of new works to replace lost.

The artist examines not only domestic painting, but became acquainted with many works of its kind in Venice, where he was sent in 1884.

Alas, the sketches for the painting of the Vladimir cathedral, Vrubel created in 1887, were not implemented due to their highly unusual. Vrubel violating church canons and created a free composition, keeping only the theme, but not the canonical solutions. He wrote watercolor "angel with a censer and candle, four versions of" grave crying, "two versions of" Resurrection ".

Photo — «Mihail Vrubel»

In the sketch, "The grave crying" (1887) sharply individual shape of the Virgin with glowing eyes wide with horror and grief meet equally expressive image of Christ lying in his coffin. The artist sought to shake the viewer the image of immense grief and suffering.

Depleted Vrubel principles of decorative wall painting later transferred them to the mounted work.

Vrubel wrote from Kiev, which, alas, "creativity can not be counted," that for him to work with nature - "a means of sustenance. " But the "sustenance" he least thought. Father, visited him in Kiev, invariably with dismay and alarm in the letter: "And how Misha lived with his talent . . . livelihood almost no ". But Vrubel believed in his gift, he wrote: "Mania, which is bound to say something new, do not leave me. "

All nineties Vrubel took issue Demon and evil.

Back in 1885, immediately after his return from Venice, Vrubel thus described his "Demon" to his father: "The spirit is not so much evil as suffering and mourning, but for all that the Spirit of imperious and dignified. "

The artist showed his first so-called "Demon (Seated)" is already in Moscow, where he moved in 1889. "Young titanium depicted in the sunset on a cliff. Mighty beautiful body did not seem to fit in the frame, crushed on the hands, touching, beautiful person in the eyes of an inhuman sorrow "- describes the painting NA Fedorova. In 1899 he wrote "Demon flying" in front of which recall the words of Bloch: "Fly, fly over the abyss, including condensing the darkness . . . " But Vrubel not complete this sheet and proceed to the hard work over another image of the Demon, which called "Demon defeated" (1902).

The theme of the last Demon - titanic protest and tragic death.

Demon thrown from the heights and prostrate on the mountain ridge, covered with eternal snow and ice coverage of breaking cold rays of sunset. Demon broken, broken hands with sharp stick into the body of his fingers, his head as if divorced from the underlying heavy stone torso . . . But in his eyes continued to burn the fire of anger and protest.

Demon defeated "is different from the first Vrubel" Demon "and the image and the picturesque decision. There is the latitude of the color range, which was in the early "Demon", those sonorous bright spots of color, who were born theme of beauty of life.

Photo — «Mihail Vrubel»

Here, everything is built in a dark intense colorful range of only cold blue and black tones, all the yellow tones in gray and damp green, and red - are given razbelennymi and only in very cold, his purple shades.

In 1889, Vrubel leaving for Moscow. So begins a new and most fruitful period of his creativity. The artist receives a number of orders for decorative panels One of them - "Venice" (1893) - created from the impressions of a new trip to Italy (1891-1892).

Content painting "Spain" (1894), perhaps inspired by the opera "Carmen", which Vrubel loved and considered "the era in music," - says NA Fedorova. - Emotion characters, color intensity, the flow of a hot rays of the sun causes a feeling of conflict, the drama. Live presents the country in which raging passionate feelings are strong and love, and hatred. In some proximity to the picture - "Fortune Teller" (1895), the product of deep psychological. Among the purple-pink carpet and shimmering silk Vrubel skillfully identifies the person. Imperiously leads gaze burning eyes, as if a woman revealed the terrible secret of the future. "

After the "Venice" attracted Vrubel to great style is also manifested in its vast multimeter panel "Princess Dreams" and "Mikula Selyaninovich" sung to the All-Russia Exhibition of Nizhny Novgorod in 1896, and in the loop panels on the theme of Goethe′s Faust for "gothic cabinet" in the mansion AV Morozov.

At this time Vrubel a lot of work on portraits. Like all art of the artist, his portraiture ostropsihologichna. Vrubel most attracted to a man he depicted his inner world. It seeks to look into the depths of the soul, to grasp the innermost thoughts and feelings. Terms portrayed quite narrow. This is mainly people close to the artist.

Brilliant examples of portraiture Vrubel - portraits KD Artsybusheva and SI Mamontov (both - 1897). On the portrait Artsybusheva says NV Barkova: "The portrait is beautiful not only a psychological characteristic of human personality, but also for its picturesque qualities. Striking the plastic molding the face and hands. Artistically painted black suit, dark red tie, a mahogany chair, carpet, leather spines of books. Blue sparks ignited pince-nez glasses. Vrubel able to extract beautiful, colorful harmonies of the most ordinary objects. All the color composition is given in unity.

Photo — «Mihail Vrubel»

In his realistic skill and strength characteristics of this portrait occupies a prominent place in portraiture the end of XIX century.

Vrubel passionately fond of music. In the late nineties, he worked as an artist in the theater. For the Moscow Private Opera SI Mamontov, he wrote for opera "The Tsar′s Bride," Mozart and Salieri "," The Tale of Tsar Saltan. The main female roles in these productions performed wife Wrubel, a talented singer Nadezhda Zabiela.

In 1896 one of the rehearsals Humperdinka the opera "Hansel and Gretel" in Panaevskom Theater in St. Petersburg Vrubel first heard her singing. The singer recalls: "I was surprised and somewhat shocked that a gentleman ran up to me and kissed my hand, exclaimed:" It′s a wonderful voice! "Standing here, TS Lyubatovich rushed me to present: "Our artist Mikhail Vrubel and the side told me:" Man is very expansive, but quite decent. "

After the premiere of the opera "Hansel and Gretel" Zabiela Vrubel brought into the house of Fe, where she then lived. Her sister, noticed that Nadia as a particularly youthful and interesting, and realized that this atmosphere of love, which it was surrounded by this very Vrubel.

Vrubel later said that "if she refused him, he would deprive himself of life. "

July 28, 1896 in Switzerland, held a wedding Zabela and Vrubel. The happy bride wrote to his sister: "In Micah [Aileu] Al [eksandroviche] every day I find new advantages: firstly, it is extremely gentle and kind, just touching, in addition, I am always with him fun and surprisingly easy. I certainly believe in his expertise on the singing, it will be very useful to me, and it seems that I can have influence on him. "

In 1899 and 1900 headed Vrubel Abramtsevo majolica workshop and there left a number of interesting sculptures, majolica at the fabulous theme: "Lel", "Volkhov", "Kupava.

About pictures Vrubel late nineteenth century, expressed interested in the well-known critic VM Alpatovs: "Among the works Vrubel are those in which he is entertaining as the narrator and that therefore it is not difficult to put into words, is his painting" By Night "(1900) with grazing among the flowers lighted lawn horses, which guards the naked satyr who is his" ; Pan "(1899) shaggy old man clutching a flute in his hairy arm, a threatening terrible in the night landscape with the waning moon above the horizon, this is the" Swan Princess "(1900) and the proud-eyed beauty in the bottom of the pearl headdress with a swan′s wing, injected lilac shades.

Photo — «Mihail Vrubel»

All these works because of diversion, fabulousness of your story are most famous, although they discerned something of opera props or mythological paintings Bocklin.

In the canvas "Lilacs" (1900), inspired one of his paintings, Vrubel not only poetically conveyed magnificently blossoming lilac bush, but also full of passionate feeling of pathos, which awakened in his soul and fragrant spring flowers moonlit night.

In the summer of 1901 the family came Vrubel firstborn - Savvochka. From birth the boy was ill and died two years later. Perhaps this was the reason that in 1902 Mikhail Alexandrovich showed signs of mental illness. The disease progressed, but in times of clear consciousness an artist to work again. Usol′tsev doctor who treated Michael, wrote: "It was a creative artist with all his being, to the deepest recesses of psychic identity. He always worked, so to speak, continuously, and work for him was as easy and as necessary as breathing. No man alive, he breathes, while breathing Vrubel - it all worked. "

In the last years of life Vrubel creates one of the most delicate, fragile images - Portrait of NI Zabela against the backdrop of birches "(1904). By this time, are interesting self-portraits. In 1906 he began a portrait of the poet Vrubel VY Bryusov. The portrait was left unfinished because the artist suffered a terrible misfortune - he went blind.

Mikhail Vrubel died April 14, 1910 by taking death as a deliverance. The poet Alexander Blok said over the grave of the artist: "Vrubel came to us as the messenger, that purple night, interspersed with gold clear in the evening. He left us his demons, as exorcists against purple evil against the night. Before that Vrubel and those like him reveal humanity once in a century, I can only tremble. "