Winter Landscape (Russian Winter)
Winter Landscape (Russian Winter) by Nikifor Krylov, 1827, State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia). Credit: bibliotekar.ru / Wikimedia Commons (public domain) / CC-PD-Mark
Artist: Nikifor Krylov
Year of creation: 1827
Owned by: State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia)
Inspired by rural life, Nikifor Krylov painted a simple yet authentic landscape that captures life as-is: a snow-covered village amidst an evergreen fir forest and people going about their daily lives. The painter drew the view directly from his workshop window in just one month. Among the artist’s small collection of works (he died from cholera at the age of 29), this is the sole landscape that remains intact to this day; it’s also the first-ever winter landscape in Russian art.
Snegurochka
Snegurochka by Viktor Vasnetsov, 1899, State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow, Russia). Credit: Scanned from A. K. Lazuko / Wikimedia Commons (public domain) / CC-PD-Mark
Artist: Viktor Vasnetsov
Year of creation: 1899
Owned by: State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow, Russia)
Viktor Vasnetsov brought many historical and mythical heroes to life, including Snegurochka – a beloved companion of Ded Moroz. Even though the character has folklore roots, she wasn’t really in the spotlight until Alexander Ostrovsky's play and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera of the same name came out in the late 19th century. After working on stage designs for both performances, Vasnetsov set his heart on capturing his own Snegurochka – the painting he produced illustrates the first appearance of the character in the play.
Kolyadki
Kolyadki by Konstantin Trutovsky, ca. 1864, State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia). Credit: art-catalog.ru / Wikimedia Commons (public domain) / CC-PD-Mark
Artist: Konstantin Trutovsky
Year of creation: ca. 1864
Owned by: State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia)
In his painting, Konstantin Trutovsky masterfully depicted kolyadki – a Russian tradition of singing festive songs door-to-door and receiving treats, much like Christmas caroling, that takes place between Christmas Eve and Epiphany. The artist became famed for depicting scenes of ordinary life; he also illustrated the literary works of Nikolai Gogol, Mikhail Lermontov, and other celebrated Russian authors.
Shrovetide
Shrovetide by Boris Kustodiev, 1916, State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia). Credit: Google Cultural Institute / Wikimedia Commons (public domain) / CC-PD-Mark
Artist: Boris Kustodiev
Year of creation: 1916
Owned by: State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia) and State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow, Russia)
Soft but bright colors, meticulous detail, and festive scenes – all this is characteristic of Boris Kustodiev’s art. As for festivities, the artist boasts a whole collection of paintings devoted to Maslenitsa – a tradition-heavy folk holiday that marks the end of winter. One such painting, Shrovetide, is the perfect illustration of the holiday; it skillfully captures the atmosphere, with people enjoying their time outdoors.
Taking a Snow Town
Taking a Snow Town by Vasily Surikov, 1891, State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia). Credit: Vasily Surikov / Wikimedia Commons (public domain) / CC-PD-Mark
Artist: Vasily Surikov
Year of creation: 1891
Owned by: State Russian Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia)
Out of all of Surikov’s grand-scale works, this painting is the only non-historical one; it’s inspired by the author’s childhood memories and illustrates a Siberian folk game typically played on the last day of Maslenitsa. In the game, players make two teams: while one team guards a snow fort, another attacks it; the game is rather not kid-friendly and is played until the fort is completely ruined.
Find other stories from this series under our Five Paintings tag.
