Symbol of Russian art Tretyakov Gallery

Allrus Art, Museums
Catherine and her time. In the center there is a ceremonial portrait of Catherine II, the so-called Catherine the Legislator. (Themis). Artist Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky, 1783.
Catherine and her time. In the center there is a ceremonial portrait of Catherine II, the so-called Catherine the Legislator. (Themis). Artist Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky, 1783.

Moscow is replete with art galleries and museums. Yet there is one gallery that remains the symbol of Russian art – the world-famous Tretyakov Gallery. The founder of the gallery was the entrepreneur Pavel Tretyakov (1832–1898), who was from the merchant class. Beginning in 1856, Tretyakov made a hobby of collecting works by the Russian artists of his time. He was a famous patron of arts who helped support the peredvizhniki (literally, the travellers – a movement consisting of realistic painters in the second half of the 19th century). Toward this goal, he intended to purchase a collection from the Saint Petersburg collector, Fyodor Pryanishnikov, and, adding his own collection, to create a museum. The government bought Pryanishnikov’s Gallery in 1867, but Tretyakov gradually acquired an excellent collection, exceeding all other collections in Russia in its volume and quality.

In a special cabinet with maintained temperature and humidity behind thick special glass there is a Russian national relic, the icon of Andrei Rublev, 1420, Trinity.
In a special cabinet with maintained temperature and humidity behind thick special glass there is a Russian national relic, the icon of Andrei Rublev, 1420, Trinity.

In 1892, Pavel Tretyakov donated his entire collection to Moscow. His brother Sergey Tretyakov (1834–1892) was also a collector, but only of West European paintings. The brothers’ collections are at the core of the Moscow Municipal Art Gallery, which opened August 15, 1893. At first, it contained 1287 paintings and 518 pieces of graphic art by Russian artists, as well as 75 paintings by West European artists.

Later, the West European paintings of the Tretyakov Gallery were transferred to the Hermitage and the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, and the Tretyakovka (an endearing term used by Muscovites to refer to the gallery) began to specialise exclusively in Russian art. After 1918, Tretyakov’s collection grew many times over with the inclusion of the artist and art historian Ilya Ostroukhov’s (1858–1929) collection, paintings of the Russian school from the Moscow Rumyantsev Museum, and many private collections. A gift by Ivan Tsvetkov in 1925 – a huge collection of 2,000 paintings – was also a significant contribution.

Painting by Alexei Kondratyevich Savrasov (1830 - 1896) The Rooks Have Arrived. written by the artist in 1871 in the village of Moltvino (Susanino), Kostroma province.
Painting by Alexei Kondratyevich Savrasov (1830 – 1896) The Rooks Have Arrived. written by the artist in 1871 in the village of Moltvino (Susanino), Kostroma province.

More than 55 thousand works are kept there. It has a rich collection of ancient Russian icon painting of the 12–17th centuries, including Andrey Rublyov’s famous “Trinity” and significant works of painting and sculpture of the 18–19th centuries, as well as paintings by D. Levitskiy, Fyodor Rokotov, Karl Bryullov, Orest Kiprenskiy, Alexander Ivanov (including his well-known canvas “The Appearance of Christ to the People”), Ivan Kramskoy, and sculpture by Fedot Shubin.

Tsar Ivan the Terrible, created in 1875 by professor of sculpture M.M. Antokolsky
Tsar Ivan the Terrible, created in 1875 by professor of sculpture M.M. Antokolsky

The gallery has an excellent selection of the best works by the peredvizhniki: Ilya Repin (including “Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan”), Victor Vasnetsov, Ivan Shishkin, Vasiliy Surikov (“Morning of the Strelets Execution), Victor Vereshchagin and others. The blossoming of many areas of Russian art at the end the 19th and beginning of the 20th century is also well-represented.

The members of the “World of Art” and “Blue Rose” groups, and the Union of Russian Artists “Jack of Diamonds” made a name for Russian art not just in Russia, but also abroad. It suffices to name such painters and graphic artists as Mikhail Vrubel, Isaak Levitan, Nikolay Roerich, Alexander Benua, Mikhail Nesterov, Konstantin Korovin, Mikhail Dobuzhinskiy, Konstantin Somov, Valentin Serov, Boris Kustodiev, and Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin.

Vasnetsov V.M. (1848 - 1926). Preparatory work for the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev (1885 - 1896).
Vasnetsov V.M. (1848 – 1926). Preparatory work for the painting of the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev (1885 – 1896).

After a relatively short period of the 1910s–1920s, when new movements in art – futurism, cubism, etc. – were quickly developed, the Soviet government began to purposefully repress all artistic movements except for socialist realism. All the same, many artists did not lose their individual will to create, and they are well-represented in the Tretyakov Gallery by their best works. You will find, for example, Pavel Filonov, Aristarkh Lentulov, and Pyotr Konchalovskiy.

Indeed, even socialist realism, despite its officially sanctioned status, also produced a fair number of talented and original artists from the republics of the Soviet Union, such as Tair Salakhov (Azerbaijan) and Martiros Saryan (Armenia). Among the Russian socialist realists, Alexander Deineka, Arkadiy Plastov, Yuriy Pimenov (who borrowed much from the impressionists), Dmitriy Nalbandyan, and others.

Alexander Golovin. Portrait of Fyodor Chaliapin as Holophernes in Serov’s opera Judith. 1908. Tempera, gouache, and pastel on canvas. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Alexander Golovin. Portrait of Fyodor Chaliapin as Holophernes in Serov’s opera Judith. 1908. Tempera, gouache, and pastel on canvas. Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

The Tretyakov Gallery regularly has thematic and personalised exhibitions. In a branch of the Tretyakov Gallery located in the Central House of Artists there is a permanent exhibition entitled “Another Art,” which consists of the paintings of the 1920s through 1970s that could not be exhibited during the years of the Soviet Union because they did not coincide with the communist ideology. A significant number of works by the Russian avant garde from the first half of the 20th century were collected and donated to the Tretyakov Gallery by George Kostaki in 1978.

The main building of the gallery includes Tretyakov’s renovated home and several buildings that were attached to it at various times. The main facade of the building was erected in 1902 according to the plans by the artist Viktor Vasnetsov. In 1994, the Tretyakov Gallery opened after ten years of restoration. This was not just a facelift to the building; the interior and technical equipment were brought up to date with the highest levels of quality, which is as it should be, since it contains so many treasures of Russian art.

Russian art Tretyakov Gallery – photo

Hall of Russian Icons of the Tretyakov Gallery
Hall of Russian Icons of the Tretyakov Gallery
Hall of the Tretyakov Gallery with the Trinity icon by Andrei Rublev
Hall of the Tretyakov Gallery with the Trinity icon by Andrei Rublev
Selected Saints Paraskeeva, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great on a 15th century icon from Pskov
Selected Saints Paraskeeva, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great on a 15th century icon from Pskov
Russian art Tretyakov Gallery. Icon from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery Tsar Tsar. The year is 1776. Armory School.
Icon from the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery Tsar Tsar. The year is 1776. Armory School.
Russian art Tretyakov Gallery. Alyonushka's painting was painted by M.V. Vasnetsov in 1881 and is inspired lyrically by a Russian fairy tale
Alyonushka’s painting was painted by M.V. Vasnetsov in 1881 and is inspired lyrically by a Russian fairy tale
Russian art Tretyakov Gallery. The painting by I.I.Shishkin (1832 - 1898) was written by the author in 1878 and is one of the most outstanding works
The painting by I.I.Shishkin (1832 – 1898) was written by the author in 1878 and is one of the most outstanding works

Russian art Tretyakov Gallery

Russian art Tretyakov Gallery. One of the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery with the painting The Appearance of Christ to the People by artist A.A. Ivanova.
One of the halls of the Tretyakov Gallery with the painting The Appearance of Christ to the People by artist A.A. Ivanova. Russian art Tretyakov Gallery
Hunters at the halt Perov V.G. The painting by the itinerant artist Vas.Grig. Perov belongs to the late period of his life
Hunters at the halt Perov V.G. The painting by the itinerant artist Vas.Grig. Perov belongs to the late period of his life
Monument to Tretyakov, the collector of paintings, which he donated to the city of Moscow. The artist Vasnetsov worked on the facade of the gallery building.
Monument to Tretyakov, the collector of paintings, which he donated to the city of Moscow. The artist Vasnetsov worked on the facade of the gallery building.
Russian artist Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov was born in the Vyatka province in 1848. Died in Moscow in 1926
Russian artist Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov was born in the Vyatka province in 1848. Died in Moscow in 1926
“Rural procession for Easter”, Perov V.
Artist Korzukhin A.I.,
Artist Korzukhin A.I., “Before confession.”
This portrait was painted by the artist Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy in 1883
This portrait was painted by the artist Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy in 1883
Sergey Konstantinovich Zaryanko (1818-1870) was a student and follower of the famous artist Venetsianov.
Sergey Konstantinovich Zaryanko (1818-1870) was a student and follower of the famous artist Venetsianov. He was distinguished by painstaking and careful finishing of portraits. The portrait of Maria Vasilyevna Vorontsova was painted by the artist during the peak of his popularity. The depicted Princess Vorontsova nee Trubetskaya was close to the reigning court , she needed a ceremonial portrait..The artist in his manner subtly and accurately writes out the smallest details of the dress, hairstyle.Subtly conveys the face and figure of the person being portrayed….. The artist S. K. Zaryanko executed dozens of portraits of his contemporaries, including the portrait of the artist Venetsianov, the Minister of Communications Melnikov, the poet Lermontov, the musician Taneyev and others.
The painting
The painting “The Siege of Pskov by Stefan Bathory” was painted by K.P. Bryullov in 1839 – 1843. The author of a huge canvas depicted an episode of the Livonian War during the times of Ivan the Terrible .. Batory with his army is trying to seize the fortifications of the Russian fortress of Pskov. The moment was critical, two towers of the fortress were already occupied, they feared the worst. But then the boyar Shuisky and the hegumen Tikhon marched against the conquerors in a procession with the cross, followed by all the soldiers who defended the fortress. The morale of the army took away the fortifications left from the enemy and burst into the city. Batory fled with an army. The subsequent siege of the Pskovites in the fortress was not crowned with success at S. Batory and he left the borders of Russia with the remnants of his troops. The painting depicts the climax of the battle for the Pskov fortress.
Artist moraine and landscape painter Bogolyubov A.P.
Artist moraine and landscape painter Bogolyubov A.P. (1824 – 1896) was born near Novgorod. Graduated from the cadet school and the naval school. Professional military sailor. He has been drawing since childhood. He entered the Academy of Arts where he came under the great influence of I. Aivazovsky. Becoming a moraine artist and landscape painter, he traveled to many countries. The picture also depicts an accurate panorama of the city center. Bogolyubov’s paintings also hang in the famous Feodosia gallery of Aivazovsky in Crimea.