The grand series of works entitled “Images
of Russia” is comprised of paintings that
recreate real historical events and people.
Many of them, such as “Prince Igor’,” “Two
Princes,” and “Russian Song” were created
after the artist’s journeys to ancient Russian
towns and cities. Glazunov’s technical mastery
combined with his distinctive and striking
use of composition and color enable him
to portray real heroes of Russian history
and images that arise from the depths of
his soul and belong to him alone in a totally
unique and artistic way.
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| Two
Princes. 1994 |
Prince
Igor’. 1962 |
Lord
Great Novgorod. 1965 |
Russian
Song. 1960 |
The
Messenger. 1999 |
The painting “Lord Great Novgorod” is suffused
with a deep understanding of the beauty
of the Russian woman and the majesty and
beauty of ancient Novgorod. Like the artist’s
other works, these historical paintings
express his deeply Orthodox world view.
Glazunov adheres closely to the traditions
of Russian art as embodied by such artists
as Vasnetsov, Surikov and Nesterov. The
paintings convey a sense of the indissoluble
interconnectedness of history and the modern
world, and this gives the artist’s images
a symbolic, timeless significance.
The theme of “Two Princes,” one of the best
known and beloved of Glazunov’s paintings,
is of great relevancy in our times. On the
high bank of a mighty Russian river, beneath
a picturesque, stormy sky, a prince points
to the smoke-filled horizon and the enemy
hordes and says to his son: “behold and
remember.” The youthful prince exudes an
inner strength and the will to defend his
native land from the destruction. The two
horses, one black and one white, remind
us of an ancient icon. The walls of the
fortress are strong and the prince’s trusted
men are armed with spears and ready for
battle. Many of the artist’s works dealing
with the history of ancient Rus’ portray
an epic sky, filled with strife and God’s
commands – by this heavenly struggle we
immediately recognize the hand of the master.
In his series “Images of Russia” the artist
has turned to some of the most critical
moments in the pages of Russian history.
At the heart of the great turmoil that Russia
underwent at the start of the 17th century
(The Time of Troubles) was a tragic event
that elicited a great deal of general perturbation
– the murder of the young Tsarevitch Dimitri.
The mysterious nature of the events surrounding
his death, which fostered the appearance
of a multitude of legends, tragically affected
the fate of the newly enthroned tsar, Boris
Godunov, who many considered guilty of Dimitri’s
murder. The theme of the tsar as God’s anointed
sovereign contrasted with villainy – “one
cannot pray for a tyrant,” and the theme
of the inevitability of revenge permeate
Pushkin’s tragedy “Boris Godunov.” In the
painting entitled “Tsarevich Dimitri” Ilya
Glazunov presents his interpretation of
Dimitri’s murder. In his image one can distinguish
the features of Tsarevich Alexei Romanov,
the successor to the Russian throne, who
was violently murdered by the Bolsheviks
in the cellar of the Ipatievsk House. Despite
the zealous research of modern day detectives,
his remains have yet to be recovered. It
is understandable why the ideological leadership
of the USSR was loathe to allow the display
or publication of this work, completed by
Glazunov in 1967.
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| Boris
Godunov. 1967 |
A
Russian Beauty. 1968 |
A
Russian Muzhik. |
St.
Sergius of Radonezh. 1990 |
The
Youth of Andrei Rublev. 1985 |
Ivan the Terrible is one of the greatest figures
in Russia’s history. Although he has been
accused of much wrongdoing and excessive cruelty,
he contributed a great deal towards the consolidation
and expansion of the Russian state. (Derived
from the Russian word “groznyi,” and signifying
“awe-inspiring,” the meaning of the tsar’s
title “Terrible” is often misinterpreted in
the West.) For the entire duration of his
reign, the numbers of his so-called “countless
victims” were trifling compared with the victims
of St. Bartholomew’s Night, when thousands
of French Huguenots were murdered in the flames
of the religious massacres of “enlightened”
Europe. During the Soviet era and today in
the West, many like to draw comparisons between
Ivan the Terrible and Stalin. What could a
communist general secretary who inflicted
genocide upon the Russian people have in common
with a great tsar who fought against the enemies
of Russia in the name of Orthodoxy and the
Russian State! Tsar Ivan IV was indeed awe-inspiring.
He waged war and punished enemies of Rus’s
consolidation, but there was another side
to his rulership: under his reign the Stoglav
Council convened, and there was advancement
in the arts; the tsar himself wrote verses
and religious discourses. Glazunov’s interpretation
of the complex soul of the great leader leaves
no viewer indifferent. It is no wonder that
one of the artist’s close friends, the great
singer Mario del Monaco, requested that he
paint a similar version of the work for his
collection. There are no real surviving documents
about the “Oprichnina,” the tsar’s administrative
domain, and its members, the “Oprichniki,”
whose duty it was to stamp out treason.
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| Ivan
the Terrible. 1974 |
Russian
Venus. 1977 |
Woman
from the Volga. 1977 |
Prince
Oleg with Igor’. 1973 |
The
Chronicler. 1972 |
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| Bylina
(Russian Epic). 1974 |
Legend
of the Town of Kitezh. 1986 |
The
Sower (Apocalypse). 1990 |
Prince
Igor’. 1962 |
Boyan.
Glory to our Forefathers! |
While still a student, greatly inspired
by excursions to the towns of Staraya Ladoga,
Novgorod, and Kizhi, Glazunov drew a sketch
of the painting “Russian Icarus.” Today this
painting is famous throughout the world and
has been reproduced countless times in newspapers,
magazines and journals. For many it has become
not only a symbol of Russia, but a symbol
of the work of the artist himself. Icarus
is the symbol of a feat of daring. “Russian
Icarus” is an image of our history, of both
its flight and its fall.
The painting is startling in the vividness
and resonance of its color scheme. Glazunov
clearly applied the knowledge gained in the
study of the Russian icon. Despite the obvious
symbolism of the painting’s theme, it comes
across as highly realistic. Like the cloak
of St. George the Dragon Slayer, the Russian
man’s tunic billows out in the spring breeze.
His wide open eyes convey an expression of
hope and joy. The Russian Icarus is airborne,
and he feels as though he is flying. He has
not yet realized the actuality of his fall.
From the vantage of a tall bell tower, the
people standing on the bank of the blue-tinged
river below appear very small. The river reflects
all the wrath of the angry spring sky. The
red of the tunic harmonizes with the river’s
melting high water and the drifting chunks
of ice.
“I feel as though I have taken a drink of
pure spring water,” a visitor to one of the
artist’s exhibits has written. “Expressed
in your paintings are our Russian land and
our Russian people. After visiting your exhibit,
I understand better who we are, and, more
importantly, who we must aspire to be. Your
works have an amazing property – they live
and speak of our innermost hopes… Thank you
for a celebration of the heart, mind, and
spirit!”
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| Lazarus
Raised, Metropolitan Cyprian. 1999 |
Russian
Icarus. 1964 |
Yaroslavna.
1986 |
The
Russian North. 1976 |
Russian
Winter. 1998 |
