Today, 10 March, at 16.00 in the State Historical Museum opens the exhibition "1812 in pictures VV Vereshchagin. Gift of the Emperor Nicholas II Museum in 1812. On display are paintings of the famous Russian battle- Vasily Vereshchagin (1842-1904) from the series "1812", stored in the museum.

Vasily Vereshchagin, "the artist, soldier, traveler, belongs to the democratic traditions of Russian art school of the second half of the nineteenth century. His ideal in art was "the truth and simplicity, and purpose - to serve the Fatherland creativity.

VVVereschagin born in Cherepovets, Novgorod province in the family of the landowner. He studied at the Sea Cadet Corps in St. Petersburg, visiting the drawing school parallel Society for the Promotion of Artists. After graduating from the Corps, he immediately resigned and entered the Academy of Fine Arts, which soon left and went on a trip to Europe, the Caucasus, Turkestan. In 1877, Vereshchagin went to the Danube, in the army, where the lively impressions created a series of paintings devoted to the events of the Russian-Turkish war. The success of his paintings in the years 1879-1880 in Europe and Russia was triumphant. During these years Vereshchagin turned to evangelical theme, created a series of paintings from the life of Christ.

In 1887 the artist began work on a series of paintings devoted to the War of 1812. The artist had to implement a grand plan. In the series were to enter the twenty paintings in which he sought to recreate the "simplicity and truth of history, which was then greeted with critical acclaim and audience ambiguous. In 1895, in the halls of the Historical Museum in Moscow were exhibited 10 paintings of the cycle. They have been enthusiastically accepted by the public, but official circles, which depended on the acquisition of the series, have shown restraint. In 1900, the series was completed. This grandiose pictorial chronicle of the 20 works covering events from the battle of Borodino to the flight of Napoleon from Russia Ahead of the retreat of his army through a river. Berezina (this topic is devoted to 21-I, the last, unfinished painting, the artist wrote in 1902-1904). In the series includes two portraits of the French emperor. Vereshchagin created for their paintings of historical-style comments, which he published in the editions for their exhibitions. This kind of literature "linked" the plot in a series of fused story.

artist refused to sell the paintings abroad. In 1902, the series has become Russia's government. The subsequent death of the artist at the flagship battleship "Petropavlovsk" from the explosion of Japanese mines March 31, 1904 led to a series that has been neglected. Only in connection with the Jubilee of 1912, when Russian society was celebrated 100 years of World War II, a series of paintings were exhibited at the exhibition "The Patriotic War of 1812" in the halls of the Historical Museum as a gift from Emperor Nicholas II.

liked to accompany artist exhibiting his work a special theatrical lighting, music, display of antique art objects, which he used to work on paintings. Poly colors, sounds and light, comparing works of different genres, gave additional effect to perception.

pictures will be exhibited, as conceived Vereshchagin, with special lighting, music and noise accompanied with the text of the artist.

exhibition will run until May 10, 2010.

Source: Press Release GMM