Victor Vasnetsov description of the painting Alyonushka. Essay based on Vasnetsov’s painting “Alyonushka” for schoolchildren

Hurricanes are a natural phenomenon. They have different categories that are assigned to them depending on the wind speed. The strongest ones belong to the fifth. It was this hurricane Katrina in the United States that claimed thousands of lives, deprived people of shelter and almost completely destroyed New Orleans. It is at such moments that a person realizes with particular acuteness that, like thousands of years ago, he is powerless before the forces of nature. Hurricane Katrina, photos of the consequences of which can be seen in this article, belonged to the last, fifth category on the Saffir-Simpson scale. It hit the US coast on August 27, 2005 and raged for two days, which seemed endless to people in the disaster area. The wind speed reached almost 300 km/h.

Chronology of events

Hurricane Katrina originated in the Bahamas. I walked along the coast of Florida and turned towards the Gulf of Mexico. It began to form on August 23, and on the 24th it was already known as Hurricane Katrina. On the 27th, people learned with horror that he was of the fifth category - the strongest of all. The next day, after the warning from meteorologists, mass evacuation began. The hurricane reached its apogee in the United States on August 29.

Scale of the disaster

The dams broke. Rivers and lakes overflowed their banks, and the city was almost completely in water. Residents tried to escape from alligators on their roofs. Reptiles swam in the water, tearing to pieces everyone who was within their reach - both dead and living. Everything mixed into one whole - chemicals, wastewater, gasoline, debris from houses. And countless corpses floated in the water.

Hurricane Katrina was so powerful that huge ships were washed ashore like matchboxes. Oil platforms collapsed in minutes, large buildings crumbled in seconds, and small ones were simply wiped off the face of the earth. People who did not have time to leave the city found themselves in their own cars, as if in traps, and tried to escape on the roofs from the crocodiles that infested the water.

Affected cities and states

The state of Louisiana was hit the hardest. The main blow of the disaster fell on New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina killed 1,600 people. Almost 80% of the city was completely flooded. This is exactly the part that was below sea level. New Orleans found itself between two fires. On one side of the city is the Gulf of Mexico, where the hurricane came from. On the other - the bed of the Mississippi and largest lake Pontchartrain.

In addition to Louisiana, other states were also affected. There were 238 deaths in Mississippi. In Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Ohio and Florida total dead - 21.

Evacuation

When it became known that Hurricane Katrina would hit the US coast on Sunday, August 28, a mass evacuation was announced in New Orleans. People were in a hurry to leave the city. As a result, huge traffic jams formed on the roads. There are queues at gas stations.

Public transport did not work, and many residents did not have the opportunity to leave the city, since they did not have their own cars, money for travel or hotels. People tried to stock up on food and water. There were long lines outside the shops.

As a result, almost 150 thousand people remained in the city. These were mainly residents of poor areas. The authorities gave them shelter at the Superdome indoor stadium, where almost 30 thousand people eventually gathered. Everyone who did not have time or did not want to come to the shelter provided felt the arrival of the hurricane within an hour. And at the stadium the electricity went out at about 6 o'clock in the morning.

Marauding

Almost all police personnel participated in the rescue efforts. As a result, New Orleans was gripped by a wave of crime. Residents were robbed and raped. Looters broke into stores. The bars from the windows were simply torn off the buildings of jewelry and expensive boutiques, and the robbers got inside with impunity. A state of emergency was declared in the city. The police and National Guard were ordered to shoot to kill the looters.

Hurricane aftermath

Hurricane Katrina left behind a city almost wiped off the face of the earth. In addition to the many deaths, 1,900 New Orleanians were missing. Thousands of people lost their homes, houses were completely destroyed. Those who lived directly on the coast suffered especially. Damage from Katrina amounted to almost $125 billion. Insurance companies lost approximately half of this amount.

Almost 150 thousand people did not want to return to New Orleans after the hurricane. The US Congress has allocated $110 billion to restore states. All forces were involved in the restoration work: police, coast guard, army and National Guard.

Most of the buildings were destroyed. People lost their homes. Crocodiles and dolphins swam freely in the surviving hotel pools. The underground garages were completely flooded. Cars, pieces of houses, earth and dirt, corpses and wounded - everything was mixed into one heap. The rubble was huge. Rescuers worked for days. The survivors were evacuated from the rooftops by helicopters and boats.

Simultaneously with the flooding, fires began in the cities, destroying the remaining buildings. Many power lines were damaged. Thousands of people had to leave cities after the hurricane because they lost their homes. A temporary mobile hospital was set up at the New Orleans airport, where hundreds of people were admitted. The corpses of people lay there for several days after the water subsided. They were buried in common, hastily constructed graves.

Hurricane Katrina reaped a deadly harvest even after it ended. There were no lights or oxygen masks in the hospitals. Wounded and maimed people simply died. There was not enough food and water in temporary shelters. The humanitarian aid sent by other countries was not enough for everyone. And the people who were able to survive the horrors of Katrina died when the city was already quiet. The destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina could only be eliminated by 2006, and even then not completely. But most of the buildings and houses were restored. The whole earth has finally dried up.

After those tragic events this has never happened again. Hurricanes struck, but weaker ones with less damage. Perhaps it was Katrina that became the deadliest in the last few decades. Let's hope people learn a lesson for the future and try to prevent this from happening in the future. a large number of victims.

“Post from the past”: Hurricane Katrina began to form on August 23 in the Bahamas. Before the hurricane reached the US coast, it was classified as Danger Level 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. About 12 hours before hitting the coast, the hurricane weakened to Category 4. The wind speed during the hurricane reached 280 km/h. On August 27, 2005, it passed over the Florida coast near Miami and turned toward Gulf of Mexico. On Monday, August 29, 2005, the hurricane reached the southeastern coast of the United States in the area of Louisiana and Mississippi. Its coverage area included the state of Louisiana, south and central Mississippi, southern Alabama, western Georgia, western and southern Florida. On August 30, CNN reported on mass looting in New Orleans.

As a result of the disaster, 800 thousand people were left without electricity and telephone communications. The officially confirmed number of victims was 1,600 people. Economic damage amounted to $125 billion. President Bush's ratings dropped by 38%.

Now that 5 years have passed since the disaster, it’s worth looking back and seeing what happened and what happened to settlements, streets and houses affected by the disaster.

(Total 36 photos)

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1. Above: On August 23, 2010, Robert Fontaine stands at the site in New Orleans, Louisiana, where his home once stood after it burned down after Hurricane Katrina passed through five years ago. Fontaine says he stayed home to look after the dogs. Due to the lack of electricity, he lit the house with candles, and one of the dogs overturned the candle, causing a fire. “My whole life, my whole world collapsed. For everyone, not just me." Below: Robert Fontaine walks past a burning house on September 6, 2005 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Getty Images/Mario Tama)

2. Top: football team The New Orleans Saints play against the Houston Texans at the Superdome in New Orleans on August 21, 2010. Below: On September 2, 2005, victims of Hurricane Katrina at the Superdome, which then became a shelter for victims of the disaster. (Getty Images/Mario Tama)

3. Above: Lower Nine's Ward in New Orleans with new buildings on August 24, 2010 Below: the same area on August 25, 2006. (Getty Images/Mario Tama)

4. Above: The rebuilt embankment wall in Lower Nine's Ward on August 20, 2010. Below: Workers repair this wall along an industrial canal that was later demolished by Hurricane Katrina. Repairs were scheduled to be completed that year in time for the start of the new hurricane season on June 1. (Getty Images/Mario Tama)

5. Above: Young residents of Lower Nine's Ward play football in the street on August 20, 2010. The Make it Right Foundation is building homes for families experiencing homelessness following Hurricane Katrina. Below: A group of Amish student volunteers tours an area devastated by Hurricane Katrina on February 24, 2006. (Getty Images/Mario Tama)

6. Above: Cars drive across the bridge over the Industrial Canal on August 23, 2010. Below: Two men row a boat across a flooded bridge over the Industrial Canal on August 31, 2005. (Getty Images/Mario Tama)

7. Above: A statue of the Virgin Mary stands in a cemetery on August 19, 2010 in Buras, Louisiana. Bottom: The same statue in front of an open crypt in the same cemetery on February 23, 2006. The cemetery flooded during Hurricane Katrina, and several coffins simply floated out of the cemetery. (Getty Images/Mario Tama)

8. Above: Cemetery at St. Patrick's Church in Plaquemines Parish on August 19, 2010 in Port Salfe, Louisiana. Below: the same cemetery, flooded during September 11, 2005. (Getty Images/Mario Tama)

9. Above: A sign asking for any information regarding the identification of the coffins to contact Mike Mudge at such and such telephone number, standing in Buras on August 19, 2010. Bottom: The same sign on February 23, 2006. (Getty Images/Mario Tama)

10. Left: Willie Lee, 84, stands in his home, which was badly damaged during Hurricane Katrina, which he wants to rebuild, on August 18, 2010 in Pearlington, Mississippi. Lee says he has received funds to rebuild the house, but can't find a builder he can trust. Right: Willie Lee, 79, stands outside his destroyed home after Hurricane Katrina on May 25, 2006. Lee says he tried to ride out the storm at home, but ended up being washed away by the floodwaters. He managed to grab a tree branch and waited for several hours for the flood to subside. Lee says there was a poisonous snake sitting on the tree next to him the whole time. Hurricane Katrina moved onto Pearlington, which is located directly between New Orleans and Biloxi, Mississippi. (Getty Images/Mario Tama)

11. Waves crash onto a ship that washed up on Highway 80 Katrina on August 29, 2005 in Gulfport, Mississippi. (AP/John Bazemore)

A team of volunteers rescues the Taylor family from the roof of a car stranded on US 90 during Hurricane Katrina flooding on August 29, 2005 in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. (AP/Ben Sklar)

13. Hurricane Katrina victims cross a bridge in a downpour on September 1, 2005, leaving New Orleans. August 29, 2010 marked exactly five years since destructive hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Katrina caused heavy rains that in turn led to floods that killed 1,600 people, destroyed thousands of homes and tarnished the reputation of President George W. Bush, who was criticized by the public for his handling of the natural crisis. (AFP/Getty Images/Robert Sullivan)

14. New Orleans at dawn on September 3, 2005. In some areas of the city, fires continue and there is standing water. (New York Times/Vincent Laforet)

15. Water flows over an embankment wall along a canal in New Orleans on August 30, 2005. (New York Times/Vincent Laforet)

16. Water surrounded houses east of downtown New Orleans on August 30, 2005, the day after the deadly impact of Hurricane Katrina. (The Dallas Morning News/Smiley N. Pool)

17. Floodwaters from Hurricane Katrina on the streets of New Orleans on August 30, 2005. (New York Times/Vincent Laforet)

19. Flooded cemetery in New Orleans on September 3, 2005. Photo taken from a Chinook military helicopter. (AP/Haraz N. Ghanbari)

20. A torn American flag flutters in front of the Hyatt Hotel damaged by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans on August 29, 2005. (AP/Bill Haber)

21. Thousands of people displaced by Hurricane Katrina wait for a bus to arrive at relief centers from the Superdome on September 2, 2005. (AFP/Getty Images/Pool)

22. People wait for evacuation at the Superdome stadium on September 3, 2005. The National Guard said gunshots were heard outside the stadium just six days after the storm. (AFP/Getty Images/Nicholas Kamm)

23. Evelyn Turner cries at her body common-law husband Xavier Bowie, who died in Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans on August 30, 2005. Bowie and Turner were unable to escape the city. Bowie, who had lung cancer, died when his oxygen ran out. (AP/Eric Gay)

24. Clorestine Haney and her 6-year-old daughter cry while receiving their daily food rations. exhibition center National Guard in downtown New Orleans, 6 days after Hurricane Katrina. (New York Times/Vincent Laforet)

25. The body of a Hurricane Katrina victim floats in the New Orleans river on September 1, 2005. (AFP/Getty Images/James Nielsen)

26. A man stands on a roof waiting for rescuers on August 31, 2005 in New Orleans. (The Dallas Morning News/Smiley N. Pool)29. Residents wait for rescuers on a rooftop in New Orleans on September 1, 2005. (AP/David J. Phillip)32. A helicopter evacuates residents of New Orleans on August 31, 2005. (AP/David J. Phillip)

33. 17-year-old Adrianna Fournet brought water to Elisa Eller at the Hurricane Katrina victim center in gym"St. Thomas More" in Bayton Rouge, Louisiana on August 29, 2005. Eller was one of more than 150 residents at the Wynhoven Health Care Center in Marrero, Louisiana. (THE (BATON ROUGE) ADVOCATE / Kerry Maloney)

34. Robin Whittington was reunited with her husband at the New Orleans airport on September 2, 2005. The Whittingtons were evacuated in separate helicopters. (New York Times/Vincent Laforet)

Tam Ku (left), Jason Jackson and Linda Bryant assess damage caused by Hurricane Katrina to Linda's home in Biloxi, Mississippi, on August 31, 2005. (Dallas Morning News/Barbara Davidson)

36. Ruins in the Lakeview District - in a destroyed middle-class neighborhood located just off the east side of the 17th Street Canal in New Orleans on September 22, 2005. (AFP/Getty Images/Robyn Beck)

The history of the masterpiece: "Alyonushka" Artist Viktor Vasnetsov. |Why "Alyonushka" was originally called "fool"

Viktor Vasnetsov - Alyonushka. 1881. Oil on canvas. 173 × 121 cm
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
The plot was based on the fairy tale “About Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka.” Alyonushka, tired of the fruitless search for her brother, sits in a lonely pose on a large stone by a gloomy pond, bowing her head to her knees. Anxious thoughts about brother Ivanushka do not leave her. Alyonushka is grieving - she couldn’t keep track of her brother - and the nature around her is grieving along with her...
The artist began work on the painting in 1880. At first he painted landscape sketches on the banks of the Vori in Abramtsevo, near the pond in Akhtyrka. 3 sketches from that time have survived.
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Pond in Okhtyrka 1880
Alyonushkin Pond (Pond in Akhtyrka), 1880
Sedge, 1880
In Vasnetsov’s painting Alyonushka, the landscape is very beautifully painted in which Alyonushka is closely interconnected with nature, which is also saddened, like our heroine Alyonushka.
In the picture, not a single fragment distracts the viewer from the main thing, at the same time, every detail of the picture is material for thoughtful reflection.
Victor Vasnetsov. Sketches for the painting “Alyonushka”, 1881
Initially, Vasnetsov called the painting “Fool Alyonushka,” but there is nothing offensive or ironic in the artist’s attitude towards his heroine. The fact is that the word “fool” in those days was used to describe holy fools or orphans. Let's remember the fairy tale - after the death of their parents, Alyonushka and her brother Ivanushka are left alone, and despairing of finding a naughty brother, Alyonushka feels like an orphan, lonely and abandoned.
Some critics insisted that it was not fairy tale image, but the embodiment of the orphan lot of poor peasant women that could be found in every village. An old sundress with faded flowers, disheveled hair, rough bare feet issued in Alyonushka not abstract fairy tale character, but a very real girl from the people.
The work was completed in the winter of 1881 in Moscow, after which Vasnetsov sent it to Traveling exhibition. Critic I. E. Grabar called the picture one of best paintings Russian school.
Vasnetsov himself spoke about his painting like this:
“Alyonushka” seemed to have been living in my head for a long time, but I really saw it in Akhtyrka, when I met one simple-haired girl who captured my imagination. There was so much melancholy, loneliness and purely Russian sadness in her eyes... Some special Russian spirit wafted from her.
Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov
(1848-1926)
Russian artist-painter and architect, master of historical and folklore painting.
Born on May 15, 1848 in the Russian village of Lopyal, Urzhum district, Vyatka province, into a family Orthodox priest Mikhail Vasilyevich Vasnetsov, who belonged to the ancient Vyatka family of Vasnetsov.
At first I was going to follow in my father's footsteps. But on last year Theological seminary left his studies and went to St. Petersburg to enter the Academy of Arts.
At first Vasnetsov wrote on everyday stories. Subsequently, he developed the so-called “Vasnetsov style” - epic-historical at its core with a strong patriotic and religious bias.
Vasnetsov performed in all kinds: he was a historical painter, a religious painter, a portrait painter, a genre painter, a decorator, and a graphic artist. In addition, he was an architect - according to his designs, the church in Abramtsevo, the facade of the Tretyakov Gallery, the Tsvetkovskaya Gallery and his own house with a workshop in Troitsky Lane.
Viktor Vasnetsov died in Moscow on July 23, 1926, at the age of 79. The artist was buried at the Lazarevskoye cemetery, after the destruction of which the ashes were transferred to the Vvedenskoye cemetery.

Vasnetsov's painting "Alyonushka" is a work that most of our compatriots know today. An essay on it is required school curriculum. You may have also written a story based on Vasnetsov’s painting “Alyonushka” at one time. However, we will still recall the plot of this painting.

Vasnetsov's painting "Alyonushka" can be briefly described as follows. Tired of the useless search for her brother, the heroine sits on a large stone in a lonely pose by a gloomy pond. The head is bowed to the knees. Alyonushka is haunted by disturbing thoughts about his brother. She's sad - she didn't keep track of him. Seems, surrounding nature around shares these feelings... Vasnetsov's painting "Alyonushka" will be described in more detail in this article.

How it all began?

The idea of this work was inspired by the author in the same way from a Russian fairy tale called "About Sister Alyonushka and Her Brother Ivanushka." The prototype for this picture was a real girl. The artist met her when he was at the Okhtyrka estate in the summer of 1880. Vasnetsov saw in a random girl, according to him in my own words, a sea of loneliness, melancholy and purely Russian sadness. The first sketch was made from it. Vasnetsov almost immediately decided on the concept for his future work. Despite the fact that the plot was simple, interesting story has Vasnetsov's painting "Alyonushka". The artist's self-portrait is presented below.

Stages of working on a painting

In 1880, Viktor Mikhailovich began work on this canvas. The history of the creation of the painting “Alyonushka” by Vasnetsov is as follows. Several sketches made by the author during this period, which preceded the creation of the work that interests us, have survived to this day. These are “Sedge”, “Alenushkin Pond”, “Pond in Okhtyrka”. Viktor Vasnetsov also made several full-scale sketches in paint, which depict a girl sitting on a stone.

The artist admitted that when creating the image of the main character on the canvas, he peered into the facial features of Savva Mamontov’s daughter, famous philanthropist from Moscow. This girl's name was Vera Mamontova. In the winter of 1881, the work was completed, after which Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov sent it to the exhibition of Itinerant artists held in Moscow. The painting "Alyonushka", however, was not very popular at first. She acquired it a little later.

What was the original name of Vasnetsov’s painting “Alyonushka”?

The canvas was given a slightly different name - “Fool Alyonushka”. According to some sources, the word “fool” was used at that time to describe holy fools or orphans. Vasnetsov did not immediately mention that his work has fairy tale plot.

How was the painting completed?

The history of Vasnetsov's painting "Alyonushka" includes several modifications. It is known that the artist corrected it several times, changing some details. Made by specialists x-rays this work. As a result, it was possible to establish that the girl’s shoulder, neck and face, as well as the overall color scheme of the picture, were redesigned. In the first version, apparently, “Alyonushka” provoked many critical comments from the artist’s colleagues and acquaintances. Kuindzhi's portrait of Vasnetsov is presented below.

Where is "Alyonushka" (artist Vasnetsov) kept?

The painting "Alyonushka" is currently exhibited in Tretyakov Gallery. But Tretyakov, during the first exhibition at which this work was presented, did not honor it, despite Vasnetsov’s efforts, with attention. Mamontov bought this painting for five hundred rubles.

The general mood of the canvas

Today is one of the most famous works Vasnetsov, written based on folk tale, is this one. A reproduction of Vasnetsov’s painting “Alyonushka” is presented below.

A young girl sitting on a stone by the river attracts natural beauty and simplicity. In the sad eyes of the heroine you can read deep emotions. This is sadness, but at the same time a dream about that happy time that will come someday, girlish dreams and, of course, longing for the missing younger brother. The artist masterfully managed to convey the general mood in the picture, sad and peaceful, enhanced by images of nature - clouds floating slowly overhead, motionless trees.

The role of canvas fragments

The master in his work perfectly reflects the relationship that exists between ordinary Russian people and nature. She seems to be as sad as the girl in the painting. Not a single fragment of the canvas distracts the viewer from the main plot. On the contrary, he emphasizes and strengthens it. Viktor Vasnetsov's painting "Alyonushka" is completely focused on the image of a girl. Every detail of this painting evokes sad reflections.

What was Vasnetsov’s merit?

Many fairy tales, passed down from generation to generation, were written by Russian writers and the Russian people. Vasnetsov's merit lies in the fact that he created, using the means of painting, convincing images that are imbued with the Russian spirit.

The artist, working on the plot of his painting, decided to place the young defenseless girl in a truly perilous place. Apparently, Vasnetsov in this way sought to cause a lasting pang in the hearts of the audience. The artist successfully used a fairy tale plot. Painting by V.M. Vasnetsov's "Alyonushka" is not accidentally based on him. Although Vasnetsov does not literally follow the plot - in the fairy tale on which the picture was written, there is no description of a barefoot girl yearning by the forest pool. Viktor Mikhailovich in his work sought to reveal the emotional character and meaning folklore image. This plot serves to fully reveal the complex and ambiguous Russian character.

Alyonushka's image

child with difficult fate issues appearance the girl shown in the picture. She has red unkempt hair, a plump scarlet mouth and dark eyes. In fact, the appearance of this girl completely lacks the fantastic and fabulous. The only detail in the composition emphasizes the fabulousness of the plot - a group of swallows sitting above Alyonushka’s head. It is known that these birds have long been a symbol of hope. So unusual technique the artist used it to balance the image of the main character, full of melancholy, and to bring into the plot the hope that the fairy tale will end happily.

It seems that Alyonushka finds solace by the pond. She seems to dissolve in the colors of the picture, becoming part of the landscape. The heroine's humility and her wounded legs attract and fascinate. This is a pure girlish image. This girl has very adult sadness. In her eyes, sadness borders on despair.

The forest surrounded her on all sides and did not want to let her out of captivity. Alyonushka's tears fall straight into the pond. What did the artist want to say with this? Most likely, this is a warning about a danger that may happen or has already happened to Ivanushka. Alyonushka thinks that Baba Yaga could turn her brother into a little goat. Every detail of this picture provides rich food for thought...

Landscape painting by Vasnetsov

The surrounding nature is especially important in the picture. Basically it is natural, also created in Abramtsevo. Reeds, stones, birch trunks, autumn leaves falling into the water seem to be animated by the author. It’s as if nature echoes the heroine’s sad complaints. Thin branches of aspens bent over the girl, the leaves of the water grass drooped in the same rhythm with her figure. The dark surface of the pool is full of alarming secrets; the forest is wary in the darkness. The swallows touchingly perched on a branch above Alyonushka’s head, as if conferring on how to help her. This landscape is real, but at the same time filled with soft sincerity and mysterious alertness. Vasnetsov here anticipates the “landscape of mood” of M.V. Nesterov and I.I. Levitan.

Atmosphere of silence and sadness

The description of Viktor Vasnetsov’s painting “Alyonushka” would be incomplete if we did not note general atmosphere canvases. The artist masterfully filled the landscape with silence and sadness. In his work, Vasnetsov perfectly succeeded in depicting the motionless water surface of a pond, spruce and sedge. Calm and silence are present in everything - even the pond barely reflects main character. The young trees tremble slightly, the sky frowns a little. The dark green shades of the surrounding landscape contrast with the gentle blush on the girl’s face, and the autumn sadness contrasts with those painted by the artist bright colors on Alyonushka’s old sundress. According to the legends of the Russian people, at the end of the day nature comes to life and acquires an amazing ability to experience in sync with humans. Such a magical talent to exist in resonance with her was inherent in Vasnetsov himself. That’s why Alyonushka’s feelings in the picture are so consistent with the state of the forest surrounding her. The viewer peering at the canvas gets the feeling that the fairy tale will continue in a moment... This is the description of Vasnetsov’s painting “Alyonushka”, based on general impression from the picture.

"Alyonushka" today

The artist was inspired to create this masterpiece lyrical image Russian girl from the people with a sad look. This work is distinguished by its simplicity and sincerity. Today she is very famous. In 2013, the Google search engine on the main page in honor of Vasnetsov’s anniversary (165 years) changed its usual logo to a doodle, which is based on the plot of “Alyonushka”. In the background, the bushes were transformed in such a way that the company name was made up of them.

Artist V.M. Vasnetsov more than once painted paintings based on Russian folk tales. In 1881, the painting “Alyonushka” was completed. The basis was taken from the fairy tale “About Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka”, where the girl stayed to look after her brother, but because of his disobedience he turned into a little goat.

In the painting, the artist captured the moment when Alyonushka learned about her brother’s transformation and came to the pond to grieve about what happened. Serves as a background mixed forest. The artist depicted motionless, tall fir trees and birches. The sky is cloudy, the sun is not visible. Perhaps it was already twilight. Alyonushka herself is sitting on a stone. Her legs are bent, her hands are on her knees, to which she bowed her head. Her hair, long and tangled, was loose, big eyes sadness and sorrow. The gaze is directed into the distance. There is a blush on the cheeks from excitement for the fate of his brother. She is wearing a black sundress with a pattern of flowers. Bare feet are visible from under the skirt. She walked a lot, looking for her brother, so her feet look dirty. Her whole pose speaks of despair: she doesn’t care what she looks like, she only thinks about Ivanushka. It is surrounded by sedge.

Several sketches by Vasnetsov for this painting have been preserved, among which there is an image of sedge on the shore of a pond. The water is clean and transparent. Alyonushka’s reflection in the pond is blurry and indistinct. Several yellow ones float on the surface of the pond autumn leaves. Above the girl’s head you can see a group of swallows, symbolizing hope for the best.

The artist copied the image of Alyonushka from a young girl, in whose eyes he saw “longing, loneliness and purely Russian sadness.” To achieve a harmonious composition, the desired key and the atmosphere of the picture, Vasnetsov created great job. One cannot notice anything unusual or fabulous in the image of Alyonushka herself. We only see sad girl, worried about her brother, but this image is one of the first to come to mind when talking about the fairy tale “About Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka.”

Essay description of the painting by Alyonushka Vasnetsova

Almost all of Viktor Mikhailovich’s works were written with love for Russian folklore. So the canvas “Alyonushka” was no exception; he wrote it based on the plot of the fairy tale “Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka” in 1880.

The main character of this painting is a young girl who worked hard, despite her young age. The girl’s attire is simple, not flashy, her feet are bare. Everything indicates that the girl is from a poor peasant family. The girl is wearing a light jacket and a sundress, from under which you can see her undershirt. This is how they dressed in Rus' before. The artist shows a girl with slightly disheveled hair. One gets the impression that the girl has been sitting on the shore of the pond for more than one day and peering into the surface of the water.

And she still looks into the water and tries to see what she expected, resting her head on her hands on her knees. Contemplating this painting, I really want all the evil to quickly dissipate in the air, and the happy girl to go home. But the dark color scheme of the picture makes it clear to its viewer that this will not happen.

The entire landscape of the picture is also saturated with sadness to the very depths. Behind Alyonushka you can see the forest, it is depicted in dark green tones, this is what gives it a mysterious look.

The water in the pond simply envelops everything around it with its coldness and gives its viewer goosebumps. Looking at the picture you can see that the pond seems to be alive and has a negative attitude towards young Alyonushka. The only thing that can somehow give hope for the best is the reeds with their green leaves near the heroine. You can also see aspen and birch trees, which also add some bright and optimistic colors to the canvas. It seems that from a light blow of wind, the rustle of falling leaves tells Alyonushka that everything will certainly be fine and there is no need to be sad.

Looking at this picture, you can feel how sadness runs through you and evokes sympathy for Alyonushka’s misfortune. The viewer feels sorry for her and wants to take on part of her pain so that the orphan can feel better. The artist was able to convey everything in the canvas with complete sensitivity and realism.

It seems that the artist depicted Alyonushka for a reason, but so that people would remember the qualities that she had. She had: kindness, the ability to love, hard work, patience, empathy and most importantly - she knew how to take care of a loved one. The artist allegedly tells us that each of us should have these qualities.

Option 3

The creativity of Viktor Mikhailovich is diverse, and he received popular recognition thanks to canvases depicting folklore. The artist’s painting “Alyonushka” was written based on the famous folk tale “Sister Alyonushka and Brother Ivanushka,” but the prototype for the creation of the canvas was a girl from Akhtyrka, who caught the eye of the artist. He reflected it in his creation. The canvas was painted in 1881, in Moscow.

On the canvas we see a simple Russian girl looking with a sad and downcast look, we see the creative color brought to life and the lyrical relationship, from which the Russian spirit emanates. Surly, dark forest evokes associations with sadness and sadness.

Tired of searching for her brother, Alyonushka is on a large stone, with her head folded on her knees, sitting in the dark, scary forest, by the gloomy pond. She is wearing a shabby dress and sitting barefoot. The girl's gaze is full of hopelessness and regret about what happened. The question is spinning in her head: “Where are you, brother Ivanushka?” As if dark cloud Anxious and dark thoughts hung over Alyonushka. Everything in the picture seems sad, nature seems gloomy, as if it is sad along with Alyonushka.

Any single fragment of a picture can be a subject for deep reflection. Many tales and legends have been created popular thought. A lot was created by Russian writers, but they were imagined only in the imagination, mentally. Vasnetsov brought the fairy tale to life, expressed visually by pictorial means a work filled with great Russian tradition and Russian folklore.

Currently, this canvas is in the Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, the canvas size is 173 by 121 cm.