Composition based on the painting “Three princesses of the underworld. Composition based on the painting by Vasnetsov “Three princesses of the underworld A brief description of the painting by the artist Vasnetsov

In 1880-1881, Savva Mamontov ordered three paintings from Viktor Vasnetsov for the office of the board of the Donetsk railway.
Vasnetsov wrote "Three Princesses of the Underworld", "Flying Carpet" and "Battle of the Scythians with the Slavs". A fairy tale is taken as the basis of the picture. The painting "Three Princesses of the Underground Kingdom" personifies the richness of the bowels of the Donbass, for which the plot of the fairy tale is slightly changed - it depicts the princess of coal.

Viktor Vasnetsov.
Three princesses of the underworld.
1879. First version. Canvas, oil. 152.7 x 165.2.
Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

Members of the board did not accept Vasnetsov's work on a fairy tale theme as inappropriate for the office space. In 1884, Vasnetsov wrote another version of the painting, while slightly changing the composition and color. The painting is acquired by the Kyiv collector and philanthropist I.N. Tereshchenko.
In the new version, the position of the hands of the princess of coal has changed, now they lie along the body, which gives the figure calmness and majesty.
In the painting "Three princesses of the underworld" one of the characters - the third, junior princess - will be further developed in female images. The hidden spiritual sadness of this humbly proud girl will be found both in his portraits and in fictional images.

Underworld
Russian folktale

In that old time, when the world was filled with goblin, witches and mermaids, when the rivers flowed with milk, the banks were jelly, and fried partridges flew across the fields, at that time there lived a king named Gorokh with Tsarina Anastasia the Beautiful; they had three princely sons.

And suddenly a great misfortune shook - an unclean spirit dragged the queen away. The eldest son says to the king: "Father, bless me, I'll go look for my mother!" Went and disappeared; For three years there was no news or a rumor about him. The second son began to ask: "Father, bless me on the road, maybe I'll be lucky enough to find both my brother and my mother!" The king blessed; he went and also disappeared without a trace - as if he had sunk into the water.

The youngest son, Ivan Tsarevich, comes to the king: "Dear father, bless me on my way, maybe I will find my brothers and my mother!" - "Go, son!"

Ivan Tsarevich set off in an alien direction; I rode and rode and came to the blue sea, stopped on the bank and thought: "Where to go now?" Suddenly thirty-three spoonbills flew to the sea, hit the ground and became red maidens - all are good, but one is the best; undressed and jumped into the water. How many, how few they swam - Ivan Tsarevich crept up, took from the girl who was more beautiful than all, a sash and hid it in his bosom.

The girls swam, went ashore, began to dress - there was not one sash. "Ah, Ivan Tsarevich," says the beauty, "give me the sash!" "Tell me first, where is my mother?" - "Your mother lives with my father - with Raven Voronovich. Go up the sea, you will come across a silver bird - a golden tuft: where it flies, you go there too!"

Ivan Tsarevich gave her the sash and went up the sea; Here I met my brothers, greeted them and took them with me.

They walk along the shore, they saw a silver bird - a golden crest and ran after it. The bird flew, flew and rushed under the iron slab, into the underground pit. “Well, brothers,” says Ivan Tsarevich, “bless me instead of a father, instead of a mother: I will go down into this pit and find out what the land of the infidel is like, is our mother not there!” The brothers blessed him, he tied himself with a rope, and climbed into that deep hole, and descended neither more nor less - exactly three years; descended and went down the road.

Walking, walking, walking, I saw a copper kingdom: thirty-three spoonbill girls were sitting in the courtyard, embroidering towels with cunning patterns - cities with suburbs. "Hello, Ivan Tsarevich! - says the princess of the copper kingdom. - Where are you going, where are you going?" - "I'm going to look for my mother!" - "Your mother is with my father, with Raven Voronovich; he is cunning and wise, he flew through the mountains, through the dales, through the dens, through the clouds! He will kill you, good fellow,! Here's a ball for you, go to my middle sister - what is she he'll tell you. And if you go back, don't forget me!"

Ivan Tsarevich rolled the ball and followed him. He comes to the silver kingdom, and there sit thirty-three spoonbill maidens. The princess of the silver kingdom says: “Before the village, the Russian spirit was not seen, not heard, but now the Russian spirit is manifested with one’s own eyes! What, Ivan Tsarevich, are you whining about business or trying things?” - "Ah, red maiden, I'm going to look for my mother!" - "Your mother is with my father, with Raven Voronovich; and he is cunning, and wise, he flew through the mountains, through the dales, through the dens, through the clouds rushed! Eh, prince, because he will kill you! Here is a ball for you, go on you to my younger sister - what will she tell you: whether to go forward, whether to return back?

Ivan Tsarevich comes to the golden kingdom, and thirty-three spoonbill girls are sitting here, embroidering towels. Above all, better than all, the princess of the golden kingdom is such a beauty that one cannot say in a fairy tale, nor write with a pen. She says: "Hello, Ivan Tsarevich! Where are you going, where are you going?" - "I'm going to look for my mother!" - "Your mother is with my father, with Voron Voronovich; and he is cunning, and wiser, he flew through the mountains, through the dales, through the dens, through the clouds rushed. Eh, prince, he will kill you! : your mother lives there. Seeing you, she will rejoice and immediately order: "Nanny-mothers, give my son some green wine!" But don't take it, ask her to give you three-year-old wine that is in the cupboard, and a burnt crust for a snack Don't forget: my father has two vats of water in the yard - one strong water and the other weak, move them from place to place and drink strong water, and when you fight with Raven Voronovich and defeat him, ask him only for a staff -feather".

For a long time, the prince and the princess talked and fell in love with each other so much that they did not want to part, but there was nothing to do - Ivan Tsarevich said goodbye and set off on his way.

Walked, walked, comes to the pearl kingdom. When his mother saw him, she was overjoyed and shouted: "Mothers-nannies! Give my son some green wine!" - "I do not drink simple wine, give me a three-year-old, and a burnt crust for a snack!" The prince drank the three-year-old wine, took a bite of the burnt crust, went out into the wide courtyard, rearranged the vats from place to place and began to drink strong water.

Suddenly Raven Voronovich arrives; he was bright as a clear day, but he saw Ivan Tsarevich - and became gloomier than a dark night; sank down to the vat and began to draw the helpless water.

Meanwhile, Ivan Tsarevich fell on his wings; Voron Voronovich soared high, high, carried him along the dales, and over the mountains, and over dens, and over the clouds, and began to ask: "What do you need, Ivan Tsarevich? Do you want to give the treasury?" - "I don't need anything, just give me a feather-staff!" - "No, Ivan Tsarevich! It hurts to sit in a wide sleigh!"

And again the Raven carried him over the mountains and over the valleys, over the dens and clouds. And Ivan Tsarevich holds on tight; leaned down with all his weight and almost broke off his wings. Raven Voronovich cried out: "Don't break my wings, take a feather-staff!" He gave the prince a staff-feather, he himself became a simple raven and flew to the steep mountains.

And Ivan Tsarevich came to the pearl kingdom, took his mother and went on his way back; looks - the pearl kingdom curled up in a ball and rolled after him.

He came to a golden kingdom, then to a silver one, and then to a copper one, took with him three beautiful princesses, and those kingdoms curled up in balls and rolled after them. Approaches the rope and blew a golden trumpet: "Brothers, if I'm alive, don't extradite me!"

The brothers heard the trumpet, grabbed the rope and pulled out into the world a soul - a red maiden, a princess of copper kingdom; they saw her and began to quarrel among themselves: one does not want to give her to the other. "What are you fighting, good fellows! There is a red maiden even better than me!" - says the princess of the copper kingdom.

The princes lowered the rope and pulled out the princess of the silver kingdom. Again they began to argue and fight; one says: "Let me get it!" And the other: "I don't want to! Let mine be!" - "Do not quarrel, good fellows, there is a girl even more beautiful than me," says the princess of the silver kingdom.

The princes stopped fighting, lowered the rope and pulled out the princess of the golden kingdom. Again they began to quarrel, but the beautiful princess immediately stopped them: "Your mother is waiting there!"

They pulled out their mother and lowered the rope behind Ivan Tsarevich; lifted it up to half and cut off the rope. Ivan Tsarevich flew into the abyss and was badly hurt - he lay unconscious for half a year; waking up, looked around, remembered everything that had happened to him, took a feather-staff from his pocket and hit it on the ground. At the same moment, twelve fellows appeared: "What, Ivan Tsarevich, do you order?" - "Bring me out into the open world!" The fellows grabbed him by the arms and carried him out into the open.

Ivan Tsarevich began to scout about his brothers and found out that they had long been married: the princess from the copper kingdom married her middle brother, the princess from the silver kingdom married her older brother, and his bride-to-be did not marry anyone. And the old father himself decided to marry her: he gathered a thought, accused his wife of holding a council with evil spirits, and ordered to cut off her head; after the execution, he asks the princess from the golden kingdom: "Will you marry me?" - "Then I'll go for you when you sew me shoes without measurements!"

The king ordered the cry to be called, to ask everyone and everyone: would anyone sew shoes for the princess without measurement? At that time, Ivan Tsarevich comes to his state, is hired by an old man as a worker and sends him to the tsar: "Go, grandfather, take over this business. I'll sew shoes for you, but don't tell me!" The old man went to the king: "I am ready to take up this work!"

The king gave him goods for a pair of shoes and asked: "Will you please, old man?" - "Do not be afraid, sovereign, I have a son chebotar!"

Returning home, the old man gave the goods to Ivan Tsarevich, who cut the goods into pieces, threw them out the window, then opened the golden kingdom and took out the finished shoes: “Here, grandfather, take it, take it to the king!”

The king was delighted, sticks to the bride: "Is it soon to go to the crown?" She replies: "Then I'll go for you when you sew" a dress without measurements for me!

The tsar again fusses, gathers all the artisans to himself, Gives them a lot of money, only to make a dress without measurements. Ivan Tsarevich says to the old man: "Grandfather, go to the king, take the fabric, I'll sew a dress for you, just don't tell me!"

The old man trudged to the palace, took the satin and velvet, returned home and gave it to the prince. Ivan Tsarevich immediately cut all the satin and velvet into shreds with scissors and threw them out the window; opened the golden kingdom, took from there whatever was the best dress and gave it to the old man: "Bring it to the palace!"

Tsar Radehonek: "Well, my beloved bride, isn't it time for us to go to the crown?" The princess answers: "Then I will marry you, when you take the old man's son and tell him to boil it in milk!" The king did not hesitate, gave the order - and on the same day they collected a bucket of milk from all the yards, poured a large vat and boiled over high heat.

They brought Ivan Tsarevich; he began to say goodbye to everyone, to bow to the ground; they threw him into a vat: he dived once, dived again, jumped out and became so handsome that he couldn’t tell in a fairy tale or write with a pen. The princess says: "Look, tsar! Whom should I marry: for you, the old one, or for him, a good fellow?" The king thought: "If I bathe in milk, I will become just as handsome!" He threw himself into a vat and boiled in milk.

And Ivan Tsarevich went with the princess to get married; married, he sent his brothers out of the kingdom and began to live and live with the princess and make good.

Vasnetsov V.M. Three princesses of the underworld.
1884. The second option. Canvas, oil. 173 x 295. Museum of Russian Art, Kyiv, Ukraine.

1884 Oil on canvas. 164 x 297 cm State Museum of Russian Art

Description of the painting by Vasnetsov V.M. "Three Princesses of the Underworld"

In 1880, V. Vasnetsov received an order from patron Savva Mamontov to paint three paintings to decorate the Donetsk railway station. The artist, whose work is inextricably linked with epics, legends and fairy tales, this time again opted for fairy tales. Soon the paintings "Flying Carpet", "Battle of the Scythians with the Slavs" and "Three Queens of the Underworld" were ready.

The painting "Three Queens ..." was painted last and was intended to decorate the office of the Board of the Railway. As conceived by the master, the picture was to become the personification of the untold riches stored in the land of Donbass. The heroines of a folk tale - underground princesses - became the embodiment of these treasures. According to the tale, there were only two of them - the princesses of Gold and Precious Stones. But to please the industrialists, the artist also painted the third one - the Coal Princess.

Three girls, shining with the dazzling beauty of their faces and outfits, became the main characters of the picture. In the center is depicted the princess of Precious Stones. Majestic and proud, she stands with her head held high, demonstrating her noble origin. Her outfit is indescribably beautiful: an expensive dress embroidered with intricate ornaments catches the eye, bewitching with emerald, pinkish, turquoise, red and yellow tints of precious stones that make up the pattern. Heavy beads on her chest and a crown of gems on her head complete the image of the guardian of the underground treasure. Her face is not inferior in beauty to the attractiveness of stones: scarlet lips, a burning blush and sable eyebrows - a true princess.

To the left of the Queen of Precious Stones stands the equally majestic Princess of Gold, who is easily recognizable by her sparkling golden robe. The intricate pattern of gilded fabric is complemented by a scattering of gems that adorn the sleeves, buttons and hem of the dress. Shines with the brilliance of precious stones and the crown-kokoshnik on the royal head, and the beads on the neck of the queen. But her beautiful face is sad and sad, longing is hidden in her lowered eyes.

Somewhat away from the majestic sisters, the viewer will see the timid Coal Princess. In her attire there is no pretentiousness and magnificent royalty, just as there is no arrogance in her face. A modest but exquisite black brocade dress, beautiful black hair, freely falling on her shoulders, open, helplessly lowered hands, sadness on her snow-white face - such was created by Vasnetsov, the youngest of the princesses. Standing out against the background of her sisters with her simplicity and modesty, she seems more sweet, dear, close and humane.

Beautiful princesses are saddened. And the reason for their sadness can be seen here, on the canvas. In the lower right corner, the artist painted two brothers, Ivan Tsarevich, the hero of the fairy tale that inspired the artist to create the painting. According to the story, the princes betrayed their brother: having kidnapped the underground beauties and rescued their mother, they cut the rope and left him to die underground. In their hands, you can see both the rope and the knife with which it was cut. Both brothers are shown at the moment when they, struck by the beauty and stature of the princesses, bowed down before them in a daze in a bow to the ground.

Monumentality gives the picture and the red sunset sky, and blocks of black rocks. The contrasting combination of sky and earth, at the intersection of which the abducted girls are shown, emphasizes their anxiety and excitement.

Despite the beauty of the canvas, the railway workers refused to buy the painting, citing a fairy tale plot alien to industry. As a result, the work of the great artist was acquired by the collector and philanthropist I. Tereshchenko.

The best paintings of Vasnetsov V.M.

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov is known for painting paintings based on various Russian legends, which are especially common among ordinary people. In 1880, by order of a Russian entrepreneur, the artist created a canvas called "Three Princesses of the Underworld", based on the fairy tale "Underground Kingdoms". This picture had two versions: in 1884, Vasnetsov slightly changed the position of the hands of one of the princesses in order to give her more calm and majesty.

In the center of the canvas are three majestic figures of girls against the background of dull gray rocks and a gently blue sky, on which pale pink clouds float by. The whole background only adds to the beauty of the main characters. Each heroine represents the wealth of the bowels of the earth. The girl, standing to the left of the others, is dressed in a luxurious golden dress embroidered with traditional Russian patterns, and a golden headdress flaunts on her head, which includes several precious stones.

Despite all her majestic appearance, she behaves rather modestly, not showing her superiority. Her sister, who stands in the center, is not inferior to her in beauty and royalty. The entire outfit of that one consists of precious stones, even the crown consists entirely of them. But she is also an example of royal pride and modesty. The two sisters are majestic and know their position. But the third sister, who stands to their right, does not at all look like her relatives. Instead of a bright, bejeweled dress, the girl is wearing a relatively modest black dress, and neither a crown nor anything else adorns the girl’s head. In addition, her hair falls freely over her shoulders and adds to her a kind of lightness and tenderness. The girl does not radiate the same regal power as her sisters, but for some reason it is still impossible to take your eyes off her.

It is with her modesty, unobtrusiveness and calm confidence that she attracts attention and significantly surpasses the other two representatives. It contains the image of a real Russian girl who never exposes her advantage to the outside, but behaves with restraint and without arrogance. Also, in addition to the three princesses of the underworld, the canvas depicts two men who are on the right side. They knelt before the majestic images. However, the girls do not even notice these ordinary people. The heroines simply froze in their poses and do not pay the slightest attention to what is happening around. Perhaps this happened for the reason that they were on the ground, and not in their usual environment. But it is precisely this staticness that adds to the princesses an increasingly majestic look that makes people admire them.

Thus, Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov in his painting “Three Princesses of the Underground Kingdom” depicted majestic girls, each of which represents a certain type of fossil that can be found in the bowels of the earth.