Western Archive

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A funny experience the artist, Ilya Repin, had was that people were afraid of giving a pose for the painting as there was a belief among illiterate haulers that once a person’s image is put down on a paper, his soul leaves his possession. Finding no model (even after offering a fee) for his painting, he created all of his unique characters during his journey through Russia. The painting represents the hardship of the poor people in old times, around late 19th century. Painter gave importance to the hard life of the haulers by making this grand picture, which he asserted as his first professional painting. That time, the industrial revolution had just begun and a steam boat in far background on the left side […]

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Men, Peredvizhniki, Realism, Realist, Russian, Sea, Sea Shore, Ship, Workers

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The well-known Russian composer, Mikhail Glinka lived in early 19th century is thinking a composition for the celebrated Russia Opera Ruslan and Lyudmila (his second best known opera after “A Life of the Tsar”) which was based on the epic fairy tale poem by Alexander Pushkin. He was an influential composer in Russian music and led the famous band called “The Five” creating new music styles. Ilya Repin’s depiction of this legendary man shows him in a royal manner. He has calm, deep and tranquil expressions on his face as if have indulged in the thoughts to create a good music piece for the fairy tale opera. The opera was parted in six songs. Although, the writer of the fairy tale was drunk at the […]

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Artist, Man, Mikhail Glinka, Realist, Russian, Thinking Man

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Morning in the Pine­tree Forest by Ivan Shishkin is rated the second well-known painting in Russia after the Viktor Vasnetsov’s Bogatyrs.The picture is the beautiful depiction of the pine trees with a mother bear and three cubs. The details and the realistic depiction of the jungle, trees, environment and bears are breath-taking for its precise, colors and variety.

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Bear, Beautiful, Famous, Forest, Jungle, Peredvizhniki, Realist, Russian

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A simple painting at first sight, about three soldiers waiting for something or on their way to somewhere is the creation of Viktor Vasnetsov. Though, the importance and reach of the painting is conceived when we know that this ranks as the most popular painting in Russia, pushing Morning in a Pine Forest by Ivan Shishkin at the second place. Seemingly simple painting holds a grand history. The soldiers are the three most popular Bogatyrs of Russian folklore and myths – Alyosha Popovich, Ilya Muromets and Dobrynya Nikitich. Bogatyrs were the folklore heroes who would fight against the enemies and protect the homeland. Anyone could have become a bogatyr, even a peasant. Ilya Muromets was such a peasant before he embarked on the journey of […]

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Horse, Horsemen, Knight, Peredvizhniki, Romanticism, Russian, Soldier, Symbolist, Warriors

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The represented painting is the only picture of Elizabeth Bathory – the countess of Transylvania depicted in the late 16th century by an artist whose identification is not available today. Elizabeth Bathory has a notable legacy. She has left for us a life which is unbelievable, grotesque and to some extent makes us hate Vampires even more (not the phony vampire’s depicted in today’s novels, I won’t even consider them as genuine vampires.) According to modern researchers, she was a victim of Sadism – A mental disorder in which a person tries to gain pleasure (not happiness) through torturing others – humiliation, molesting, sexual abuse, excessive torturing, cutting body parts and murders. The range of the ways to gain pleasure for a sadistic person is […]

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Aristocrat, Coutness, Hungarian, Woman

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‘Christmas Decorating’ consist, a ‘Professional building’ where works grumpy looking bosses and quiet employees; we can’t imagine such place celebrating something which is always indulged in reaching the goals and finishing the everyday work. Nowadays, the christams fever has reached everywhere. From offices to government to little shops to MNCs and website will look like the Christmas themes is their original theme from the start. But, in old days of 1960s when the American realist artist Steven Dohanos depicted this painting ‘Christmas Decorating’, maybe the professional world was reluctant about expressing their Christmas celebrations openly or maybe they had just started it. “Professional Building” board in the front with clearly given importance in the painting and a doctor and a nurse decorating their ‘professional’ clinic […]

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Christmas, Doctor, Hospital

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Washington crossing the Delaware is one of the historical moments in the America history which the German History painter Emanuel Gottlieb has depicted on the canvas by representing Washington and his comrades in a heroic manner. The crossing took place on December 25-26, 1776, to take down the Hessain forces in Trenton , New Jersey. It was the beginning of the ‘Ten Crucial Days’ about Washington’s endeavors for victory in New Jersey. It was supposed to be a surprise attack and that’s why it took place in total darkness. Though, artist has taken some liberty show the troops in the early morning for the clear visuals of the scene and people. Well, the painting gave the painter a huge success and name in the country […]

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American, American Flag, Boat, Boatman, George Washington, Ice, River

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Ivan the terrible of Russia, living up to his nickname even killed his elder son also named Ivan while having a quarrel over some family as well as military issues and disagreements between them. The history painting is painted by the highly known Russian painter Ilya Repin from 19th century who enjoyed fame in Russian paintings similar to Leo Tolstoy enjoyed in his art of fine literature. The subject unveils one of the most powerful Tsars of Russia and also the first Tsar who enjoyed the title of being “Tsar of All the Russias” for having the largest empire in his time. Firstly, acquiring the political and authorial skills being the Grand Prince of Moscow, he ascended to be the Tsar of Russia from 1547 […]

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Aristocrat, Chiaroscuro, Dead Man, Father, Murder, Realism, Royal, Russian, Russian Tsar, Son, Tsar

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The current picture is not a painting. It is a mezzotint engraving, a popular form of art in 17th and 18th century. The technique is still in use but its original form has become limited in use, after the new technologies and publication mediums. The current engraving is titled as Paradise Lost by John Martin. It was commissioned by Samual Prowett to John Martin fort the John Martin’s epic poem called Paradise Lost. His romantic depictions were of grand level and scale. It would often include big sceneries covering cities, mountains and lakes with dark themes. The current depiction represents the city of Pandemonium, the capital of hell, as described in the Paradise Lost. The term Pandemonium was also coined by John Milton which literally […]

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Angel, Mezzotint

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  The whole story of Tower of Babel concludes as the reason of the different languages on earth. The tower of babe is the reason, the face of earth adheres so many different languages, totally dissimilar to each other. Story of babel goes like this in Book of Genesis: People with one language and similar mentality coming from east sets out a quest to build a tower so high, which could reach the skies, or ‘the heavens’ as some descriptions says. Gods didn’t like this and thought it as a dishonor. To stop them, some of the gods came down on earth and scattered the people building the tower on the different part of the world and giving them different languages. Thus, they stopped making […]

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Babel, Biblical, Building, Construction, Mythology, Tower, Town