Description of the painting by Fedor Semenovich Bogorodsky “Brother”

Description of the painting by Fedor Semenovich Bogorodsky Brother

Painting – self-portrait of Fyodor Semenovich Bogorodsky “Brother” made in oil in 1932

Genre – portrait.

The work is a romantic self-portrait, personifying the hero of the First World and Civil War – an important topic in the artist’s work.

In the center of the picture is a sailor in a coat, a vest and a sailor suit with a St. George ribbon falling down casually from one shoulder. The chest is wrapped with machine-gun tape, on the belt – a pistol and a gray shiny grenade. The left hand supports the rifle.

The seaman’s sight pierces the viewer, conquers with indifference, wisdom by experience and knowledge, known only to the hero. One eye is slightly narrowed, the eyebrow is raised – as if it were portrayed, it as if evaluating the viewer. The life of a sailor is lonely; he and the viewer live in different worlds that do not intersect with each other. It so happened

that now they met each other, but for a moment, and their paths would diverge. Sailor will remain in the world of sea, storms, wind and survival. The spectator will go to his quiet quiet home, but the experiences of tension and drama born of the meeting will hardly disappear from his soul.

The picture is filled with emotion and passion. The hero is not free, he is conquered by his troubled and difficult fate. Tension, willingness to fight to the last are present in the eyes of the hero, tightly closed lips, a strong-willed chin. The motif is repeated in the shining, chapped hands on the knees with pointedly long and even nails. Finds an expression in a background made with careless broad brown strokes. Reflected in a glittering grenade, machine-gun belt, rifle.

The color scheme of the work is also aimed at transmitting the voltage and power of the hero. Bright saturated colors, wide strokes with tonal transitions complement the impression.

The work is stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery.


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Description of the painting by Fedor Semenovich Bogorodsky “Brother”