Description of the painting by Vasily Surikov “Herd of horses in the Barabinsk steppe”

Description of the painting by Vasily Surikov Herd of horses in the Barabinsk steppe

Surikov – truly Russian painter. The formal side is subject to content. This is necessary in order to create a general poetic impression among the audience. He was able to completely neglect the beauty of forms that were characteristic of academicism. The artist completely surrendered to the power of his inspiration. He was constantly in search of something special and completely new.

The painter managed to find the charm that was characteristic of the works of the masters of antiquity. The most valuable thing in Surikov is the incredible depth of mystical poetry. His paintings are true dreams filled with magic. There are visions that are so prominent and bright that they seem to be truly prophetic.

We see the endless steppe with grazing horses. It is so boundless that it seems to merge with the sky. The figures of the horses are not spelled out so clearly. They merge with steppe grass. The artist skillfully uses the palette, creating workshops smooth transitions green and brown. Clear boundaries between shades invisible. Surikov tried to convey the breadth of the Russian steppe with the help of properly selected flowers.

The plains in the foreground are replaced by hills – in the background. Light blue sky with cumulus clouds almost merged on the horizon with the steppe.

Surikov not only portrayed nature. In his picture, he lets the audience feel his attitude to it. In a seemingly familiar and everyday picture there is a deep meaning that not everyone can see. This is only possible for the true master, for whom all the details are significant.

Surikov deliberately does not prescribe individual trees and horses. With this he emphasizes the homogeneity of this vast space. Everything here is significant as one huge whole. Steppe lives its own life. Viewers feel this, looking at the picture of the great painter.


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Description of the painting by Vasily Surikov “Herd of horses in the Barabinsk steppe”