"It was in January." The best pictures about New Year and Christmas

In these bright days, when one especially believes in a miracle, when hope for the best lives in the heart, we bring to your attention a selection of paintings on the plot of the Nativity of Christ. These are paintings by artists from different countries, different periods and movements in art, but they all recreate the unique atmosphere of a winter fairy tale, the expectation of a miracle, and family comfort.

It is believed that the Nativity of Christ was first celebrated in Rome in the second quarter of the 4th century, and the origins of the iconography of the Nativity of Christ go back to images in the catacombs and on sarcophagi. The images that have reached us are much later.

Painting of the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, artist Giotto di Bondone (1305-1313)

Giotto di Bondone, "The Nativity"

Sandro Botticelli

One of the last paintings by the Florentine artist Sandro Botticelli, “The Mystical Nativity,” is interesting. At the top of the canvas there is a Greek inscription that reads:

It was written at the end of the year 1500, during the unrest in Italy, by me, Alexander, during the half of the period at the beginning of which Chapter IX of St. John and the second revelation of the Apocalypse were fulfilled, when Satan reigned on earth for three and a half years. After this period has passed, the devil will be chained again, and we will see him cast down, as in this picture.

Painter Master Franke (c. 1380-1436)

Master Franke, "The Birth of Jesus"

Fra Filippo Lippi

Artist's depiction of Christmas Fra Filippo Lippi(1406-1469) - Florentine painter, one of the most prominent masters of the early Italian Renaissance.

Fra Filippo Lippi, "The Nativity"

Conrad von Sost

Christmas story from a Westphalian artist Conrad von Soest (1370-1422)

Conrad von Sost, "The Nativity"

El Greco

El Greco, "The Nativity"

Boris Kustodiev

One of the favorite themes of the Russian artist Boris Kustodiev there were folk festivities during the winter holidays. The subjects of his paintings are always fabulous, here is one of them.

Vladimir Borovikovsky

Master of Portraiture Vladimir Borovikovsky also wrote on a famous biblical story:

Vladimir Borovikovsky, "The Nativity of Christ"

Nicky Boehm

The works of the American artist Nicky Boehmу are always surprisingly tender and warm, full of goodness and magic.

Viggo Johansen

One of the most magical works of the Danish artist Viggo Johansen The painting is often called "Merry Christmas".

Thomas Kinkade

One of the most popular contemporary American artists - Thomas Kinkade(1958-2012) created such beautiful paintings, filled with light and hope.

Henry Mosler

American artist Henry Mosler in his painting “Christmas Morning” he depicted the moment of anticipation of the pleasures of the holiday.

The State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin has implemented another significant project. The halls of the Moscow museum housed an exhibition dedicated to the work of the outstanding artist Michelangelo da Caravaggio. The exhibition takes place as part of the Year of Italy in Russia.
The exhibition includes 11 works by the master from the collections of Italy and the Vatican. The exhibition is small, but rare in its content. Among the presented works are such masterpieces of European painting as “Boy with a Basket of Fruit” from the Borghese Gallery, “Entombment”, which almost never leaves the walls of the Vatican Palace, “Supper at Emmaus” from Milan’s Brera Gallery, “Conversion of Saul” from the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo and other paintings.

The selection dedicated to Christmas includes the following paintings:

4. Giorgione. Adoration of the Magi.

5. Rogier van der Weyden. Adoration of the Magi.

6. Rembrandt, Harmens van Rijn. Flight to Egypt.

7. Hugo van der Goes. Christmas.

10. Mikhail Vasilievich Nesterov. Christmas.

12. Eugene Henri Paul Gauguin. Christmas.

Giorgio Vasari(1511-1574) - Italian painter, architect and writer.

Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky(1757-1825) - Russian artist, master of portraiture.

Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco, better known as Giorgione(1476/1477 – 1510)) - Italian artist, representative of the Venetian school of painting; one of the greatest masters of the High Renaissance.

Rogier van der Weyden(1399/1400 – 1464) – van Eyck’s rival for the title of the most influential master of early Netherlandish painting.

Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn(16-6-1669) - Dutch artist, draftsman and engraver, great master of chiaroscuro, the largest representative of the golden age of Dutch painting.

Hugo van der Goes(c. 1420-25 – 1482) – Flemish artist. Albrecht Dürer considered him the largest representative of early Netherlandish painting, along with Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden.

Sandro Botticelli(1445-1510) is the nickname of the Florentine artist Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, who brought the art of the Quattrocento to the threshold of the High Renaissance.

Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio(1573-1610), Italian artist, reformer of European painting of the 17th century, one of the greatest masters of the Baroque. One of the first to use the “chiaroscuro” style of painting - a sharp contrast of light and shadow.

Mikhail Vasilievich Nesterov(1862-1942) - Russian and Soviet painter. Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1942). Winner of the Stalin Prize, first degree (1941).

Shebuev, Vasily Kozmich- (* 2 (13) April 1777 in Kronstadt - † 16 (28) June 1855, St. Petersburg) - Russian painter, actual state councilor, academician, honored rector of painting and sculpture of the Imperial Academy of Arts (1832), one of leading masters of late classicism and academicism.

Eugene Henri-Paul Gauguin(1848-1903) - French painter, sculptor, ceramicist and graphic artist. Along with Cezanne and Van Gogh, he was the largest representative of post-impressionism.

Christmas is one of the most beautiful and solemn Christian holidays. Throughout the Christian world, including in Rus', Christmas has always been celebrated with special reverence. On this day, decorated Christmas trees are everywhere, symbolizing the gospel tree, candles are burning, like those that burned in the Bethlehem stable. In many countries, on Christmas night, children take to the streets singing carols. Christmas Eve is called "Christmas Eve".
Christmas Eve in the Christian world is considered exclusively a family dinner. On this day, peace, love and harmony reign in the house.
The selection dedicated to Christmas includes the following paintings:

1. Giorgio Vasari. Christmas.
Giorgio Vasari (Giorgio Vasari; nicknamed Aretino, July 30, 1511, Arezzo - June 27, 1574, Florence) - architect and painter, author of the first history and theory of art, “Lives of the most famous painters, sculptors and architects.”

2. Borovikovsky Vladimir Lukich. Christmas. Oil on canvas
Historical, Architectural and Art Museum “New Jerusalem”, Istra, Moscow region
Vladimir Lukich Borovikovsky (1757-1825) - Russian artist, master of portraiture.

3. Jacob de Bakker. Christmas.

Backer, Jacob, Dutch painter (1608-1657), Rembrandt school, portrait painter.

4. Giorgione. Adoration of the Magi.
Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco, better known as Giorgione (Italian: Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco, Giorgione; 1477/1478-1510) - Italian artist, representative of the Venetian school of painting; one of the greatest masters of the High Renaissance.

5. Rogier van der Weyden. Adoration of the Magi.

Rogier van der Weyden (Dutch. Rogier van der Weyden, 1399/1400, Tournai - June 18, 1464, Brussels) - a Dutch painter, along with Jan van Eyck, is considered one of the founders and most influential masters of early Netherlandish painting. Van der Weyden's work is focused on understanding the individuality of the human person in all its depth.

6. Rembrandt, Harmens van Rijn. Flight to Egypt.
Rembrandt Harmens van Rijn (Dutch: Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn [ˈrɛmbrɑnt ˈɦɑrmə(n)soːn vɑn ˈrɛin], 1606-1669) - Dutch artist, draftsman and engraver, great master of chiaroscuro, the largest representative of the golden age of Dutch painting. He managed to embody in his works the entire spectrum of human experiences with such emotional richness that fine art had never known before. Rembrandt's works, extremely diverse in genre, reveal to the viewer the timeless spiritual world of human experiences and feelings.

7. Hugo van der Goes. Christmas.
Hugo van der Goes (Dutch: Hugo van der Goes) (c. 1420-25, Ghent - 1482, Oderghem) is a Flemish artist, whom Albrecht Dürer considered the largest representative of early Netherlandish painting, along with Jan van Eyck and Rogier van der Weyden.

8. Sandro Botticelli. Mystical Christmas.

“The Mystical Christmas” (Italian Natività mistica) is one of the last paintings by the Florentine artist Sandro Botticelli, created during a period marked in his work by the breakdown of Quattrocento optimism, the growth of religiosity and an acutely tragic perception of the world.
The painting was practically unknown until the Englishman Otley saw it at the Villa Aldobrandini and acquired it. Botticelli was “rediscovered” by art critics with the beginning of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, which is when John Ruskin gave the canvas its current name. In 1878, the London National Gallery purchased the painting for 1,500 pounds.

9. Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio. Christmas with Saints Francis and Lawrence.

Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio (1573-1610), Italian artist, reformer of European painting of the 17th century, one of the greatest masters of the Baroque. One of the first to use the “chiaroscuro” style of painting - a sharp contrast of light and shadow.

10. Mikhail Vasilievich Nesterov. Christmas.
Mikhail Vasilyevich Nesterov (1862-1942) - Russian and Soviet painter. Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1942). Winner of the Stalin Prize, first degree (1941).

Christmas. The Patriarch greets the sovereign in the Golden Chamber.
Buchholz Fedor (Theodor Alexander Ferdinand) Fedorovich (Gustavovich) (1857-1942).
Illustration for the magazine "Niva". Engraved by Schubler

Christmas tree trade.
Genrikh Matveevich Manizer. Oil on canvas.
Omsk Regional Museum of Fine Arts named after. M. A. Vrubel

Christmas market.
Buchkuri Alexander Alekseevich (1870 -1942). 1906

Preparatory drawing for the painting "Christmas Tree Sale". 1918
Kustodiev Boris Mikhailovich

Christmas tree trade.
Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev. 1918 Oil on canvas. 98x98.
Krasnodar Regional Art Museum named after. F. Kovalenko, Krasnodar

Canvases on the themes of festive provincial life are distinguished by a special, only for Kustodiev, characteristic brightness, multicolor and life-like authenticity of the smallest details. National holidays and celebrations are reflected in many of the artist’s works over the years. While still a student at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, Kustodiev chose a painting with a similar plot as the topic of his diploma work. He traveled to villages, wrote sketches - portraits of peasants, landscape sketches, genre scenes. “Christmas Tree Trading,” a work created by the artist in 1918, also relates to the same theme.

Glorifying the life and customs of the Russian province, Kustodiev amazingly combined painting with verbal and musical folklore - with songs and fairy tales. An attentive, thoughtful viewer not only sees, but also “hears” the artist’s work. Most likely painted from memory, the picture does not have an exact geographical address - this is Rus' in general, and not the Astrakhan or Kostroma Christmas tree market. The action on the canvas seems to take place “in a certain kingdom, in a certain state.” The spacious sky and the gilded domes of the church above the bustling human anthill - who is not among this motley crowd! The real is surprisingly combined with the fantastic: a colorful fairy tale, full of living details, appears before us. And the artist, like a real storyteller, emphasized everything funny and playful that is in this simple story, hiding everything serious that might be hidden in it. The Christmas tree market is depicted by the artist as a festive spectacle. The space of the picture resembles a stage. The arrangement of the figures, at first glance, is chaotic: the image can be continued both to the right and to the left. The openness of the composition and its peculiar fluidity further enhance this general impression.

A large place is devoted to the landscape in this genre scene - church domes seem fabulous against the backdrop of a snowy sky, spruce trees are dressed in elegant winter clothes - the main item of bargaining at the fair. The artist made a brush stroke on the canvas easily, smoothly, even somehow delicately. Kustodiev attached great importance to line, drawing, and the play of color spots. Chiaroscuro in this case does not matter much; the light becomes very conditional. Local color spots form a harmonious decorative whole. The cloud-covered sky has no depth, the domes of the church are intense in color, due to which the difference in plans is reduced to almost nothing.

On the one hand, Kustodiev noted and transferred to the canvas genuine types of the Russian province, conveyed the real atmosphere of the New Year's bustle, and on the other hand, a festive performance, a costume performance with beautiful scenery, is performed in front of us by the artist himself. A joyful, incomparable feeling of fullness with life and movement permeates the canvas. Life in this work is visible everywhere: people are busy, rejoicing and fussing, snowy winter draws its intricate patterns in the sky, and all this action is enveloped in the fresh coniferous aroma of the beautiful spruce.

The world in Kustodiev’s painting is like a magic lantern with constantly changing pictures - you can endlessly watch its varied, so simple, simple and at the same time full of deep meaning life. The blue and soft white colors of the painting pacify, delight, as if they lull, creating a gentle and poetic atmosphere of anticipation of a miracle on the eve of the holiday - timeless, always modern. They remind us, always busy and rushing somewhere, that everything in this world is beautiful, that life is amazing simply because it is life.

From the book: T. Kondratenko, Y. Solodovnikov "Krasnodar Regional Art Museum named after F.A. Kovalenko." White City, 2003.

Behind the Christmas trees

Returning from the Christmas market.
MM. Germashev (Bubello). Postcard

Preparing for Christmas.
Sergei Vasilievich Dosekin (1869-1916). 1896

Christmas tree.
Korin Alexey Mikhailovich. 1910

Christmas tree.
Nikolai Ivanovich Feshin (1881-1955). 1917

Christmas tree.
Alexander Moravov. 1921

New Year's treat.
Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna Romanova (sister of Emperor Nicholas II). 1935

Christmas day. In the monastery.
Ivan Silych Goryushkin-Sorokopudov. Illustration in the magazine "Niva"

City smelters.
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich. 1867 Oil on canvas

Slavers.
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich. 1868 Oil on canvas.
State Russian Museum

Slavers.
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich. Oil on canvas.
State Vladimir-Suzdal Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve

Slavers.
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich. Oil on canvas.
Odessa Art Museum

Slavers.
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich. 1872 Oil on canvas. 40.3?51.5.
Ulyanovsk Art Museum

Christoslav policemen.
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich (1837-1883). 1872 Oil on canvas.
Perm State Art Gallery

Leonid Ivanovich Solomatkin (1837 - 1883) attended classes at the Imperial Academy of Arts and received a small silver medal for the paintings “Secretary’s Name Day” (1862) and “City Slavers” (1864), which V. V. Stasov welcomed as “a wonderful fresh offspring of Fedotov’s schools." The last plot was subsequently repeated several times; at least 18 author’s replicas are known, although the first version has not survived. Art catalog

In the cellar during Christmas week.
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich (1837–1883). 1878 Oil on canvas. 26.5x21.5.
Art Gallery of the Generations Fund of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug of Ugra
Admission: 2003

In the film “In the Cellar during Christmas Week” Solomatkin portrays his favorite characters - wandering musicians. Is talent a burden or a gift, a blessing or a curse? Talent is destiny. Talent did not make the artist and his heroes happy, but they fulfill their purpose with dignity. The musicians depicted in the painting have seen better days. The cello played by the old man is a professional instrument, allowing the musician to claim a certain privilege, testifying to a certain level of life left in the past. The old man is accompanied by a boy who plays along with him on the pipe. Apparently, for the sake of this little boy, carefully covered with a warm scarf, the old man has to wander with a heavy tool from zucchini to zucchini, earning his bread. There is a Christmas tree in the room, decorated with toys, and masks and masquerade costumes hang on a hanger, giving the whole event a phantasmagoric touch. Art Gallery of the Generations Fund of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug of Ugra

Waits. (Children of the old village).
Fedot Vasilyevich Sychkov (1870 - 1958). 1935. Oil on canvas. 63x83 cm
Mordovian Republican Museum of Fine Arts named after S. D. Erzya

With a star.
Reproduction from a painting by M. Germashev, published by the Richard company, printed in the printing house of the partnership “R. Golicke and A. Wilborg”. Petrograd, 1916

Christmas card based on a drawing by Boris Zvorykin

Carols in Little Russia.
Trutovsky Konstantin Alexandrovich (1826-1893). No later than 1864
Russian painting

Carols.
Nikolai Kornilovich Pimenko. Deut. floor. 1880s Oil on canvas. 170x130.
Donetsk Regional Art Museum
museum-painting.dp.ua

Riding on Christmastide.
Buchkuri Alexander Alekseevich (1870 -1942). Oil on canvas.