Mermaid in a field, paintings by Russian artists. Makovsky K.E.

The theme of mermaids is interesting because everyone sees them differently. It’s especially nice when your ideas coincide with others. And if they are also painted on canvas... I would like to introduce you to five famous artists whose paintings you could see on the Internet.
1. Viktor Nizovtsev, illustrator.
Victor was born in 1965 in Ulan-Ude. There he first graduated from the art academy, then entered the capital of Moldova, where he graduated from college and finally from institute. Currently, the artist lives in the USA with his wife and little daughter.
A distinctive feature of this artist’s works is the bright contrast that creates a characteristic fairy-tale atmosphere. Many of his works echo each other, such as the painting of mermaids and frogs.

In this age of high technology, most illustrations are done on computers. There are very few lovers of traditional painting in this direction. That is why the works of Viktor Nizovtsev become more attractive, because here there is only the canvas, the brush and the soul of the artist.
More photo of Viktor Nizovtsev's works with mermaids

Notice how beautifully and realistically the scales on the little mermaid are drawn. They shine, shimmer in all colors and look like real ones. The Little Mermaid appears before us as a fairy-tale creature with beautiful long hair.

2. Vladimir von Kozak
Contemporary Russian artist from Tver. About his works, he says that “most of all he likes to paint women and airplanes. On the contrary, first the planes, then the women.”
Which does not stop him from developing the theme of mermaids in his work. His plots can be completely different, from humor to tragedy.
Photos of Kazak's works with mermaids

3. Viktor Korolkov
Viktor Korolkov can be classified as a Slavic artist. Almost all of his works use the theme of old Rus', with its mythology and paganism, to reveal the plot. Before starting a new painting, Victor prefers to thoroughly study the chosen topic in order to avoid mistakes in the story. This is why his paintings depict aspects from the past so well.
Photos of the artist's works

The works represent fairy-tale images of little mermaids in Rus'.

4. Pavel Orinyansky
Initially, this artist did not plan to devote himself to art, and even graduated from the Suvorov Military School, after which he entered the Leningrad Military Topographical School. But nature took its toll and the artist re-enrolled as an art major in Mukha, where he plunged headlong into creativity.
Pavel works in the Art Nouveau style and has worked as an illustrator for various publishing houses. Many of our readers may remember him from his works for “Ruslan and Lyudmila” and “The Master and Margarita”.
The theme of mermaids did not bypass him either. Perhaps because Art Nouveau welcomes plastic forms, which we can often observe in magical half-maidens.
Photos of works

5. Boris Olshansky
Boris Olshansky is a supporter of the old school of academicism. At the beginning of his creative career (as indeed now), he trained to write works from life and from memory. His skill completely dispels the theory that academicism kills creativity.
In the subjects of his paintings, Boris prefers the Slavic direction. She often illustrates Russian folk tales.
Photos of works

Despite the fact that now you could see many works by five artists at once, you should not forget what exactly connects them. Namely, the theme of magical mermaids

I am posting here my collection of paintings with mermaids. The ones I especially like.)

The waves gently whisper something,
As they once sang to me as a child,
They hug me by the shoulders
And they rock as if in a cradle...

I would like to fly up like a seagull,
Drown in the ocean of the sky
So as not to search desperately for you
Among the endless waves... I would...

There are salty drops on the cheeks,
Maybe splashes, or maybe tears...
My heart is sinking - a boat,
Torn sails - dreams...

The night has spread its star nets,
Catches souls... Take it, don't mind!
Let no one in the world know
How sad is the love of a mermaid...



I don't care what others say.
I live with my heart, my mind.
Let the evil envious people prophesy,
Why shouldn’t you and I be together?

If you love, then a miracle will happen:
My tail will be turned into legs.
How could I, a mermaid, fall in love?
In man, what in the earthly world?

It's just lonely at sea sometimes,
And the coral garden is cold.
And when I'm a little sad,
I'm sailing to watch the sunset.

People haven't recognized me yet
Only with you I want to see the lights.
And I believe: my tail will still be
Transformed into two earthly legs.


What's left of me?
I'm turning gradually
In sea lace foam
And I dry out on the stones.
Mermaid... Stupid amphibian
Then I got caught in this network,
When I shouted to every fish
About the fact that I can sing...
The swallowed hook scratched
Unprepared throat
The magic voice dripped blood,
And even the screams were erased by the wind.
I remember: a dull knife,
And the taste of drink on the tongue,
And pain and footprints
On the bloody sand...
And a witch in torn tights,
Dancing in my tracks
She just grinned: “Idiot!..
You died already then!”






I don't know what happened to me
The soul is troubled by sadness,
Everything gives me no peace
One old fairy tale.
The air is cool. It's getting dark
And Rain fell asleep in the darkness.
The last ray blazes
Sunset on a coastal cliff.
There is a girl there, singing a song,
Sits on top of a steep one.
Her clothes are gold,
And a golden comb in his hands.
And her braid curls in gold,
And she scratches them with a comb,
And the magic song flows,
Full of unknown power.
Overwhelmed by insane melancholy,
The rower does not look at the wave,
He doesn’t see the rock in front of him -
He looks up there.
I know the river is fierce
Will close over him forever.
And that's all Lorelei
She made it her own.



Two mermaids - he, she
In the purple abyss
Reached the bottom of the sea
For just one reason.

Burned them too much
Their love is a language of fire!
The bottom called with its coolness,
A ghostly song beckons.

And two mermaids descended -
He, she - where it’s cold
To the underwater clearings
Satisfy your love hunger.

Everything passed when it got dark,
Everything is gone and forever;
The abyss has cooled the body,
The blood was diluted by water.

And the two mermaids returned,
But already completely different;
I felt very sorry for them
And they laughed evilly...



Who has a dump in his heart,
Who has it the other way around?
And in my soul there is a mermaid
She settled and lives.

Either she showed mercy,
Either she took out her anger,
Did it just happen that way?
She settled where she had to,

And treats me like
To the environment:
She stirred up the river,
Twisting its tail in the water.

Grabbing me by the neck
I feel like I'm being pulled to the bottom.
I'll drown in my soul,
Seeing her there alone.



How pleasant the silence is,
The splash of water and the smell of the sea.
Where is the depth of the sea?
There is no pain and no grief.

I only want to be with him
Share both life and happiness;
But in the bottomlessness of the depths
Lonely. And again I

I will call the silent surf,
The rustling of grass and the singing of the wind,
Because I am at peace
I’ll probably find it only with him...

No. I know exactly what to love
It was destined for me from above,
And I can’t swim to the bottom.
But I believe, I believe... Do you hear?






A mermaid emerged
At night on the shore-bed,
Wet hair -
On hot skin.

Full moon spell
The rules are reckless
Stole kisses -
And she swam back.









I live at the bottom of the sea
In the palace of lilies
Together with sisters, father,
Wonderful fish.

I have a desire -
Become an earth girl:
I will run and dance
And laugh loudly













And before there lived mermaids
In secluded forest lakes
Under the arch of crystal water,
Sometimes blue, sometimes black-black,

With eyes of cold steel
And fox hair
With coral lips
And wondrous voices...

We rode on snow-white
Horses - unicorns,
Dressed in mistletoe
Confusing the strict Druids...

Wreaths of water lilies
Weaved on Ivan Kupala,
Hid in the forest hollows
Agate, turquoise, opals...







Water near a forest stream
Flamed with silver fire:
A star rolled across the sky
And she fell to the bottom at night.

But to the stream between the trees and rocks,
Looks old, tatty and pitiful
A wizard was walking. I picked up a star
He inserted it into the ring and gave it to the mermaid.

And the mermaid is his for love
Gave it to someone forever
And she said: “Don’t break up with me,
Even evil spirits are humane in love.

If you forget me
Then you will lose the star at that very moment.
You will be happy until the day you die,
You won't know anything about me."

Days and years fly by,
People love without knowing sadness
And a star sparkles in the sky,
And the stream seems to cry at night.

If the water in the sea is salty, it means that someone is shedding tears there, -
Then the Little Mermaid sits by the shore and waits for the handsome prince.

The Little Mermaid has a fish tail,
And there is melancholy and ice in my heart,
I would like to invite her to visit us,
But how will she come?

Wonderful tears descend like pearls to the seabed.
She doesn’t want to, but she will have to return to the depths again.
I’ll get a small scuba gear and go down to her underwater house,
Let's sit, like girlfriends, side by side, and cry with might and main together.

The mermaid's necklace is burning,
And the rubies are sinfully red,
These are strangely sad dreams
Worldwide, sick hangover.
The mermaid's necklace is burning,
And the rubies are sinfully red.
The mermaid has a twinkling gaze,
Midnight's dying gaze
It shines, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter,
When the winds of the sea scream.
The mermaid has a charming look,
The mermaid has sad eyes.
I love her, the maiden undine,
Illuminated by the secret of the night,
I love her dawn look
And burning rubies...
Because I myself am from the abyss,
From the bottomless depths of the sea.

Original post and comments at

“The mermaid has a shimmering look,
Midnight's dying gaze
It shines, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter,
When the winds of the sea scream.
The mermaid has a charming look,
The mermaid has sad eyes.”

Nikolay Gumilyov RUSALKA

Mermaids– came from Ukrainian mythology. The character is mostly female and appears on earth during the green day (this is the week before the Orthodox holiday of Trinity and the week after) and according to the legends of our ancestors, it was at this time that it was not recommended to swim in reservoirs.

Mermaids- these are mythological creatures that have always attracted, attract and will attract many creators: poets, artists, sculptors, musicians, writers. The world of legends and secrets has beckoned at all times and centuries; the desire to come into contact with this world excites the imagination and forces us to create masterpieces of world art. Secret and mysterious works fascinate and fascinate amateurs, art connoisseurs and people far from art.

One of the interesting works, in my subjective opinion, of an English artist of the 20th century John William Waterhouse . He is known for his mythological, female images. And I like his painting (shown below in the photo gallery), on his canvas the Mermaid froze combing her hair, sitting on the seashore, perhaps she saw a man in the distance and thought, dreaming of earthly love. In some places, mermaids were considered evil spirits, which have a fish tail instead of legs. They swam ashore, singing delightful songs in unearthly voices and combing their beautiful braids, luring lost fishermen and travelers into the water and killing them.

Among the ancient Slavs, mermaids were associated with the cult of fertility. Round dance songs were performed, in which the mermaids were called upon to help the growth of the grain. They owned wells and lakes and knew how to control natural elements. Beautiful girls with flowing hair obey God Yarila and his father Veles. Over time, mermaids became akin to evil spirits - the souls of drowned unmarried girls who committed suicide. Such mermaids lived in bodies of water (lakes, ponds, rivers, swamps); they could also choose a tree on the shore for housing: willow or birch. During the day they dance in circles and sing songs; at night they splash in the water and comb their long hair near the water. They were afraid of them; they could steal unbaptized girls or drown a woman who went swimming without wearing a cross (they too would become mermaids), and lost people could be tickled to death, lead astray, lured into water or do small dirty tricks, for example, tangling nets from fishermen, steal and spoil yarn, threads, linen. It was also believed that mermaids were able to control natural elements and could send storms, downpours, hail, and drought to the fields. More on According to popular beliefs, mermaids can save a drowning person. But more often they were feared and wormwood, garlic, and horseradish were used as protection and amulets.

According to traditional Ukrainian ideas mermaids look little different from people; they are beauties with luxurious hair, beautifully built, long-legged. And, for example, in Greece they are called Sirens - these are beautiful maidens with a fish tail instead of legs. In the Baltics, Undines are typical mermaids with fish tails.

Therefore, on the canvases of artists, mermaids have different appearances and characters. But more often on the canvases they are still beautiful girls with sad eyes and a thoughtful look, and at the same time seducing and attracting men with their appearance, movement, dance, voice.

"Mermaid". 1992. Sergey Petrovich Panasenko (Mikhalkin).





Victor Nizovtsev “In the mirror. Iary”
Earthly baby J.Collier. 1909

In the history of classical Russian painting there are many mysterious and amazing episodes that allow us to talk about the existence of paintings with a “bad reputation.” This list includes several works by the famous Itinerant artist Ivan Kramskoy. The largest number of legends are associated with it painting "Mermaids".

The artist’s idea for “Mermaids” arose under the impression of N. Gogol’s story “May Night, or the Drowned Woman.” According to popular beliefs, drowned girls became mermaids after death. It was these that Ivan Kramskoy decided to write. This topic was quite unexpected and new for the realist artist. The artist loved Gogol very much and re-read all his works many times. He wanted to convey the very atmosphere of “May Night”, to immerse the viewer in the mysterious world of Ukrainian folklore.

While working on the painting, the artist was haunted by several themes. Firstly, he was obsessed with the idea of ​​conveying the mesmerizing beauty of moonlight, which he never succeeded in: “I’m still trying to catch the moon at the moment. They say, however, that a particle of the moonlit night did end up in my picture, but not all of it. The moon is a difficult thing…” the artist lamented. The task was complicated by the fact that the moon itself was not in the picture - only its reflections on the ghostly figures of mermaids.

Secondly, the very topic of ghosts and the other world was said to be dangerous. Many of Kramskoy’s contemporaries seriously believed that Gogol’s subjects could drive painters crazy. “I’m glad that I didn’t completely break my neck with such a plot, and if I didn’t catch the moon, then something fantastic still came out,” said Kramskoy.

Critics agreed that the idea was successfully realized, and called the picture “the extreme plausibility of a fantastic dream”: “We are so tired of all these gray peasants, clumsy village women, worn-out officials... that the appearance of a work like “May Night” , should make the most pleasant, refreshing impression on the public.” However, that's where the favorable responses ended. And then the mysticism began.

At the first exhibition of the Association of Peredvizhniki “Mermaids,” I. Kramskoy was hung next to A. Savrasov’s painting “The Rooks Have Arrived.” At night, the landscape suddenly fell from the wall - then they joked that the mermaids did not like such a neighborhood. However, soon there was no time for jokes.

After the exhibition, P. Tretyakov acquired both paintings for his gallery. A place was immediately found for the “Rooks” - in the office, but for a long time they could not find a suitable place for the “Mermaids”, they were hung from room to room. The fact is that from the hall where Kramskoy’s painting was hung, barely audible singing could be heard at night and there was a breath of coolness, like water. The cleaners refused to enter the premises.

Not prone to mysticism, Tretyakov did not believe the rumors, but one day he himself noticed that he felt tired when he was near this painting for a long time. Gallery visitors also complained that it was simply impossible to look at this painting for a long time. And soon rumors appeared that the young ladies who looked at the “Mermaids” for a long time went crazy, and one of them drowned herself in the Yauza. Of course, there was no hard evidence linking the incident to the art gallery.

An old nanny who lived with the Tretyakov family advised that the painting be hung in a far corner so that no light would fall on it during the day: “It’s difficult for mermaids in the sunlight, that’s why they can’t calm down even at night. And as soon as they fall into the shadows, they will immediately stop chattering!” Tretyakov, far from superstitious, nevertheless listened to the advice. Since then, gallery visitors have not complained about this painting.

No fewer questions were associated with another painting by this artist: . Such stories can be approached in different ways: someone is skeptical, and someone, even if they don’t believe it, still listens.

In the bouquet of paintings by Russian artists, fantastic painting occupies a special place. This is due to our culture with many fairy tales and polytheistic beliefs. One of the artists who clearly grasped the connection between the fictional and the real was Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy. In his paintings there is no obvious division between fantasy and reality; these two factors smoothly intertwine and give the viewer a whole story. The principle of some nebula or even “dullness” of the surface, careful selection of images and dim colors give that very fabulousness characteristic of Ivan Nikolaevich’s paintings. For example, we can definitely say that “Mermaids” is a painting by Kramskoy, its description coincides with the characteristics of other paintings by this author: mysticism coexists with calm nature. By the way, if we talk about realism, we can see quite familiar landscapes, huts and houses with clearly drawn details.

Kramskoy: from clerk to painter

The artist was born in May 1837. His father was a clerk, so he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. And so it happened. After graduation, Ivan worked as a clerk under the Duma in his city. But in 1853, his attention switched to other activities, he began to process photographic photographs; Tulinov, who was Kramskoy’s fellow countryman, taught him this.

Thus began the painter’s journey as an artist. Already in 1857, he entered the Art Academy in St. Petersburg to study. The young man’s successes were so obvious that Ivan Nikolaevich received a gold medal for one of his paintings.

Among the artist’s works were portraits of famous people, with the help of which he became skilled in this genre, but his most famous painting is “Christ in the Desert.” It became the peak of Kramskoy’s development in religious painting.

An unimaginable number of canvases and photographs were left to the heirs in memory of the wonderful artist, who died of heart problems at the age of fifty.

The mysticism of the painting “Mermaids”

Perhaps one of the most ardent lovers of mysticism in Russian painting is Kramskoy. The painting “Mermaids” has gathered so many rash opinions about its bad reputation that, unfortunately, it’s impossible to list them all. The history of the work is connected, oddly enough, with Gogol and his story “May Night or the Drowned Woman.” If you believe popular rumor, drowned girls became mermaids after death, inviting travelers into their nets. This is exactly what the artist wanted to depict in the painting.

Why Gogol? As you know, Nikolai Vasilyevich was also not averse to writing about something mysterious, even recalling “Viy” or “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka,” and Kramskoy reread these works several times. Probably, this attraction to Gogol became the starting point in the field of fantastic painting. The artist wanted to convey the atmosphere of a May night in Ukraine in small details, hence the effect of co-presence. As Kramskoy himself said, the painting “Mermaids” does not fully meet his requirements, because he so wanted to depict the light of the moon, but he never managed to “catch” it. Although we see how the cold light of the night luminary slides over the images of mysterious mermaids. But this is only part of what the author himself intended.

It was believed that mystical plots were dangerous, and if you copied them from Gogol’s works, you could go crazy. Kramskoy even joked about this: “It’s good that with such a plot I didn’t completely break my neck, and if I didn’t catch the moon, then still something fantastic came out.”

And indeed, they could never find a place for her in galleries and exhibitions. The paintings next to the “Mermaids” were falling, and barely audible singing could be heard from the room and there was a breath of coolness. But after the canvas was moved to a far corner, far from the sun, the supernatural stopped; probably, the mermaids were too hot in the sunlight.

The picture is like a plausible fantastic dream

But no matter what Kramskoy himself said, the film “Mermaids” was a great success, because it made a strong impression on many, although not always positive. This is due to what the artist wanted to depict on the canvas. Both the faces of the drowned women and nature itself seem to evoke unpleasant, melancholy thoughts.

The expressions on the girls' faces betray sadness about life, dreams of the past, and hopelessness. The whole picture is a symbol of deep sadness. The unusual images of mermaid girls immediately catch your eye. They do not have tails, apparently, they move very well on their own two feet on the ground, only the viewer gets the impression of weightlessness, since the white robes of the undines make them look like ghosts.

Even though he was not entirely satisfied with Kramskoy’s work, the painting “Mermaids” was appreciated by professionals: many art critics equated this work to a magical dream, so everything is realistically depicted on it.

Pushkin's assessment

The sun of Russian poetry spoke extremely positively about Ivan Nikolaevich’s canvas. What amazed Pushkin in Kramskoy’s film “Mermaids”? Yes, everything is the same as for all connoisseurs of good creativity. He felt the atmosphere that the author was trying to convey, he admired the shades of mood, because Alexander Sergeevich saw here playfulness, dreaminess, and sadness. In the images of girls, he caught that real thing that, alas, sometimes you don’t see in living people. It was precisely this kind of psychologism, not usually typical of portrait painters, that captivated Pushkin.

This work turned the world of artists upside down; it had a huge influence on the subsequent works of the same author, as well as on the works of his followers. As Kramskoy wanted, the painting “Mermaids” caught its moonlight, thanks to the competent use of subjects from folklore and culture of the Russian people on the canvas. Many schoolchildren look at the reproduction of the work as an illustration for Gogol’s “May Nights”, and then write their impressions of what they saw. However, an essay based on the painting “Mermaids” by Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy requires not only the ability to correctly express one’s thoughts, but also to understand the feelings of not only the characters, but also the artist himself.