Equestrian. Karl Bryullov, 1832 / Equine strength conquered by simple beauty is the main motif of the picture.
Karl BryullovLegible Fiancee. Pavel Fedotov, 1847 / Pavel Fedotov
Pavel FedotovGolden Fall. Isaak Levitan, 1895 / A very bright view combined with a free impressionist manner of painting.
Isaak LevitanPortrait of Alexander Pushkin. Orest Kiprensky, 1827 / Contemporaries called Pushkin the 'sun of Russian poetry'. An important detail: there is a statue of the Muse with a lyre just behind the poet.
Orest KiprenskyIvan the Terrible Killing his Son. Ilya Repin, 1885 / The painting tells the story of Czar Ivan IV, who in a fit of anger kills his son.
Ilya RepinSpring, On Ploughed Land. Alexey Venetsianov, 1820s / This painting depicts the pure beauty of the archetypal Russian woman. The child in the picture is a symbol of fertility. The woman almost seems to be floating above the ground, moving slowly and gracefully.
Alexey VenetsianovThe Appearance of Christ before the People. Alexander Ivanov, 1837-1857 / Ivanov described the subject of the painting as 'universal'. His aim was to depict the whole of mankind at a moment that changed its destiny.
Alexander IvanovThe Rainbow. Ivan Aivazovsky, 1873 / Ivan Aivazovsky is considered the world's greatest painter of seascapes. The rainbow had special significance for romantic-style painters, who admired the beauty of nature even at times of great danger.
Ivan AivazovskyHunters at Rest. Vasiliy Perov, 1871 / Vasiliy Perov was a passionate hunter, so all his hunting themes are totally authentic. The three hunters are different: the one on the left is an old hand who likes to spin a yarn about his hunting exploits, the second has doubts, while the third is a credulous newcomer.
Vasiliy PerovPine Forest. Ivan Shishkin, 1872 / Ivan Shishkin was sure that Russian nature was inseparable from Russian ideas, life and the nation as a whole. The pine forest at noon is a symbol of the country's slumbering strength.
Ivan ShishkinAlenushka. Victor Vasnetsov, 1881 / Alenushka is a character from Russian folk tales. Here, she is modeled on a peasant girl and symbolizes prettiness and the silence of an obedient orphan.
Victor VasnetsovThe Apotheosis of War. Vasily Vereshchagin, 1871 / A pyramid of human skulls conveys the destructive power of war.
Vasily VereshchaginMoscow Country Yard. Vasiliy Polenov, 1878 / Polenov
Vasiliy PolenovUnknown. Ivan Kramskoi, 1883 / This painting of an unnamed woman is intriguing. She is not a beauty in the traditional sense, yet striking, chic and dressed according to the latest fashion.
Ivan KramskoiMorning of the Execution of the Streltsy. Vasiliy Surikov, 1881 / Russian Czar Peter the Great executed a group of rebels after a revolt in 1698.
Vasiliy SurikovAll rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
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