The painting “Alenushka” is one of the most popular canvases by a master, written on the motives of a Russian folk tale. A young girl, sitting on a rock on the bank of a overgrown river, attracts with her simple natural beauty. Her sad eyes read deep feelings – sadness and at the same time a dream of a happy time that will come sometime, maiden dreams and longing for the younger brother. The artist managed to masterfully convey the general sad-pacified mood in the picture, which is enhanced by images of nature – motionless trees, clouds floating slowly overhead.
In the painting “Alenushka” the master perfectly reflects the close relationship of a simple Russian person with the surrounding nature. It seems that nature is also saddened, like the girl herself, depicted on the canvas. No fragment of the picture distracts the viewer from the main plot, but, on the contrary, strengthens and emphasizes it. Every detail of the image leads to sad reflections.
Working on the plot of the picture, Vasnetsov decided to put the defenseless young girl in a really bad place. Apparently, the author sought to cause a sustained strangulation in the hearts of spectators in such a way. The artist successfully used the fairy tale plot to fully reveal the ambiguous and complex Russian character. Despite the young age of the heroine, she is experiencing a truly adult sadness. The appearance of a girl with unshaven red hair, dark eyes and a puffy scarlet mouth gives her a child with a difficult fate.
In fact, in the guise of Alyonushka, there is completely nothing fantastic and fantastic, and all the fairy tale of the story is emphasized by the only detail in the composition – a group of swallows sitting over the girl’s head. It is known that swallows have long been a symbol of hope. Vasnetsov took advantage of this unusual technique, wishing to balance the anguish of the image of the main heroine and to bring hope for a happy ending to the Russian fairy tale.
The artist masterfully filled the overall landscape of the picture with an atmosphere of sadness and silence. He perfectly succeeded in depicting the frozen surface of the pond, sedge and still fir trees. Silence, tranquility – even the pond reflects the main character barely noticeably, very delicately. The young trees tremble slightly, the sky frowns a little. The dark green colors of the surrounding landscape contrast with the delicate blush on the girl’s face, and the autumn sadness – with bright colors on the dilapidated sarafan of Alyonushka. According to folk tales, nature comes alive at the end of the day and has a magical ability to feel in sync with the person.
Such a unique ability to live in resonance with nature was inherent in the artist himself. Therefore, Alenushka’s feelings are coordinated in this way with the state of the surrounding forest. The viewer, peering at the picture, has a feeling that in a moment the tale will continue…
The lyrical image of a simple Russian girl with a sad look prompted Vasnetsov to write a picture, from which the native Russian spirit breathes. This work of the famous painter is very special and sincere.
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