FLOWER COMPOSITIONS IN RUSSIAN PAINTINGS

The middle of autumn. In the Russian climatic zone the flowers blossoming is over. The green of the grass soon will be covered in white snow, flowerbeds in our gardens and parks will stay only in memories and in many photos in or computers, smartphones, and in the web. But less than one hundred years ago, to make this beauty stay, that was a not easy task. The more valuable was the art of those who could stop the beautiful instant and to show the passing freshness of the opening bud, the freshness of a morning bouquet, that has just been brought from outside, still with droplets of thaw in the depth of gentle petals, or the charming fascination of filled with the sun shimmering flowers of the hot meadow, bouquets from field flowers.

The pictures of flowers are a separate art direction, flower nature mort, initially it was used practically for decoration of rooms. Such paintings were located over the enfilade doors. They made the castle rooms beautiful and merry. Later, a trend appeared not just to create a beautiful decoration for a room, but also show the mood, the vision of the world, to show the beauty of a flower itself, its colours, the beauty of its shape, the effect from the combination in a bouquet.

In the end of the XIX – the start of the XX century many outstanding Russian painters made paintings in the genre flower nature mort.

We offer to remember the past summer days, just while looking at some paintings in this genre.

May is the start of the flower season. In parks and gardens, fragrant caps of lilac are opening. Long summer days are waiting for us. Let us go for a romantic walk in a park. It is so nice to walk on secret paths and enjoy the soft air of a May evening, while admiring the blossoming flowers in many colours, and ten, when you come home, to open the windows and chase away winter smells, and fill in the room with a think fragrance, that makes drunk.

Lilac is a favourite flower of many painters.

In the end of spring and the start of summer, start blossoming noble beauties – peonies. They can decorate any table, any bouquet and any paintings. Smoky pink flowers, soft, like a gentle breath of early June morning. The first summer days are breathing with freshness and peace. The air is filled with a light veil of morning wet. Birds songs are greeting a new day and filling in the air with joy and peace. The composition from peonies in pastel tones and the green-blue leaves is an option, that is always beautiful, it is the embodiment of softness, elegancy and grace.

Many poems, songs, fairy-tales were composed and written about the queen of flowers – the rose. Many painters have painted this flower in their pictures: a lady holding it, on a garden bench, in a crystal glass and in bouquets, luxurious, rich, sensitive.

Roses remind you about the soft lazy atmosphere or a southern land, sea shore, enchanting Middle Age towns and a warm blue sea. The air is filled up with humid salty vapour and the flowers aroma. The bright sunlight is hugging all around, playing in the gentle petals. The big bright roses with thorns are covering the walls of the ancient buildings, the carpets from the cover-ground roses and soft fragrant bushes decorate modest yards and luxurious five-star hotels.

Reminders of fascination of shy field flowers bouquets of the Russian field. Cornflowers, chamomiles, bell-flowers – flowers, which have been dear since childhood, and they also took their place in museums, galleries and of course in the Russian poetry.

“I will ride my bicycle

Till I stop in wild meadows.

There, I will pick up flowers

And make a bouquet

To present it to a girl

Whom I love”. (N.Rubtsov)

A bright shining bouquet from cornflowers in a decent clay pot reminds about the hot august day, wide fields, and a larch singing high in a shining bright sky.

Autumn came, the season of blossoming for most flowers is over. Leaves fall and cover all paths. Gardens and parks fall asleep in expectance of winter. And in this harsh time, as if challenging the nature laws, in solitude, start blossoming fascinating beauties – golden daisies. As if a painter splashed in the garden the leftovers of his bright paints and went away in search for a new spring.

With this, we would end our post about the summer memories. We would like to complete it with the Konchalovski words, which he said about flowers: “A flower cannot be painted with simple touches, simply, it shall be studied in depth, like anything else… each flower, but especially in lilacs and a bouquet of wild flowers, shall be studied properly, as if it were a wood, and you shall do it till you grasp the composition logics, till you make laws from combinations that seem to be accidental…” (P.P.Konchalovski. Art Heritage)