Painting by Vasili Surikoy of the chieftan Stenka Razin in a strug on the Volga River

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aukepalmhof
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Painting by Vasili Surikoy of the chieftan Stenka Razin in a strug on the Volga River

Post by aukepalmhof » Mon Aug 01, 2022 8:52 pm

In 1941 Russia issued one stamp with a painting by Vasily Surikoy which shows us the chieftan Stenka (Stepan) Razin( 1630-1671 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenka_Razin . Surikoy painted this painting between 1903 and 1907 and depict Stephan Razin in the center of the boat a “strug” viewtopic.php?t=18144 . on the Volga River (other source's give Caspian Sea.) The following I got from the internet, Google translated.

The most difficult thing for Surikov was his last work - "Stepan Razin". Razin is the leader of the peasant movement, a powerful, courageous man of great will, who united numerous detachments of the rebellious Cossacks and peasants, who made bold campaigns in the lower reaches of the Volga, along the Caspian Sea.
It is interesting that in the very first sketch of "Stepan Razin" Surikov thought to portray the ataman and his beloved - Persian princess, to show in Razin the victory of the idea over a personal feeling, although strong, but worthless in front of the historical cause that Razin served, for which she followed him in his gang.
Thus, this first sketch of the picture seems to be a return to the tragic theme of Streltsov. This sketch is marked 1887. It is very beautiful and decorative in design. But the artist quickly moved away from this sketch, believing, obviously, that the legendary romantic epic with the drowning of the Persian princess in the Volga, although it depicts the morality of Razin's victors, still something diminishes from his whole personality and does not allow focusing on what was in him. , from the point of view of the artist, the most significant. And significant in Razin were rebellious thought, effective and far-sighted thought, and invincible determination.
In the final version of the picture, Stepan Razin is depicted in a huge plow, in front of him are musicians. Then the boundless expanses of the Volga open up. Waves of oars drill water. Golden light streams from the evening sky. The faces of the rowers-Cossacks are courageous and beautiful, especially the young one, with an open collar, depicted almost in profile. But all of them are still far from those important thoughts that captured Stepan. What are they about? Hardly about himself and his fate. These thoughts are significant, the great thoughts of the ataman. The expression on Razin's face was the main concern of the artist. When the picture was exhibited, Surikov rewrote his face at the exhibition. Once, having finished the work, he said to an artist he knew: "Today I painted my forehead to Stepan, is it true that now there is much more thought in it?"
The resemblance of Stepan's face to one of Surikov's last self-portraits is striking. Surikov put something from himself into the image of Razin. Like the legendary chieftain, with his great thought, Surikov embraces the historical destinies of his people, unlimitedly believes in his spiritual strength, and suffers with him.
"Stepan Razin" - the last large historical painting by Surikov.

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art-on-web.ru

XIII. STEPAN RAZIN. Surikov
XIII. STEPAN RAZIN
On December 24, 1887, T. L. Tolstaya wrote to Repin: “Surikov settled near us, and we see each other quite often. He conceived a picture, but it has grown so much that it does not fit in his room, and therefore he cannot complete it and is doomed to portraits and sketches for the whole winter ... Surikov does not tell the plot of his picture, he only says that he paints a person, which every ten-year-old child knows.
Only many years later did the contemporaries of T. L. Tolstoy and Repin find out who Surikov wrote in his cramped room, who was the person "whom every ten-year-old child knows." The painting "Stepan Razin" appeared at a traveling exhibition in 1906.
Two decades passed from the first sketch to the completion of the work on the painting by the artist. Vasily Ivanovich visited the Kama, the Volga, the Don, and Siberia, stubbornly looking for nature. It took almost six years to search for nature alone, and these six years are only a preparatory stage, followed by further work on the picture.


Surikov is truly a folk artist since in his works certain acute moments of the life of the people are clearly expressed. Surikov, when creating his paintings, seems to reproduce the past in all its details. He conveys all the tragedy of those past days and makes you relive them.
Surikov's painting "Stepan Razin" was painted between 1903 and 1907. The painting depicts Stepan Razin's associates and himself. A boat floats on the water surface, and some of the Cossacks hold oars in their hands, providing movement. The rest are having fun and swaggering, and only the ataman himself is either dozing or immersed in deep thoughts, perhaps about where their path leads.
The Volga's smooth surface is disturbed by the oncoming wave, and some of the Cossacks are looking overboard. One can only guess what Stepan Razin thinks. Perhaps about an eastern princess thrown overboard and irrevocably swallowed up by a wave. Perhaps regretting what was done and regretting that it was impossible to do otherwise. The artist does not give complete clarity in the picture, as if leaving the viewer to speculate.
According to the author himself, the picture was being finalized for a long time and due to the fact that it was sold for a long time. Did the author manage to convey the character of that time and those events? Undoubtedly, the boundless expanse of water is identified with complete freedom, and meanwhile, this freedom is only conditional. What awaits them in the future will determine the time, and now they are satisfied with their fate and the freedom they have been given.
The ataman is located in the center of the boat, which runs so easily across the water surface. The whole picture is permeated with the brightness of sunlight, the sails are filled with wind, the freshness of the air, and the smell of freedom are felt. The artist managed to convey the imperious character of Stepan Razin, even in a sleeping or dormant state.
The Cossacks rejoice, perhaps returning from a campaign with the good booty, drawing sky-high distances, a good heavenly life, and perhaps only the ataman understands what awaits them ahead. But for the time being, he too dignifiedly submits to the warmth of the sun and fresh air and surrenders to the power of drowsiness, to the sound of oncoming waves and the jubilation of intoxicated Cossacks.
Sometimes Surikov will say about his work that he never managed to convey the image of Ataman Stepan Razin. But true connoisseurs of Surikov's work think quite the opposite. Although this image cannot be characterized unambiguously. Each era considers it from its own point of view.

https://evg-crystal.ru/kartiny/kartina- ... razin.html
Russia 1941 30k sg973 and 1R sg975, Scott?
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STEPAN RAZIN sailing in the Caspian Sea by Vasily Surikov 1906 (2).jpg
STEPAN RAZIN sailing in the Caspian Sea by Vasily Surikov 1906 (2).jpg (85.19 KiB) Viewed 616 times
1941 Stepan-Rasin-Vasily-Surikov (2).jpg
1941 Stepan-Rasin-Vasily-Surikov (2).jpg (131.33 KiB) Viewed 616 times
1941 Stepan-Rasin-Vasily-Surikov 3 (2).jpg
1941 Stepan-Rasin-Vasily-Surikov 3 (2).jpg (94.46 KiB) Viewed 616 times

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