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At dawn at the Voskresensky bridge. Late 17th century
Apollinary Vasnetsov • Painting, 1900, 122×138 cm
Description of the artwork «At dawn at the Voskresensky bridge. Late 17th century»
At Dawn at the Voskresensky Bridge is one of the many images of ancient Moscow bridges made by Apollinary Vasnetsov. Bridges were very important in the life of the old Moscow. There was a brisk trade there on holidays (in particular, on the Voskresensky bridge at the Voskresensky gates, they sold gingerbread, as there lived gingerbread bakers around the place). Bridges connected different parts of the city, like city arteries, there were always a lot of people there. The painting depicts early morning, and the bridge is still deserted.
The Voskresensky Bridge was built over the Neglinnaya River in 1601—1603, this is the first stone bridge in Moscow. It was located on the territory of the present Manezhnaya Square, connecting the White City with the Kremlin and Kitay-Gorod areas.
The At Dawn at the Voskresensky Bridge painting fascinates with its colour. The bluish-pearl sky, still untouched by the heat of the rising sun, emerald ripples of water, old Russian wooden houses in the foreground and solid stone Kremlin walls and towers in the background. They altogether look like a jewellery box. Perhaps this is how Apollinary Vasnetsov treated old Moscow — as a priceless jewel.
In the centre on the left side, there is the large Kremlin arsenal tower — the place where the crossings across the Neglinka were controlled. Behind it, you can see the temples of the Kremlin and the bell tower of Ivan the Great. It won’t be long before the sun rises, and the domes illuminated by its rays will shine. In the background on the right is the squat Kutafya tower built in 1516 — the only one to survive in a restored form to this day. In front of the bridge, the lower right part is occupied by the houses of the White City, where the boyars lived. Near one of the farmsteads, we see a blooming lilac garden. Thus, the artist, inclined to accuracy in details, even showed us the season — we admire the spring dawn in Old Moscow.
Vasnetsov’s fascination with the history and architecture of old Moscow began with the creation of illustrations for Lermontov’s “Song of the Merchant Kalashnikov” and scenery for the Khovanshchina opera by Modest Mussorgsky. In 1897, he completed the scenery and realized that he could not part with the image of ancient Moscow. However, while still preparing to enter the Academy of Arts, he decided to go to the Geological Institute instead, as he was carried away by the study of fossils — Vasnetsov was always attracted by old artefacts.
Apollinary Vasnetsov painted many historical and architectural landscapes, striking with their amazing accuracy, attention to detail and, probably, their family ability to render the feeling of fabulousness to the canvas, immersing the viewer in the atmosphere of bygone days.
In the 1920s, he created a series of 26 works that recreated the look of old Moscow. Vasnetsov scrupulously worked with archives, libraries, materials from historical museums (and later, he engaged in archaeological excavations as a professional, was a member of the Moscow Archaeological Society, headed the Commission for the Study of Old Moscow). “The artist revives dead material with his work,” this is how he described his work on historical landscapes. He undoubtedly succeeded. We are not looking at his architectural images from today. Vasnetsov removed the time distance, we see them alive, noisy and polyphonic, we seem to live inside when we look at the picture.
Written by Aliona Esaulova
The Voskresensky Bridge was built over the Neglinnaya River in 1601—1603, this is the first stone bridge in Moscow. It was located on the territory of the present Manezhnaya Square, connecting the White City with the Kremlin and Kitay-Gorod areas.
The At Dawn at the Voskresensky Bridge painting fascinates with its colour. The bluish-pearl sky, still untouched by the heat of the rising sun, emerald ripples of water, old Russian wooden houses in the foreground and solid stone Kremlin walls and towers in the background. They altogether look like a jewellery box. Perhaps this is how Apollinary Vasnetsov treated old Moscow — as a priceless jewel.
In the centre on the left side, there is the large Kremlin arsenal tower — the place where the crossings across the Neglinka were controlled. Behind it, you can see the temples of the Kremlin and the bell tower of Ivan the Great. It won’t be long before the sun rises, and the domes illuminated by its rays will shine. In the background on the right is the squat Kutafya tower built in 1516 — the only one to survive in a restored form to this day. In front of the bridge, the lower right part is occupied by the houses of the White City, where the boyars lived. Near one of the farmsteads, we see a blooming lilac garden. Thus, the artist, inclined to accuracy in details, even showed us the season — we admire the spring dawn in Old Moscow.
Vasnetsov’s fascination with the history and architecture of old Moscow began with the creation of illustrations for Lermontov’s “Song of the Merchant Kalashnikov” and scenery for the Khovanshchina opera by Modest Mussorgsky. In 1897, he completed the scenery and realized that he could not part with the image of ancient Moscow. However, while still preparing to enter the Academy of Arts, he decided to go to the Geological Institute instead, as he was carried away by the study of fossils — Vasnetsov was always attracted by old artefacts.
Apollinary Vasnetsov painted many historical and architectural landscapes, striking with their amazing accuracy, attention to detail and, probably, their family ability to render the feeling of fabulousness to the canvas, immersing the viewer in the atmosphere of bygone days.
In the 1920s, he created a series of 26 works that recreated the look of old Moscow. Vasnetsov scrupulously worked with archives, libraries, materials from historical museums (and later, he engaged in archaeological excavations as a professional, was a member of the Moscow Archaeological Society, headed the Commission for the Study of Old Moscow). “The artist revives dead material with his work,” this is how he described his work on historical landscapes. He undoubtedly succeeded. We are not looking at his architectural images from today. Vasnetsov removed the time distance, we see them alive, noisy and polyphonic, we seem to live inside when we look at the picture.
Written by Aliona Esaulova
