Images of a horse and a rider in Viktor Vasnetsov's paintings

04.08.2013 21:23

At all times, horses were valued very highly, particularly war horses - faithful companions of Russian heroes, defenders of the Fatherland. Horses have been sung about in folk songs, depicted on the canvases of great artists.

Heroes (Bogatyri) is perhaps the most famous painting of the Russian painter Viktor Vasnetsov. It took the artist eight years, from 1881 to 1889, to create this masterpiece, which is displayed in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.

The horse is a symbol of agile vitality and speed. It is the epitome of natural grace and beauty. A horse and a rider, by the way, represent a strong symbol of power.

Interestingly, the symbolism of the horses is largely determined by their color. For example, a white horse represents life and daylight, as well as spiritual enlightenment; a red horse - raging flames; and a black one is the night darkness.

Resurrecting the images of the epic defenders of the ancient Russia - Ilya Muromets, Alyosha Popovich and Dobrynya Nikitich - at the dawn of the 20th century, Vasnetsov meant to indicate the continuity of the heroic past of the Russian people with their great future.

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