Paintings

Menshikov in Berezov painting by Vasily Surikov

Vasily Surikov. Painting Menshikov in Berezov, 1883
Vasily Surikov. Painting Menshikov in Berezov, 1883

“Menshikov in Berezov” is a painting by Vasily Ivanovich Surikov, in which in 1883 he portrayed the favorite of Peter I, who was in exile in Siberia. The protagonist sits in a chair surrounded by three children. Menshikov’s facial features betray an extraordinary personality with great vitality. However, unhappy circumstances have already left their mark on his appearance. The prince is gloomy and unshaven, his forehead is furrowed with wrinkles, his fixed gaze is fixed in space.

The eldest daughter Maria, dressed in all dark, clung to her father. She seems to be mourning for the lost prospects of becoming the wife of the emperor. Son Alexander looks at the candle thoughtfully. The youngest daughter is diligently studying the book. She is the only one of all the characters who looks to be living in the here and now. Perhaps, with the ease inherent in youth, the girl adapted to new realities before her relatives.

The painting Menshikov in Berezov by Vasily Surikov is a dramatic depiction of the life of the disgraced prince

The furnishings of the hut, which Menshikov built with his own hands, are solid, but very far from the luxury to which the prince’s family is accustomed: a bearskin on the floor, icons in the red corner, an embroidered tablecloth on the table and candles in carved candlesticks. The only window barely lets in the light falling into the far corner, while the main characters, wrapped in warm clothes, are in twilight. Thus, the author very talentedly conveyed the feeling of cold and hopeless darkness that reigns in their souls.

Name of the painting: “Menshikov in Berezov”.
Author: Vasily Surikov (1848-1916).
Year of writing: 1883
Size: 169 x 204 cm.
Style: Realism.
Genre: Historical.
Technique: Oil.
Material: Canvas.
Location: State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

Vasily Ivanovich Surikov is a Russian painter of the second half of the 19th century

He was famous for his masterful depiction of large-scale historical scenes. The idea to paint Menshikov in exile came to the artist on a rainy summer day, when the whole family gathered in a peasant hut in anticipation of good weather. It was then that Surikov imagined how, one hundred and fifty years ago, another family sat in the same simple wooden house, immersed in sad thoughts.

The work was presented at the exhibition of the Association of the Wanderers. Admirers of Surikov’s talent took the picture very favorably. The audience noted the complex and at the same time harmonious composition, thoughtful coloring, surprisingly accurately conveying the mood of the characters, attention to historical details of costumes and furnishings, and, of course, the bright emotional sound of the work.

Subsequently, the canvas was acquired by Pavel Tretyakov. The painting “Menshikov in Berezov” by Vasily Surikov is not only a very truthful depiction of a significant event in Russian history, but also a reflection of the personal drama of a man who suddenly lost everything.