“Beekeeper” – a picture painted by a unique master Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy. On the canvas, against the background of a summer landscape, a lonely old beekeeper is depicted, sitting down to rest on an old deck. In front of the hero are thickets of herbaceous plants, and behind him is an apiary. The past years have bent the old man’s back, but a smile illuminates his wrinkled face.

The painting “Beekeeper” by Ivan Kramskoy is an expressive peasant image against the backdrop of a landscape

The viewer is presented with that amazing type of peasant who, even in adulthood, retains a youthful state of mind and joy from contemplating the natural world. In his somewhat romantic appearance, a keen sense of reality and, at the same time, a philosophical attitude to it are combined. The painter puts in the image of the old man a sense of harmony with nature, a desire to preserve it for future generations.

The beekeeper is dressed in a spacious white shirt, his feet are bare, and he holds a scythe in his hand. Individual details, to which the author paid close attention, speak about the character of the character: overworked hands, an Orthodox cross, a key on a braid tied to a belt, a short-cropped beard.

It can be seen that, despite the severity of work and remoteness from people, the old man likes work in the apiary. Unusual composition of the work. The path leading into the forest seems to divide the space into two parts, marking the border of the bee country. The work uses various shades of green, a pale range of beige colors. This combination symbolizes constancy, both in self-consciousness and in all forms of self-affirmation. The master brilliantly conveyed the feeling of a hot summer and a state of freedom.

Name of the painting: “Beekeeper” (“In the apiary”, “The old man in the bee-keeper”, “Star became”).
Author: Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy (1837-1887).
Year of writing: 1872
Size: 63.5 x 49.2 cm.
Style: Realism.
Genre: Portrait.
Technique: Oil painting.
Material: Canvas.
Location: State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.

Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy – a brilliant Russian painter of the XIX century

The main direction of his work is portraiture. The master accurately noticed the deepest features of a person’s character and masterfully transferred them to the canvas. The plot with an unknown old beekeeper belongs to the peasant series.

The masterpiece was exhibited at the third exhibition of the Wanderers in 1874 and was highly appreciated by people with democratic views. For several years the work was in the hands of a private collector, then it became available to the general public in the Rumyantsev Museum. In 1901, the work was transferred for storage to the Tretyakov Gallery.

The painting “Beekeeper” by Ivan Nikolaevich Kramskoy is one of the first portraits painted against the backdrop of a landscape. The work strikes the imagination of the audience with a deep philosophical meaning, complete calm and peace.