Bird hunter – a painting by Vasily Grigorevich Perov (Vasily Grigorevich Perov) was written under the impression of a real scene, spied on by the author while walking in the forest.
Painting Bird hunter by Vasily Perov – a reminder of forgotten Russian traditions of the 19th century
On canvas, the master depicted an elderly man who is sprawled on the ground, and a teenager sitting at the ready with a snare. The old man whistles a pipe, luring the birds, and attentively listens to the sounds coming from the thicket. The boy leans on the cage with one hand and tensely watches the bird. He is ready to quickly slam the trap at the right time. From the clothes of the heroes it is clear that this is a footman and a barchuk.
According to an old Russian tradition, they came to the autumn forest to catch a bird. Locked in a cage, with her light trill, she diversifies the leisure of a noble family in the long and cold winter months. In the spring she will be released, and in the fall the hunting ritual will be repeated. The simple and uncomplicated plot of the picture is executed against the background of a fabulous and slightly gloomy forest. The golden rays of the rising sun fill the work with a warm and iridescent mood, urging the viewer to stop for a moment and listen to the nightingale’s song.
The title of the painting: Bird hunter
Author: Vasily Grigorievich Perov (1833-1882).
Year of writing: 1870
Size: 83 x 126 cm.
Style: Realism.
Genre: Household scene.
Technique: Oil painting.
Material: Canvas.
Location: State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.
Vasily Grigorievich Perov is known as a progressive Russian artist who worked in the second half of the 19th century.
The painter worked in the style of realism, talentedly painted portraits of famous statesmen and cultural figures, devoted much time to acute social problems.
The painting Bird hunter was painted in a difficult period for Perov – in 1870 he lost his wife and two children. To restore mental strength and faith in life, the artist. And his friends often traveled to the provinces and walked a lot in nature. Once, during a leisurely walk with Illarion Pryanishnikov. Vasily Grigorievich watched an old servant and a teenager lure a bird into a snare.
The main plot is written in Perov’s recognizable handwriting – the emotions on the faces of the characters are accurately conveyed. All the small details are carefully worked out. Frayed boots and a tousled forelock of a footman, a boy’s tensely raised eyebrow. But the forest was created in collaboration with Alexei Savrasov – a mysterious wilderness from a real Russian fairy tale appears before the viewer.
The painting Bird hunter by Vasily Grigorievich Perov brought the master the first prize of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of Artists, as well as the title of professor at the Academy of Arts. Today, the masterpiece is kept in the famous Tretyakov Gallery.
