Kashchey the Immortal is a painting painted by a unique master of epic-historical painting Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov. The contrast between Good and Evil is clearly expressed on the canvas.

The painting Kashchey the Immortal by Viktor Vasnetsov is a work on which the artist worked until the end of his life

The action takes place in a stone castle, decorated with expensive trees, precious stones, gold. Massive chests full of treasures are placed everywhere, which indicates the stinginess of the owner. In the center of the composition he sits on the oak throne of Koschei. This gloomy, skinny old man with a thin gray beard and sparse hair looks militant.

Next to him, a bright bright spot represents a young beautiful girl in rich royal clothes. She put one hand to her chest. With all her being, the heroine is trying to move away from the terrible old man. Her face is focused and completely calm. She thinks hard about something, as if looking for the reason for the current situation or thinking about how to outwit the villain. The old man hangs over the captive girl, looking at her with empty soulless eyes. His thin head looks more like a skeletal skull.

The human features of the character are completely lost, in front of the audience there is only a shell of a terrible body that inspires horror and disgust. The beauty turns away, her gaze with fear and indignation is turned to the sword, on the tip of which dark blood is visible. The master paid great attention to detail. The sharp-nosed curved shoes of Koshchei, the folds of the clothes of the heroes, the texture of the surfaces of furniture, doors and walls are carefully worked out. Proper distribution of light and shadow gives objects a realistic shape and volume.

Name of the painting: “Koschei the Immortal”.
Author: Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1848-1926).
Year of writing: 1917-1926
Size: 196 x 306 cm.
Style: Romanticism. Symbolism.
Genre: Fairy tale.
Technique: Oil painting.
Material: Canvas.
Location: Memorial house-museum of V. M. Vasnetsov, Moscow, Russia.

Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov – a brilliant Russian painter of the late XIX – early XX centuries

The artist was not limited to the embodiment of the traditional, realistic figurative system. He revived folklore motifs and the Russian original spirit. In his work, Vasnetsov often turned to the plots of Russian fairy tales. The images in his paintings always acquired human features and psychologically complex characters.

Koschey the Immortal is a negative character in folklore, endowed with exorbitant strength and magical abilities. It symbolizes the sinful body and embodies many negative qualities: unscrupulousness, deceit, cunning, treachery. Art historians suggest that the master was acutely aware of the historical events taking place in Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. These vague feelings of the artist, repeatedly rethought, were reflected in his latest work and partially revealed the drama of the turning point of the era.

The painting “Koschey the Immortal” by Viktor Vasnetsov attracts the attention of the public with the incredible realism of the transmitted images. The work strikes the imagination of the audience and awakens thoughts about the nobility of the struggle against evil and violence.