Lot Essay
The Russian battle-painter Vasilii Vereshchagin, the son of a landowner, was sent to the Junior Cadet Corps at the age of eight, and in 1853 was transferred to the St. Petersburg Naval School. It was here that he developed and interest in drawing and began to devote more and more time to it. In 1858 Vereshchagin began to attend drawing classes at the St. Petersburg Society for the Furtherance of the Arts. In 1860, having graduated from Naval School with flying colours, Vereshchagin sent in his papers, against his parents' wishes, and entered the Academy of Arts. Outraged by this action, his father cut off all material assistance and Vereshchagin was left to fend for himself.
In 1867 he went to Turkestan, which was then the scene of military confrontations. 'I went to find out what war, about which I had read and heard so much, was really like...' Not only did he witness the war, he took part in it. In 1868 he joined the Russian garrison defending the Samarkand fortress against the troops of the Emir of Bukhara and was given the Order of St. George (fourth class) for bravery and courage. In 1867-70 Vereshchagin undertook another trip to Turkestan; he learnt about the country, studied the customs of the feudal East and as a result created a large series of pictures about Central Asia.
Central to this series were Vereshchagin's battle-pieces, and it was they that enjoyed greatest success both in Russia and abroad, and helped determine the basic orientation of the artist's work. From his earliest works Vereshchagin expressed protest against aggressive wars, throwing the blame at the feet of those who were responsible for the deaths of human beings.
In a series of battle-pieces which refer to the Turkestan campaigns and includes the painting 'Surprise Attack', Vereshchagin develops his thoughts about the cruelty of feudal lords, about the barbarity of battle orders and about the heroism and courage of Russian soldiers. It is interesting to mention the artist's inscription on the frame of the final version now in the Tret'iakov Gallery, 'We lie down with our bones, we will not put shame on the Russian soil, the dead are not shamed'. Vereshchagin's bold accusatory paints drew a hostile attitude from reactionary circles in Russia who accused him of slandering the Russian army. The artist took these unjust accusations badly and burned three paintings: 'The Forgotten Soldier', 'They have Encircled and Pursue' and 'They Entered'. A ban was placed on exhibitions of Vereshchagin's works and on reproductions of them in books and periodicals. For thirty years the Tsarist government did not acquire a single picture by the already world-famous artist. Pavel Tret'iakov bought most of his Turkestan works.
In 1874-76 and 1882-83 Vereshchagin made two trips to India to study the scenery and the way of life in the country. On 31 March, 1904 Vereshchagin perished, together with Admiral Makarov, on the battleship 'Petropavlovsk' which was blown up by an enemy mine near Port Arthur, during the Russo-Japanese War.
In 1867 he went to Turkestan, which was then the scene of military confrontations. 'I went to find out what war, about which I had read and heard so much, was really like...' Not only did he witness the war, he took part in it. In 1868 he joined the Russian garrison defending the Samarkand fortress against the troops of the Emir of Bukhara and was given the Order of St. George (fourth class) for bravery and courage. In 1867-70 Vereshchagin undertook another trip to Turkestan; he learnt about the country, studied the customs of the feudal East and as a result created a large series of pictures about Central Asia.
Central to this series were Vereshchagin's battle-pieces, and it was they that enjoyed greatest success both in Russia and abroad, and helped determine the basic orientation of the artist's work. From his earliest works Vereshchagin expressed protest against aggressive wars, throwing the blame at the feet of those who were responsible for the deaths of human beings.
In a series of battle-pieces which refer to the Turkestan campaigns and includes the painting 'Surprise Attack', Vereshchagin develops his thoughts about the cruelty of feudal lords, about the barbarity of battle orders and about the heroism and courage of Russian soldiers. It is interesting to mention the artist's inscription on the frame of the final version now in the Tret'iakov Gallery, 'We lie down with our bones, we will not put shame on the Russian soil, the dead are not shamed'. Vereshchagin's bold accusatory paints drew a hostile attitude from reactionary circles in Russia who accused him of slandering the Russian army. The artist took these unjust accusations badly and burned three paintings: 'The Forgotten Soldier', 'They have Encircled and Pursue' and 'They Entered'. A ban was placed on exhibitions of Vereshchagin's works and on reproductions of them in books and periodicals. For thirty years the Tsarist government did not acquire a single picture by the already world-famous artist. Pavel Tret'iakov bought most of his Turkestan works.
In 1874-76 and 1882-83 Vereshchagin made two trips to India to study the scenery and the way of life in the country. On 31 March, 1904 Vereshchagin perished, together with Admiral Makarov, on the battleship 'Petropavlovsk' which was blown up by an enemy mine near Port Arthur, during the Russo-Japanese War.