Victory is not like a marble, victory is not a poem. Victory lives in the dust, snow, sweat and blood of the road. Victory has many wounds. Victory has broken legs and red eyes from insomnia… You are the love and glory of Russia.
(Russian writer) I. Ehrenburg The famous
Russian contemporary art master Melnikov (1919-), the oil painting “Farewell” on canvas created in 1975 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War, is a painting with A masterpiece of historical significance. The picture shows the farewell scene of the mother and the son who is about to go to the battlefield during the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union. The deep and tragic parting of life and death between mother and son in the painting, and the complex inner expression of heroism and grief conveys the patriotic and national spirit of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War. The author depicts the dedication of the great mother in a highly generalized way. This masterpiece is not only a tribute to the achievements of the Soviet warriors in defeating the German fascists, but also a tribute to the mother’s love for the motherland.
Melnikov is a generation of artists who grew up during the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union. In his paintings, he inherited the realistic tradition of Russian oil painting, adopted a relatively free and open realistic concept, and added symbols and decorative elements to the realism. . “Farewell” is a symbol. Mothers are typical of thousands of mothers who sacrificed their children’s lives to protect their families and the country, and sons are thousands of heroic sons and daughters who sacrificed their lives on the front lines. In the face of the national disaster, the countless sorrows and hopes, grief and hopes in the mother’s heart are all poured out in the momentary farewell. The mother watched her son go to the front line in silence with tears in her eyes. The smoke in the background urged the soldiers to go to the front line immediately.
”Farewell” is full of the cruel smell of war, showing the ordinary Soviet families who were not afraid to sacrifice themselves for the victory of the Great Patriotic War. The author depicts the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union with a distinct realistic concept, and integrates Eastern and Western cultural colors. The deep, heavy and atmospheric style of the picture expresses the painter’s idealistic feelings. The overall style of the painting is fresh and solemn, with delicate and exquisite delineation, and it is rich in the traditional Russian art heritage. Whether it is the background of the deep artistic conception or the realistic depiction of the characters, it reproduces the charm of the Russian realistic painting style.
In the picture, there is no cloud in the sky, and the scene of the mother and child saying goodbye is bleak and bleak, while the smoke from the buildings in the war is heavy and pressing down on the people. Under the weak light, from the eyes of the mother looking at her son and the trembling hands, people can feel the loftiness and greatness of the mother who sacrificed her relatives for the motherland. There is no grand war scene in the whole picture, only the farewell scene of the thin and short mother and the tall and strong son who is about to enter the battlefield. The painter’s solid brushstrokes do not show off the skills of space, but pursue an unpretentious and touching beauty.
The four-year Soviet anti-fascist Great Patriotic War (1941.6.22—1945.5.9) was brutal and tragic, many cities and rural areas were bombed to ruins, and more than 20 million Soviet people gave their precious lives. In this just war, the patriotic enthusiasm and the fearless spirit of sacrifice displayed by the Soviet people are earth-shattering and will forever be recorded in the annals of human history. Melnikov’s creation on the theme of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union pays attention to the stable composition and highlights the theme. In the heavy tones, the colors are not stunning but not monotonous. The transparency of the sky is used to contrast the heavy colors of the characters to set off the painting. In the image of the protagonist, the formation of light and shade, the contrast is strong. The painter’s brushwork is unrestrained and delicate, and the density is dense and scattered, which constitutes an extraordinary visual effect in the plain.
The transparent light blue skylight in the early morning cleverly creates a sense of space, three-dimensionality and light in the picture, making people feel the effect of one of the prints. The old mother who was over fifty years old stood in front of the tall and strong son, showing the innocence and kindness of the old Russian woman. A moment of prayer and anticipation as I leave for my son. The painter uses a close-up technique to depict the mother’s face and weathered hands. She holds a snow-white handkerchief in her hand, and closes her lips to forbear her inner feelings. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her mother held the handkerchief tightly without wiping it.
The sturdy son is a little sad in the face of his mother’s expectations. The son appears in the picture from the side and the back, mainly with the expression of the mother’s image occupying the main portrayal position. The mother was sending her son to the battlefield. Facing the parting son, she was a little dazed. She stood silently and motionless, sending her son off with her eyes, which once again showed her mother’s pain before sending off and her wish for victory. Under the firm eyes of the great mother, she was ready to make the greatest sacrifice for her son. She described her mother’s attitude towards war, sang the lofty feelings of thousands of mothers during the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union, and revealed the dedication of the Soviet people who would rather die than surrender. , the painting intentionally presents the theme of praising mother’s selfless dedication and patriotism.
The most touching feature of the picture lies in the transmission of an inner spirit. “Farewell” is the artist’s artistic language of painting to commemorate the people who made sacrifices during the Great Patriotic War, and to carry forward the traditional spirit of the Soviet Union-Russian nation. The spiritual connotation and highly creative expression in the painting, thanks to the author’s superb modeling skills, are the perfect display of the solemnity and beauty of his artistic form, which is refreshing to the eyes.
”Farewell” in the praise of the people’s spirit of the Great Patriotic War, the panorama shows the personal experience of a mother during the Great Patriotic War. She silently showed people the ordinary and great sacrifice of her children’s lives to defend the home and the country. The heroic feelings of the mother. The author condenses the artistic representation of the difficulties and sacrifices of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union, the mission and responsibility of history, and the moments of national peril and struggle, all in the affectionate farewell of mother and son. Melnikov depicts the feelings of mother and son before parting with profound emotion, which deeply embodies the brilliance of the victory of the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union. The author pours this deep recollection and retrospective thoughts into the picture to infect the audience, and conveys it through visual transmission. Into people’s hearts, aroused a spiritual resonance of the Great Patriotic War. He made in-depth and meticulous exploration and creation in the form of art, comprehensively grasped the core of art, explored the nobility of the beauty of the soul, and created a profound “Farewell” art work. The artist has not forgotten the bloody era of the Great Patriotic War, and shocked future generations with the commemorative paintings of the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War, dedicated himself to the bravery of that era, to the courage and justice of that era, and to the source and inspiration that brought Soviet artists to that era. And Acura.
Melnikov has held exhibitions of works in China many times. He was born in Pokrovsk, Russia. In 1948, he graduated from the Repin Academy of Fine Arts, one of the four world-famous art academies. In 1953, he served as the head of the oil painting department, and since 1963, he has served as the leading work of teaching and research in the mural creation room of the academy. He taught at his alma mater for nearly half a century, and served as the vice-chairman and academician of the Russian Academy of Arts. He is known as the People’s Artist and a master of contemporary Russian realism school. His classic oil paintings have been included in the history of Russian art. Melnikov pushed the realist painting art of the former Soviet Union to a new peak.
