Ivanov Alexander Andreevich is a famous Russian artist of works on biblical and mythological subjects. He is the author of the world famous painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People”. Ivanov has been working on this painting for about twenty years. And he did not just work, he studied the topic, was in constant spiritual search, changed the original composition, made many studies. This work was a real feat. How accurately the author strove as divine, and the sublime feeling influences the transformation and formation of the person himself.
The gospel story of how the Savior appears to a crowd of inconsolable and grieving people is inscribed in the plot of the picture itself. There are many people in the foreground of the picture. This is a complex figured composition, since people are all very different in age, character, and position. They all gathered on the banks of the Jordan and listened to the prophet John the Baptist. He inspires them and promises a speedy deliverance from suffering and grief. The prophet shows the crowd the approaching Christ. People with fear and great hope look at the approaching figure in the distance. Misty mountains can be seen in the background, and blue-blue waters are about to riot. It seems that nature itself does not believe in miracles taking place.
When Ivanov worked on the painting “The Appearance of Christ to the People”, his worldview changed. He no longer believed in the possibility of the formation and transformation of man under the influence of religion and art. Perhaps, on the basis of these experiences, the author’s eye disease worsened, which prevented the completion of the work. But even in this form, it makes many people think about their knowledge of this world and about belief in something. Perhaps, looking at the picture and remembering the Gospel lines, many people will think about making decisions that affect not only their future, but also many people.
Year of painting: 1857.
Dimensions of the painting: 540 x 750 cm.
Material: canvas.
Writing technique: oil.
Genre: religious painting.
Style: academicism.
Gallery: State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.