The image of Alexander Nevsky in art: a description, interesting facts and reviews

Arts & Entertainment

Alexander Nevsky - a great man and a prince,a competent commander and diplomat, a model of spirituality and morality, played a huge role in the history of the Russian state. He was grateful not only descendants, but also people living in modern times, many famous creators praised his image in art.

Alexander Nevsky: a person in history

Anyone who is familiar with history knows such a person as Alexander Nevsky. He was the Grand Duke of All Russia and did a lot for the development of a power that was strong in spirit and known for its power.

You can narrate about the life of a prince long and hard,but it is better to list all his titles, which will be told by all: prince of Novgorod, prince of Kiev, prince of Vladimir, commander of the troops of Kievan Rus and the holy Orthodox Church.

For his 42 years of life in the 13th century, the prince hada lot, so for centuries the image of Alexander Nevsky in art has been praised in many works. And starting with his contemporaries and ending with our days.

The image of Alexander Nevsky in art

The image of Alexander Nevsky in art: a summary

Alexander Nevsky is familiar to everyone, and his namethe streets, squares and lanes are always well known, and for St. Petersburg it is the heavenly patron. However, more than one image of the prince has not reached our days, and everyone sees it in his own way. Since ancient times, his image appears in various works of art, and one can only briefly list the directions:

  • Old Russian literature.
  • Fiction.
  • Art.
  • Cinema.
  • Sculpture.

The image of Alexander Nevsky in works of art: description

Literature, painting and iconography, cinema andmusic, sculpture and architecture are different kinds of art, so different from each other. But in each direction a significant figure is surely encountered, which defended its lands and its people, showing itself as an example.

The image of Alexander Nevsky in works of art: description

You can conduct a long monologue and quotedifferent people about what kind of person the prince was, describe his achievements, how often the image of Alexander Nevsky is mentioned in works of art, and each species can be considered separately in order to understand how important he is as a historical person.

Alexander Nevsky in painting

The image of Alexander Nevsky in art foundeverywhere, and in painting he paid a lot of attention. One part of the artists created his portraits and portrayed during battles, the other chose to embody the image of a saint, to which many believers today bow.

The first appearance in Russian painting is sealed in the form of a miniature of the Ice Battle in the annals.

the image of Alexander Nevsky in art

Attention paid to the Grand Duke and famousartist Nikolai Roerich, having written several paintings, Vasnetsov, Korin and Moller, as well as Serov with his famous painting “Alexander Nevsky's Entrance to Pskov after the Ice Battle”.

Most of the artists depicted Nevsky during wars and battles, showed him a strong and courageous commander, under whose command more than one battle was won.

Nevsky in the works of Semiradsky

The image of Alexander Nevsky in fineart is clearly evident in the paintings of G.I. Semiradsky. In 1875, he, as a student of the Art Academy in St. Petersburg, was entrusted with the task of creating four paintings dedicated to St. Alexander Nevsky. Over the years they have been lost, but in the Russian Museum you can see sketches that confirm their existence.

Themes for the paintings were not chosen by themselves.artist, and was discussed by a special commission, which identified the following important stages in the life of the Grand Duke: when the prince visited Khan Batu, when he received ambassadors, the day of his death and the miracle that occurred during the burial

Semiradsky was able to create spectacular paintings in which he attached importance to details. On canvases combined skill obtained in an academic school, and the influence of the German artist Piloti.

Painted paintings, where the prince appears beforethe audience is young energetic ruler, not at all suitable for the temple. It was difficult to guess the holiness in the prince; contemporaries noticed this and even wrote about it in the newspapers.

Alexander Nevsky and religion

Today for all Orthodox Alexander Nevskyis a saint to whom hundreds of thousands of people pray every day, ask for help and thank for the miracle that has happened. Already in 1280 they began to worship him as a saint, later the prince was canonized by the church. Alexander Nevsky is closely associated with religion, and this is expressed in various forms of art.

The Order of St. Alexander Nevsky was established by order of Catherine I, and in the USSR in 1942 another was created, which was awarded for merits in military operations.

There are two of the most famous icons, one of which was created by Ivan Grekov in the 18th century.

image of Alexander Nevsky in works of art

The image of Alexander Nevsky in art was expressed andin the construction of temples in different cities of Russia. In Moscow, the first stone was laid on the territory of the military unit in 1995 and consecrated by Alexy II.

In 1710 the first was laid in St. Petersburgthe stone of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra, the construction lasted a long time and with interruptions, was completed only in 1790. The cathedral was built in Petrozavodsk in the 19th century, although at first it was a factory church built with donations from employees.

You can still long list the temples, churches andchapels built under the name of Alexander Nevsky, but it is worth mentioning the cities where everyone can see the holy place: Yaroslavl, Velikiy and Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Pskov, Riga, Yalta, Tallinn and many others outside of Russia.

In the cinema

One of the important types of culture that preserve memoryPrince, can be called cinema. In 1938, the film "Alexander Nevsky" from director Sergei Eisenstein appeared on the screens. He was awarded the Stalin Prize and accepted by the people, belongs today to the classic paintings of the 30s.

In 1941, when the Great Patriotic War beganwar, the film was returned to hire to maintain the spirit, it was even more deafening success. The film starred all beloved and famous actors: Nikolai Cherkasov, Nikolai Okhlopkov, Andrei Abrikosov and others.

image of A. Nevsky in art

The film takes place in 1242. The battle with the Swedes ended, the Teutonic troops began to attack Russia. The picture ends with a battle on Lake Peipsi.

The image of A. Nevsky in art, including in this film, is very significant. The prince is shown as a hero who has always tried to protect his lands and his people.

Literary works

The image of Alexander Nevsky in variousworks of art, including in literature, was widely praised by writers and poets. The first mention in the literature appeared thanks to a contemporary of the prince. "The Life of Alexander Nevsky" refers to the monuments of ancient Russia, talks about the exploits and courage of Nevsky.

embodiment of the image of Alexander Nevsky

In 1977, a story about the events of the 13th century was published.when Novgorod repelled the attack of the Germans. The story is about the fate of a wise man, mentally rich, who is a patriot of the Novgorod Republic. The story is called "Mr. Novgorod the Great", written by D.M. Balashov.

Interestingly written trilogy novel "AlexanderNevsky ”from the author S.P. Mosiyash The work begins with the description of the power of the city of Veliky Novgorod, its significance and the goal of capturing neighboring countries. But Novgorod does not surrender, because the prince and the brilliant commander Nevsky rise to his defense.

Music

In 1938, the collaboration of the director began.Sergei Eisenstein and composer Prokofiev. The main task of the musician was to create music for the footage plot according to his ideas and opinions. Through music, the composer managed to convey the image of a hero who fought in fierce battles, all of which were combined with pictorial and pictorial episodes and song and choral scenes.

The embodiment of the image of Alexander Nevsky is very brightsounded in the work of Sergei Prokofiev, whose music was written in the words of the poet Lugovsky. It was expressed in such a work as the cantata "Alexander Nevsky", consisting of seven parts. Each part is intended for different performers: soloist, choir or orchestra, depending on the part: "Ice Battle", "Dead Field", "Crusaders in Pskov", etc.

Historical monuments

The image of Alexander Nevsky in various forms of art, including sculpture, was expressed by many architects, today they can be seen throughout the country. The most famous are the following:

  • Monument in St. Petersburg, created by the projectarchitect Valentin Kozenyuk and established in 2002 opposite the entrance to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. The monument is made of pink granite, and the figure sitting on a horse is cast from bronze.
  • In 1993, a monument to Nevsky was erected in Pskov.on Mount Sokolikh, since it was in this city in 1242 that Teutonic Knights were defeated on Lake Peipsi. The creator of the statue is the architect Joseph Kozlovsky.
  • In Novgorod there is also a monumentestablished in 1985 on the waterfront. On the anniversary of the victory on Lake Peipsi, meetings are held in tribute to the memory of the great commander. Another monument is installed in the city center opposite the church of Boris and Gleb.

The image of Alexander Nevsky in various works of art

In addition to these monuments, there are monuments in Moscow, in Rostov-on-Don, in Aleksandrov (Vladimir region), in Vladimir and in Kursk.

Evaluation of the personality of Nevsky and the results of his rule

Alexander Nevsky lived and reigned back in the 13th century,how much true information has reached the present, no one can say for sure. The historians of his personality do not give an unambiguously good estimate, sometimes the views are the most opposite.

However, in 2008, the prince was called "the name of Russia"and in 2016, he became the heavenly patron of the Russian ground forces. It is difficult to argue that the image of Alexander Nevsky in art is present in many works that appeared at completely different times, he is praised and considered great.

However, reviews about this person are not onlypositive. Some historians have expressed the opinion that the prince inflicted irreparable harm to the state, led the Tatars to the Russian lands, making friends with Sartak, who was the son of Baty, and betrayed his brother. But each person chooses what to believe, and what has already happened cannot be changed.