Kazak Dmitry Sokol Vasily Ivanovich Surikov (1848-1916)

Description of Vasily Surikov’s painting "The Cossack".

Vasily Surikov was born in Siberia, in Krasnoyarsk, in a family of hereditary Cossacks. His ancestors, the Don Cossacks, are among the founders of that city. More than once he spoke about his ancestry with the greatest pride; scenes from Cossack life and colorful images of Cossacks go through all his work. He always cared about the historical authenticity of his paintings. He dreamed of showing the greatness of Russia through his art.

Small in size picture "The Cossack" was created by Surikov in preparation for the creation of the legendary painting "The Conquest of Siberia Yermak. At this time, the artist wrote a large number of vivid works, sketching picturesque images of the conquerors of Siberia. This work was of particular importance to the author, as Surikov’s forebears were among the Cossacks who came to Siberia. Fascinated by the forthcoming global work, the author created one by one a series of ingenious portraits.

The man depicted in the picture is no longer young; the artist well managed to convey his sly, inquisitive, a little crazy look. Tangled hair and uncut beard suggest that the character is far from the benefits of civilization and is on the road not the first day. In creating this image Surikov reached incredible heights of expressiveness. Even now, a century and a half after the painting’s creation, we understand the character of the hero - formidable and ruthless, but at the same time tired of life and somewhat desperate. Surikov does not aspire to the absolute beauty of form, nor does he rush to improve the reality - he paints the world as he sees it. But even when he portrays the dark and unattractive sides of his characters, one can feel the artist’s pride in his great land.