After the attack. Dressings item Plevna. 1881 Vasily Vereshchagin (1842-1904)

Description of Vasily Vereshchagin’s painting At Plevna

The painting was painted in 1878. Vereshchagin dedicated it to a significant event: the storming of Plevna, in which a huge number of Russian soldiers died. The artist deeply empathized with the suffering and heroism of the soldiers.

The painting belongs to the Balkan series of paintings that the author created from 1878 to 1881. Vereshchagin was very concerned with harsh military reality, which was the reason for writing several cycles of paintings of military subjects.

The canvas "At Plevna" shows us the heroism and cruel existence in the years of hard war. In the background are the tents that received the wounded soldiers. The panorama in the distance shows the fire and smoke of the recent battle.

It is easy to see that there was not enough room for everyone in the dressing station, and exhausted soldiers are waiting for help lying on the ground. Some can still walk, some of the fighters are being carried on stretchers. Perhaps there are already dead among them.

All around are scorched earth, soaked in blood and suffering. The scorching sun aggravates the already difficult situation of the soldiers. There are weapons strewn everywhere. But who knows, perhaps this is not the last battle and how much evil will be spilled in these parts...

The artist portrayed the harsh reality of war without smoothing over the hard edges, showing all the gravity and seriousness of events in all their unsightly and ruthless moments. After all, during the war it was everywhere.

Vereshchagin, created the canvas with historical accuracy. To do this, he studied a lot of documentation and specific material. Each soldier he painted individually, so that there was no identical poses or gestures. Vereshchagin was able to convey the depth of suffering and the power of the Russian spirit. The artist felt as if he were there, near the dressing station at Plevna.

200 years later, we can plunge into the thick of it and relive all the pain and heroism of Russian soldiers. Vereshchagin’s painting gives us an awareness and memory of the significant battle of Plevna.