Shipka Sheinovo. Skobelev at Shipka. 1878-1879 Vasily Vereshchagin (1842-1904)

Description of Vasily Vereshchagin’s painting "Shipka - Sheinovo. Skobelev at Shipka."

The painting was painted in 1878 and belongs to the artist’s Balkan series of works. The main idea of the painting is the idea of the cost that Russia is paving its way to a free and independent future. The plot of the painting tells about the events that took place in 1877 in the mountainous area of Bulgaria between the Russian and Turkish troops.

In this work, there is both life and death, the two components of the bloody war, which the artist was personally present. On the left is a line of soldiers rejoicing at their victory in the battle. They toss up their hats and salute the equestrian line of General M.D. Skobelev, who on his white horse is rushing along the front line of the army and honoring those who managed to defend the homeland. However, in the foreground of the picture are scattered the bodies of the dead, who courageously gave their lives for the homeland. Such a play of emotions on the canvas reveals the true face of war, where joy and jubilation are paired with bitterness of losses and cruelty.

Working on the painting, Vereshchagin abandoned the idea of glorifying a particular individual, focusing on the heroism and courage of Russian soldiers, defending their native lands from an insatiable enemy to the very last. The artist does not pay much attention to the individual details of the painting, but focuses on the colors and drawing a certain line between the characters of the work. The painting looks realistic, thanks to Vereshchagin’s skill and his memories of that very day.

The artist dedicated a whole series of works to that bloody war, which is considered the most extensive in the history of Russian-Turkish relations. In this way he drew attention to the problem of indifference of the authorities to the fate of ordinary people, who often stood up to defend their land together with experienced warriors. Today this and many other works by Vereshchagin can be seen in the State Russian Museum.