Departing for the War Konstantin Savitsky (1844-1905)

Description of Konstantin Savitsky’s painting "At War"

The artist Savitsky was a very prominent representative of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions. More than serious in its content is the famous canvas he painted, "At War." It was written only a decade after the brutal and difficult Russian-Turkish war. And the memory of those terrible events, losses and troubles was still alive in the hearts of people. The war left a painful imprint on many families. And all these events Savitsky and devoted his picture.

The plot is based on an anti-militarist work. The war is a great grief, revealing the experiences of the characters depicted in the painting. You can see that the people are divided into several groups, each expressing a different mood. But in general one feeling is felt - despair. The sadly bowed backs of women, merrily dancing young recruits are very close. Soldiers, who have seen a lot in their lives, are also depicted here, their gazes serious, one can feel the anxious tension. A train is already standing on the platform, and the gendarmes standing nearby, with their menacing appearance, as if to confirm that the parting with their relatives is already inevitable.

Despite the fact that depicted on the same canvas different in character and mood group of people, the picture looks unified. The composition seems to unite them, thereby increasing this heavy, gloomy mood of society. One senses a certain spiritual connection between the people depicted. Each to himself, but they are together, united by one great misfortune - war.