"The Abduction of Europe" - a picture of Serov, which is one of the highest achievements of the modernist style in Russia

Very popular with writers and artists of all.the world of the ancient Greek myth "The Abduction of Europe." Serov's painting is one of many canvases on this topic. This story was drawn by Guido Reni, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Luca Giordano, Bue Simon, our contemporary Mikhail Brusilovsky and many, many others.

Who is this girl in the picture?

The Adventures of Zeus' Loving Prankish - Oneof the most popular topics in the world of painting of all times and peoples. In what form only did not steal the thunderer of young beauties in the territories accessible to him for thousands of years. The daughter of the king of the rich Phoenician city of Sidon did not escape this fate.

Agenor had three sons, among whom was andthe long-suffering Cadmus, who became famous for having founded the legendary Thebes, and who ended his life in the form of a snake. The only daughter of the Phoenician king with her radiant beauty was equal to the goddesses. And no matter how hid her relatives, the aegid power still saw her and, naturally, fell in love. What happened should have happened, namely the abduction of Europe. Painting Serov, as well as other artists, tells the story of how it happened.

Lovelace, famous for centuries

Beauty surrounded by girlfriends frolicked on the beachSea away from the eyes of men. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a snow-white bull with gilded horns of amazing beauty appeared. The girls began to play with the tender animals, weave wreaths of flowers and put them on his head. And as soon as the beautiful Europe crouched on his back, the bull rushed to the sea with terrible speed and jumped into the water. So, the native shore has disappeared beyond the horizon, only dolphins frolic around the mighty handsome bull, carefully carrying the precious burden. The topic is more than grateful: the sea, the waves, the beautiful animal, the frightened beauty and the flocks of dolphins. Zeus brought his beloved to the island of Crete, where she, having become his wife, bore him three sons, who later became heroes of Greece.

Inspired by Greece

"The Abduction of Europe" - a picture of Serov, writtenim in 1910. The artist died in 1911, the canvas with an ancient Greek plot is one of the last, as if the final works of the master. The idea of ​​the picture arose from the famous artist in 1907 during a visit to Greece with Leon Bakst in Greece, specifically Crete, where they saw many mythical scenes on the frescoes of the ruins of the Palace of Knossos. The trip was connected with the work of Serov on the paintings, which were intended for the Moscow Museum of Fine Arts, ordered by the artist Polenov. Therefore, the picture of Serov "The Abduction of Europe" resembles not a easel picture, but a decorative monumental panel. According to some information, the artist created at least six variants of the painting.

Полотна разных размеров.There is a sketch on cardboard made with tempera and gouache of 40 x 52 cm. There is a canvas of 71 x 98 in size. It is stored in the main building of the State Tretyakov Gallery, which is located at: Lavrushinsky Lane 10. The most complete version of 138 x 178 was until 1996 years from the heirs of the artist. Since 1999, this canvas is stored in the private collection of an international entrepreneur and philanthropist Moshe Kantor.

Own interpretation

"Abduction of Europe" - a picture of Serov, which became asand "The Girl with Peaches", the most recognizable canvas of the artist. It was made in the modern style, which had other names: art nouveau (or young style), art nouveau (or new art). This trend in the last decade of the XIX century and at the beginning of the XX century was captured by the thoughts and feelings of most artists of all European countries. All author's versions of the picture, which differ mainly in color, are very far from academic settings. The painting “The Abduction of Europe” by Valentin Serov is at the same time the previously unused artistic style of the painter and the founder of the new, affirming style.

The canvas is very original and according to the plot decision:Serov has a red bull, whereas in the myth and in the pictures of other authors he is snow-white. All movement in the picture is directed diagonally, the bull carries the beauty, cutting waves, in the upper right corner, to the far, highly raised horizon line. Dolphins, repeating the line of movement of the bull, enhance the dynamics of the picture. The main space is occupied by turbulent sea. Frightened girl, very little like at this moment on the queen, is completely dependent on the kidnapper. Her pose is unstable, high waves threaten to swallow the beauty slipped from her back. But the bull is calm and confident, and his eyes, looking at the beauty, ask for forgiveness for the fear delivered.

Canvas glorifying love

So saw the Russian artist Serov kidnappingEurope. The description of the picture can be continued by several comparisons, which O. Mandelstam gave shocked by it. He has “rough” sea cliffs, the sea itself is “fat,” the “oily” brilliance of the waves “to the key”, to the point of madness, scares Europe, frozen in horror. Awesome comparison, or rather you can not say. Despite the intensity of the moment captured in the picture, the overall color gamut of the canvas is calm, according to some assertions, even cheerful. Probably, this is so, because the picture does not evoke a horror, and even a person unfamiliar with the mythological plot will never think that a powerful bull will not deliver a precious burden to the earth's firmament.