Picture "Abduction of Europe": modernist interpretation of Ancient Greek myths

Artist Serov Valentin Alexandrovich is known to many as the author of the portrait genre. Particularly famous for his portrait "Girl with Peaches", which is saturated with sunlight and transparent, airy lightness of a warm day. The painting "The Abduction of Europe" is fundamentally different from Serov's early paintings, not only in the genre, but also in composition and in the stylistics of the image.

Myths of Ancient Greece in Painting

Since antiquity, Greek myths have encouraged artists, sculptors and poets to create works of art. Mythology to this day is a rich world of heroes and stories. Myths convey the spirit of ancient Greece, a place where beauty was perpetuated and immortalized. It is not surprising that it is their subjects that most often become the subject of fine art.

Throughout the centuries, the exploits of Hercules, the agony of Prometheus and the adventures of Zeus were imprinted in various formats, styles and techniques by such artists as Botticelli, Rubens, Rembrandt, Dore and many others. During the period of modernism, the influence of mythology on painting decreased, more attention was paid to the style and technique of the image to the detriment of the plot of the picture.

In the Russian painting of the twentieth century, the historical and mythological genre gained a "second wind" thanks to the magnificent paintings of Vrubel and Vasnetsov, who revived the stories of national folklore. Ancient Greek myths became the subject of a special interest of Valentin Serov in the late period of his work.

History of the painting

At the very beginning of the twentieth century, among the people of art, rumors began about the start of a grandiose project to design the Museum of Fine Arts. Pushkin. The picturesque decoration of the halls had to emphasize and explain the permanent expositions of the museum. Serov's biography clearly shows the desire to participate in this project.

In the mid-1900's. Serov visited Greece to absorb classical culture and art. Preparing for the painting of the classical halls of the museum is considered the main goal pursued by the artist. Serov Valentin Alexandrovich began to write the first versions of "Abduction" shortly after the trip.

Many art critics believe that the painting "The Abduction of Europe" and the accompanying "Meeting Odyssey with Navzikaia" were written as sketches for mural painting, and not for easel paintings. The argument in favor of this point of view can be considered that the author was not going to write any of the mentioned oil paintings.

Valentin Serov, "Abduction of Europe": description

The painting "Abduction of Europe" as a storyline uses the myth of a young Phoenician princess named Europe, the daughter of King Agenor, whom Zeus desired. Turned into a bull, the Olympic God took Europe on his back to the island of Crete.

Interpretation of Serov does not require a plausible image of the characters and the surrounding landscape, she does not try to create a realistic plot. Valentin Serov sought to generalize artistic images, to create a picture that combines the culture, knowledge and traditions of ancient Greece.

Style of the picture

Another argument in favor of writing "Europe" for the decorative panel of the Museum of Art is the unique style of the painting. In 1907, Serov went to the island of Crete to study the ancient wall paintings of the ancient temple.

Innovative techniques in styling and even the composition of the painting "Abduction of Europe" indicate that the author was inspired by the classical art of ancient Greek monumental historical panels.

The style of the picture can be easily called minimalistic. Dynamic composition, monotony of forms, lack of unnecessary details and minimal color scale create an inherent modernizing effect of stylization. Oblong, diagonally extended forms of bull and dolphins, as well as the "disturbing" horizon line, leaves the picture without a single straight vertical or horizontal line in the composition. From this it seems to be moving upwards.

The figure of the fiery-red bull, floating on the stormy sea, divides the picture into two parts diagonally, both in composition and in color. Serov chose atypical, for Zeus in the form of a bull, color. In most cases, the greatness and magnificence of the thunderer is emphasized by white, in this case, Serov chose a bright orange color, which introduced an unusual dynamism into the coloring of the picture and simultaneously created a visual focus.

Painting "Abduction of Europe": options

Serov created several variants of the picture, none of which is considered to be completely completed. In all existing images, the palette and composition remain virtually unchanged, in contrast to the many variants of the "Odyssey Meetings with the Navzika", in which Serov experimented with the construction, composition, dynamics and color spectrum.

The largest and most detailed version of the painting "Abduction of Europe" is stored in the State Tretyakov Gallery, but belongs to this private collection.