Images of the fairy tale "Snow Maiden" in fine arts, literature, folklore

Snow Maiden - in its own unique, unusually interesting character. She is a good hero of New Year's mythology.

As a character, she was reflected in the fine arts, literature, cinema, music. And the images of the fairytale "Snow Maiden" in painting became the personification of the external image of the girl.

Snow Maiden: the origin of the heroine

Only Russian New Year's mythology has in its composition a positive female hero. Despite its uniqueness, its origin is shrouded in mystery. There are three most popular theories, which are not only not interconnected, but also contradict each other.

The images of the fairytale "Snow Maiden" in the visual arts clearly describe all three theories.

The young companion of Santa Claus is attributed various family ties. She and daughter of Big Fir, appeared out of nowhere: getting out from under the spreading spruce branch. She is also the daughter of Frost and Spring. Also, her appearance is associated with childless old men who, at sunset, thought about children. Ivan and Marya blinded a little girl from the snow, so the Snegurka was born.

Snowbound girl

IN AND. Dahl wrote that in Russia snowballs, snowmen and bullfinchs were called ptah (birds), which wintered in the forests. In addition, he noted that these are "snow-clad dolts." According to VI. Dahl, these idiots had the image of a man.

It is noteworthy that Dal's words are generalized by all the images of the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden" in the fine arts.

The image of the girl, made up of old people from the snow, appeared after the baptism of Rus.

"Snow Maiden" is Ostrovsky's tale, it is the most popular reflection of the character we are considering. However, the work is not unique and unique.

Russian folk tale "Snegurushka" shows us the heroine, who was born from direct contact with the stove: grandmother and grandfather ...

IN AND. Dal in his tale "Girl Snow Maiden" so presents the birth of a heroine:

Mythologized image of frozen winter waters

Zharnikova S.V., an ethnologist, believes that the image of the Snow Maiden found its first reflection in the god Varuna. Svetlana explains this simply: The Snow Maiden is the faithful companion of Santa Claus, and he originates in the times of Varuna. Therefore, Zharnikova suggests that Snegurka - is the embodiment of frozen (winter) waters. Her origin is also matched by her traditional attire: white clothes combined with silver ornament.

Snow Maiden - prototype of Kostroma

Some researchers connect our heroine with the Slavic ceremony of the funeral of Kostroma.

What is common in the images of Kostroma and the Snow Maiden? Seasonality and the external image (in one of the interpretations).

Kostroma is depicted as a young woman in snow-white clothes, she holds an oak branch in her hands. Most often shown in the environment of many people (round dance).

It is this face of Kostroma that makes her close with the Snow Maiden. However, the straw dummy of a woman (the second image of Kostroma) also has much in common with a snow maiden. It is believed that the merrymaking ends with the burning of a scarecrow: this means that in winter the end comes - spring is coming. Similarly ends its annual cycle and Snow Maiden: melts, jumping over the fire.

What else do Snegurochka and Kostroma have in common? Kostroma is not only a female folklore image, but also a city in the Central Federal District of Russia, which is home to Granddaughter of Santa Claus.

Tale-play Ostrovsky AN "Snow Maiden"

In the estate "Shchelykovo", located in the Kostroma region, there is a small homeland of the playwright who wrote the work "Snow Maiden".

Tale of Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolayevich "Snow Maiden" Reveals the image of the girl a little from the other side, rather than the works of Russian folklore.

Ostrovsky tests his heroine:

• It is not understood by others (inhabitants of Sloboda);
• Bobyl and Bobylikha, unlike their grandfather and grandmother from the folk tale, do not like their daughter, but use it, pursuing only one goal: they will make money.

Ostrovsky subjects the girl to tests: she goes through mental pains.

Images of the fairy tale "Snow Maiden" in the fine arts

"Spring Fairy Tale" by Alexander Ostrovsky came to life and acquired its melody due to the composer, whose name is N. Rimsky-Korsakov.

After the first reading of the play, the composer was not inspired by her drama, but in the winter of 1879 he began to think about the creation of the opera The Snow Maiden.

For the first time on the stage, the opera The Snow Maiden was presented to a large audience on January 29, 1882.

Here, the images of the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden" begin their journey in the fine arts.

The first artist, who captured the image of a fairy-tale Russian beauty, can be called V.M. Vasnetsov. It was he who performed the scenery for the opera by NA. Rimsky-Korsakov's "Snow Maiden", staged on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater.

Inspired by the opera Victor Mikhailovich not only created the scenery for the production, but also became the author of a separate work: the pictures "The Snow Maiden" (1899).

Vasnetsov is not the only artist who embodied the images of the fairy tale "The Snow Maiden". Sketches of costumes and scenery belong to N.K. Roerich. He worked four times on the design of the play "The Snow Maiden."

The first versions of design (1908 and 1912) N.K. Roerich transferred the viewer to the world of ancient pre-Christian Russia, when paganism prevailed in society and recklessly believed in fairy tales. And the production of 1921 differed more modern (for those years) vision of the plot.

A brush was used to create the image of Snegurka and MA. Vrubel.

V.M. Vasnetsov, N.K. Roerich, M.A. Vrubel - painters, thanks to which the Snow Maiden "found" her snow image: a radiant white long dress, a bandage on her hair (summer image); A light snowy vestment, belted with fur, an ermine, a short fur coat.

The image of the snow girl was captured on their canvases by artists: Alexander Shabalin, Vasily Perov, Ilya Glazunov, Konstantin Korovin.

V.M. Vasnetsov - images of the fairy tale "Snow Maiden"

In the decorative and applied arts, when creating his works, he drew inspiration from V.M. Vasnetsov. Motives of Russian embroidery, painting on wood, he used, performing the decorations of the royal chambers.

Viktor Mikhailovich created the image of the Snow Maiden, consisting of a sarafan and a hoop on his head. It is noteworthy that the artist himself was engaged in painting the maiden's attire. His brush belongs to many parts of the set. Later, art critics will say that V.M. Vasnetsov became a full-fledged co-author of the play.