The image of Alexander Nevsky in art: a description, interesting facts and reviews

Alexander Nevsky - a great man and a prince, literate commander and diplomat, a model of spirituality and morality, played a huge role in the history of the Russian state. He was grateful not only for his descendants, but also for people living in modern times, many glorified creators praised his image in art.

Alexander Nevsky: personality in history

Everyone who is familiar with history knows such a person as Alexander Nevsky. He was the Grand Duke of All Russia and did much for the development of the power, which was strong in spirit and known for its power.

You can tell a lot about the life of the prince, but it's better to list all his titles that will tell you everything yourself: prince of Novgorod, prince of Kiev, prince of Vladimir, commander of the armies of Kievan Rus and the holy Orthodox church.

During his 42 years of life in the 13th century, the prince managed a lot, therefore for centuries the image of Alexander Nevsky in art is praised in many works. And starting with his contemporaries and ending with our days.

The image of Alexander Nevsky in art: a summary

Alexander Nevsky is familiar to everyone, and his name is always heard, so are the streets, squares and lanes, and for St. Petersburg he is a heavenly patron. However, more than one image of the prince has not reached our days, and everyone sees it in his own way. His image from ancient times appears in various works of art, and you can only briefly list the directions:

• Old Russian literature.
• Fiction.
• Art.
• Cinema.
• Sculpture.

The image of Alexander Nevsky in works of art: a description

Literature, painting and icon painting, cinematography and music, sculpture and architecture are different kinds of art, so unlike each other. But in each direction there must necessarily be a significant figure who defended her lands and her people, showing herself as an example.

One can lead a monologue for a long time and quote various people about the person who was the prince, describe his achievements, how often the image of Alexander Nevsky in works of art is mentioned, and each species can be considered separately to understand how important it is as a historical person.

Alexander Nevsky in Painting

The image of Alexander Nevsky in art is found everywhere, and in painting he paid a lot of attention. One part of the artists created his portraits and depicted during the battles, the other preferred to embody the image of a saint, whom many believers today worship.

The first appearance in Russian painting is embodied in the form of a miniature about the Battle of the Ice in the annals.

The famous prince Nikolai Roerich, writing several paintings, Vasnetsov, Korin and Moller, also paid attention to the Grand Duke, as well as Serov with his famous painting "Alexander Nevsky's Entry into Pskov after the Battle of Ice".

Most of the artists depicted Nevsky during wars and battles, showed him as a strong and courageous commander, under whose command more than one battle was won.

Nevsky in the works of Semiradsky

The image of Alexander Nevsky in the visual arts is clearly manifested in the paintings of GI. Semiradsky. In 1875, as an apprentice to the Academy of Art in St. Petersburg, he was commissioned to create four paintings dedicated to St. Alexander Nevsky. Over the years, they were lost, but in the Russian Museum you can see sketches that confirm their existence.

The subject for the paintings was not chosen by the artist himself, but was discussed by a special commission that determined the following important stages in the life of the Grand Duke: when the prince visited Batu Khan when he received ambassadors, the day of his death, and the miracle that occurred during the burial.

Semiradsky was able to create spectacular paintings in which he attached importance to detail. On the canvas is combined the skill obtained in the academic school, and the influence of the German artist Piloti.

Written pictures, where the prince appears before a spectator by a young energetic ruler, did not fit the temple at all. Holiness in the prince was difficult to guess, contemporaries noticed this and even wrote about it in the newspapers.

Alexander Nevsky and religion

Today for all Orthodox, Alexander Nevsky is a saint, who is prayed every day by hundreds of thousands of people, asking for help and thanking for the miracle that has happened. Already in 1280 he was honored as a saint, later the prince was canonized by the church. Alexander Nevsky is closely connected with religion, and it is expressed in different types of art.

The Order of St. Alexander Nevsky was established by order of Catherine I, and in the USSR in 1942 another was created, which was awarded for services in military operations.

There are two most famous icons, one of which was created by Ivan the Greek in the 18th century.

The image of Alexander Nevsky in art was expressed in the construction of churches in different cities of Russia. In Moscow, the first stone was laid on the territory of the military unit in 1995 and was consecrated by Alexy II.

In St. Petersburg in 1710 was laid the first stone of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra, the construction lasted a long time and with interruptions, was completed only in 1790. The cathedral was also built in Petrozavodsk in the 19th century, although at first it was a church in the factory, built on the donations of workers.

You can still list the temples, churches and chapels built under the name of Alexander Nevsky for a long time, but it's worthwhile to name cities where everyone can see the holy place: Yaroslavl, Veliky and Nizhny Novgorod, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk, Pskov, Riga, Yalta, Tallinn and many others, Located outside of Russia.

In the cinema

One of the important types of culture that preserve the memory of the prince is cinema. In 1938 on the screens there was a film "Alexander Nevsky" from the director Sergei Eisenstein. It was awarded the Stalin Prize and accepted by the people, today it belongs to the classical paintings of the 1930s.

In 1941, when the Great Patriotic War began, the film was returned to hire to maintain the spirit, it was even more deafening success. The film was filmed by all the beloved and well-known actors: Nikolai Cherkasov, Nikolai Okhlopkov, Andrei Abrikosov and others.

The film takes place in 1242. The battle with the Swedes was over, the Teutonic troops began to advance on Russia. The painting ends with a battle on Lake Peipsi.

The image of A. Nevsky in art, including in this film, is very significant. The prince is a hero, who has always tried to protect his lands and his people.

Literary works

The image of Alexander Nevsky in various works of art, including in literature, was widely sung by writers and poets. The first mention in literature appeared due to the prince's contemporary. "The Life of Alexander Nevsky" refers to the monuments of Ancient Rus, tells about the exploits and courage of Nevsky.

In 1977, a story about the events of the 13th century came out, when Novgorod repelled the attack of the Germans. The story is about the fate of a wise man, mentally rich, who is a patriot of the Novgorod Republic. The story is called "Mister Veliky Novgorod", it was written by D.M. Balashov.

It is interesting to write a novel-trilogy "Alexander Nevsky" from the author S.P. Mosiah. The work begins with the description of the power of the city of Veliky Novgorod, its significance and the purpose of capturing neighboring countries. But Novgorod does not give up, because in his defense rises the prince and the brilliant military commander Nevsky.

Music

In 1938, the joint work of the director Sergei Eisenstein and composer Prokofiev began. The main task of the musician was to create music on the footage of the plot according to his ideas and opinions. Through music, the composer managed to convey the image of the hero who fought in the fierce battles, all this was combined with pictorial-scenic episodes and singing-choral scenes.

The embodiment of the image of Alexander Nevsky was very clearly pronounced in the work of Sergei Prokofiev, whose music was written in the words of the poet Lugovsky. It was expressed in such a work as the cantata "Alexander Nevsky", consisting of seven parts. Each part is intended for different performers: a soloist, a choir or an orchestra depending on the part: "The Battle of the Ice", "The Dead Field", "The Crusaders in Pskov", etc.

Historical monuments

The image of Alexander Nevsky in various forms of art, including sculpture, was expressed by many architects, today they can be seen all over the country. The most famous are the following:

• Monument in St. Petersburg, created by the architect Valentin Kozenyuk and installed in 2002 in front of the entrance to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The monument is made of pink granite, and the figure, sitting on a horse, is cast from bronze.
• In 1993, a monument to Nevsky on Mount Sokolikha was erected in Pskov, since it was in this city in 1242 that the Teutonic Knights on the Lake Peipsi were defeated. The creator of the statue is the architect Joseph Kozlovsky.
• In Veliky Novgorod there is also a monument, established in 1985 on the embankment. On the anniversary of the victory on Lake Peipsi, rallies are held in tribute to the memory of the great commander. Another monument is set in the center of the city in front of the church of Boris and Gleb.

In addition to these monuments, there are still monuments in Moscow, in Rostov-on-Don, in Alexandrov (Vladimir region), in Vladimir and in Kursk.

Evaluation of the personality of Nevsky and the results of his reign

Alexander Nevsky lived and ruled in the distant 13th century, no matter how accurate the information reached the present day, no one can say for sure. Historians of his personality do not put an unequivocally good estimate, sometimes the views are the most opposite.

However, in 2008 the prince was named "in the name of Russia", and in 2016 he became the patron saint of the land forces of the Russian Federation. It is difficult to argue that the image of Alexander Nevsky in art is present in many works that appeared in completely different times, he is praised and considered great.

However, reviews about this person are not only positive. Some historians express the opinion that the prince caused irreparable damage to the state, brought the Tatars to the Russian lands, making friends with Sartak, who was the son of Batu, and even betrayed his brother. But each person chooses what to believe in, and what has already happened can not be changed.