1. Урок 3: Visual and Cultural Literacy
1. ИЗВЕСТНЫЕ МЕСТА
Это Большой театр—
one of Moscow’s
most famous
buildings and certainly
its most famous
theatre. Тhe Bolshoi
Theatre is located on
Theatre Square
(Театральная
площадь), not far
from the Kremlin
(Кремль) and Red
Square (Красная
площадь). Opened in
1825, it serves as
home for the
Большой балет dance
company and school.
2. This painting shows
what the interior (and
audience) looked like
in the 19th
century.
The Bolshoi was
recently closed for six
years (2005-2011) for
renovation. Here’s a
picture of the interior
today.
3. 2. ИЗВЕСТНЫЕ РУССКИЕ: ПЕТР ИЛЬИЧ ЧАЙКОВСКИЙ
Чайковский
If you go to the Большой
театр, you may get to see a
performance of one of the
many famous works by this
man. Это известный
русский композитор Пётр
Ильич Чайковский (1840-
1893).
4. Tchaikovsky’s works are some of
the most familiar pieces of classical
music.
There is the ballet “The Nutcracker”
(Щелкунчик), of course. You will no doubt
recognize the “Dance of the Flowers” (
Танец цветов) and the “Russian Dance” (
Русский танец).
5. Other ballets by Чайковский
include “Sleeping Beauty”
(Спящая красавица)and
“Swan Lake” (Лебединое
озеро). The finale of the latter
is probably also familiar to you.
6. Чайковский also wrote two
operas based on works by
Пушкин—Евгений Онегин and
Пиковая дама (“The Queen of
Spades”).
Other well known works by
Tchaikovsky included “The 1812
Overture” (1812 год) and his
Piano Concerto No. 1--
Концерт No. 1 для
фортепиано.
7. 3. ИЗВЕСТНЫЕ ХУДОЖНИКИ И ИХ КАРТИНЫ
Михаил Александрович Врубель
1856-1910
The works of М. А. Врубель
are major examples of the “art
nouveau” style that emerged in
Russian art at the end of the
nineteenth century, in large part
in reaction to the decades-long
dominance of realism and the
expectation that art contain a
social message. His style was
quite different from what had
been the norm; the break from
realism and the movement
towards modernism are clearly
evident in his canvases.
8. Vrubel’s most famous painting is called “The Demon Sitting” (Демон сидящий),
painted in 1890. Its subject was inspired by a Romantic narrative poem by
Лермонтов called «Демон». The title character loves a Circassian girl named
Тамара, but his love destroys her and he is left to wander the earth alone and
unloved.
9. Vrubel created several pieces for the Демон series. This other large canvas
is called “The Demon Downcast” (Демон поверженный); painted in 1901, it
depicts the demon cast down among the chaotic elements, but still remaining
defiant.
10. Врубель also produced paintings with mythological or folk themes, like
«Пан» (“Pan”) and «Царевна лебедь» (“Swan Princess”).
11. Портрет Н. И. Забелы-Врубель,
1899 (Это его жена).
Портрет Саввы Мамонтова, 1897
Мамонтов was an important patron
of the arts during this period.
12. In addition to
painting, Vrubel also
worked in other
media. This mosaic
on the façade of the
Metropol Hotel
(Гостиница
Метрополь) in
Moscow (across
from the Большой
театр) was
designed by
Врубель.
13. 4. КУЛЬТУРНЫЕ ИДИОМЫ: ЖАРПТИЦА
Ж
а
р
п
т
и
ц
а
и
т
д
.
The Firebird (Жарптица) is
an important figure in Russian
fairy tales. Its colorful, glowing
feathers attract the hero—
usually Иван Царевич, the
son of the царь—who tries to
capture her, but only
manages to grab one feather.
He then must set out on a
difficult journey to distant
lands to find the Жарптица
and bring her home. There
are many different versions of
the tale in which the
Жарптица serves as both an
object of desire and a
potential source of trouble for
the hero.
14. The moment when Иван Царевич grabs
the feather from the tail of the жарптица is
also a common subject for traditional
lacquer boxes and panels.
Perhaps the most famous illustrations
for Russian fairy tales were done by
Иван Билибин. To the left you can see
one of his most famous works.
15. “The Firebird” is also a well
known ballet by Игорь
Стравинский, first performed
in Paris in 1910 by the famed
company Ballets Russes.
You can watch an excerpt from
a recent production of the
ballet by St. Petersburg’s
Mariinsky Theater here.
This painting for the original
production of Stravinsky’s
«Жарптица» is by Леон
Бакст, who was part of the
Mир искусства (World of Art)
group to which Кустодиев
(lesson 1) also belonged.
16. A photo of one of the original
performances of Жарптица.
A more contemporary version.
17. A clever русский бизнесмен has used this familiar cultural idiom
for the “punny” name of a chain of pizza restaurants.
