Description of the picture:
Bogatyr – Victor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov. 1870. Watercolor
Before us is a Russian hero on a war horse. The equipment of the hero, his clothes are devoid of any luxury, beauty. Everything is very simple, nothing more. Dark blue caftan, helmet, light ports, soft but durable leather boots and mittens. The combat equipment of the hero is simple: a sword, bow, mace. But the horse’s bridle, on the contrary, is richly decorated, which clearly shows the hero’s attitude towards his fighting friend. Both the rider and the horse fit one another. In both, one feels strength, power, courage.
The watercolor landscape plays the role of a color background. Wide steppes are empty, devoid of any vegetation. Greenish clouds sadly hang over the steppe. Silence.
Clasped хэнд "a straw", the warrior peers anxiously into this silence. The quiet horse also listens to the steppe.
It is safe to say that watercolor Bogatyr – this is just a sketch, sketch, brush test. The facial features of the hero are devoid of individuality, the landscape is sketchy. The author carefully experiments, gradually forming his main idea: creating a picture about heroes-defenders, heroes of ancient Russian epics and legends. Later, this sketch will form the basis of the famous painting “Heroes”."