Description of the picture:
The Swan Princess – Mikhail Vrubel. 1900. Oil on canvas. 142.5×93.5
The painting was the result of serious work by the artist on the scenery for the opera "The Tale of Tsar Saltan". At this time, the life of the whole family of the master was closely connected with this production. The wife performed the part of the Princess, the artist himself was entrusted to create the scenery and costume designs.
Of all the characters, it was the Swan Princess who was most interested in the master. Two natural principles – cold and warm, water and air, dark and light – attracted the artist in this image. Fairy tale, a wonderful combination of incongruous – became the main ideas of the artist.
It would be a mistake to consider that the author painted a portrait of his wife in the image. The surviving photographs of Nadezhda Vrubel prove that the image of the Princess is wholly and completely born of the artist’s imagination.
The viewer is fond of both numerous details and the general plot. The artist managed to convey the most wonderful moment – the transformation. It is worth looking closely into the face of the heroine: her large expressive eyes are already somewhat reminiscent of birds, her lips will turn into a beak in an instant. The feather dress of the Princess is gorgeous. The color scheme based on pristine white, striking a variety of subtle shades. Silk and feather texture of the apparel is masterfully conveyed. Even the most inquisitive viewer will not be able to determine the border between feathers and the heroine’s outfit.
It is impossible to break away from the gaze of the Princess. Expecting a miracle, she as if invites everyone to share with her all the magic of the moment.
In Russian mythology, a swan is a symbol of creative flight, inspiration, fantasy, imagination. The picture was loved by many poets, and the master’s colleagues seriously studied it in order to understand the secret of transmitting the pearlescent texture, the elusive movement and the mixing of colors.
The work was bought by the philanthropist Morozov, and fell into the Tretyakov Gallery by the will of the collector. Two detailed sketches for the painting are stored in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg."