Paper

Student Artwork Guide

Vrubel

Name Class Date

Mikhail Vrubel, Vrubel. Public domain.

The facts

Artist
Mikhail Vrubel artsdot.com/en/artists/mikhail-vrubel/
Artist’s dates
1856 – 1910
Movement
Art Nouveau Flowing, plant-like curves running through everything from paintings to lamps and doorways.

In context

Vrubel — Mikhail Vrubel

When might this have been painted?

  1. 1850
  2. 1860
  3. 1870
  4. 1880
  5. 1890
  6. 1900
  7. 1910

Shaded: the lifetime of Mikhail Vrubel (1856–1910)

This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: artsdot.com/en/art/similar/mikhail-vrubel-vrubel-8CAC6M-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Walnut #705a3b

    Catalogued palette

    • #705A3B
    • #3E2E22
    • #969DEE
    • #BBA250
    Palette
    Dark The dominant colour family in the image.
    Main colour name
    Walnut
    Intensity
    Vivid How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Bold How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Softly Mixed Palette How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Balanced How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Balanced Soft How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    Mikhail Vrubel

    Born in Omsk, Russia

    early life and education

    mikhail aleksandrovich vrubel, a renowned russian painter, was born on march 17, 1856, in omsk, russia. his family's noble heritage and his father's military career influenced vrubel's early life. despite graduating from the faculty of law at st petersburg university in 1880, vrubel's true passion lay in art. he entered the imperial academy of arts, studying under pavel chistyakov, where he exhibited exceptional talent for drawing and an idiosyncratic style.

    artistic career

    vrubel's artistic journey was marked by his unique blend of symbolism and art nouveau. in 1884, he was commissioned to recreate the lost 12th-century murals and mosaics in the st. cyril's church of kiev. this project led him to study medieval christian art in venice, resulting in a palette of strong, saturated tones reminiscent of precious stones.

    seated demon (1890), a large painting that brought vrubel notoriety, was praised by art patron savva mamontov as "fascinating symphonies of a genius."

    his work on the hotel "metropol" in moscow, particularly the mosaic panel princess of dream, showcased his mastery of applied arts.

    vrubel's interest in oriental arts and persian carpets influenced his texture imitations in paintings like the demon downcast (1901).

    notable works and collaborations

    * mikhail vrubel's collaboration with opera singer nadezhda zabela led to his design of stage sets and costumes for her performances in mamontov's private opera theatre. * his acclaimed pieces, such as pan (1899), the swan princess (1900), and lilacs (1900), showcased his talent for russian fairy tales.

    legacy and later life

    vrubel's mental illness, complicated by tertiary syphilis, led to a severe nervous breakdown in 1906. he ceased painting and eventually passed away on april 14, 1910. despite his untimely end, vrubel's contributions to russian symbolism and art nouveau remain unparalleled. explore more of mikhail vrubel's works on AllPaintingsStore: mikhail vrubel | 204 artworks the socialist realism art movement (for context on the broader art movement in russia) * alfred roller (another artist who, like vrubel, was part of the vienna secession)

    Where to read more

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for Vrubel

    artsdot.com/en/art/download/mikhail-vrubel-vrubel-8CAC6M-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Vrubel, Mikhail. Vrubel. n.d., https://artsdot.com/en/art/mikhail-vrubel-vrubel-8CAC6M-en/
    APA
    Vrubel, Mikhail (n.d.). Vrubel [Painting]. https://artsdot.com/en/art/mikhail-vrubel-vrubel-8CAC6M-en/
    Chicago
    Mikhail Vrubel. Vrubel. n.d. https://artsdot.com/en/art/mikhail-vrubel-vrubel-8CAC6M-en/
    Harvard
    Vrubel, Mikhail (n.d.) Vrubel. Available at: https://artsdot.com/en/art/mikhail-vrubel-vrubel-8CAC6M-en/

    Look closely

    Vrubel — Mikhail Vrubel

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. How many faces can you find? ____ (our catalogue counts 3 — do you agree?)
    4. Our catalogue files this work under: architecture, mosaic art, byzantine. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    5. Look back at Swan-Princess (1904), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.