"The Abduction of Europe" - a picture of Serov, which is one of the highest achievements of the modernist style in Russia

Ancient Greek myth "Abduction of Europe" is very popular among writers and artists of the whole world. Painting Serov - one of many paintings on this subject. We painted this story of Guido Reni, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Luca Giordano, Buet Simon, our contemporary Mikhail Brusilovsky and many others.

Who is this girl in the picture?

The adventures of the loving prankster of Zeus are one of the most popular themes in world painting of all times and peoples. In what kind of form did not steal the thunderer of young beauties on the territories available to him for thousands of years. Not escape this fate and daughter of the king of the rich Phoenician city of Sidon.

Agenor had three sons, among whom was the long-suffering Cadmus, famous for having founded the legendary Thebes, and ended his life in the form of a snake. The only daughter of the Phoenician king with her radiant beauty was equal to the goddesses. And no matter how her relatives hid, the aegis-power still saw her and, naturally, fell in love. What happened was exactly what was to happen, namely the abduction of Europe. The picture of Serov, as well as of other masters, tells how it happened.

Lovelace, glorified in the centuries

Beauty surrounded by girlfriends frolicked on the seashore away from the eyes of the people. Suddenly, from nowhere, an amazing white snow-white bull with gilded horns appeared. The girls began to play with a gentle animal, weave wreaths of flowers and put them on his head. And as soon as the beautiful Europe crouched on his back, the bull with terrible speed rushed to the sea and jumped into the water. So the native shore disappeared beyond the horizon, only dolphins frolic around the mighty handsome bull, carefully carrying a precious burden. The theme is more than grateful: the sea, waves, beautiful animal, frightened beauty and flocks of dolphins. Zeus brought a beloved to the island of Crete, where she became his wife, gave birth to him three sons, who later became heroes of Greece.

Inspired by Greece

"The Abduction of Europe" - a picture of Serov, written by him in 1910. The artist died in 1911, the canvas with the ancient Greek plot is one of the last, as if the final works of the master. The idea of the painting arose in the famous artist in 1907 during a visit to Greece together with Leon Bakst, more specifically Crete, where they saw many mythical stories on the frescoes of the ruins of the Palace of Knossos. The trip was connected with the work of Serov over the paintings, which were intended for the Moscow Museum of Fine Arts, commissioned by the artist Polenov. Therefore, the picture of Serov "The Abduction of Europe" recalls not an easel painting, but a decorative monumental panel. According to some information, at least six variants of the painting were created by the artist. Canvases of different sizes. There is a sketch on the cardboard, made with tempera and gouache, the size of 40 x 52 cm. There is a canvas measuring 71 x 98. It is stored in the main building of the State Tretyakov Gallery, which is located at Lavrushinsky Lane 10. The most finished version measuring 138 x 178 was before 1996 Year from the heirs of the artist. Since 1999, this canvas has been kept in the private collection of international businessman and philanthropist Moshe Kantor.

Own interpretation

"The Abduction of Europe" is a picture of Serov, which, like the Girl with Peaches, is the artist's most recognizable painting. It is executed in Art Nouveau style, which had other names: Art Nouveau (or young style), Art Nouveau (or new art). This direction in the last decade of the XIX century and at the beginning of XX took possession of the thoughts and feelings of the majority of artists of all European countries. All the author's variants of the painting, having differences mainly in color, are very far from the academic settings. Painting by Valentin Serov "Abduction of Europe" is both a previously unused artistic manner of the painter, and the founder of the new affirming style.

The canvas is very original and in terms of the plot: Serov's bull is red, whereas in myth and in the pictures of other authors he's snow-white. All movement in the picture is directed diagonally, the bull carries the beauty, dissecting the waves, into the upper right corner, to the distant, highly elevated horizon line. Dolphins, repeating the line of movement of the bull, strengthen the dynamics of the picture. The main space is occupied by the troubled sea. A frightened girl, who is very unlike a queen at this moment, completely depends on the kidnapper. Her pose is unstable, high waves threaten to absorb the beauty that slipped from her back. But the bull is calm and self-assured, and eyes, looking at the beauty, ask for forgiveness for the delivered fear.

Cloth, glorifying love

So Russian artist Serov saw the abduction of Europe. The description of the picture can be continued by several comparisons, which O. Mandelstam, shaken by her, gave her. He has rough sea shells, the sea itself is "fat," boiling "in the key," "oily" shine of the waves to the point of insanity scares Europe, frozen in horror. Stunning comparisons, more accurately you will not tell. Despite the tension of the moment sealed in the picture, the overall color scheme of the canvas is calm, according to some statements, even cheerful. Perhaps this is so, because the horror does not cast a picture, and even a person unfamiliar with the mythological plot will never come to mind that a mighty bull will not deliver a precious burden to the earth's firmament.