Mikhail Alexandrovich Vrubel (1865-1910) was a Russian artist of remarkable talent and a turbulent. His paintings were produced in a political climate that was alternately hostile and sympathetic. In his lifetime, he knew both praise and disdain, with critics calling his work everything from “wild ugliness” to “the fascinating symphonies of a genius”. Gradually, however, Vrubel’s painting came to be viewed as an integral part of Russian culture. Some modern scholars compare his work directly to Early Renaissance or Late Byzantine art and recognize Vrubel as a proud artistic individual who held aloof from contemporary trends. Others consider Vrubel the founder of Russian Art Nouveau and group him with that movement.
1882. Watercolor on paper. The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.
1883. Watercolor on paper. The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. Read Note.
1883. Watercolor, whitewash on paper. The Museum of Russian Art, Kiev, Ukraine.
1884. Oil on canvas. The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. Read Note.
1884. Fresco. Church of St. Cyril, Kiev, Ukraine.
1884. Fresco. Church of St. Cyril, Kiev, Ukraine.
1884. Fresco. Church of St. Cyril, Kiev, Ukraine. Read Note.
1884. Fresco. Church of St. Cyril, Kiev, Ukraine.
1884. Fresco. Church of St. Cyril, Kiev, Ukraine.
1884. Fresco. Church of St. Cyril, Kiev, Ukraine.
1884-85. Zinc panel. Church of St. Cyril, Kiev, Ukraine.
1884-85. Zinc panel. Church of St. Cyril, Kiev, Ukraine.
1880s. Watercolor on paper. The Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.
1884. Church of St. Cyril, Kiev, Ukraine. Read Note.
1885. Zinc panel. Church of St. Cyril, Kiev, Ukraine. Read Note.
1885. Zinc panel. Church of St. Cyril, Kiev, Ukraine.
1886. Watercolor, whitewash on paper. The Museum of Russian Art, Kiev, Ukraine.
1886. Watercolor, whitewash on paper. The Museum of Russian Art, Kiev, Ukraine.
1886. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Russian Art, Kiev, Ukraine.
1886. Oil on canvas. The Museum of Russian Art, Kiev, Ukraine.
Vrubel by N.Dmitriyeva. Russian Painters of the XIX century. Moscow. 1990.
Michail Vrubel: The Artist of the Eves by Mikhail Guerman. Parkstone Press, 1998.
The Art of Mikhail Vrubel (1856-1910) by Aline Isdebsky-Pritchard. UMI Research Press, 1982.
The Art and Architecture of Russia (Pelican History Art) by George Heard Hamilton. Yale Univ Pr, 1992.
A Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Artists 1420-1970 by John Milner. Antique Collectors' Club, 1993.