‘A Rower in a red shirt’ is a sketch of the painting ‘Stepan Razin’ by Vasily Surikov from the collection of the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. The personality of the peasant revolt leader, that swept the entire Volga region in the 17th century, attracted artists, writers, and cinematographers. The character of Stepan Razin was included in many works of art: ‘Songs about Stenka Razin’ by Alexander Pushkin, Vladimir Gilyarovsky’s poem ‘Stenka Razin’, Nikolai Afanasyev’s opera ‘Stenka Razin’, several films, and many other works.
Surikov decided to create his own image of a Cossack ataman (a title of Cossack leaders of various kinds) in 1887, but work on the sketches began only 13 years later. The artist spent a long time selecting appropriate faces for the characters. One of the most successful sketches for this picture was the image of a young Cossack rower in a red shirt. A sharp look, a strong, with a lot of character face, sternly pursed lips, dark cheekbones, and an aquiline nose are successfully complemented by clothes. A red shirt with an open collar and a papakha (tall Caucasian fur hat) worn on one side, give the Cossack a dashing and daring look. The rower accompanies the ataman on his journey across the Volga vast expanses. Like other companions of Stepan Razin, he is a proactive figure, in contrast with whom only the main character stands out — the revolt leader, immersed in thought.
The time the picture was painted gives a certain symbolism to it. The artist finished working on a sketch depicting a fellow-fighter of a rebel ataman in 1905 during the First Russian Revolution.
The theme of the Cossacks occupied a special place in the artist’s work because the Cossacks played an important role in the conquest and development of Siberia: they explored new lands, built prisons, collected taxes, guarded borders, and were engaged in farming. The ancestors of Vasily Surikov were also Cossacks who came from the Don to Siberia in the 16th century.
Having settled on the banks of the Yenisei, representatives of the Surikov family took an active part in the Krasnoyarsk agitation (the so-called riots of Krasnoyarsk residents against the tsarist military governors). Performing the Cossack military service, the Surikovs achieved some success.
For example, the grandfather of the great artist, Vasily Surikov, served as sotnik (lieutenant of Cossack troops), and his grandfather’s cousin, Alexander Surikov, was the ataman of the Yenisei Cossack regiment. According to one version, the Atamansky Island on the Yenisei was named in his honor. It is not surprising that Vasily Surikov was very proud of his family and often turned to family history. Although the artist himself was no longer part of the Cossack class, he continued to consider himself a Cossack: ‘From all sides, I am a natural Cossack… my Cossackdom is more than 200 years old, ’ the artist said.
Surikov decided to create his own image of a Cossack ataman (a title of Cossack leaders of various kinds) in 1887, but work on the sketches began only 13 years later. The artist spent a long time selecting appropriate faces for the characters. One of the most successful sketches for this picture was the image of a young Cossack rower in a red shirt. A sharp look, a strong, with a lot of character face, sternly pursed lips, dark cheekbones, and an aquiline nose are successfully complemented by clothes. A red shirt with an open collar and a papakha (tall Caucasian fur hat) worn on one side, give the Cossack a dashing and daring look. The rower accompanies the ataman on his journey across the Volga vast expanses. Like other companions of Stepan Razin, he is a proactive figure, in contrast with whom only the main character stands out — the revolt leader, immersed in thought.
The time the picture was painted gives a certain symbolism to it. The artist finished working on a sketch depicting a fellow-fighter of a rebel ataman in 1905 during the First Russian Revolution.
The theme of the Cossacks occupied a special place in the artist’s work because the Cossacks played an important role in the conquest and development of Siberia: they explored new lands, built prisons, collected taxes, guarded borders, and were engaged in farming. The ancestors of Vasily Surikov were also Cossacks who came from the Don to Siberia in the 16th century.
Having settled on the banks of the Yenisei, representatives of the Surikov family took an active part in the Krasnoyarsk agitation (the so-called riots of Krasnoyarsk residents against the tsarist military governors). Performing the Cossack military service, the Surikovs achieved some success.
For example, the grandfather of the great artist, Vasily Surikov, served as sotnik (lieutenant of Cossack troops), and his grandfather’s cousin, Alexander Surikov, was the ataman of the Yenisei Cossack regiment. According to one version, the Atamansky Island on the Yenisei was named in his honor. It is not surprising that Vasily Surikov was very proud of his family and often turned to family history. Although the artist himself was no longer part of the Cossack class, he continued to consider himself a Cossack: ‘From all sides, I am a natural Cossack… my Cossackdom is more than 200 years old, ’ the artist said.
