Gospel. Biblical circle of Vasily Palenov

The publication first presented the gospel in the synodal translation and work of V.D. Polenova, included in the gospel circle, the creation of which V.D. Polenov devoted forty years of his life.
All this time he deeply studied the Holy Scriptures, the nature of the Holy Land, the life of that time. He admired the views of Palestine, which is why so much pure beauty, solar permeating light, a feeling of harmony of being in his gospel landscapes. The artist went his work to Christ. According to the work of the biblical cycle, one can study the life of Jesus Christ. Any viewer can draw spiritual joy from these works. The artist himself believed that art should give happiness and joy, otherwise it costs nothing.
Gospel completely illustrated by V.D. Polenova, located in accordance with the context, has never been published.
The book talks about the work of Polenov on the paintings of the Gospel Circle. The publication presents not only the famous works of V.D. Polenova stored in Russian museums, but also work from private collections. Part of the work, whose location is unknown to be reproduced according to archival documents (album “From the Life of Christ” in 1910, the exhibition in St. Petersburg 1909) Our publication first publishes almost all the works of the cycle “From the Life of Christ”, as well as, sketches for paintings for paintings And landscapes created in two travels Polenov in the Middle East.
Polenov’s work on the paintings of the cycle “From the Life of Christ” was completed in 1908. In the same year, 58 paintings were exhibited in St. Petersburg. In Moscow in 1909, all 64 works of the cycle were shown. However, this series in its integrity is known only by reproductions in the published Polen album “From the Life of Christ”, which has become a bibliographic rarity immediately by going out.
It is safe to say that both the Russian Bible and the Biblical cycle of Polenov became a real breakthrough in the field of Russian spiritual culture. Already in his picture “The Resurrection of the daughter of Jair”, which Polenov defended as a thesis at the Academy of Arts in 1871, the artist focuses on the depiction of the Savior precisely as a son of human, consciously moving away from the attitudes of classical academic painting. At that time, it was perceived as unheard of innovation.
On the artist’s canvases, scenes from the life of the Savior, the Mother of God and the Apostles, seemed to come to life, and the sacred story itself appeared as a narrative about life in the appearance of quite ordinary people of her era, who outwardly no different from their contemporaries. For a Russian person, this was a completely new experience of meeting with Christ - that meeting, which, it turns out, is possible not only in the temple, but also beyond, in the space of everyday life.
Recommended for printing by the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church