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File:Александр Андреевич Иванов - Явление Христа народу (Явление Мессии) - Google Art Project.jpg

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The Apparition of Christ to the People 1837–1857 540 х 750

The Apparition of Christ to the People or The Apparition of the Messiah is an oil on canvas painting by  540 х 750 cm by the Russian painter Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov. The painting has been called his magnum opus, and it it took 20 years to complete (1837 - 1857). The plot is based on the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, also described in first chapter of the Gospel according to John.

He worked on it for 20 years

The Appearance of Christ before the People

Alexander Ivanov was born on 28 July 1806 in the family of the artist. He was only eleven years old when he he entered as a student in the Imperial Academy of Arts. He studied at the Academy under the guidance of his father, a professor of painting  Andrei Ivanovich Ivanov He  was awarded with two silver medals, received in 1824 a gold medal for  the painting "Joseph Interprets Dreams concluded with him in prison, the butler and the baker." (?) The subject is taken from the (1: 29–31). Ivanov called this subject “universal.”

In the centre of the painting is the figure of John the Baptist, by the the River Jordan who is pointing out a distant figure  approaching the scene. To the left of John we see a group of apostles – the young John the Apostle, behind him St. Peter, and further on Andrew the Apostle, then Nathaniel, who asked:  ...  In the foreground we see people who watch the scenr but are undecided what to do, both young and old men. In the centre there is a wealthy man who has stepped away from Christ and a slave, about whom Ivanov said, he meant to depict people who after only " suffering there appeared joy for the first time." To the right there is the figure “closest to Christ” – whom we can recognize as the face of the writer N.V. Gogol. In the face of the wanderer with a staff seated not far from John, the artist has captured his own features

The painter portrays in the crowd, aroused by the word of the prophet, people of different ages, temperaments and walks of life. To the left of St John there is a group of future apostles soon to follow Christ. To the right the Pharisees and scribes, fanatics dogmatically rejecting the truth. In the centre of the canvas Ivanov painted a careworn, exhausted slave, in whom St John the Baptist’s words awaken a glimmer of hope for his spiritual emancipation.

At its first, nearest the viewer plan depicts a crowd of Jews who came to the banks of the Jordan after the prophet John the Baptist, in order to be baptized. Although Jews were baptized by John, but John's baptism did not have the remission of sins, John preached repentance and only one led to remission of sins, that is led to the baptism of Christ, from whom - the remission of sins [2]. The Prophet spent, according to legend, a long time in the wilderness, away from people preparing themselves to high purpose, clothed in camel yellowed skin and bright cloak of coarse cloth. Lush long hair in disarray flowing over her shoulders, and a thick beard framed his pale thin face with a slightly sunken eyes. High brow, hard and smart look, courageous, strong figure, muscular arms and legs - all denounces it uncommon intellectual and physical force is not broken, but only soulful ascetic life of a hermit. Holding in one hand a cross - an indispensable iconographic attribute of John the Baptist - the other people, he points to the lone figure of Christ, have already shown in the distance on a rocky, sun-scorched road. John explains the audience that the person is going to them a new truth, a new creed.

John the Baptist - one of the central images of this product. Its value grow there also because Christ according to the story - the image the appearance - pushed deep into the picture and therefore perceived by the spectator in the general contours of his figure, calm and majestic, seeming particularly significant because of the strict lines of mountain ridges, employees background. The face of Christ can be considered only with some effort. The figure of John pushed to the forefront of the picture and are dominated. His noble, inspiring appearance by rugged beauty, a heroic character, which is clearly in contrast with the standing next feminine and elegant John the Theologian, embody the idea of ​​the prophet Ivanova - leader of the people, the herald of truth.

John is surrounded by a crowd of people, very colorful in its social character and react differently to the words of the prophet. Behind the back of John the Baptist is a group of men, among them - the apostles, future disciples and followers of Christ, we have already mentioned above temperamental young red-haired John the Evangelist, in a yellow tunic and red cloak, and gray-bearded, wrapped in dark olive cloak Andrew with a good-looking pensive face. Next to them - listening intently gray-bearded old man, thin man, shivering wrapped in a long green coat, with a thin face, framed by a small black beard, with a skeptical smile and inquiring raised eyebrows - the so-called "doubter", indeed, in all probability, suspicious of to what the prophet says. Before John the Baptist - a group of people, is located on the ground. Some of them are eagerly listened to his words, others look to Christ. Here and wanderer, and frail old man rises to meet the prophet with the help of the young men, and the words of John frightened some well-dressed people, maybe in the Jewish administration.

One of the most important places on the value in the picture - the group at its very center, at the feet of John the Baptist. Here is depicted sitting on the ground, they spread veils rich older man with sleek, plump pink body beginners and his servant, crouching beside him on his heels, yellow, haggard, with rough skin and sinewy hands, with a rope around his neck. The idea of ​​the artist's moral regeneration of man, his spiritual renewal is most vividly was, apparently, appear in this image of suffering, humiliation, all human social systems, first heard the word of hope and comfort. What a slave is placed on one of the central picture shows the importance that the artist gave this image.

The right side of the foreground picture slender, beautiful half-naked young man, probably belonging to a wealthy family, throwing on behalf of lush curls, looking at Christ. Next to him - a great band, consisting of two nude figures - a boy and his father, the so-called "shaky." They just made sacramental ablution and now excitedly listen to John. They are greedy and anxious attention in connection with nudity-washed, "clean" body as it symbolizes the willingness to adopt a new truth, a new doctrine. A group of red-haired young man and "trembling" opens crowding the hill motley crowd, which stand out hostile to the words of John the Jewish chief priests and scribes, supporters of the official religion. On their faces - a variety of gradation of distrust and dislike of cold indifference boys in blue clothes to clearly expressed hatred red-faced old man with a thick nose, shown in profile. Next in the crowd - a penitent in a dark red cloak, a few women and finally the Roman soldiers sent by the Roman administration to comply with the order. Circle stretches rocky coastal plain, vibrant trees and bushes just beside the water. Deep in the valley - a city on the horizon - masses of blue mountains and above the clear blue southern sky

Winslow Homer