The Horses of Wiktor Michajlowitsch Wassnezow

It was a fortunate coincidence that led me to the work of Wiktor Wassnezow, but I’m so glad it happened. His work has a romantic feel that is typical of Russian & other northern artists, but the attention to detail & extreme personality in his subjects that captures my imagination.

A Little Background

Wiktor was born in a remote village in Russia in the mid 19th century and his specialty was mythological and historical characters. He was also an important part of the Russian revivalist movement. Unfortunately his fairy tale art wasn’t well received at the time and his art wasn’t publicly celebrated until he turned to more religious themes.

Much of his horse work was early in his career. While I like his later stuff, I prefer the dreamy quality of his historical characters.

The Three Bogatyr

Ivan Tsarevich and the Swan

Oleg’s Farewell to His Horse

Knight’s Ride

Four Horseman of the Apocalypse

Battle Between the Scythians and the Slavs

George Victorious

Oleg Meets Wizard

Hercules

Mounted Knights

A Knight at the Crossroads

Masters The World Over

Although not all of the horse art I feature was painted by a recognized ‘Master’ they are masters of art in my eyes. If you liked these, be sure to check out more horses of the masters as well.

Horses of the Masters