14 Bible stories in Russian art (PICS)

Karl Bryullov ‘Bathsheba’, 1832

King David saw Bathsheba bathing in a pool and was shocked by her beauty. He took her to his palace and sent her husband, commander Uriah, to his death. As punishment for this, their firstborn died on the seventh day. Later, Bathsheba became the mother of the future King Solomon. The model for Bathsheba was Countess Yulia Samoilova, the artist's beloved patroness.

Alexey Venetsianov ‘Intercession of the Mother of God for the Pupils of the Smolny Institute’, 1835

At the Smolny Institute, the daughters of nobles would be prepared for future court service and social life. In this image of the Mother of God, painted for the Smolny Cathedral, the younger pupils of the institute in brown and gray dresses depicted in the foreground attract the most attention.

Fyodor Bruni ‘The Copper Serpent’, 1841

A large-scale canvas, on which the artist worked for more than 15 years. The people of Israel, wandering in the desert, grumbled at God and Moses. The angry Lord sent poisonous snakes upon the rebellious group. Then, the Israelites began to beg for mercy. So, God told Moses to make a ‘Copper Serpent’ to heal those who had been bitten.

Vasily Khudyakov ‘Salome and her mother waiting at the prison door for the head of John the Baptist’, 1861

Ivan Kramskoy ‘Herodias’, 1886

Salome danced at a feast held by Herod, the ruler of Galilee, and so charmed him with her dance that he promised to fulfill any of her wishes. Salome turned to her mother Herodias. She asked for the head of John the Baptist, because he had denounced her dissolute behavior. Herod fulfilled Herodias' request.

Petr Zabolotsky ‘Moses pouring water from a rock’, 1863

This painting tells of the miracle performed by Moses during the wanderings of the Jews in the desert. After the exodus from Egypt, the people of Israel began to look for shelter, food and water. Moses struck the rock with his staff and gave the people water.

Ivan Aivazovsky ‘The Great Flood’, 1864

In this case, the famous marine artist directed his ability to paint water into a mythological channel and depicted the famous biblical story. In 1865, the painting was acquired by Emperor Alexander II for the Hermitage gallery.

Ilya Repin ‘The Angel of Death Destroys the Firstborn of Egypt’, 1865

In 1865, the Academy of Arts set up the theme ‘The Angel of Death Destroys the Firstborn of Egypt’. Repin's sketch was among the contenders for a medal. However, Alexander Polyakov, the assistant inspector of the Academy, advised the artist to change some details: "After all, this is a spirit… To strangle it, outstretched hands are enough…" Apparently, the original drawing was too naturalistic.

Nikolai Ge ‘Messengers of the Resurrection’, 1867

This painting contrasts two worlds: Mary Magdalene, who has accepted Christ and is bathed in light, rushing to announce the resurrection of the Savior, and the pagan guards, who are in deep shadow. The public and critics both considered the canvas too innovative and called Mary "either a magpie or a swallow".

Ilya Repin ‘Job and His Friends’, 1869

Job suffered superhumanly: he lost his children, property and health. The misfortunes that befell the martyr horrify even his close friends who have come to visit him. This is evident from the expressions on their faces. The then young artist received a small gold medal for the painting.

Viktor Vasnetsov ‘Warriors of the Apocalypse’, 1887

Each of the images represents evil and the destruction of humanity. The rider on the white horse is the Plague, which affects all living things. On the fiery one is War, with people killing each other. On the black horse, meanwhile, is Black Famine and madness. And the rider on the gray horse, a skeleton with a scythe, is Death. He mows down everyone who did not die from the Plague, War and Famine.

Mikhail Vrubel ‘Six-winged Seraphim’, 1904

Seraphim in the Jewish and Christian traditions is the highest angelic rank and closest to God. This canvas was painted based on Pushkin's poem ‘The Prophet’ about the creator, to whom a fire-like messenger of God appeared, calling "to burn the hearts of people with a verb". The painting was painted in the Serbsky Clinic, where the artist was admitted, due to progressive mental illness and paralysis.

Natalia Goncharova ‘Evangelists’, 1922

This artist was deeply religious and, therefore, more often than other masters of the Russian avant-garde, turned to themes from the Holy Scripture. She was also attracted to popular Old Believer prints with their authors' commitment to the dark themes of the Apocalypse.

Erik Bulatov ‘Painting and Viewers’, 2011-2013

The artist explained that, in his opinion, it was in this painting by Ivanov that the “most important property of Russian art, which distinguishes it from all other national arts, was first revealed – the ability to include the viewer in the events taking place in the painting.” In Bulatov’s work, the people in front of Ivanov’s canvas merge with the crowd looking at Jesus.