Cherry (Moiseenko painting)

History

Painted in 1969 «Cherry» became a peculiar philosophical essay about evil and good of the war. It is one of the most important works of Moiseenko. This one belongs to the series «Years of Fighting» - a historical epopee, which brought to the author the Lenin Prize in 1974. It was again a theme of Russian Civil War in this painting (before there were «Cavalry the First» (1957), «Here Reds are» (1961), «Friends» (1964), «Son» (1969) and others). Moiseenko began to make studies for his painting from 1967. He made a few variants of «Cherry». The last one took a year. At the first time the «Cherry» was presented at the largest exhibition «Fine Arts of Leningrad» in Moscow 1976. The Russian Museum has the «Cherry» in its collection.

As a subject Moiseenko selected a very peaceable and idyllic episode of war but it just seems. As if the soldiers have forgot about the death, which was not far from them. There are not the sabres in their hands but cherry. Artist allocated his main heroes in the top of the hill and divided the composition to the separate scenes so skilfully that we couldn't feel the border between an external space and a lyric reflection. There is a ring of friendship in the circular position of their figures. All of them are very young but we can see a strength of mind and a courage in their faces. A foreground and a background are from the different times. There is a peaceful life of towns and villages in a condensed space of the background. It belongs to the time of dreams. «Silence. Pause. Мay be, at noon there, behind the hill, they will lie down into this caressing grass… They are the pure minded dreamers and with a great idea», — the author explained his message.