Maria

Taras Shevchenko. Maria. After Pushkin's poem "Poltava".
1840. [St. Petersburg]. Paper, watercolor, bronze. 24,7 × 20,1 cm.
Taras Shevchenko National Museum, № g – 221.

At the bottom left author's date and signature in red watercolor: 1840. Shevchenko.

On the back – a pencil inscription: Т. Schevchenko. Similar inscription placed on the back of the picture "Gypsy fortune-teller».

Depicted a scene full of dramatism – mother have come to ask her daughter to persuade Mazepa save her father, Vasily Kochubej, which had surely be put to death.

Figure could prepare for the anthology "Morning Dawn", which published by V.A. Vladyslavlyev in 1839 – 1843. Shevchenko for this edition performed two watercolor copies of works by K.P. Briullov – "Interrupted rendezvous" and "Dream of grandmother and granddaughter". These works of Shevchenko with the works of other artists – his contemporaries, reproduced in the anthology, stored in an V.A. Vladyslavlyev's album [Sudak V.A. Pages of Shevchenko illustrator activity // Folk art and ethnography. – 1989. – № 1. – p. 3 – 4].

Based on the press release in 1841 on the preparation of drawings for future edition of the Pushkin's works [Art newspaper. – 1841. – № 13. – p. 8], V.M. Yatsyuk expressed arbitrary assumption that the watercolor was intended as an illustration of this publication [Yatsyuk V. Shevchenko's watercolor "Maria" // Visual Arts. – 1983. – № 2. – p. 23].

Some aspects of interior and props used in watercolors "Woman in bed», Odalisque» as well and illustrations of the "History of Suvorov" – "Suvorov in Louis XVIII».

For the first time picture was published by I.Y. Eisenstok with the name "Maria" [Eisenstok I. Shevchenko's literary legacy fate // Literary legacy. – M., 1935. – № 19/21. – p. 425].

Preserved sketch to a picture.

In the literature referred to with names: "Motria Kochubej in wards Mazepa" [Raevsky S.E. Life and art of Taras Shevchenko. – X., 1939. – Tab. II], "Son of Maria" [Kalaushyn M.M. Shevchenko in portraits and illustrations. – L., 1940. – p. 47], "A scene from "Poltava" [Korostin A., Sternin H. Gogol's heroes in russian visual art of XIX century // Literary legacy. – M., 1952. – T. 58. – p. 840].

Storage areas: property of V.A. Vladyslavlyev; later – K.T. Soldatenkov; from 1901 – V.I. Soldatenkov, 1925 – from N.G. Soldatenkov received by the State Museum of Fine Arts (Moscow); later – to the Russian Museum of A.S. Pushkin (St Petersburg); from 1948 – State Museum of T.H. Shevchenko (Kyiv).

Exhibitions:

1937. Moscow. Exhibition in memory of Pushkin [Product of Exhibition for 100 anniversary of the death of A. Pushkin. – M., 1937. – p. 31];

1951. Moscow. Art Exhibition of UkrSSR [Visual Arts Exhibition Ukrainian SSR. Painting, Sculpture, Graphics: Product. – Kiev, 1951. – p. 105];

1964. Kyiv – Moscow. Shevchenko Jubilee Exhibition [Jubilee art exhibition on the 150-year anniversary of the birth of T.H. Shevchenko: Product. – Kiev, 1964. – p. 6];

1968. Prague. Shevchenko exhibition [Taras Ševčenko: Výstava o životĕ a díle. – [Prague 1968]. – № 7 / 1];

1984. Kyiv. Shevchenko – artist. To 170–th birthday [Shevchenko – artist: Exhibition Catalogue. – K., 1986. – p. 8].

V.O. Sudak

After publication: T.H. Shevchenko Complete Works in 12 volumes. – K.: Naukova Dumka, 2003, v. 7, p. 72 – 73 (image), p. 378 – 379 (notes).