One of the reasons people visit Россию (Russia), especially Москву и Санкт-Петербург (Moscow and St. Petersburg), is because of the art and culture. These cities are one of the world’s leading cultural centres among other things.
It is home to many museums and cultural attractions such as The State Hermitage Museum, the Moscow Kremlin, the State Tretyakov Gallery, Russian Museum or Grand Peterhof Palace to name just the most famous ones.
You can get a much richer experience from your visit to the Hermitage if you speak Russian, just enough to express your thoughts с другим туристом (with another tourist) or a гидом (guide) about a particular work of art.
In this lesson, you will learn some useful Russian words and expressions to help you talk about art.
General Art and Painting Russian Vocabulary
To talk about paintings, and art in general, in Russian you need the vocabulary to describe what you're seeing. Thinking of the right Russian words becomes easier the more art words you know, which is where this essential list comes in.
Painting Styles
There is a range of art styles to admire and choose from. Here is an overview of seven popular painting styles in Russian.
Mood or Atmosphere
What is the mood or atmosphere of the painting? What эмоции (emotions) do вы испытываете (you experience) looking at it? If you like the painting in front of you, you can use these positive Russian words to describe your эмоции.
If you are unimpressed by a specific work of art, these negative Russian descriptions can be of use.
Colours in Russian
Colour is often one of the most exciting components картины (of a painting). It can be used чтобы cоздать настроение (to create mood) and выразить эмоции (to express emotions). Do you know the Russian words for colours?
Interpretation of the Painting
You can use the following Russian expressions to talk about the apparent or hidden meaning in a painting:
Мне нравится идея картины I like the idea of the painting
Возможно, художник хотел The artist might have wanted to
Эта сцена изображает The scene portrays
На картине изображены The painting depicts
На мой взгляд, картина изображает In my opinion, the painting portrays
На переднем плане изображено The foreground portrays
На заднем плане The background portrays
Герои картины The subjects/heroes of the painting
Мне нравятся детали картины I like the details of the painting
Сообщение адресовано The message is directed towards
Это отражает It reflects
Намерение художника было The artist’s intention was
Полотно Canvas
Холст Canvas
Just before I finish this lesson, I'd like to share some paintings сreated by my favourite Russian artist – Vasily Vereshchagin (1842-1904), an outstanding русский художник (Russian artist), historian, explorer, путешественник (traveller) and officer.
Мне очень нравится (I like very much) to see the late 19th-century world through his unique paintings.
What do you think of his paintings? Let me know in the comments section below.
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