Mystical story of the painting of Ivan Kramskoy “Mermaids»

In the history of classical Russian painting, there are many mysterious and surprising episodes that allow us to talk about the existence of paintings with “bad reputation”. This list includes several works by the famous artist-Peredvizhnik Ivan Kramskoy. The largest number of legends is associated with his painting “Mermaids”.

The idea of” Mermaids “appeared in the artist under the impression of N. Gogol’s Novella “may night, or the drowned Woman”. According to popular beliefs, girls who were drowned after death became mermaids. It was them and decided to write Ivan Kramskoy. This theme was very unexpected and new for the realist artist. The artist was very fond of Gogol and read all his works many times. He wanted to convey the very atmosphere of “May night”, to immerse the viewer in the mysterious world of Ukrainian folklore. Continue reading →