Viktor Vasnetsov and Ivan Tsarevich Riding the Grey Wolf

'Ivan Tsarevich Riding the Grey Wolf' (1889) by Viktor Vasnetsov;
State Tretyakov Museum, Moscow

I decided to choose Russian painter Viktor Vasnetsov, born on 15 May 1848, for today's post after seeing his painting The Flying Carpet. But when I looked again at the images of his other paintings, to see if I had missed a better one, my eyes were drawn to this painting of Ivan Tsarevich and the Grey Wolf. I recognised it instantly as the painting used for the poster and the book cover of the exhibition 'Russian fairy tales, folk tales and legends' at the Groninger Museum, The Netherlands, in 2007/2008. I remember liking the poster (though I didn't know its painter until today) and I wanted to go and see the exhibition but in the end didn't. The exhibition showed paintings by Russian artists of the 19th and 20th centuries who were inspired by their own folk and fairy tales. Vasnetsov was a key figure in the transition of 19th century Russian art from realism to Art Nouveau. If you want to read more about the tale behind today's painting, click here and here. Having done this post, I really regret having missed the exhibition.