Tanais Gallery
Vasily Vereshchagin. On the large road. Deviation, flight…
1887-1895.
Oil on canvas. 179 x 303.
The State Historical Museum, Moscow, Russia.
Napoleon in Russia
On this picture you can see the highway from Krasny to Minsk. The motionless trees covered with white hoar-frost are on the both sides of the road. The endless white field stretched far away beyond the road, and somewhere very far a thin line of a forest is seen. And everywhere there is snow, snow and snow... The air is quiet; there is not a single cloud on the sky, the reddish sun-rays are sparkling on the snow. The hard frost has locked the ground and the dry and hard snow is crunching under feet. There is not a breath of air, only the mysterious and sinister silence...
The are no usual loud and triuphant shouts "Vive l'Empereur!"... The Emperor... Here he is wrapped up in a fur-coat, wearing a warm cap that looks so unusual for his figure. (Vereshchagin was proud, that has found in the memoirs this expressive detail).
He is walking slowly leaninig upon a stick and after him all his General Staff is walking, not far a carrige is seen in that Napolen drove during the retreat, and the Guard is behing them...
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