Victor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov first painters turned to bylinas, fantastic plots, convinced that "in fairy tales, songs, bylinas, drama and other affects the entire face of the whole people, internal and external, with past and present, as can be, and the future."
"Flying carpet" - the very first fairy tale picture Vasnetsov, napisannnaya them next to the famous painting "
After Igor Svyatoslavich's fighting with the Polovtsy".
Vasnetsov ever chose to fine art motif. He expressed his people's long-standing dream of a free flight, giving the painting a poetic resonance. In the wonderful skies of his childhood depicted Vasnetsov soaring as fabulous bird-aircraft carpet. Hero, the winner in elegant attire proudly stands on the carpet, holding his golden ring of a cell extracted from The Firebird, which was unearthly glow. All uted in bright colors and brilliant interpretation of the decorative capabilities of the young artist. Vasnetsov was brought here as a master of fine scenery, the mood. Earth going to bed. In the river affect coastal shrubs, and these reflections, and fog, and light light month brings lyrical sense.
This picture ordered Vasnetsova Savva Ivanovich Mamontov, a major industrialist and philanthropist who helped to unite talent in the creative artistic alliance, known as the Abramtsevo circle. As chairman of the Donetsk railway construction, he commissioned the artist to three paintings, which were decorated with pictures of the board room cabinet officers as though fabulous illustrations to the awakening of a new railroad-rich Donetsk region. One of those pictures was a "Flying carpet" - amazingly fast means of transportation.
"By asking to find and talk about what I wanted - then told the artist - Savva Ivanovich asked me, ostensibly to the walls of the board for future roads, just write what I wanted." Board did not agree to have the painting, considering them irrelevant to the office, and then Mamontov bought two canvases himself - "Flying carpet" and "Three Princess underground kingdom, and his brother acquired the battle the Scythians with the Slavs."
"Flying carpet" was shown at the exhibition Peredvizhniki VIII, causing a storm of magazine, newspaper and spectators disputes. None of the leading Peredvizhniki do not hear much polar, often originating from the same range of opinions in respect of their works. We can not say that Viktor was indifferent to popularity, and the criticism. But all felt the inner strength it would have raised both him and praise over and over huloy. It is called "the true heroes of Russian painting."
A magic carpet, also called a flying carpet, is a legendary carpet that can be used to transport persons who are on it instantaneously or quickly to their destination.
Magic carpets have appeared in literature from almost Biblical times through the present day. The popularity of One Thousand and One Nights brought magic carpets to the attention of Western audiences. The literary traditions of several other cultures also feature magical carpets. The magic carpet of Tangu, also called "Prince Housain's carpet" was a seemingly worthless carpet from Tangu in Persia that acted as a magic carpet. It was featured in tales from One Thousand and One Nights.
Another of Vasnetsov's renderings of the same subject.
Solomon's carpet was reportedly made of green silk with a golden weft, sixty miles long and sixty miles wide: "when Solomon sat upon the carpet he was caught up by the wind, and sailed through the air so quickly that he breakfasted at Damascus and supped in Media." The wind followed Solomon's commands, and ensured the carpet would go to the proper destination; when Solomon was proud, for his greatness and many accomplishments, the carpet gave a shake and 40,000 fell to their deaths. The carpet was shielded from the sun by a canopy of birds. In Shaikh Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Tadifi al-Hanbali's book of wonders, Qala'id-al-Jawahir ("Necklaces of Gems"), Shaikh Abdul-Qadir Gilani walks on the water of the River Tigris, then an enormous prayer rug (sajjada) appears in the sky above, "as if it were the flying carpet of Solomon [bisat Sulaiman]".
In Russian folk tales, Baba Yaga can supply Ivan the Fool with a flying carpet or some other magical gifts (e.g., a ball that rolls in front of the hero showing him the way or a towel that can turn into a bridge). Such gifts help the hero to find his way "beyond thrice-nine lands, in the thrice-ten kingdom". Russian painter Viktor Vasnetsov illustrated the tales featuring a flying carpet on two occasions (illustrations, to the right).
In Mark Twain's "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven", magic wishing-carpets are used to instantaneously travel throughout Heaven.