Otechestvennaia voina 1812 goda v kartinakh Petera Khessa (Patriotic War of 1812 in the Paintings of Peter von Hess)
St. Petersburg: Herm, 2013. sewn cl. Having trained as a painter of military life and war, Peter von Hess accompanied the Bavarian field marshal Wrede in the campaign of 1814 against Napoleon. Battle painting was in vogue — a large gallery at Versailles and the Hall of Battle Paintings in Munich in inspired Nicholas I to commission von Hess, already a famed painter of battles, to commemorate in painting Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in June 1812 and subsequent rout in late 1812. Von Hess visited the sites of major battles that he was to depict, studied the equipment and uniforms of the time. The result was a series of paintings that are both visual documents and moving works of art. The horizontal format and two-page spreads bring out the strength of von Hess’s compositions, while the numerous details show how vividly he captured minutiae of uniforms and awards, expressions on solders’ faces in the fierceness of attack or in the despair of being stricken down. Nicholas I often corrected him on details of Russian uniforms such as which side coats were buttoned. The first chapter of the book deals with the art-historical aspects of the paintings, such as the singularities of the Munich school of landscape painting in the early nineteenth-century. Also studied are the attitudes toward the works of art in various periods, and the fate the paintings in the twentieth century. Reproduced in this Hermitage exhibition catalogue are paintings from collections in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Smolensk, and Munich. The second chapter provides a succinct historical background, elaborating on the content of von Hess’s canvases, pointing out deviations from fact, and characterizing the officers who played clutch roles in major battles. 120 pp., 12 x 9 ½ ins. , 10 b-&-w illus., 98 color, sewn cl., Rus. with title page and summary in ENGLISH. Item #124
ISBN: 9785935725105
Price: $51.00