Representation of the Bride’s Image in Paintings by Chuvash Artists

The image of the bride in world painting is the embodiment of youth and beauty. Reflecting the trends of the time and national ideals of femininity, the artists created a number of outstanding works. Chuvash painters, trying to express their national identity, often sought inspiration in the image of Narspi, the heroine of Konstantin Ivanov’s poem of the same name. In its development, the image of the Chuvash bride has always met the spiritual and aesthetic needs of society. He received a vivid embodiment in the paintings of Moisei Spiridonov, the founder of professional art in the republic. The relevance of the research is caused by a great interest in traditional culture and the search for national identity. In Chuvash art, the wedding ceremony gave a variety of subjects and new artistic forms. The representation of the image of the bride in the works of masters of different times contains the possibility of the most expressive embodiment of the traditions of the native people, as well as the beauty of the national costume. The material for the study was paintings by masters of the twentieth century, as the most adequately embodied folk ritual traditions. The comparative analysis of artistic and stylistic features became its methodological basis. The purpose of this article is to review and analyze works devoted to one of the key subjects of the wedding ceremony - the moment when the bride waits for the groom. This image makes it possible to reveal the deep character of the Chuvash people, their worldview and the meanings of existence. In this perspective, the chosen topic was considered in art history for the first time. The author highlights the most characteristic works of Chuvash artists who embodied the richness of the artistic image through the portrait of the bride.