Himalayan pony Vasily Vereshchagin (1842-1904)

Description of Vasily Vereshchagin’s painting "Himalayan Pony".

Vasily Vereshchagin at one time made a splash not only all over Russia, but also in the West. His pictures were admired in America and England. In Sweden and Poland.

In his work, depicting, it would seem, ordinary scenes from life, there was something more. Nevertheless, with such popularity, the artist did not attend any meetings, did not exhibit his work himself, and certainly did not seek recognition. He modestly worked in his studio, and the fruits of his work became the object of curiosity of others.

Vereshchagin was a military man, which astonished many. A real military officer, who had been through several wars, but still managed to write such masterpieces. Most of his works are related to the Himalayas. And one of them is The Himalayan Pony.

If you start looking at the canvas, starting from the background, you can understand that the dwarf horse is standing in a clearing in the middle of the mountains. The grass has a slightly yellowish hue, so we can assume the time of year when the painting was painted - autumn.

Ponies are not meant for long movements. Their use, more often than not, is characteristic of the circus, or children of wealthy families. The animal, meant for short rides and fun, stands alone, head dejectedly lowered, in the middle of the Himalayan mountains. One leg is slightly off the ground, though the rest of its body shows that the animal has no intention of moving. What is it doing here?

One would hope that the pony has escaped, and is now at large, away from the noise and mischievous children. Or maybe this is where the traveling circus opened up, and the animal is just out for a walk. It’s wearing a saddle with a colorful cape spread out over it. No matter how much the artist gave brightness to it, the picture still turned out dark. After all, looking at the frowning face of the pony, you no longer pay attention to the bright elements of the picture.