THE EMBODIMENT OF THE ARTISTIC IMAGE OF THE BOOK IN IVAN FOMICH KHRUTSKY’S WORK
The work of artist Ivan Khrutsky is diverse and multi-genre: he painted more than a hundred outstanding canvases in the genre of still life, portrait and landscape. In his works, the painter skillfully conveyed the psychology of the human soul, the majesty and beauty of nature, the wonderful world of objects. Tthe image of the book is important and ambiguous in his work. The article for the first time reveals the features of the embodiment of the artistic image of the book in the creative heritage ofKhrutsky on the example of personal and group portraits. The book depicted on the artist’s canvases successfully harmonizes with the general spatial solution of the composition and has a variety of symbolic meanings acting as an additional element in the disclosure of the psychological image of the portrayed people, figuratively emphasizing the social status and occupation, as a necessary reference point of the spiritual path and the acquisition of wisdom, as a symbol of prosperity, ostentatious wealth and luxury, as an aesthetic value and imitation of the" spirit " of the time, as a source of knowledge and education, as a family heirloom. Through the artistic image of the book, the artist sought to emphasize the role and significance of the book in the society and to reflect the ideals and values of the intellectuals of the XIX century.