Cherry (Moiseyenko painting)

Cherry () is a painting by Russian artist Yevsey Moiseyenko (1916–1988).
History.
Painted in 1969, "Cherry" became a peculiar philosophical essay about evil and good of the war. It is one of the most important works by Moiseyenko. This work belongs to the series called "Years of Fighting" - a historical epopee, which brought the Lenin Prize to the author in 1974. It was again a theme of Russian Civil War in this painting (before there were "Cavalry the First" (1957), "Here Reds are" (1961), "Friends" (1964), "Son" (1969) and others). Moiseyenko began to make studies for his painting from 1967. He made a few variants of "Cherry". The last one took a year. "Cherry" was presented for the first time at the largest exhibition, the "Fine Arts of Leningrad" in Moscow, 1976. The Russian Museum has "Cherry" in its collection.
As a subject Moiseyenko selected a very peaceable and idyllic episode of war but it just seems. As if the soldiers have forgot about the death, which was not far from them. There are not the sabres in their hands but cherry. Artist allocated his main heroes in the top of the hill and divided the composition to the separate scenes so skilfully that we couldn't feel the border between an external space and a lyric reflection. There is a ring of friendship in the circular position of their figures. All of them are very young but we can see a strength of mind and a courage in their faces. A foreground and a background are from different times. There is a peaceful life of towns and villages in a condensed space of the background. It belongs to the time of dreams. "Silence. Pause. Maybe, at noon there, behind the hill, they will lie down into this caressing grass... They are pure-minded dreamers and with a great idea," the author explained his message.