In his novel Fathers and Sons, Turgenev brought several interesting images to the stage in front of readers. The most memorable of them are Evgeny Bazarov and Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov. It is between them that the eternal dispute between fathers and children is tied up and revealed. But the most important thing is that the author of the novel shows us not so much opponents in age, but opponents in their outlook on life. And, above all, its aesthetic side.
It is Bazarov who declares that Raphael's work is worthless, since it does not serve any vital purpose.

important goal. For the hero, the value of art is incomprehensible. He is sure that if the picture does not close the hole on the wall, then there is no use from it, no use.
And although I support many of Bazarov’s views, I don’t understand his opinion about art in general. If we follow his words, then it is necessary to refute music, all music… But if there were no music, then over time the silence would be simply unbearable!
Therefore, it was interesting for me to look at the work of someone whom Bazarov does not put in anything.
I learned that Raphael painted many icons. And basically he depicted Mary and the baby - Jesus Christ. The most famous painting from this, if I may say so, cycle is the “Sistine Madonna”. They say that this work got its name from the fact that the Madonna is depicted with six fingers on one of her hands. And in Latin, sexta means the number "six".
But I would like to consider another painting - the Conestabile Madonna. When Raphael wrote it, he was about seventeen years old. Therefore, it still has neither classical beauty, nor that brilliance of pictorial performance, which distinguished the later works of the master. The artist was almost the same age as I am now ... This is an interesting fact.
The Hermitage painting (namely, where it hangs at the present time) is also not distinguished, as critics say, by the special construction of the composition, which forced many generations of artists to study the works of Raphael as unattainable examples.
But such questions should hardly be touched upon. Yes, and it's not my business to disassemble the picture as an art critic. I can't do it. But one thing I can say for sure is that Bazarov also did not have the appropriate education to professionally declare that no one needs Raphael, and his paintings too. So, it's a matter of taste.
And yet, there are other qualities in this, as they say, imperfect and modest “Madonna Conestabile” that make her remarkable in her own way. And I personally liked this picture, because it is very simple, without pretensions to anything. And at the same time very beautiful.
In my opinion, its main feature is a slight sadness that fills the whole picture. She is present in the image of the Madonna, a very young and naive girl, and in a simple, discreet landscape, gently spreading behind her.
Nature plays the role of a background for the central image. The background against which the characters are so clearly visible. Spring reigns in the picture, low gentle hills stretching into the distance are covered with light greenery. Leaves are just beginning to bloom on slender thin trees.
The main feature of Madonna's appearance is thoughtfulness, and at the same time, I have the feeling that everything is clear to her. Her figure is placed strictly in the center of the work. The child is in her arms, Madonna looks at him. This achieves the extraordinary harmony of the painting “Madonna Conestabile”.
The picture is drawn specifically for a small format. It is even difficult to imagine a larger size. By its nature, it resembles a book illustration. And this is another quality of her that I like. The whole picture is immediately before your eyes, you can see everything. It is easy to remember, and the author does not need to think of anything.
Also, the picture is not square or rectangular, as usual, but round. She fits perfectly into this form and is all designed in soft lines: a bowed head in a veil, a baby figure.
I really liked the painting by the Italian artist Raphael “Madonna Conestabile”. And it is completely incomprehensible to me how Bazarov could protest against this artist in particular and against art in general ?! Is it possible not to understand and not see the beauty of creativity? The life of the hero, in this case, was simply poor and uninteresting. No wonder the author kills him at the end of the novel.
The work of artists, musicians, writers deserves to be understood and continued. You can’t just brush aside what a person can do with his own hands!

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