The triumph of light in Kuindzhi's painting "Birch Grove"
The painter Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi lived in the 19th century, he was born in 1842. The main creative heritage of the artist consists of bright romantic landscapes. But not a single picture brought him as much fame as the canvas "Birch Grove", written in 1879. This picture shocked the audience so much and the artist himself was so proud of it that he subsequently created several versions of the same picture. Many similar works have been written on this topic. Birches became the favorite tree of Arkhip Ivanovich.
The main, first painting "Birch Grove" is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery as a masterpiece of Russian painting. And at first she appeared at the exhibition of Wanderers, literally hitting all the spectators. No one has painted landscapes like this yet! Its style is defined by connoisseurs as "romantic landscape".
The artist does not go into details, does not write out every leaf and blade of grass. The most important thing for him is the contrast between light and shadow, between light and dark. With this contrast, he creates the mood of the picture. Many people talk about the mood that is conveyed by the canvas. For art, this is more important than a simple transfer of nuances - drawing knots, twigs, leaves and blades of grass. It is much more important to convey the feelings that arise when looking at this - jubilation, delight, joy, admiration.
We see all this in the Birch Grove. In fact, this is not a grove, but only a fragment of it, something that could fit in a frame. This included only a few birch trunks, their deciduous crowns did not fit. For the artist, they are not at all important, especially since he expects our imagination to "finish" them. And the main thing for him is to show the triumph of light, to show how sunlight transforms everything around.
So, in the foreground there is a dark spot of grass on which a shadow falls. The grassy background almost merges with the dark green water of a swampy stream, which divides the picture in half exactly vertically. The middle plan is white trunks of birches. Behind them is a sunlit lawn. In the background is the actual birch grove. In the upper part, a triangular patch of blue sky breaks through in the center.
Trees grow in groups of two or three. From this, their smooth white trunks tilted. Because of the clearly marked horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines, some kind of decorative geometric pattern was obtained. No wonder experts talk about the decorativeness of Kuindzhi's painting. It seems that the artist used an excess of colors, the picture is so bright and sunny. In fact, we see only a few shades of green, blue, as well as white and dark, almost black. The contrast between them helps us see all the other tones. We notice them and, together with the landscape painter, rejoice in the sun.
Birch Grove - Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi. 1879. Oil on canvas. 97x181 cm
The most famous painting by Arkhip Kuindzhi "Birch Grove" is the main translator of the main stylistic differences of this painter, the quintessence of his ideas and unusual coloristic finds.
The painting was created specifically for the 7th exhibition of the Artistic Traveling Society, and immediately aroused the surprise of the public and viewers - the color scheme of the canvas was so unusual for everyone.
Although many people liked the joyful, bright mood of the work, it was this picture that was the impulse that divorced the artist from. Shortly after the exhibition, an anonymous article under the pseudonym "Amateur" appeared in the newspaper "Molva", which accused Kuindzhi of bad taste - the author de "re-greens" his paintings too much. Also in the article there were doubts about Kuindzhi's talent in principle, and it was also said that lighting effects are not the result of a filigree possession of technology, but the use of lighting devices that are hidden behind the canvases of paintings. The name of the mysterious "Amateur" was very soon revealed, it turned out to be a colleague "in the shop" Kuindzhi, a member of the traveling society M. Klodt.
Kuindzhi demanded the exclusion of the offender from the Wanderers, however, no one responded to this request, and Arkhip Ivanovich left himself. However, biographers agree that the conflict between Kuindzhi and Klodt was just a pretext - the painter has long stepped over the socially accusatory framework of art promoted by society, and "Birch Grove" is a vivid confirmation of this.
Having conceived a plot that was used in his work by a great many Russian artists (,), the master searched for the ideal composition for a long time - this is evidenced by the preserved sketches and sketches. From these artifacts, one can trace how the author chose the height of the trees, the area of the clearing, thought how much space to give under the forest. That is, there is nothing spontaneous in this picture, it is the fruit of a well-thought-out artistic thought and by no means an open-air work.
What is the decorativeness of the picture? If you pay attention to the groups of birch trees, which are placed on the canvas with verified accuracy, or rather on the bases of the trunks, you can see how they are deliberately flattened, which creates some convention. Also, decorativeness is manifested in static nature - the foliage on the trees seems to be frozen, and the air is so transparent that it is obvious: there is not a single breath of breeze in the clearing. The thicket in the depths of the picture is devoid of detail - it is a dark green wall, designed to set off color contrasts.
But all the beauty lies in the piercing greenery and sunlight. The artist deliberately "lowered" the shadow to the foreground, further emphasizing the contrast in relation to the sunlit meadow.
You do not immediately notice a stream with greenish water, although it flows in the very center - it seems that the sun breaking through the crown of trees has thus transformed the path. However, the gleaming mirror surface confirms that it is the stream that conditionally divides the canvas into two halves.
The author used pure bright colors, and if you look fragmentarily, it seems that they are simply sometimes simply unrealistic, but as soon as you take a wide look at the canvas, you feel this sunny bright day almost physically.
Kuindzhi, with his decorativeness, simplification, and innovative use of the power of color, was in many ways ahead of his time, and therefore not everyone immediately accepted the work, although it was the Birch Grove that was destined to become the artist's "calling card".
And rightly so - the "birch" theme did not let the painter go all his life. In addition to the most famous work, there are five more with the same name, of which only two are considered completed. The third picture has caused the most controversy - in addition to the vertical format, there is a search in the field of symbolism in it ... but that's a completely different story.
Http://gallerix.ru In 1879, at the seventh exhibition of the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions, Kuindzhi showed the Birch Grove, which later became famous. The reaction of artists and spectators was unanimous: Kuindzhi surprised everyone with the unusualness of the picture. He continued the traditions of the Russian romantic landscape.
In "Birch Grove" the artist achieved a decorative effect and with this technique, unknown in the Russian landscape, created the image of a sublime, sparkling, radiant world. A joyful and languid sunny day is captured in the picture in pure, sonorous colors, the brilliance of which is achieved by a contrasting juxtaposition of colors.
Groups of birch trees are placed on the canvas with precise accuracy. The bases of the trunks are intentionally flattened, which creates some conventionality. Decorativeness is manifested in static - the foliage on the trees seems to have frozen, and the air is so transparent that it is obvious: there is not a single breath of breeze in the clearing. The thicket in the depths of the picture is devoid of detail - it is a dark green wall, designed to set off color contrasts. Having cut off the crowns of birches with the upper edge of the picture, Kuindzhi leaves in the center separate green branches that have fallen into the field of view. They are drawn in a light pattern against the background of the darker green of distant trees, which further exacerbates the feeling of bright sunlight. An unusual harmony is given to the picture by the green color penetrating into the blue color of the sky, into the whiteness of birch trunks, into the blue of the stream. The stream "leads" deep into the picture, into the forest (in its dark silhouette), lost in a mysterious haze, and gives a feeling of freshness, coolness. One can feel not only the charm of the surrounding landscape, but also its powerful earthly power. The artist does not highlight the details of the forest, on the contrary, generalizes the silhouettes into one heavy mass, thickens the color. The picture is written in fact in one green color and is built on a sharp contrast of sunspots in the center and thick shadows in the depths. The symmetrical composition (a stream almost divides it in half), clearly fixed spatial plans give rise to the effect of a skillfully composed look: Kuindzhi worked from memory, without using field studies. By forcing the contrast of light and shade, the artist achieves the impression of dazzlingly bright sunlight. Nature seems to be motionless. She seems to be enchanted by an unknown force.
Kuindzhi, with his decorativeness, simplification, and innovative use of the power of color, was in many ways ahead of his time, and therefore not everyone immediately accepted the work, although it was the Birch Grove that was destined to become the artist's "calling card".
At the moment, the picture is in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
The next exhibition - already the seventh in a row - of the Wanderers promised, as always, a lot of new products and unexpected artistic solutions. The public was looking forward not only to the works of already recognized masters, but also to the emergence of new names working in the style of realism. The real event of this exhibition was Kuindzhi's painting "Birch Grove".
The biography of the remarkable artist Arkhip Kuindzhi is an excellent example for those who, despite all the difficulties and obstacles, are firmly moving towards their intended goal. With all his works, the master sought to justify his surname, which in Greek means "goldsmith". Entering the Academy of Arts only on his third attempt, he brought a lot of new things to the compositional construction of the landscape, to giving the paintings brightness and refinement. An excellent example of all this is the work of Kuindzhi "Birch Grove".
A native of Mariupol was far from the first to take up the image of the unspoken symbol of Russia, but he managed to find such means that made the picture truly spiritual.
Kuindzhi's Birch Grove, whose history can be found in almost any major art reference book, is an example of the style known as "romantic landscape". This style is characterized by a masterful use of light and shadow, combined with an open composition.
In particular, in Kuindzhi’s painting “Birch Grove”, the image of light green branches of birches against the background of a dark green thicket of the forest gives the necessary effect. Through the use of this technique, the festivity and brightness of the image are achieved. The sharp contrast between sunlight and shadow creates a joyful, upbeat mood in the viewer. In terms of composition, the most important role is played by the stream, which divides the canvas into two parts, it gives life to the picture, sets the rhythm, encourages life and creativity.
Almost all critics and art historians agree that in Kuindzhi’s painting “Birch Grove”, the author managed to give significance and brightness to a landscape that is quite ordinary for our country. This is achieved through a combination of richness of colors, bold alignment of the compositional space, as well as through the filigree technique of transition from one color scheme to another. Like no one else, Kuindzhi knew how to show the light, even without sunlight.
The liveliness of the picture is given by various small details, to which the author paid very close attention. In many ways, this is why this canvas creates a “presence effect” for the viewer, forcing them to inhale the aroma of birches and listen to the murmur of the stream.
The techniques used by the author in Birch Grove were subsequently applied by Kuindzhi in other famous works: Night on the Dnieper, After the Rain, Sea at Night. The name of this remarkable master entered the golden fund of the national landscape, along with such luminaries as Shishkin and Levitan. Currently, the work of Kuindzhi "Birch Grove" is stored in the Tretyakov Gallery, never ceasing to delight new generations of connoisseurs of real art.
Isaac Ilyich Levitan is an artist who has rightfully earned a reputation as the creator of the “mood landscape”. Nature in his picturesque creations shines with the gentle light of love. Such is the picture of Levitan "Birch Grove", which the master created at the age of twenty-nine.
origins
The artist's biography is shrouded in mystery - he did not like to talk about childhood and family, during his lifetime he destroyed his entire archive. A bundle of letters found after his death contained a "vulture": "Burn without reading," which was done. According to the few memoirs of contemporaries, it can be established that Levitan very early showed the gift of a draftsman and joined this type of art. At the age of 13 he became a student of the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. His teachers were Polenov and Savrasov, the then most famous Russian artists. Levitan's painting "Birch Grove" reminds us of the inextricable and deep connection that unites our landscape painters, who so keenly felt the nature of the wonderful
A landscape painter who has no equal
The pictures of the teachers captured the imagination of the young Levitan. He was especially fascinated by the idea of incarnating on the canvas the very soul of nature, its many-sided moods. Isaak Ilyich spoke of his teacher A. Savrasov as a painter who knew how to find in the ordinary deeply intimate, unusually touching features that are so strongly felt in the Russian landscape. The first works of young Levitan were a bit like the manner of a teacher. Elegiac moods, twilight shades, gloomy and pensive objects - swamps, pools, abandoned rural graveyards - all demonstrated the closeness of the aesthetics of Levitan's canvases to Savrasov's creative manner.
But very soon the student demonstrated his own pictorial "language", by which everyone now unmistakably recognizes him.
Levitan's painting "Birch Grove": the history of creation
These were the years of rapprochement with the remarkable Russian writer Anton Chekhov. Together with the Chekhov family, Levitan rested near the village of Babkino. It was there that Levitan's magnificent painting "Birch Grove" was born. The master created it for four years, having completed his work on the Volga. Today, this masterpiece is exhibited at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.
Breath of the Russian forest
Isaac Levitan's "Birch Grove" should begin with the fact that the real object from which the artist painted trees shining with pearls and emeralds was Plesskaya Grove.
The mood of unaccountable joy, freshness and optimism exudes this small but expressive picture. How does Levitan achieve such emotional strength? Of course, here there is a fusion of skill and harmony, which formed the basis of the inner world of the artist.
The play of light and shadow
What is attractive for a specialist Levitan's painting "Birch Grove"? An analysis of the technique and techniques used by the artist makes it possible to restore the unique features of the master's brush. The whole space of the picture is filled only with grass, in which blue and yellow sparks of flowers sparkle, trunks, brilliant green crowns: the sky is not visible, neither an animal nor a bird flickers anywhere. Nevertheless, the forest lives on! We feel his fresh breath, hear the cheerful rustle of leaves. The artist skillfully conveys the movement of warm rays, inspiring the landscape with quivering tenderness and joy. Two birch trees in the foreground amaze with lyricism and plausibility. Pink and warm brown spots lay softly on the trunks. The picture is reminiscent of the immediacy and light pure rhythm of Impressionism.
Contemporaries claim that Levitan's friend - Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - told the author that in this picture, like in no other, one can feel the smile of a brilliant artist.
