Artist Ivan Shishkin

Russian Landscape Painting of the XIX century - one of the most remarkable phenomena in the history of art culture of our country. Created in the first half-century landscapes AG Venetsianov and Ivan Aivazovsky, S. Shchedrin and Ivanov AA poetically embodies the bright, imbued the humanistic spirit of the perception of nature. The flowering of realist art in the second half of XIX century deepened the content of landscape painting, her master found new means of expression, turned to face the challenge of creating a national image of nature. Beautiful works created Savrasov, F. Vasiliev, AIKuindzhi and a little later. Isaak Levitan and Konstantin Korovin. Beside them stands a powerful figure of Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin. His work covers almost the entire second half of the century. Shishkin's fame has gone through many years, and he remained one of the most beloved artists of the Russian people. Shishkin's creative development was more complicated than it seemed in the past. Almost forty years of artistic activity artist stubbornly went ahead and opened a new content in landscape painting and the means of artistic expression. In the truth of life, he saw a kind of poetry of his works. Even when at the end of the XIX century next to him began to work the young generation of Russian landscape painters, he is in constant creative tension to compete with them and did not concede to them the championship in his art. Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin was born January 13, 1832 in Blabuge. With the help of his father - an amateur historian and archaeologist, the young man learned to appreciate the history of his country and the beauty of its nature, and he soon fell in love with expanses leaving afar Kama, Vyatka Region endless forests. Paintings in Yelabuga he had never seen - they were not, he knew about them in stories from the books. In 1852 he went to study in Moscow, the School of Painting and Sculpture, and here was the first major school of drawing and painting. With great diligence applied to gifted student college professor AN Mokritsky itself once past a realistic proficiency in A. Venetsianov. However Shishkin, a lot of reading and thinking about art and have come to believe that an artist should study the nature and motivation to follow ey.Banalnye contrived academic landscape is not fascinated by it and did not cause the desire to follow them. Instead, he worked from life in the immediate vicinity of St. Petersburg, among the harsh nature on the island of Valaam (in the northern part of Lake Ladoga). His classes were very independent character (Professor SM Vorobiev, apparently, nothing could teach his pupil). Preparation of the Great Gold Medal at the end of the Academy in 1860 gave Shishkin right to go abroad, but before using it, he went to Kazan and then - on the Kama. Only in the spring of 1862 he went abroad. Large academic exhibitions in Berlin and Dresden caused him severe criticism, but it pleased Prague, the Czechs themselves and their living,, realistic art. Then he settled in Düsseldorf, a major center of artistic life in Western Europe. During his stay in this city, he became known artists and connoisseurs of his drawings with a pen, is astounding. Dryish mint performance similar to them as well and his early paintings. The best of them should be regarded as a picture "view in the vicinity of Dusseldorf" (1865), for which he received the title of academician. It is still possible to find the desire to influence the complexity of the composition, interleaved plans. But even so Shishkin showed himself an artist, having a keen eye. He was not looking for easy success of spectacular Italian or Swiss species, fashionable in those years. The study of nature has taught him to perceive the expressiveness of the northern plains landscape and the beauty and persuasiveness informed his painting. However, not content with Shishkin ability to write general nature. He set himself a more significant problem associated with the quest leading artists of all Russian realist art. Returning home, he immediately went into their circle, becoming a permanent member of Artel artists evenings, broken off in 1863 with the official Academy of Arts, which has become the embodiment of the routine in the art. At the same time he began his long-standing friendship with the ideological leader of the progressive realist art of the era INKramskoy. Shishkin was able to see clearly that the landscape is familiar not only with the appearance of nature, but with the home, with people's life, helps the expression of the positive ideals of the era. Subject homeland was the main content of his painting "Noon. In the vicinity of Moscow, "written in 1869, the figures of the peasants bring in a picture element in the national genre. In a friendly environment artists work Shishkin Democrats quickly became more mature and significant, acquired a national character. However Shishkin overcome the lack of his early paintings - the monotonous of detail of the image. Especially pronounced his creative maturity in two films in 1872 - "Pine Forest" and "Backwoods." Slowly and in detail the artist is talking to them about the first of the Russian nature, as familiar to him from childhood landscape motifs: Vyatka mast forest, a modest lawn among the trees, two bears near the pines, where the bee is visible deck, everything seems familiar and close to the viewer. But Shishkin still did not solve the problem in this picture is beautiful union of all the wealth of landscape motifs. It was in the eighties, with all the oppression of political reaction, Repin, Surikov. Vasnetsov, Vereshchagin, Polenov and other representatives were able to create realistic art a number of works of considerable ideological and artistic expression. With these masters was and Shishkin. He did not stop in its development. All the more diverse every year, he tackled the task of translating a painting of his poetic perception of Russian nature, epic grandeur and genuine intimacy are inextricably fused in the 80's in his best works. These features are characteristic picture Stream in the Forest "(1880) and more than -4 - picture of the Spreading Vale Of ..." (1883, sec name is the first line of a poem by AF Merzlyakov, which was in the XIX century folk song). The mighty oak tree, standing alone against the background of a huge valley, behind which flashed in the distance barely bend steppe river - is the image of a courageous and heartfelt beauty, soulful calling otvetk ny response viewer. In a new composition is designed landscape: the viewer is not looking at it "from outside", but as it can enter into it; fore deliberately illusory, and from there goes into the depth of a path. The viewer as if on the verge of the world that surrounds him and in which all available and close to him (the active principle of composite construction, as if the viewer confronted with life, depicted by the artist, and destroys the imaginary barrier between real space and picturesque, was used by Repin, Surikov , Serov in the works of the same 1880.) Live emotion, too restrained in his early works Shishkin, was the free development in the works of the mid-1880s. In his paintings of "The Forest Spring", "Forest gave" (both 1884) and "Misty Morning" (1885) refers to the experiences of Shishkin rights; landscape images remind the viewer of that emotion, which he himself experienced, looking for nature, capturing its distant , clear voice. Confidently combines the artist various spatial plans, the materiality of objects near and flickering hidden in mist. But the rapid development of Russian culture in need of more Shishkin created his landscapes in the years when Kramskoy demanded that "the art of living and striking" when Repin had already written "Religious Procession in Kursk Province" and powerful painting a picture of "Ivan the Terrible and Ivan Tsarevich" when Surikov worked to create a "Boyarynya Morozova," perfect in its beautiful system. Friend Shishkin - Kramskoy - praised his paintings, but pointed out that "other went on." And Shishkin was able to move forward again. If in the pictures of the "Holy. Yelabuga key near" and "Oak Grove" (both 1886), he gave wonderful examples of his paintings over the years worked out, like some in color, which characterizes the true objective world, with paint, laid a thick layer, then in the the same in 1886, he created a completely different, wonderful work - "Pines, sunlit. This painting, imbued h "istym light, such transparency and captivating colors not yet known Shishkin art in recent years. This talented sketch, perceived as a complete picture demonstrates an enviable spiritual vigor of youth and fifty-four of the artist, lyrical etude and joy of expression, rich in combinations of golden, light green, blue's) - it animates the color, brings to life all the richness of its tones . Light rays penetrate into the depths of the forest and suddenly appear among the distant trees. Light Shishkin summarizes complex landscape composition, giving them emotional resonance. All this is clear also in the movie "The Oaks", "Oak Grove", written in 1887. In both pictures the powerful, expressive plastic trunks of oaks seem to be immersed in light and air. The first of these pictures Shishkin in fact confined to a few only picture of three trees on the sunny lawn. With special direct impact is the same passion touching beauty corners of the modest nature of sketches Shishkin. But the artist never sacrificed for the sake of the game is real world images, along with the effects of light, the artist created numerous sketches, which continued to investigate the shape of trees, their specific characteristics, the structure of flowers, grasses, moss, stones * Incarnation Shishkin achievements in the 80 years was the picture of the "windfall" created in 1888 (shown in the first exhibition of the Association XYI Wanderers, it was called "windfall. From the forests of Vologda Province"). It features multi-faceted artist expressed his talent. Solemn stately old slender spruce, going row by row into the gloom of the thick forest, and in the foreground in the sunshine, piled tree trunks, broken by the storm, fell on neighboring spruce or lying on the ground, thick layer of moss covered rotten long ago collapsed stems. Shishkin introduced in this harsh death scene forest giants image of young fir-trees and fungi, as if ran forward a gay family. Subtly feeling the life of nature, he has shown along the trees, standing for centuries and lived only a few days, mushrooms, and an instant shine light in the water of a small source. Wider and freer than at least a "Backwoods" in 1872, the picture is the idea of ​​living nature - a diverse, echoing the richness of human feelings and thoughts. Subject celebration of life is the basis of the famous work "Morning in a Pine Forest" (1889). The idea of ​​this painting was prompted by Shishkin his friend, the eminent artist Wanderers KA Savitsky (who wrote the film bears). Funny, bear, with his head on one side, listening to the sounds of the awakening forests that are heard from early morning mist blue, bears are on the trunk storm felled the old pine tree: a little sun colors the first rays of the tops of trees. Heavy detail shows the array of the first plan Confront misty veil hiding * some form, but not fully visible to us of life in a single image merge and detailed story, and hint. Bears are "masters" of the Russian forests, the favorite heroes of fairy tales, funny and touching, successfully introduced into the picture. 90s Shishkin met full force. At each traveling exhibition he always been represented by several works. For him, it seemed, had no difficulty. He could create a row a few outstanding works - paintings, "In the woods the Countess Mordvinova. Peterhof, "" Rain in an Oak Forest "," On the northern wilderness?, So dissimilar to each other, were written several months in 1891. The first of these slender trunks of rhythm, balance the composition as a whole, the picturesque beauty of tone make the picture of one of the highest achievements of the artist. Shishkin, successfully overcame the difficulty of her image in the depths of the forest twilight evening light. Other work is the second picture. The shroud of rain hides the details of it, on a light silver background clearly favor the first plan of trees and a few human figures (they are entered into the picture, too, KA Savitsky), the picture seems clear and easy. "In the northern wilderness ..." - an experiment of the artist, whose implementation he was the winner. Lone Pine, with snow, stands on a cliff above the dalyu northern forests, disappearing into the darkness of a winter night, the snow on a pine tree shining in the moonlight. Unexpected contrasts, Focusing on one tree, the sharp blue - not only new to Shishkin, they talk about the courage of the artist searches for the threshold of the last decade of his life. At the end of the same Shishkin 1891 (with I. Repin) arranged in the halls of the Academy of Arts exhibition of his works. For the most part the exhibits were of his recent studies. "A similar exhibition of sketches we have not yet," said the newspaper. The fact that the Shishkin came before the public with an exhibition of its kind, was significant. In the early 1890s have been readily apparent successes of the young masters of Russian landscape painting, headed by I. Levitan and Konstantin Korovin, and the old master as it came into competition with them, showing dozens of their studies. They testified to the ease and penetration of his work, on responsiveness to the impressions of nature, a pictorial freedom. Without changing the cause of his life, and Shishkin in 1890 said of the creative youth of his skill. However, the exhibition was an important milestone in the rapprochement with the Wanderers and Academy in attracting the largest of them (and Shishkin's included) to teaching in a restructured higher art school in Russia. In 1890 Shishkin continue to rise, wrote sketches, still able to amaze his sincerity, sunshine, cleanliness and fidelity color. Relying on them and on all his experience of studying nature, Shishkin did not leave and work on landscape compositions. Large paintings were fresh and fresh, confidently asserts the fruitfulness of the realistic method of landscape painting in the late XIX century. Completeness and a sense of maturity of thought distinguish these later paintings. Epic scale stands out among them film "Kama near Yelabuga", created in 1895. In early 1898 shestidesyatishestiletny artist painted the picture that was to last to realize its potential as a major Russian landscape. This is the "Mast-Tree Grove." It was like a synthesis of his artistic development, and Shishkin, could not give it special importance among his other works, even the most successful. One of the biggest in size, elaborately solemn majesty and calm. Having started the painting, Shishkin wanted to portray something significant and valuable for him and he turned to nature, familiar to him since childhood and have often served him for more images}'s earlier paintings. This is - Afonasovskaya ship grove near Yelabuga, he has already shown its almost the same point of view in "The Pinery" 1872. More importantly, however, the similarity between two images of a place, but the difference between them. Painter threw a lot of the earlier paintings: the "Ship grove" there is no sequence of several plans, side wings, and no detailed account of a variety of plants - the artist as if pulled by our central motif of the image, and showed his compositional and pictorial semantic expressiveness. Pine trees are not covered completely by our eyes, soar to the sky, leaving behind a frame picture. In the center of the light, clear and beautiful, isolated several trunks of selected ship,|the mast of the forest, given the right of the non-dissected mass of greenery on the left - the transparent depth of boron. Next two centuries with the young pine trees go up or stretch thin poles, thrown over the shallow creek. A powerful and helpless, high and low, the secular and the instantaneous (two butterflies on the first plan <b) form a system of oppositions, far from the intrusive and deliberately, but truly eloquent in his life the truth. Synthesis of the achievements of the artist is painting a picturesque and respect. It does not care about any of the colored part: the color is developed in ways subtle shades of light is felt even in the darker parts of the picture. But most importantly, governs all elements of the painting is the embodiment of her solemn and radiant beauty of the motherland, full of strength. Shortly after the "ship's grove," Shishkin died - March 8, 1898. Shishkin life was filled with constant activity. He wrote a lot of paintings and sketches, created beautiful pictures, did a lot for the development and promotion of Russian prints.