According to Nikanor Ivanovich’s will, his art collection, money in a bank and a house were given to the city of Kaluga for the establishment of the museum. His collection included paintings and graphic works by representatives of Russian and Western European schools, marble and bronze sculptures and porcelain works. In total, it included 91 artifacts.
Aleksandr Vladimirovich Makovsky’s 1902 painting “Geese” is an example of his mature style.
This work depicts the floodplain of a small river with a brood of geese grazing on its bank. The background features only a hill disappearing into the distance with a lone tree on it. The dark sky is covered with thick, swirling clouds, and the outlines of the forest can be seen, dissolving in a haze. The artist made the painting particularly interesting by choosing to depict a specific moment — the beginning of a thunderstorm. Juxtaposing light and shadows, Makovsky was able to achieve an unusual optical effect. In the landscape, we see a moment of instant darkening, which usually happens before the onset of bad weather, and, simultaneously, echoes of sunlight still lingering on the slope, however, the shadows rapidly approach the sunny spots. The color scheme of the painting is harmonious and refined: the bottle green and emerald grass, the ocher surface of the hill, and the bluish-purple sky. The chosen color palette, the battle between light and shadow, the integrity of the composition, a simple and understandable plot — all this makes the work of Aleksandr Makovsky memorable. It is a highly valuable exhibit in the collection.
