Alexei Savrasov painted Summer landscape. Pines in the 1870’s. Experts locate the scene near Losiny Ostrov (“Elk Island”) in Sokolniki, a Moscow suburb he used to go to for plein air work. In the late 19th century Sokolniki was a countryside area which did not stand out in any way, but Savrasov fell in love with it as a student. It was a place he visited frequently to paint landscapes.
The painting features two straight pine trees in the middle and behind them to the right, a pine grove half-hidden in haze. The close ranks of trees there accentuate the perceived fragility of the trees in the front. Savrasov used cold blue and violet shades for the background while the sunlit spot in forefront is dominated by warm yellow and pink.
The aerial perspective in the picture is very convincing: the nearby pines can be seen in full detail, the landscape becoming blurred towards the horizon. The artist, who always gave special attention to atmospheric environment, used to say to his disciples: “A landscape is nothing without air! No matter how many birches or firs you put in, whatever you devise, if you fail to paint the air you end up with a lousy landscape”.
The painting features two straight pine trees in the middle and behind them to the right, a pine grove half-hidden in haze. The close ranks of trees there accentuate the perceived fragility of the trees in the front. Savrasov used cold blue and violet shades for the background while the sunlit spot in forefront is dominated by warm yellow and pink.
The aerial perspective in the picture is very convincing: the nearby pines can be seen in full detail, the landscape becoming blurred towards the horizon. The artist, who always gave special attention to atmospheric environment, used to say to his disciples: “A landscape is nothing without air! No matter how many birches or firs you put in, whatever you devise, if you fail to paint the air you end up with a lousy landscape”.
