The outskirts of small Russian towns, full of a special charm and atmosphere of olden times, the unique beauty of Central Russian nature were the favorite motifs of the artist Stanislav Mikhailovich Nikireev.
The artist Nikireev was an outstanding master of etching. “The Leaves Rustled Away” is remarkable for its almost filigree technique. It is also marked by a striking artistic truthfulness, perhaps because the flat landscape the artist depicted was very dear to him — he spent many years of his life in the vast forest and forest-steppe zone of Russia.
The etching shows a tree as the center of a large composition with a receding perspective, including other trees and rural houses. The structure of the tree and the fallen leaves are rendered here in the finest and most beautiful details, suggested by the master’s visual memory. The artist also brings people and animals into the landscape, which makes the picture even more vibrant.
Nikireev largely appears as a successor of the vast and multifaceted oeuvre of the landscape art of 19th century Russian artists, the only difference being that most of his predecessors preferred to work with brushes and paints. In his works one can feel the same love for old city alleys and country yards, often hidden in the foliage of surrounding trees, or, on the contrary, looming somewhere far away in the open space. Stanislav Mikhailovich was equally interested in picturing nature in its different states: vibrant, weeping and blooming in spring, sunny and warm in summer, withering and seemingly frozen in autumn, and freezing and snowy, yet extraordinarily hospitable in winter, despite all the severity of this season in Russia. All these states of nature in all the seasons evoke a lot of emotions and are very vividly shown to the beholder, despite the fact that they are painted in black and white. Continuing the tradition of the old masters, on the one hand, and using his own original and largely developed technique, on the other hand, Nikereev displays his immense talent, which one can see in the picture “The Leaves Rustled Away”.
The artist Nikireev was an outstanding master of etching. “The Leaves Rustled Away” is remarkable for its almost filigree technique. It is also marked by a striking artistic truthfulness, perhaps because the flat landscape the artist depicted was very dear to him — he spent many years of his life in the vast forest and forest-steppe zone of Russia.
The etching shows a tree as the center of a large composition with a receding perspective, including other trees and rural houses. The structure of the tree and the fallen leaves are rendered here in the finest and most beautiful details, suggested by the master’s visual memory. The artist also brings people and animals into the landscape, which makes the picture even more vibrant.
Nikireev largely appears as a successor of the vast and multifaceted oeuvre of the landscape art of 19th century Russian artists, the only difference being that most of his predecessors preferred to work with brushes and paints. In his works one can feel the same love for old city alleys and country yards, often hidden in the foliage of surrounding trees, or, on the contrary, looming somewhere far away in the open space. Stanislav Mikhailovich was equally interested in picturing nature in its different states: vibrant, weeping and blooming in spring, sunny and warm in summer, withering and seemingly frozen in autumn, and freezing and snowy, yet extraordinarily hospitable in winter, despite all the severity of this season in Russia. All these states of nature in all the seasons evoke a lot of emotions and are very vividly shown to the beholder, despite the fact that they are painted in black and white. Continuing the tradition of the old masters, on the one hand, and using his own original and largely developed technique, on the other hand, Nikereev displays his immense talent, which one can see in the picture “The Leaves Rustled Away”.
