Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin is an acknowledged master of the Russian epic landscape. The painter grew up on the banks of the Kama river, and the majestic beauty of nature of his native land later received a vivid reflection in his work. Dense forests, mighty trees and endless fields are the main subjects of his paintings. Stasov called paintings by Shishkin unique, and contemporaries believed that in the field of realistic monumental landscape the artist had no rivals. The master comprehended the very essence of nature so deeply that the images created by him became symbols of national Russian life for centuries to come.
Pines cannot be seen independently from the artist’s other painting, Forest Road, created by Shishkin in 1897. They are closely related to each other in terms of the theme and style, although the Pines had been painted almost forty years earlier. The painter himself considered the painting an etude, although in terms of completeness of composition and significance of the created image, the painting can be considered an independent work.
The painting is imbued with everything that was the source of the master’s inspiration - it reflected the power and pristine beauty of Russian nature. The composition is somewhat different from Shishkin’s later works - there is no impressive perspective, the master seems to urge the viewer to pause and look at what is right in front of him. Nevertheless, the pines look impressive, one can feel their strength and majesty.
In difficult periods of life, the artist liked to refer to the image of a coniferous forest; it gave him a sense of permanence, which restored his balance of mind. The techniques of painting is typical of the master - he used overtones and colored shadows. Besides that, the author drew small details with amazing, almost photographic accuracy: the viewer can clearly see the roughness of the bark on the trees, the smallest knots and branches, standing out against the blue sky, partially covered with clouds.
The tops of the pines are slightly cut off. This technique was employed in many paintings by the artist to create the impression that mighty trees simply do not fit into the large painting. This evokes a feeling of some intimacy of the landscape, which shows to the viewer a small corner of a majestic forest with its beauty and substantiality. Throughout all his artistic career Ivan Shishkin remained a follower of realism in art, he combined detailed and truthful depiction of nature with emotional depth and spirituality in his works.
Pines cannot be seen independently from the artist’s other painting, Forest Road, created by Shishkin in 1897. They are closely related to each other in terms of the theme and style, although the Pines had been painted almost forty years earlier. The painter himself considered the painting an etude, although in terms of completeness of composition and significance of the created image, the painting can be considered an independent work.
The painting is imbued with everything that was the source of the master’s inspiration - it reflected the power and pristine beauty of Russian nature. The composition is somewhat different from Shishkin’s later works - there is no impressive perspective, the master seems to urge the viewer to pause and look at what is right in front of him. Nevertheless, the pines look impressive, one can feel their strength and majesty.
In difficult periods of life, the artist liked to refer to the image of a coniferous forest; it gave him a sense of permanence, which restored his balance of mind. The techniques of painting is typical of the master - he used overtones and colored shadows. Besides that, the author drew small details with amazing, almost photographic accuracy: the viewer can clearly see the roughness of the bark on the trees, the smallest knots and branches, standing out against the blue sky, partially covered with clouds.
The tops of the pines are slightly cut off. This technique was employed in many paintings by the artist to create the impression that mighty trees simply do not fit into the large painting. This evokes a feeling of some intimacy of the landscape, which shows to the viewer a small corner of a majestic forest with its beauty and substantiality. Throughout all his artistic career Ivan Shishkin remained a follower of realism in art, he combined detailed and truthful depiction of nature with emotional depth and spirituality in his works.
