Russian fondness for landscape painting began in the second half of the 19th century. It was then that the national school of landscape painting came into being. Vasily Dmitrievich Polenov is the most talented representative of the Russian school of landscape painting. The picture The Road to Delphi came in 1933 from the collection of the State Museum of Fine Arts, whose halls were expected to be decorated with a picturesque frieze depicting the views of Egypt, Greece, Palestine, Italy like in the Berlin Museum. Polenov got carried away with this objective, discussed it at length with the organizer of the museum, Ivan Vladimirivoch Tsvetaev, and finally instead of the frieze suggested panel paintings in the landscape genre. 

Polenov saw studies from life as an indispensable condition for implementing the artistic concept. He persistently developed the programme of paintings, made lists of proposed pictures, looked for painters to implement this project which he viewed as ambitious. However, the project preparation took too long, and for various reasons this fascinating idea never came true. В 1911, Polenov visited Greece and brought a few studies from there to donate them to the museum to be opened any time soon. Greek nature as portrayed by Polenov was full of dignity and tranquillity. The picture The Road to Delphi does not have any historical monuments just like other pictures of this series. And yet, it gives the sense of the power and grandeur of that ancient and legendary land. 

In ancient times Delphi was considered the centre of the Universe. Legend has it that two eagles sent by Zeus from the East and West of the Earth met in that point. The picture The Road to Delphi portrays mountains and valleys in a silvery haze as if viewed with a bird’s eye. Slightly blurred paints absorbed by the rough canvas create the sensation of vast space unfolding before the viewer.