Painting Levitan "Lake. Russia ”is a late work of the artist. He wrote it in the last year of his life. The canvas is considered unfinished, but nevertheless it is recognized as one of the best works of the author. She was presented at a posthumous exhibition organized in Moscow, and rightfully earned positive reviews from critics.
Creation and Description
"Lake. Russia ”is considered one of the largest paintings of the artist. In addition, she has something in common with his other late works, primarily with the famous painting “Above Eternal Peace”. In both cases, the author devoted the main part of the composition to the image of a large lake with a beautiful church on the shore. Levitan used several sketches for his last work: a large carefully designed draft, which is stored in Nizhny Novgorod, and a small sample, preserved in a private Moscow collection.
Canvas "Lake. Russia ”, like most of the artist’s works, is devoted to the depiction of Russian nature. On the far shore is an autumn forest, wide fields and a white church. In the sky, Levitan wrote fancy clouds in a light blue sky. This beautiful landscape is reflected in the water, which emphasizes the beauty and grandeur of the rural land.
Reviews
Work “Lake. Russia ”was highly praised by critics. Famous art critic V. Manin noted that this painting marks a new stage in the development of Russian painting. He noted the artist’s desire to capture the variability of the world, the play of colors, the movement of air. According to him, Levitan moved away from focusing on the storyline and completely concentrated on the transfer of feelings and feelings from the contemplation of nature. Manin noted that the scale of the image was combined with a sensitive perception of the world.
Features and Importance
One of the most famous landscape painters was I. Levitan. "Lake. Russia ”was the result of his many years of searching in the image of his native country. That is why traces of alterations and processing are noticeable on the canvas. The size and wide scope of the landscape perspective is filled with philosophical meaning. At the same time, the fact that the plot is almost completely copied from nature, unlike previous works of the author, is indicative. The artist made only minor changes, trying to most fully and reliably reproduce all the features of nature. The painting "Lake. Russia ”is distinguished by the absence of a compositional structure, like other paintings by the artist. It consists of sketches taken from other works, which are combined into one whole by the general feeling of the author. In this painting, the mood of silence and tranquility so characteristic of the author is expressed by landscape means: the surface of the water, sunlight, transparent air.
The picture, summing up the work of Levitan, at the same time opens up a new stage in Russian painting. The manner in which this composition is performed resembles the French school of impressionists, which set the tone in European art of the turn of the century. The last work of the master proves that Russian artists, following this new trend, filled the style with a special philosophical meaning.