Why Isaac Levitan was called a virtuoso of spring landscapes

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

And again about the great master of the Russian landscape Isaac Ilyich Levitan, picturesquely and poetically praising the mother nature of central Russia. He was immensely fascinated by her at any time. However, most of all, the artist loved autumn, she, like nothing else, responded to the state of his rebellious soul. But, today our publication presents a gallery of the artist's spring landscapes, which are no less magnificent and artistically valuable.

Spring, the awakening of nature, is one of the most beautiful and romantic times of the year. At this time, nature, as it were, throws off the slumber in which it stayed during the long and cold winter. Waking up, she makes the world play with pure colors, ringing drops, birdsong. It is this beauty and romance of the surrounding world, which has thrown off the burdens of winter - all this is eloquently reflected in many works of Russian landscape painters. Each of them wrote the spring as he saw. For some, it was associated with the blossoming of blossoming gardens, the murmur of rivers, and the singing of birds that had flown in. In the works of other masters, spring was associated as a time of love and tenderness, while for others it was a time of dampness and dirt.

So in Levitan's spring landscapes, instead of the spring mood, you can often see the mood of an autumn damp day, where gray-brown color and general depression prevail. However, there are many works that really breathe in spring: melting March snow, barely touched by the first breath of warmth on the eve of spring, bright greenery, floods of wide rivers and small streams, flowering apple orchards. Isaac Ilyich considered the seasons to be, as it were, a replaceable garment of nature, which, in fact, does not change its true appearance.

And no matter what the artist wrote, he eloquently spoke with every canvas, every tiny sketch: In addition, the masterly possession of color allowed the author to easily reproduce light effects, create the illusion of space, and also give the appropriate mood.

- Levitan said. -. He himself was a melancholic. And this is felt in many of his works, especially of the later period.

Spring in the early work of the artist

In a small sketch “Sunny Day. Spring”, which the young Levitan wrote in his first year of study at the landscape studio of Alexei Savrasov, the influence of the teacher is clearly felt. Here you can see the author's special attention to small details in the composition, and the almost photographic accuracy of their images, which was characteristic of many landscape painters of the mid-19th century.

Even in those years, professors noted the emotional component in the artist's works, and then the technical one. Levitan was not at all attracted by far-fetched spectacular romantic or heroic landscapes. And working on nature, it was not enough for Levitan to convey the external beauty of the landscape, he wanted to capture and convey the charm or sadness of every small detail, every twig. And he really did it.

The last snow. Savvinskaya Sloboda

But in this sketch you can already see how the artist's manner is changing. He became better at creating spatial plans, avoiding geometry in the composition, elaboration of details. His style of writing became free and generalized, and the color began to be based on the ratio of subtle shades of earthy tones. For several years the artist worked with such a meager palette, which, in his opinion, could perfectly reflect the nature of central Russia.

Painting "Spring in Italy" and a study for it

A special place in the series of the artist's works is occupied by the sketch and painting "Spring in Italy", very different in color, written during his first trip abroad in 1890. The sketch, of course, Levitan made from nature in Italy, and the picture was finished already upon his return to his homeland, in Plyos. It is curious that the etude differs significantly from the main work of the same name.

Conquered by the colorful Italian nature, the artist was able to transfer her mood to his sketch, but the later revision qualitatively lost its colorful emotionality, intensity of color, subtlety of color ratios. In the picture, all expressive techniques have become more restrained, and the color is much muted. Apparently, devoid of a bright southern nature, surrounded by restrained Russian nature, Levitan lost the feeling of the multicolored nature of the environment. But, in spite of everything, in comparison with many other landscapes of that period, the painting "Spring in Italy" looks extremely airy and at the same time filled with color.

March

In 1895, joyful, major motives appeared in Levitan's work. His painting becomes more sonorous, expressive, as if awakened from a long sleep. The feeling of an enthusiastic and light experience of nature fills a whole series of works by the master, among which the most famous is "March". It was this work of Levitan that won wide fame for its triumphant, joyful mood. "March" is called one of the most poetic Russian landscapes of the 19th century. It is so musical that the viewer, standing in front of the canvas, seems to really begin to hear the ringing of a drop, the cries of birds, the snoring of a horse waiting for its master at the house. And not only to hear, but also to feel the smells of the earth getting rid of the ice captivity.

Spring. Big water

- this is how AV Lunacharsky spoke about this picture. Cold spring water overflowed the banks, flooding the grove and coastal villages. This Levitanian spring is not yet green - it is blue. The delicate azure of clear water reflects the thin white trunks of birch trees. The shadows of bare trees fall on the sun-dried red earth. Incredible peace and joy of transformation - this is what permeates the artist's landscape. The earth is awakening! The air smells of spring, because there is always hope in it - for a good summer, for a harvest, for happiness. Unfortunately, this canvas ended a series of bright, poetic landscapes of Levitan. He finished it by 1897, when he already stubbornly began new methods of work, which were reflected in the next cycle of his works.

Spring in the late work of I. I. Levitan

The painting "Early Spring" along with several other canvases, shown at the Paris Salon in 1900, drew the approval of the European public - it felt the special emotional mood characteristic of the Russian worldview, and a subtle understanding of the natural environment. In addition, it was noted that the highest artistic quality is inherent in other works of Levitan of that period. Everyone claimed that this is a world-class painting.

The sketches, written a couple of years before the artist's death in Crimea, are mostly expressive and temperamental. The artist is frightened and oppressed by the inevitably approaching eternity of nothingness, and he tries to catch each new image of the changing nature, to capture an instant experience. And even in such a light sketch as "Spring in the Crimea" one can feel an inner dissonance: admiring nature, he cannot be distracted from gloomy thoughts about his impending demise.

At that time, Levitan no longer cared about details at all, but grasped only the main most expressive features. He began to paint in an impressionistic manner, in almost all of its laws. Masterly possession of color allowed the artist to easily reproduce light effects, create the illusion of space and air.

Summing up the above about the landscape lyrics of the painter, I would like to end with the words of Kliment Timiryazev: "Levitan is the Pushkin of the Russian landscape."Indeed, every stroke of the artist's brush is a virtuoso skill, brought to perfection.

The artist about the artist

It is worth noting that the personality of Isaac Levitan himself is no less interesting than his work. Therefore, I would like to quote from the memoirs of Isaac Levitan by the no less famous artist Konstantin Korovin:

Yes, it is not easy to comprehend the fine mental organization of a brilliant master only by touching his work. You can learn much more about him from our publication: Why the genius of the Russian landscape Isaac Levitan twice tried to commit suicide.

P. S

And in conclusion, I would like to surprise you a little. It turns out that Isaac Ilyich in his creative heritage left not only magnificent landscapes, but also amazing floral still lifes, striking with sophistication, simplicity and realism. Still lifes are few in number, there are about three dozen of them, but they are incredibly valuable - as works of pictorial art.

And you can learn about some facts from the landscape painter's personal life from the publication: The scandalous story of "Jumping": because of what Levitan was going to challenge Chekhov to a duel.