Shishkin pine forest. Sosnovy Bor. Mast forest in Vyatka province. How to rediscover “Morning in a Pine Forest”

January 13 (25), 1832, 180 years ago, the future outstanding Russian landscape artist, painter, draftsman and engraver-aquafortist was born Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin.

Shishkin was born in small town Elabuga, on the banks of the Kama River. The dense coniferous forests surrounding this city and the harsh nature of the Urals captivated young Shishkin.

Of all types of painting, Shishkin preferred landscape. "...Nature is always new... and always ready to give with an inexhaustible supply of its gifts, which we call life... What can be better than nature..." - he writes in his diary.

Close communication with nature and careful study of it awakened in the young nature researcher the desire to capture it as reliably as possible. “Only unconditional imitation of nature,” he writes in his student album, “can fully satisfy the requirements of a landscape painter, and the most important thing for a landscape painter is a diligent study of nature, - as a result of this, painting from life should be without imagination.”

Just three months after entering the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, Shishkin attracted the attention of professors with his natural landscape drawings. He was anxiously awaiting his first exam at the Academy, and his joy was great when he was awarded a small silver medal for the painting “View in the Outskirts of St. Petersburg” submitted to the competition. According to him, he wanted to express in the painting “fidelity, similarity, portraiture of the depicted nature and convey the life of a hot-breathing nature.”

Painted in 1865, the painting “View in the vicinity of Düsseldorf” brought the artist the title of academician.

By this time they were already talking about him as a talented and virtuoso draftsman. His pen drawings, executed with the smallest strokes, with filigree finishing of details, surprised and amazed viewers both in Russia and abroad. Two such drawings were acquired by the Düsseldorf Museum.

Lively, sociable, charming, active Shishkin was surrounded by the attention of his comrades. I. E. Repin, who attended the famous “Thursdays” of the St. Petersburg Artel of Artists, spoke about him later: “The voice of the hero I. I. Shishkin was heard louder than anyone else: like a green mighty forest, he amazed everyone with his health, good appetite and truthful Russian speech He drew a lot of his excellent drawings with a pen at these evenings. The audience used to gasp behind his back when he, with his powerful paws of a crowbar and clumsy fingers calloused from work, began to distort and erase his brilliant drawing, and the drawing seemed like a miracle or some kind of magic. rough treatment the author emerges more and more gracefully and brilliantly.”

Already at the first exhibition of the Peredvizhniki appeared famous painting Shishkina" Sosnovy Bor. Mast forest in Vyatka province". The viewer is presented with the image of a majestic, mighty Russian forest. Looking at the picture, one gets the impression of deep peace, which is not disturbed either by bears near a tree with a beehive, or by a bird flying high in the sky. Notice how beautifully the trunks of old pines are painted: each has its own character" and "one's own face", but in general - the impression of a single world of nature, full of inexhaustible vitality. A leisurely detailed story, an abundance of details along with the identification of the typical, characteristic, integrity of the captured image, simplicity and accessibility artistic language- these are distinctive features This painting, as well as the artist’s subsequent works, invariably attracted the attention of viewers at exhibitions of the Association of Itinerants.

IN best paintings Shishkin I. I., created by the end of the 70s and in the 80s, a monumental epic beginning is felt. The paintings convey the solemn beauty and power of the endless Russian forests. Shishkin’s life-affirming works are in tune with the worldview of the people, connecting the idea of happiness and contentment human life with the power and richness of nature. On one of the artist's sketches you can see the following inscription: "... Expanse, space, land. Rye... Grace. Russian wealth." A worthy conclusion to Shishkin’s integral and original work was the 1898 painting “Ship Grove”.

In Shishkin's painting "Polesie" contemporaries pointed out that the artist was unable to achieve the perfection in color that distinguished the artist's drawings. N. I. Murashko noted that he would like to see more light in the painting “Polesie” “with its golden play, with its thousand sometimes reddish, sometimes airy-bluish transitions.”

However, the fact that color began to play a much larger role in his works of the 80s did not escape the attention of his contemporaries. In this regard, the highest appreciation of the picturesque qualities of Shishkin’s famous sketch “Pines illuminated by the sun” is important.

While working as a professor, Shishkin required his students to do painstaking preliminary work on location. In winter, when I had to work indoors, I forced novice artists to make copy-paints from photographs. Shishkin found that such work contributed to the comprehension of the forms of nature and helped to improve drawing. He believed that only a long, intense study of nature could eventually open the way for a landscape painter to create independently. In addition, Shishkin noted that a mediocre person will slavishly copy it, while “a person with instinct will take what he needs.” However, he did not take into account that copying individual details from photographs taken outside their natural environment does not bring them closer, but rather distances them from the deep knowledge of it that he sought from his students.

By 1883, the artist was at the dawn of his creative powers. It was at this time that Shishkin created the major canvas “Among the Flat Valley...”, which can be considered classic in its completeness artistic image, completeness, monumentality of sound. Contemporaries admired the merits of the painting, noticing an essential feature of this work: it reveals those features of natural life that are dear and close to any Russian person, correspond to his aesthetic ideal and are captured in folk song.

Death suddenly crept up on the artist. He died at his easel on March 8 (20), 1898, while working on the painting “Forest Kingdom.”

A great painter, a brilliant draftsman and etcher, he left a huge artistic heritage.

According to the book "Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin" compiled by I. N. Shuvalova

Paintings by Shishkin I.I.


seashore	Seashore. Mary Hovey	Pond shore	River bank	Birch forest


Bolshaya Nevka	Logs. The village of Konstantinovka near Krasnoye Selo	Mounds	Beech forest in Switzerland	Beech forest in Switzerland


Goby	In the spruce forest	In Crimea	In the forest thickets	In the forest


In the Countess's Forest Mordvinova	In the deciduous forest	In the vicinity of Düsseldorf	In the park	In the grove

Plot

With rare exceptions, the subject of Shishkin's paintings (if you look at this issue broadly) is one - nature. Ivan Ivanovich is an enthusiastic, loving contemplator. And the viewer becomes an eyewitness to the painter’s meeting with his native expanses.

Shishkin was an extraordinary expert on the forest. He knew everything about trees of different species and noticed errors in the drawing. During plein airs, the artist’s students were ready to literally hide in the bushes, just so as not to hear criticism in the spirit of “Such a birch cannot exist” or “these pine trees are fake.”

The students were so afraid of Shishkin that they hid in the bushes

As for people and animals, they occasionally appeared in Ivan Ivanovich’s paintings, but they were more of a background than an object of attention. “Morning in a Pine Forest” is perhaps the only painting where bears compete with the forest. For this, thanks to one of Shishkin’s best friends - the artist Konstantin Savitsky. He suggested such a composition and depicted animals. True, Pavel Tretyakov, who bought the canvas, erased Savitsky’s name, so for a long time the bears were attributed to Shishkin.

Portrait of Shishkin by I. N. Kramskoy. 1880

Context

Before Shishkin, it was fashionable to paint Italian and Swiss landscapes. "Even in those in rare cases, when artists took on the depiction of Russian localities, Russian nature became Italianized, brought closer to the ideal Italian beauty“,” recalled Alexandra Komarova, Shishkin’s niece. Ivan Ivanovich was the first who painted Russian nature realistically with such ecstasy. So that looking at his paintings, a person would say: “There is a Russian spirit there, it smells like Russia.”

Rye. 1878

And now the story of how Shishkin’s canvas became a wrapper. Around the same time that “Morning in a Pine Forest” was presented to the public, Julius Geis, the head of the Einem Partnership, was brought a candy to try: a thick layer of almond praline between two wafer plates and enrobed chocolate. The confectioner liked the candy. Geis thought about the name. Then his gaze lingered on a reproduction of a painting by Shishkin and Savitsky. This is how the idea of “Teddy Bear” came about.

The wrapper, familiar to everyone, appeared in 1913, created by the artist Manuil Andreev. To the plot of Shishkin and Savitsky, he added a frame from spruce branches and the Stars of Bethlehem - in those years, candy was the most expensive and desired gift for the Christmas holidays. Over time, the wrapper has gone through various adjustments, but remains conceptually the same.

The fate of the artist

“Lord, will my son really be a painter!” — Ivan Shishkin’s mother lamented when she realized that she could not convince her son, who had decided to become an artist. The boy was terribly afraid of becoming an official. And, by the way, it’s good that he didn’t. The fact is that Shishkin had an uncontrollable urge to draw. Literally every sheet that was in Ivan’s hands was covered with drawings. Just imagine what the official Shishkin could do with the documents!

Shishkin knew all the botanical details about trees

Ivan Ivanovich studied painting first in Moscow, then in St. Petersburg. Life was hard. The artist Pyotr Neradovsky, whose father studied and lived with Ivan Ivanovich, wrote in his memoirs: “Shishkin was so poor that he often did not have his own boots. To go out somewhere from the house, it happened that he put on his father's boots. On Sundays they went to lunch together with my father’s sister.”

In the wild north. 1891

But everything was forgotten in the summer in the open air. Together with Savrasov and other classmates, they went somewhere out of town and painted sketches from life there. “It was there, in nature, that we really learned... In nature, we studied, and also took a break from the casts,” Shishkin recalled. Even then he chose the theme of his life: “I truly love the Russian forest and only write about it. The artist needs to choose the one thing that he loves most... There is no way to throw it away.” By the way, Shishkin learned to masterfully paint Russian nature abroad. He studied in the Czech Republic, Germany, and Switzerland. The paintings brought from Europe brought in the first decent money.

After the death of his wife, brother and son, Shishkin drank for a long time and could not work

Meanwhile, in Russia, the Peredvizhniki protested against the academicians. Shishkin was incredibly happy about this. In addition, many of the rebels were friends of Ivan Ivanovich. True, over time he quarreled with both of them and was very worried about this.

Shishkin died suddenly. I sat down at the canvas, just about to start working, and yawned once. and that's all. This is exactly what the painter wanted - “instantly, right away, so as not to suffer.” Ivan Ivanovich was 66 years old.

Even people far from painting know about the works of Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin. Shishkin gained popularity during his lifetime by painting the nature of Russia, which he loved so much. Contemporaries called him “the king of the forest,” and it is no coincidence, because among Shishkin’s creations one can find many paintings depicting forest landscapes.

Paintings famous landscape painter difficult to confuse with the works of other artists. Nature on Shishkin’s canvases is shown selectively. The landscape artist painted it close up, emphasizing the rough bark of trees, the greenness of leaves, and roots protruding from the ground. If Aivazovsky preferred to depict the power of the elements, then Shishkin’s nature seems peaceful and calm.

(Painting "Rain in the forest")

The artist skillfully conveyed this feeling of calm through his canvases. He showed natural phenomena not so often. One of his paintings depicts rain in the forest. Otherwise, nature seems unshakable and almost eternal.

(Painting "Windfall")

Some canvases depict objects that survived the onslaught of the elements. For example, the artist has several canvases with the title "Windfall". The storm passed, leaving behind a pile of broken trees.

(Painting "View of the island of Valaam")

Shishkin loved the island of Valaam. This place inspired his creativity, so among the artist’s paintings you can find landscapes depicting views of Valaam. One of these paintings is “View on the Island of Valaam”. Some paintings with landscapes of the island belong to the early period of the artist’s work.

(Painting "Pine trees illuminated by the sun")

It is worth noting that from the very beginning Shishkin decided on the manner of depicting nature. He does not take large-scale objects and does not strive to show the entire forest, focusing on the “three pines”.

(Painting "Wilds")

(Painting "Rye")

(Painting "Oak Grove")

(Painting "Morning in a pine forest")

(Painting "Winter")

One of interesting paintings artist - "Wilds". The canvas depicts a section of forest untouched by man. This area lives its own life, even the ground on it is entirely covered with vegetation. If a person came to this place, he would feel like the hero of some mysterious Russian fairy tale. The artist concentrated on details, depicting the depths of the forest. He conveyed all the little details with amazing accuracy. On this canvas you can also see a fallen tree - a trace of the raging elements.

(Hall of paintings by Ivan Shishkin in the Tretyakov Gallery)

Today, many of Shishkin’s paintings can be seen in the famous Tretyakov Gallery. They still attract the attention of art connoisseurs. Shishkin painted not only Russian landscapes. The artist was also fascinated by the views of Switzerland. But Shishkin himself admitted that he was bored without Russian nature.

Ivan Shishkin. Morning in a pine forest. 1889 Tretyakov Gallery

“Morning in a Pine Forest” is the most famous painting by Ivan Shishkin. No, take it higher. This is the most popular painting in Russia.

But this fact, it seems to me, brings little benefit to the masterpiece itself. It even harms him.

When it's too popular, it flashes everywhere. In every textbook. On candy wrappers (where the wild popularity of the painting began 100 years ago).

As a result, the viewer loses interest in the picture. We glance at her quickly with the thought “Oh, it’s her again...”. And we pass by.

For the same reason I didn’t write about her. Although I’ve been writing articles about masterpieces for several years now. And one might be surprised how I passed by this blockbuster. But now you know why.

I'm correcting myself. Because I want to look at Shishkin’s masterpiece with you more closely.

Why “Morning in a Pine Forest” is a masterpiece

Shishkin was a realist to the core. He depicted the forest very realistically. Choosing colors carefully. Such realism easily draws the viewer into the picture.

Just look at the color schemes.

Pale emerald pine needles in the shade. Light green color of young grass in the rays of the morning sun. Dark ocher pine needles on a fallen tree.

The fog is also made from a combination of different shades. Greenish in the shade. Bluish in the light. And it turns yellow closer to the treetops.

Ivan Shishkin. Morning in a pine forest (fragment). 1889 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

All this complexity creates the overall impression of being in this forest. You feel this forest. And don't just see it. The craftsmanship is incredible.

But Shishkin’s paintings, alas, are often compared to photographs. Considering the master deeply old-fashioned. Why such realism if there are photo images?

I do not agree with this position. It is important what angle the artist chooses, what kind of lighting, what kind of fog and even moss. All this together reveals to us a piece of the forest from a special side. In a way we wouldn't see him. But we see through the eyes of an artist.

And through his gaze we experience pleasant emotions: delight, inspiration, nostalgia. And this is the point: to provoke the viewer to a spiritual response.

Savitsky – assistant or co-author of the masterpiece?

The story of Konstantin Savitsky’s co-authorship seems strange to me. In all sources you will read that Savitsky was an animal painter, which is why he volunteered to help his friend Shishkin. Like, such realistic bears are his merit.

But if you look at Savitsky’s works, you will immediately understand that animal painting is NOT his main genre.

He was typical. He often wrote about the poor. Helped with the help of paintings for the disadvantaged. Here is one of his outstanding works, “Meeting of an Icon.”

Konstantin Savitsky. Meeting the icon. 1878 Tretyakov Gallery.

Yes, in addition to the crowd, there are also horses. Savitsky really knew how to portray them very realistically.

But Shishkin also easily coped with a similar task, if you look at his animalistic works. In my opinion, he did no worse than Savitsky.

Ivan Shishkin. Goby. 1863 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Therefore, it is not entirely clear why Shishkin commissioned Savitsky to write the bears. I'm sure he could handle it himself. They were friends. Perhaps this was an attempt to help a friend financially? Shishkin was more successful. He received serious money for his paintings.

For the bears, Savitsky received 1/4 of the fee from Shishkin - as much as 1000 rubles (with our money this is about 0.5 million rubles!) It is unlikely that Savitsky could have received such an amount for a whole own work.

Formally, Tretyakov was right. After all, Shishkin thought through the entire composition. Even the poses and positions of the bears. This is obvious if you look at the sketches.

Co-authorship as a phenomenon in Russian painting

Moreover, this is not the first such case in Russian painting. I immediately remembered Aivazovsky’s painting “Pushkin’s Farewell to the Sea.” Pushkin in the painting of the great marine painter was painted by... Ilya Repin.

But his name is not in the picture. Although these are not bears. But still great poet. Which needs to not only be depicted realistically. But to be expressive. So that the same farewell to the sea can be read in the eyes.

Ivan Aivazovsky (co-authored with I. Repin). Pushkin's farewell to the sea. 1877 All-Russian Museum A.S. Pushkin, St. Petersburg. Wikipedia.org

In my opinion, this is a more difficult task than depicting bears. Nevertheless, Repin did not insist on co-authorship. On the contrary, I was incredibly happy to work together with the great Aivazovsky.

Savitsky was prouder. I was offended by Tretyakov. But he continued to be friends with Shishkin.

But we cannot deny that without the bears this painting would not have become the artist's most recognizable painting. This would be another Shishkin masterpiece. Majestic and breathtaking landscape.

But he wouldn't be so popular. It was the bears who played their role. This means that Savitsky should not be completely discounted.

How to rediscover “Morning in a Pine Forest”

And in conclusion, I would like to return again to the problem of overdose of the image of a masterpiece. How can you look at it with fresh eyes?

I think it's possible. To do this, look at the little-known sketch for the painting.

Ivan Shishkin. Sketch for the painting “Morning in a Pine Forest.” 1889 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

It is done with quick strokes. The figures of the bears are only outlined and painted by Shishkin himself. Particularly impressive is the light in the form of golden vertical strokes.

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