Shishkin and his paintings with titles. Ivan Shishkin: the most famous paintings of the great Russian landscape painter

Ivan Shishkin: the most famous paintings of the great Russian landscape painter

Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin is rightfully considered a great landscape artist. He, like no one else, managed to convey through his canvases the beauty of the pristine forest, the endless expanses of fields, and the cold of a harsh region. When looking at his paintings, one often gets the impression that a breeze is about to blow or the cracking of branches is heard. Painting occupied all the artist’s thoughts so much that he even died with a brush in his hand, sitting at his easel.

Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin (1832-1898). | Photo: cs3.livemaster.ru.

Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin was born in the small provincial town of Elabuga, located off the banks of the Kama River. As a child, the future artist could wander through the forest for hours, admiring the beauty of pristine nature. In addition, the boy carefully painted the walls and doors of the house, surprising those around him. In the end, in 1852 the future artist entered the Moscow School of Painting and Sculpture. There, teachers help Shishkin recognize exactly the direction in painting that he will follow throughout his life.

Landscapes became the basis of Ivan Shishkin’s work. The artist masterfully conveyed the species of trees, grasses, moss-covered boulders, and uneven soil. His paintings looked so realistic that it seemed as if the sound of a stream or the rustling of leaves could be heard somewhere.

Without a doubt, one of the most popular paintings by Ivan Shishkin is considered "Morning in a pine forest". The painting depicts more than just a pine forest. The presence of bears seems to indicate that somewhere far away, in the wilderness, there is its own unique life.

Unlike his other paintings, the artist did not paint this alone. The bears are by Konstantin Savitsky. Ivan Shishkin judged fairly, and both artists signed the painting. However, when the finished canvas was brought to the buyer Pavel Tretyakov, he became angry and ordered Savitsky’s name to be erased, explaining that he had ordered the painting only from Shishkin, and not from two artists.

The first meetings with Shishkin caused mixed feelings among those around him. He seemed to them a gloomy and taciturn person. At school they even called him a monk behind his back. In fact, the artist revealed himself only in the company of his friends. There he could argue and joke.

Death overtook the artist at his easel. Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin died on March 20, 1898 with a brush in his hands.

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.

The paintings of the famous landscape painter are 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 the trees, the greenness of the leaves, and the 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 the artist’s interesting paintings is “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.

Shishkin Ivan Ivanovich is the founder of the Russian epic landscape, which gives a broad, generalized idea of the majestic and free Russian nature. What is captivating in Shishkin’s paintings is the strict truthfulness of the image, the calm breadth and majesty of the images, their natural, unobtrusive simplicity. The poetry of Shishkin's landscapes is similar to the smooth melody of a folk song, with the flow of a wide, deep river.

Shishkin was born in 1832 in the city of Elabuga, among the untouched and majestic forests of the Kama region, which played a huge role in the formation of Shishkin as a landscape painter. From his youth he was possessed by a passion for painting, and in 1852 he left his native place and went to Moscow, to the School of Painting and Sculpture. He directed all his artistic thoughts towards depicting nature, for this he constantly went to Sokolniki Park to sketch and studied nature. Shishkin's biographer wrote that before him no one had painted nature so beautifully: "... just a field, a forest, a river - and he makes them as beautiful as the Swiss views." In 1860, Shishkin brilliantly graduated from the Academy of Arts with a Big Gold Medal.

Throughout the entire period of his work, the artist followed one of his rules, and did not change it throughout his life: “The imitation of nature alone can satisfy a landscape painter, and the main task of a landscape painter is the diligent study of nature... Nature must be sought in all its simplicity... "

Thus, all his life he followed the task of reproducing what existed as truthfully and accurately as possible and not embellishing it, not imposing his individual perception.

Shishkin's work can be called happy; he never knew painful doubts and contradictions. His entire creative life was devoted to improving the method he followed in his painting.

Shishkin’s pictures of nature were so truthful and accurate that he was often called “the photographer of Russian nature” - some with delight, others, innovators, with slight contempt, but in fact they still cause excitement and admiration among viewers. No one passes by his paintings indifferent.

The winter forest in this picture is frozen, as if numb. In the foreground are several hundred-year-old giant pines. Their powerful trunks darken against the background of bright white snow. Shishkin conveys the amazing beauty of the winter landscape, calm and majestic. To the right the impenetrable thicket of the forest darkens. Everything around is immersed in winter sleep. Only a rare ray of cold sun penetrates the kingdom of snow and casts light golden spots on the branches of pine trees, on a forest clearing in the distance. Nothing disturbs the silence of this amazingly beautiful winter day.

A rich palette of shades of white, brown and gold conveys the state of winter nature and its beauty. Here is a collective image of a winter forest. The picture is full of epic sound.

Bewitched by the Enchantress Winter, the forest stands -
And under the snowy fringe, motionless, mute,
He shines with a wonderful life.
And he stands, bewitched... enchanted by a magical dream,
All wrapped, all bound in a light chain of down...

(F. Tyutchev)

The painting was painted in the year of the artist’s death; it was as if he had once again resurrected motifs close to his heart, associated with the forest and pine trees. The landscape was exhibited at the 26th Traveling Exhibition and met with a warm reception from the progressive public.

The artist depicted a pine mast forest illuminated by the sun. The trunks of pine trees, their needles, the bank of a forest stream with a rocky bottom are bathed in slightly pinkish rays, the state of peace is emphasized by a transparent stream sliding over clean stones.

The lyricism of evening lighting is combined in the picture with the epic characters of the giant pine forest. Huge tree trunks with several girths and their calm rhythm give the entire canvas a special monumentality.

"Ship Grove" is the artist's swan song. In it, he sang of his homeland with its mighty slender forests, clear waters, resinous air, blue sky, and gentle sun. In it, he conveyed that feeling of love and pride for the beauty of the mother earth, which did not leave him throughout his entire creative life.

Midday of a summer day. It just rained. Puddles glisten on the country road. The moisture of warm rain is felt both on the gold of the grain field and on the emerald green grass with bright wildflowers. The purity of the rain-washed earth is made even more convincing by the sky brightening after the rain. Its blue is deep and pure. The last pearly-silver clouds run towards the horizon, giving way to the midday sun.

It is especially valuable that the artist was able to soulfully convey nature renewed after the rain, the breath of refreshed earth and grass, the trembling of running clouds.

Life's truthfulness and poetic spirituality make the painting "Midday" a work of great artistic value.

The canvas depicts a flat landscape of central Russia, the calm beauty of which is crowned by a mighty oak tree. The endless expanses of the valley. In the distance, the ribbon of the river glimmers slightly, a white church is barely visible, and further towards the horizon everything is drowned in a foggy blue. There are no boundaries to this majestic valley.

A country road winds through fields and disappears into the distance. Along the roadside there are flowers - daisies sparkle in the sun, unpretentious hawthorn blossoms, thin stalks of panicles bend low. Fragile and delicate, they emphasize the strength and grandeur of the mighty oak tree, proudly rising above the plain. A deep pre-storm silence reigns in nature. Gloomy shadows from the clouds ran across the plain in dark waves. A terrible thunderstorm is approaching. The curly greenery of the giant oak is motionless. He, like a proud hero, awaits a duel with the elements. Its powerful trunk will never bend under the blows of the wind.

This is Shishkin’s favorite theme - the theme of centuries-old coniferous forests, forest wilderness, majestic and solemn nature in its calm peace. The artist was well able to convey the character of the pine forest, majestic and calm, enveloped in silence. The sun softly illuminates the hillock near the stream, the tops of centuries-old trees, leaving the wilderness immersed in shadow. Snatching the trunks of individual pines from the forest darkness, the golden light of the sun reveals their slenderness and height, the wide span of their branches. The pines are not only depicted correctly, not only similar, but beautiful and expressive.

Notes of subtle folk humor are introduced by the amusing figures of bears gazing at a hollow with wild bees. The landscape is bright, clean, serenely joyful in mood.

The picture is painted in cold silver-green tones. Nature is full of damp air. Blackened oak tree trunks are literally shrouded in moisture, streams of water flow along the roads, raindrops bubble in puddles. But the cloudy sky is already starting to brighten. Penetrating a net of fine rain hanging over an oak grove, silvery light pours from the sky, it is reflected in steel-gray reflections on wet leaves, the surface of a black wet umbrella turns silver, wet stones, reflecting the light, acquire an ashy hue. The artist makes the viewer admire the subtle combination of dark silhouettes of trunks, a milky gray veil of rain and silvery muted gray shades of greenery.

In this painting, more than in any other painting by Shishkin, the nationality of his perception of nature was revealed. In it, the artist created an image of great epic power and truly monumental sound.

A wide plain stretching to the very horizon (the artist deliberately places the landscape along the elongated canvas). And everywhere you look, ripened grains are earing. The oncoming gusts of wind sway the rye in waves - this makes it even more acute to feel how tall, plump and thick it is. The waving field of ripe rye seems to be filled with gold, casting a dull shine. The road, turning, crashes into the thicket of grain, and they immediately hide it. But the movement continues with tall pines lined up along the road. It seems as if giants are walking across the steppe with heavy, measured steps. Mighty nature, full of heroic forces, a rich, free region.

A hot summer day foreshadows a thunderstorm. Due to the long-lasting heat, the sky became discolored and lost its ringing blue. The first thunderclouds are already creeping over the horizon. The foreground of the picture was painted with great love and skill: the road covered with light dust, with swallows flying over it, and fat ripe ears of corn, and the white heads of daisies, and cornflowers turning blue in the gold of rye.

The painting "Rye" is a generalized image of the homeland. It victoriously sounds a solemn hymn to the abundance, fertility, and majestic beauty of the Russian land. Great faith in the power and wealth of nature, with which it rewards human labor, is the main idea that guided the artist in creating this work.

The artist perfectly captured in the sketch the sunlight, the gaps of the bright blue sky in contrast with the greenery of the oak crown, the transparent and tremulous shadows on the trunks of old oak trees.

The painting is based on the poem of the same name by M. Yu Lermontov.

The film contains a theme of loneliness. On an inaccessible bare rock, in the midst of pitch darkness, snow and ice, stands a lone pine tree. The moon illuminates the gloomy gorge and the endless distance covered with snow. It seems that in this kingdom of cold there is nothing alive, everything around is frozen. numb. But on the very edge of the cliff, desperately clinging to life, a lonely pine tree stands proudly. Heavy flakes of sparkling snow fettered its branches and pulled them down to the ground. But the pine tree bears its loneliness with dignity, the power of the bitter cold is unable to break it.

Russian artist Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin known as the author of majestic paintings telling about Russian nature. “The Forest Hero” wrote more than 600 sketches, engravings, drawings and finished paintings.

The famous Wanderer sang in his landscapes the power, beauty and richness of the forests and fields of Russia.

Shishkin's paintings are a song-story about mighty ship groves, heroic oaks, gigantic mossy spruce trees, wilds of the forest and thickets, streams and wide fields.

Each work of the landscape artist makes you feel the breath of the forest, the sound of the wind, the freshness of the forest stream. The viewer joins the picture with his whole being.

He feels himself standing on the edge among tall pines, sees boulders in a stream nearby, walks along a path behind mushroom pickers, spies from behind the trees at playing bear cubs. He raises his eyes to the sky and looks at the storm clouds, at the lark hovering high above the field, at the sun's rays breaking through the clouds.

The artist did not attach much importance to drawing out figures and faces of people. They are depicted almost schematically. The main emphasis in all his landscapes was on grass and bushes, paths and streams, branches and trunks of pines, spruces and oaks.

Green, brown, blue, yellow with their many shades - these are the main colors that the “king of the forest” used when creating his works.

The artist carefully and flawlessly depicted every branch, leaf, stone, and water in a stream in his works. He attached great importance to sunlight, carefully showing its play on the grass, on tree branches, on stones.

Every blade of grass, every pebble on the road, a flying bird, clouds in the sky is painstakingly depicted - all this is lovingly combined into a single picture of the forest life of this or that area of native nature.

His genius lies in the fact that meticulously drawn details create a unique image of the integrity of nature. The big consists of many small ones, and the small is individual. It doesn't get lost in the picture.

Upon closer inspection, you suddenly see a duck flying away from a fox, although at first you don’t pay attention to it, or swallows in a swift flight above the ground. The works of the famous artist are designed to take a long, careful look at the details in order to fully experience the color and beauty of the landscape.

Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin is a master of realism. There is no equal artist like him in Russian art. His famous “Rye” (1878), “View in the vicinity of Dusseldorf” (1865), “Morning in a Pine Forest” (1889), “Oak Grove” (1887), “Cutting Wood” ( 1867), “Ship Grove” (1898) and many others are symbols of Russia and its pride.

Paintings and sketches by I. Shishkin

Essay based on the painting “Oak Grove” by I. Shishkin, 1887.

One of the most famous paintings by the master of realistic landscape Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin is the painting “Oak Grove”. A monumental work, a painting of light, a painting of delight and inspiration. An incredible feeling of joy and optimism arises at the very first glance at the canvas.

I.I. In this painting, Shishkin is true to his principles: he draws every leaf, flower, blade of grass, twig and even piece of bark in such detail that it seems that this is not a hand-made painting, but a photograph. Even the sand—every grain of sand is visible. If the bushes are located here and there, then the artist brought forest flowers to the near foreground in a wave line, as if emphasizing the beauty of the oak grove at the bottom of the canvas.

Description of Shishkin’s painting “Rain in an oak forest” 1891

We see the real Russian nature of central Russia on a clear summer day.

Mighty oaks, like huge heroes, are illuminated by the bright sun of the second half of the day. Sunlight is the main character of the picture. It completely envelops the trees, hides and plays in the foliage, jumps on branches, burns on the coastal sand. The light blue clear sky shines through the foliage of powerful trees. There are practically no clouds, only a little on the horizon

The viewer gets the impression that the oak trees froze during a beautiful smooth dance. The trees in the foreground on the left dance in threes, hugging each other with beautifully curved branches. The dance of the pair of oak trees on the right resembles a tango. And, although the tree behind is already dying (it has no top and is leaning toward the ground), its leaves are green and its branches are powerful. The oak tree in the central part of the picture, as well as the others located further inland, dance one at a time.

One gets the feeling that all the oaks are almost the same year of planting - they have the same trunk diameter and tree height. It is possible that they are at least 100 years old. Here and there the bark cracked and flew off, the branches dried up, but this does not affect the general condition of the forest heroes.

The monumentality of the picture is enhanced by a huge triangular stone lying on the shore near a small creek.

Even the sand—every grain of sand is visible. If the bushes are located here and there, then the artist brought forest flowers to the near foreground in a wave line, as if emphasizing the beauty of the oak grove at the bottom of the canvas.

Amazingly clean forest. There are no fallen branches anywhere to be seen, no tall grass. The feeling of complete comfort and rapturous calm does not leave the viewer. There is absolutely no danger here - most likely, there are no snakes, no anthills are visible. Come, sit or lie down under any tree, relax on the lawn. The whole family and especially children will feel comfortable here: you can run, play, and you won’t get lost.

Drawings, sketches, engravings, etchings.

Essay based on Shishkin’s painting “Rye”, 1878.

The painting “Rye” is one of the most famous works of classical landscape painter Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin. It was written at a time when the artist suffered several terrible losses of those closest to him. This is a picture of hope, a picture of a dream about a better future.

On the canvas we see four main elements: road, field, trees, sky. They seem to be separated, but also fused together. But there is another one - invisible - this is the viewer. The artist deliberately places it in the center of the picture in order to take in as much as possible everything that can be seen.

We are standing on a field road. Our companions went far ahead and were almost out of sight. On both sides of the road there is an endless golden field with ripe rye. Heavy ears of corn are bending to the ground, some have already broken. You can feel a light breeze. The swaying of rye ears conveys the delicious aroma of ripened grains.

The road is slightly overgrown, but it is clear that a cart has recently passed along it. The grass is lush, green, there are a lot of wildflowers - it looks like there was a lot of rain this year, and there will be a rich harvest.

Rye (fragment) - swallows in the field

A country road beckons the traveler, calling him to go far, far into the bright distance. But he warns that not everything will always be perfect - thunderous cumulus clouds are gathering on the horizon above the forest. And distant light rumbles of thunder can already be heard. Therefore, a slight anxiety creeps into the viewer. But overhead is a clear summer sky on a hot day.

A flock of birds is hovering high, high in the sky above the field. It is possible that they were frightened by approaching people at the moment when they were feasting on delicious rye grains. And almost at the very ground, swifts flash right in front of us. They fly so low on the road that they are not visible at first glance. The shadow under the birds indicates that the painting depicts midday.

Pine is the main element and symbol of I.I.’s creativity. Shishkina. Mighty, tall trees, brightly illuminated by the sun, stand like guards in both the foreground and background of the picture. They seem to create a connection between heaven and earth - the tops of the pines are directed towards the blue sky, and the trunks are hidden in a thick and vast rye field.

On the powerful pine tree located on the right side of the canvas, the branches bend heavily to the ground. Almost all of them grow on one side. Apparently, where the trunk is exposed, very strong winds blow. But the tree is straight, only the top is fancifully curved, which gives the pine additional charm. It is interesting that almost all the trees in the picture have two tops.

The feeling of anxiety from the impending thunderstorm is emphasized by the dried tree. It had already died, but did not fall. Although there is no foliage and most of the branches have fallen, the pine tree stands straight, without bending. And hope arises: what if a miracle happens and the tree comes to life?

The resounding panorama of the native Russian region in the painting “Rye” is a real man-made miracle of the genius of realistic landscape Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin.

Essay based on Shishkin’s painting “Morning in a Pine Forest”, 1889.

Symbolic in all respects, the painting “Morning in a Pine Forest” is familiar to everyone from the various wrappers of the “Teddy Bear” candies. The work is a symbol of Russian nature and its name, like the artist’s surname, has long become a household name.

Early morning. Summer day. The sun had already risen quite high and illuminated the upper part of most of the trees in the pristine area of the forest. You can feel the purity and freshness reigning in the pine forest. But the forest is very dry and clean, there is nowhere to be seen a large amount of moss and lichen, which grow in dampness, and there is also no windbreak.

In the foreground is a fallen tree. Several strange details catch your eye. Looking closely at the picture, we see that the broken part of the tree on which the bear cub is standing lies at an angle to the place where the trunk was broken. There is a steep slope below, the lower part of the tree is stuck between a living tree and a tall stump (if you can call a tree without an upper part that way), and the top of the tree did not fall down the slope, but lies somehow on the side, in front of the growing pine tree (on the right on the canvas).

Quite an unnatural position of the fallen trunk. The pine branches have already begun to dry, the needles have turned brown, that is, a lot of time has passed since the tragedy, and the bark is clean without necrosis and there is no lichen. The tree is quite strong, its trunk is not touched by moss, and the needles do not fly off as if the tree was first sick and then fell. They dried up after the fall. The core is yellow, not rotten; The root system of the pine tree is powerful. What could happen for such a strong and healthy tree to be uprooted?

A little bear cub, dreamily looking at the sky, seems light and airy. If he starts jumping on a tree, it will not fall, since the main part is supported by a growing pine tree, and at the bottom the trunk rests on the ground with powerful branches.

Most likely, this is an animal trail that no human has ever set foot on. Otherwise, the she-bear would not have brought the little cubs here. The painting depicts a unique case - a mother bear with three cubs, usually there are only two. Maybe that’s why the third – the dreamer – is the last one, he is very different from his powerful, heavy, large brothers.

Below in the cliff the fog is still swirling, but here in the foreground it is not there. But it feels cool. Maybe that's why the little bear cubs frolic so much in their thick fur coats? The bear cubs are so cute and fluffy that they only evoke a good feeling.

Mother bear strictly protects her children. It looks like she spotted some kind of predator (maybe an owl or marten?). She quickly turned around and bared her teeth.

Animals are inseparable from nature. They don't appear to be predators. They are part of the Russian forest.

The picture is incredibly harmonious. The landscape of real Russian nature is shown in such a way that huge trees do not fit into the canvas, the tops of the trees are cut off. But the feeling of the great forest only becomes stronger from this.

The name of Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin has been familiar to everyone since childhood: it is his painting that is depicted on the wrapper of the “Bears in the Forest” candy. In addition to this outstanding work, the painter has dozens of others that hang on the walls of the best museums in the world.

Ivan Ivanovich with titles, located in the Tretyakov Gallery

"Pinery. Mast forest in Vyatka province”, “Deciduous forest”, “Spruce forest”, “Oak trees. Evening”, “Pines illuminated by the sun”, “Oak trees”, “In the forest of Countess Mordvinova. Peterhof”, “Pond in the Old Park”, “Rye”, “Morning in a Pine Forest”, “Afternoon. In the vicinity of Moscow”, “A Walk in the Forest” is just a small but worthy collection of works by the great Russian realist artist. This is Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin. Paintings with titles - twelve canvases in total - are located on the premises of the Tretyakov Gallery, which tourists from all over the world and Muscovites - true connoisseurs of art - strive to visit.

"Morning in a pine forest"

In the 80-90s of the 19th century, most of Shishkin’s works were written. With the names, the artist was simple, but at the same time original: he did not choose epithets and metaphors, because of which the meaning of the canvas would be double. “Morning in a Pine Forest” - Russian realistic landscape. Looking at the canvas, it is difficult to understand that this is not a photograph, but a painting - Shishkin so skillfully conveyed the play of light and shadows, as well as the activities of his main characters - a mother bear with three cubs. In the dark wilderness of the forest, a random ray of sun that breaks through the heavy crowns of trees is an indicator of the time of day, in this case, morning.

Work on the painting took place in 1889. Shishkin was helped by the artist Savitsky, who initially insisted on his authorship of the bear figures. However, the collector Tretyakov erased his signature and ordered that the painting become the full-fledged brainchild of Ivan Shishkin. Art historians have proven that “Morning in a Pine Forest” was painted from life. The painter spent a long time choosing an animal that could become a symbol of the Russian forest: a wild boar, an elk or a bear. However, Shishkin liked the first two least of all. In search of the perfect bears and suitable forest, he traveled all over the place and, having met a brown family, wrote it down from memory. From the moment of conception to the complete completion of work on the canvas, 4 years have passed, and today “Morning in a Pine Forest” flaunts in the Tretyakov Gallery, like other paintings by the artist Shishkin (there are no problems with the names, all works are signed).

"In the Wild North"

Looking at this famous picture, one involuntarily recalls stanzas from Lermontov’s poem, which are a continuation of this landscape by Shishkin: “... A pine tree stands alone on the bare top, And it sleeps, swaying, and is dressed in loose snow like a robe.” The work was prepared for the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Mikhail Yuryevich and became a worthy illustration of the collection of his poems. Some other paintings by Ivan Shishkin (with titles) are also included in books of fiction, which proves the painter’s invaluable contribution to the development of Russian art of the 19th century.

The artist Byalynitsky-Birulya highly appreciated the painting “In the Wild North” and commented that Lermontov would be happy to see such a worthy illustration for his poem. Like a poet with words, so with a brush and paint, a painter conveys a mood, in this case, thoughtful and a little sad. The motive of loneliness is obvious: at the edge of the cliff there is a pine tree, separated from the rest of the forest, whose branches are heavy from the piled snow. Ahead is a blue abyss, above is a clear but sad sky of the same color. Pure white snow, occupying one third of the picture, shines in the rays of the sun, but it is not destined to melt soon, because the weather conditions in the wild north are very harsh.

"Rye"

Known to many connoisseurs of painting since childhood, it was painted in 1878. The painting “Rye” conveys the breadth of the Russian land and the soul of the Russian people: two-thirds of the canvas is occupied by a blue sky with low snow-white clouds, and the rest of the space is devoted to a rye field, in some places of which sprouts tall pines. This tree has forever become a symbol of the Russian land. Looking at the painting “Rye”, one involuntarily recalls the lines from the poetry of O. Mandelstam: “And the pine tree reaches the star...”. If the poet had lived at the time of painting, Shishkin would probably have borrowed this stanza. The paintings with the titles of this artist convey the simplicity, kindness and depth of his soul, but the concept of the work becomes clear after a long and close look. There is nothing majestic or intriguing in the title “Rye”, as it seems at first glance, but if you look closely at the majestic pines that stand like heroes, you get the impression that these trees are a kind of protectors of the rye fields and the entire Russian land.

"Italian Boy"

Ivan Shishkin was the most enlightened artist of Russian realism, so he considered it his duty to depict on canvas not only landscapes, but also portraits, of which there are not many in the painter’s collection. However, this does not make the author’s talent any less - it is worth taking a look at the work “The Italian Boy”. The year the portrait was painted is unknown, but Ivan Ivanovich probably created it in the late period of his work. There are similarities with the self-portrait that Shishkin himself worked on in 1856. The paintings (with titles), most of which are landscapes, are located in the Tretyakov Gallery and other authoritative government institutions, but the fate of the “Italian Boy” remains unknown.

"Cutting Wood"

Fallen trees are a common occurrence, which was depicted by Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin. Paintings with the titles “Pine Forest”, “Logs. The village of Konstantinovka near Krasnoe Selo" and "Cutting the Forest" demonstrate this best. The author's latest work is the most famous. Shishkin worked on “Cutting Woods” in 1867 during a trip to Valaam. The beauty of the pine forest, majestic and defenseless, was often depicted by Ivan Ivanovich on canvases, and the moment when he demonstrates the consequences of human invasion into virgin lands is especially tragic. What awaits the rest of the trees that stand in the background is known to Shishkin himself, but the stumps chopped off at the roots evoke melancholy and testify to the superiority of man over nature.