Painting A. Kuindzhi "Birch Grove": Russian optimism, embodied in the landscape

The next exhibition - the seventh in a row - the artists of the Wanderers promised, as always, a lot of novelties and unexpected artistic decisions. The public eagerly awaited not only the works of recognized masters, but also the emergence of new names working in the style of realism. The real event of this exhibition was Kuinji's painting "Birch Grove".

Biography of the remarkable artist Arkhip Kuindzhi is an excellent example for those who, despite all the difficulties and obstacles, are firmly moving towards the goal. All his works the master tried to justify his name, which in Greek means "goldsmith". Only after the third attempt to enter the Academy of Arts, he brought a lot of new in the composition of the landscape, in giving the pictures brightness and refinement. An excellent example of all this is the work of Kuindzhi "Birch Grove".

A native of Mariupol was not the first to take up the image of Russia's private symbol, but he managed to find such means that made the picture truly spiritual. "Birch Grove" Kuindzhi, a description of the history of which can be found in virtually any major art directory, is an example of a style known as the "romantic landscape". This style is characterized by masterful use of light and shade in combination with the openness of the composition.

In particular, in Kuinji's painting "Birch Grove" the necessary effect is given by the image of light green branches of birches against the background of a dark green thicket of forest. Through the use of this method, the festivity and brightness of the image is achieved. The sharply distinguished contrast between sunlight and the shadow creates a joyful, upbeat mood in the viewer. In the composition plan, the major role is played by the stream, which divides the canvas into two parts, it gives the picture liveliness, sets the rhythm, impels to life and creativity.

Almost all critics and art critics agree that in the picture of Kuinji "Birch Grove" the author managed to give significance and brightness to the quite ordinary for our country landscape. This is achieved through a combination of juiciness of colors, a bold alignment of the compositional space, as well as due to the filigree technique of transition of one color scale to another. Like no other, Kuindzhi was able to show the light, even avoiding the sun.

Vividness of the painting is attached to various small details, to which the author has paid very close attention. In many respects, for this very reason, this canvas creates a "presence effect" for the viewer, causing him to inhale the aromas of birches and listen to the murmur of the stream.

The techniques used by the author in Birch Grove were subsequently applied by Kuindzhi in other well-known works: "Night on the Dnieper", "After the Rain", "The Sea at Night". The name of this wonderful master entered the gold fund of the national landscape, along with such coryphaeus as Shishkin and Levitan. Currently, the work of Kuindzhi "Birch Grove" is stored in the Tretyakov Gallery, without ceasing to please new generations of connoisseurs of real art.