Essay: description of A. Kuindzhi’s painting “Birch Grove”. Essay based on the painting “Birch Grove” by A.I. Kuindzhi Plan for the painting birch grove

The triumph of light in Kuindzhi’s painting “Birch Grove”

The painter Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi lived in the 19th century; he was born in 1842. The artist's main creative heritage consists of bright romantic landscapes. But not a single painting brought him as much fame as the painting “Birch Grove,” painted in 1879. This painting shocked the audience so much and the artist himself was so proud of it that he subsequently created several versions of the same painting. Many similar works have been written on this topic. Birches became Arkhip Ivanovich’s favorite tree.

The main, first painting “Birch Grove” is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery as a masterpiece of Russian painting. And first she appeared at the exhibition of Peredvizhniki artists, literally amazing all the spectators. No one has painted landscapes like this before! Its style is defined by experts as a “romantic landscape”.

The artist does not go into detail, does not write out every leaf and blade of grass. The most important thing for him is the contrast between light and shadow, between light and dark. Using this contrast, he creates the mood of the painting. Many people talk about the mood conveyed by the canvas. For art, this is more important than simply conveying nuances - drawing twigs, twigs, leaves and blades of grass. It is much more important to convey the feelings that arise when looking at this - jubilation, delight, joy, admiration.

We see all this in “Birch Grove”. In fact, this is not a grove, but only a fragment of it, something that could fit into the frame. Only a few birch trunks were included here; their leafy crowns did not fit. For an artist they are not at all important, especially since he expects that our imagination will “complete” them. And the main thing for him is to show the triumph of light, to show how sunlight transforms everything around.

So, in the foreground there is a dark patch of grass on which a shadow falls. The grassy background almost merges with the dark green water of the swampy stream, which divides the picture in half exactly vertically. The middle ground is white birch trunks. Behind them is a sunlit lawn. In the background is the birch grove itself. In the upper part, a triangular piece of blue sky breaks through the center.

Trees grow in groups of two or three. This caused their straight white trunks to tilt. Due to the clearly defined horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines, the result is some kind of decorative geometric pattern. It’s not for nothing that experts talk about the decorative nature of Kuindzhi’s paintings. It seems that the artist used an excess of colors, the picture is so bright and sunny. In fact, we see only a few shades of green, blue, as well as white and dark, almost black. The contrast between them helps us see all the other tones. We notice them and, together with the landscape painter, rejoice in the sun.

Birch Grove - Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi. 1879. Oil on canvas. 97x181 cm

The painting was created specifically for the 7th exhibition of the Traveling Art Society, and immediately aroused the surprise of the public and spectators - the color scheme of the canvas was so unusual for everyone.

Although many people liked the joyful, bright mood of the work, it was this picture that was the impulse that separated the artist from. Soon after the exhibition, an anonymous article appeared in the newspaper “Molva” under the pseudonym “Lubitel”, which accused Kuindzhi of bad taste - the author allegedly “over-greened” his paintings. The article also raised doubts about Kuindzhi’s talent in principle, and also said that lighting effects are not the result of filigree mastery of technology, but the use of lighting devices that are hidden behind the paintings. The name of the mysterious “Lover” was very soon revealed; it turned out to be Kuindzhi’s colleague, a member of the traveling society M. Klodt.

Kuindzhi demanded that the offender be excluded from the Wanderers, however, no one responded to this request, and Arkhip Ivanovich left on his own. However, biographers agree that the conflict between Kuindzhi and Klodt was just an excuse - the painter long ago stepped over the socially accusatory boundaries of art promoted by society, and “Birch Grove” is a clear confirmation of this.

Having conceived a plot that a great many Russian artists (,) used in their work, the master searched for a long time for the ideal composition - this is evidenced by the surviving sketches and sketches. From these artifacts one can trace how the author chose the height of the trees, the area of ​​the clearing, and thought about how much space to give to the forest. That is, there is nothing spontaneous in this picture, it is the fruit of a verified artistic thought and is in no way a plein air work.

What is the decorativeness of the painting? If you pay attention to the groups of birches that are placed with precise precision on the canvas, or rather on the bases of the trunks, you will notice how they are deliberately flattened, which creates a certain convention. Also, decorativeness is manifested in static quality - the foliage on the trees seems to have frozen, and the air is so transparent that it is obvious: there is not a single breath of wind in the clearing. The thicket in the depths of the picture is devoid of detail - it is a dark green wall, designed to highlight the color contrasts.

But all the beauty lies in the piercing greenery and sunlight. The artist deliberately “lowered” the shadow into the foreground, further emphasizing the contrast in relation to the sun-drenched clearing.

You don’t immediately notice a stream with greenish water, although it flows in the very center - it seems that the sun, breaking through the crown of trees, has thus transformed the path. However, the glittering mirror surface confirms that it is the stream that conventionally divides the canvas into two halves.

The author used pure bright colors, and if you look at them fragmentarily, it seems that sometimes they are simply unrealistic, but as soon as you take a wide look at the canvas, you feel this sunny bright day almost physically.

Kuindzhi, with his decorativeness, simplification, and innovative use of the power of color, was in many ways ahead of his time, and therefore not everyone immediately accepted the work, although it was “Birch Grove” that was destined to become the artist’s “calling card.”

And this is fair - the “birch” theme did not let go of the painter all his life. In addition to the most famous work, there are five more with the same title, of which only two are considered completed. The third painting caused the greatest controversy - in addition to the vertical format, one can sense a search in the field of symbolism... but that’s a completely different story.

The next exhibition - already the seventh in a row - of the Itinerant artists promised, as always, a lot of new products and unexpected artistic solutions. The public was looking forward not only to the works of already recognized masters, but also to the appearance of new names working in the style of realism. The real highlight of this exhibition was Kuindzhi’s painting “Birch Grove”.

The biography of the wonderful artist Arkhip Kuindzhi is an excellent example for those who, despite all the difficulties and obstacles, are firmly moving towards their intended goal. With all his works, the master sought to justify his surname, which translated from Greek means “goldsmith.” Only on his third attempt, having entered the Academy of Arts, he brought a lot of new things to the compositional construction of the landscape, to giving the paintings brightness and sophistication. An excellent example of all this is Kuindzhi’s work “Birch Grove”.

The native of Mariupol was far from the first who took up the depiction of the unspoken symbol of Russia, but he managed to find such means that made the picture truly spiritual.

Kuindzhi's "Birch Grove", a description of the history of which can be found in almost any major art reference book, is an example of the style known as "romantic landscape". This style is characterized by a masterful use of light and shadow combined with an open composition.

In particular, in Kuindzhi’s painting “Birch Grove” the desired effect is achieved by the image of light green birch branches against the background of a dark green thicket of the forest. By using this technique, the festivity and brightness of the image is achieved. The sharp contrast between sunlight and shadow creates a joyful, uplifting mood in the viewer. In compositional terms, the most important role is played by the stream, which divides the canvas into two parts; it gives the picture vitality, sets the rhythm, and encourages life and creativity.

Almost all critics and art historians agree that in Kuindzhi’s painting “Birch Grove” the author managed to give significance and brightness to a landscape that is quite ordinary for our country. This is achieved through a combination of rich colors, bold construction of the compositional space, as well as through the filigree technique of transitioning from one color scheme to another. Like no one else, Kuindzhi knew how to show light, even without the sun's rays.

The life of the picture is given by various small details, to which the author paid very close attention. This is largely why this painting creates a “presence effect” in the viewer, forcing the viewer to inhale the aroma of birch trees and listen to the murmur of the stream.

The techniques used by the author in “Birch Grove” were subsequently used by Kuindzhi in other famous works: “Night on the Dnieper”, “After the Rain”, “Sea at Night”. The name of this wonderful master was included in the golden fund of the Russian landscape, along with such luminaries as Shishkin and Levitan. Currently, Kuindzhi’s work “Birch Grove” is kept in the Tretyakov Gallery, never ceasing to delight new generations of connoisseurs of real art.

Arkhip Ivanovich Kuindzhi is one of the recognized Russian masters of landscape. Each of his paintings amazes the viewer with the depth of color rendering and play of color. By skillfully placing accents, the artist ensured that his paintings literally emit light. Kuindzhi's paintings combine naive romanticism and realism, deep philosophical meaning and rustic natural motifs. But each of his paintings is a breakthrough, a new word in the art of landscape.

Among the master’s paintings, one of his early works stands out: “Birch Grove.” Now the painting is exhibited at the Tretyakov Gallery and viewers and critics still note its unusual liveliness and alluring appeal.

The picture was painted in the spirit of romanticism, so beloved by Arkhip Ivanovich. On the canvas you can see a rather ordinary Russian landscape: a clearing illuminated by the bright sun, in the center of a birch grove. Pastoral, bright picture, filled with love for life, nature and the Motherland. Using oil and canvas, Arkhip Ivanovich masterfully conveys the atmosphere of a hot summer day, when sunlight floods a forest clearing, giving life-giving warmth.

But thanks to the sharp contrast of lush greenery of all colors and shades, rich light tones and light brushstrokes, the painting creates the impression of a huge space inside it. It’s as if a whole world is hidden in the frame, with a real forest and living trees. Kuindzhi’s special style creates the illusion of soft flowing light emitted by the painting.

In the background of the picture, the dark crowns of trees are green, standing out brightly against the light blue sky. As the artist approaches the viewer, he singles out individual trees. The crowns are not visible in the picture, only light birch trunks and small branches. The author depicted both very young, thin birch trees, and mature trees, bent by the winds. The soft green grass at the bottom creates a contrast with the dark green of the grove.

The canvas is divided into two parts by a muddy stream. There are more shadows to his left; this part of the grove is not so brightly lit, so it contrasts with the right, sunny and bright half. A stream covered with duckweed, which seems to be a continuation of the sky, resting against its blueness on the horizon, divides the forest into two halves.

The painting did not take on its real appearance right away; before that, the artist made several sketches, where the birches were either half-hidden in thick shadow, or, on the contrary, illuminated by the sun without any hint of shadows. Only bright sparkling light.

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