Autumn. River Valley. 1896 Isaac Ilyich Levitan (1860-1900)

Description of Isaac Levitan’s painting The Valley of the River

Isaac Levitan was a famous Russian landscape painter. Contemporaries rightly called the artist a master of the "mood landscape." Levitan lived a short, tormented life. He left a rich collection of Russian landscapes, which are popular abroad.

His works are imbued with a reverent love for his native land, as well as the embodiment of true Russian beauty in all its magnificence. The painting "Valley of the River" refers to the most fruitful period in his work. It was at the end of the 19th century that he painted his most famous canvases, such as: "March," "Golden Autumn," and "Nenyufars." Subsequently they were bought by Pavel Tretyakov for his gallery.

Most of all Levitan loved autumn, it is evident in his paintings. Levitan wrote more than 100 autumn landscapes and sketches. The Valley of the River - a sketch written in pastel, unmistakably conveys the mood of an autumn day. Not without reason Isaac Levitan captured on canvas the river, which lazily runs into the distance, filled from the pouring rains.

The river has always been a source of pride for Russians. More than once artists have turned their eyes toward this mighty element, which was the source of life and later profit. But the river, which Levitan depicted in his sketch, is peaceful and serene. Only water in combination with the sky, could express the fullness of feelings, overflowing, the artist’s soul.

The sky, with its extraordinarily colorful and light filled, bears a secondary piling up of the subject line, creating an atmosphere of anticipation.

The artist has faithfully conveyed the beauty of the Russian wilderness. In the foreground we see a birch grove painted with autumn colors. What is striking in his work is the incredibly subtle vision of what is happening.