In the woods in autumn. 1894 Isaac Ilyich Levitan (1860-1900)

Description of Isaac Levitan’s painting In the Woods in Autumn

Isaac Levitan was a true master of landscapes. Most of his landscapes are called masterpieces even by the most demanding critics. In doing so, Levitan did not simply repaint nature, but put his whole soul into each of his paintings. Because of this they are all very emotional.

Painting "In the woods in autumn" is made with pastel colors. That is, they are not flashy, not bright, not conspicuous. Because of that we can imagine ourselves as an integral part of the painting itself. It also makes it easier to perceive a painting, because understanding the essence of a too colorful picture can be quite difficult.

You can see in Levitan’s painting that he really loved nature. With great love he related to the native places where he spent his childhood and youth, because at that time in his life happened all the most interesting moments.

This canvas depicts a landscape characteristic of Russian forests. In the foreground you can see a glade that has not yet turned yellow. This suggests that it is still only the beginning of autumn. Most likely, though, it’s October. You can tell this from the fact that the poplar tree with orange leaves can be seen in the back. Nature is slowly preparing for the onset of winter. No animals can be seen in the picture. They are now busy with other things, as the first frosts will soon appear, and by this time still need to stock up on food for the winter.

Levitan painted one of the days in mid-autumn. The sun is still shining, but now its rays are not as warm as before. The sky is clear and blue. So the weather is good. The artist has depicted a coniferous grove on his canvas. Like many other artists, Isaac loves conifers, because they are characteristic of Russian nature.