Night. Arhip Kuindzhi (Kuindschi) (1842-1910)

Description of Arkhip Kuindzhi’s painting "The Night"

This painting by Quindzhi is generally regarded as his creative testament. The incompleteness of the painting here stands as a kind of symbol of the eternity of the creative journey. This association is reinforced by the moonlit immensity of the vast plains - as if by the eternal light on the horizon.

In the painting, the tranquility of the southern night seems to be preparing for the coming of the morning. This anticipation of dawn is emphasized by the presence of a herd of horses (with unfinished figures), which graze on the hill. Quindzhi’s mastery, his unique sensitivity, is particularly evident in the sense of the rising moonlight. The moon itself, illuminating the horizon despite its timidity, as if with a "modest" sickle hangs over the plain, indicating its nightly rights over nature. Yes, it is certainly not the sun, but its enchanting light adorns the plain in its own way.

The sky in the painting is almost cloudless, and the rare clouds, as another successful touch, emphasize the majesty of the night sky.

The painting "Night" surprisingly combines sadness and hope. In this sense, of course, the river plays its part. Its ribbon in its desire to merge with the transparent sky goes into the distance. Wide and abundant in water, at the same time with a peaceful and tranquil smoothness, it is also under the power of night and the moon. The reflection of the latter before the outermost visible bend in the picture, is a touch that enlivens the river and the picture as a whole. The river, sad by the hill, brightens at the end and represents hope.

The night landscape did not prevent Kuindzhi in all the splendor of reflecting the space. And also, in the painting, each figure is as harmoniously blended as possible into the overall theme. This also applies to the peacefully sleeping people in the foreground.

The composition in the picture "Night" is made by all the rules of classics. The painting is dominated by shades of gray, but this does not make it gloomy. Here gray with its shades makes everything clear and transparent.

In Quindzhi’s painting, the most pronounced feeling is one of anticipation, waiting for the dawn and waiting for the invisible hand of the master to complete it.