Landscape with a river and a fisherman. 1859 Alexey Kondratievich Savrasov (1830-1897)
Alexey Kondratievich Savrasov – Landscape with a river and a fisherman. 1859
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Painter: Alexey Kondratievich Savrasov
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"Landscape with River and Fisherman" was painted by the famous Russian landscape painter A. Savrasov in 1859. This painting is an important stage in his art and self-development. The viewer can see the shore of the Moskva River. Savrasov painted the landscape from life in the Moscow suburbs, near the village of Arkhangelsk. The canvas depicts a quiet summer morning. The coolness of the morning, the freshness of the morning still resists the impending heat.
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Description of Alexei Savrasov’s painting Landscape with River and Fisherman
"Landscape with River and Fisherman" was painted by the famous Russian landscape painter A. Savrasov in 1859. This painting is an important stage in his art and self-development. The viewer can see the shore of the Moskva River. Savrasov painted the landscape from life in the Moscow suburbs, near the village of Arkhangelsk.
The canvas depicts a quiet summer morning. The coolness of the morning, the freshness of the morning still resists the impending heat. The foreground of the painting is in the deep dark shadow, the sun is still rising. Then in the first rays of sunlight you can see the shore and its yellow sand. To the left is painted the steeply rising bank of the river, it is densely overgrown with various trees. The bend of the river is depicted - wide, calm and clear. The current seems to have stopped, as if not yet awake.
The trees growing on the bank can be seen in the reflection of the mirror-like water surface. In the background of the picture you can see the opposite bank of the Moskva River. The bank is hilly. A little further away you can see a forest. The sky is clear-blue with thick clouds hanging over it. The picture seems to be permeated with light, it is a lot of air and it is almost palpable. Savrasov himself said that in the landscape it is important to prescribe exactly the air. And no matter how beautifully painted landscape and trees, without air you get a bad landscape.
In the foreground of the canvas lonely fisherman with his catch and tackle. He seems insignificantly small in comparison to the vast nature and the river. The painting demonstrates the importance of nature, its supremacy over the human world. The fisherman walks calmly and slowly, he does not disturb the peace of nature, the river and the trees reflected in it. The painting shows a calm early morning.
The color tones used by the artist in this painting are mostly light and gentle (not counting the shadows). The contrast of colors, although present, is harmonious. The artist himself was a sensitive and lyrical person, which he successfully transferred to the canvas.
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The riverbank is uneven, rising gently into a densely wooded slope that forms a significant portion of the middle ground. This area is rendered with a rich palette of greens and browns, indicating a healthy, mature forest. The foliage appears somewhat indistinct, contributing to an overall impression of natural abundance rather than meticulous detail. A small figure, presumably a fisherman, stands near the water’s edge in the lower left quadrant. He is positioned slightly off-center, his posture suggesting a contemplative stillness as he engages with the environment. His presence introduces a human element into this otherwise untouched scene, yet he appears absorbed within it rather than imposing upon it.
The sky occupies a considerable portion of the upper register and is characterized by soft, diffused light. Clouds are present but lack sharp definition, contributing to the painting’s overall atmospheric quality. The lighting suggests either early morning or late afternoon, a time when shadows are long and colors appear softened.
Subtly, the work evokes themes of solitude, connection with nature, and perhaps even a sense of melancholy. The fishermans isolation underscores the vastness of the landscape, while his activity – fishing – implies a reliance on, and integration within, the natural world. The muted color palette and diffused light contribute to an atmosphere of quiet contemplation, inviting the viewer to share in this moment of peaceful observation. There is a sense of timelessness; the scene could be interpreted as representing a recurring pattern of human interaction with nature across generations.