Before the storm 1884 110х150 Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin (1832-1898)

Description of Ivan Shishkin’s painting "Before the Thunderstorm".

Ivan Shishkin’s pastorals and landscapes are perhaps known throughout the world. His painting "Before the Thunderstorm" was painted in 1884 and is rightly considered one of the artist’s masterpieces.

On the large canvas Shishkin managed to convey not just the detailed landscape, down to the drawing of individual grasses, but most importantly - the atmosphere of nature, which is about to fall on the merciless elements.

The overall lush coloring, the composition that is perfectly matched and fits into the classical format, as well as the skill of the drawing - all this makes the painting Before the Storm a model for many generations of landscape artists and makes the viewer long to admire the work in the museum.

At first glance the painting does not seem to be anything outstanding. The landscape of the Russian forest, dense and saturated with green, cut through by the water surface of the river, is not much different from other pictures of similar scenes by artists. But if you look closely and assess the painting not just by a fleeting glance, the viewer will discover the beauty and power of the work. The entire canvas is divided by a clear line of the horizon - on top of the bright blue rich sky, on which black clouds are already swirling, and below, the green of the forest.

The grass comes into the foreground, so detailed that one can scrutinize it for more than a minute. Shishkin is very attentive in his depiction of seemingly insignificant details.

The treaded path stretches into the distance, towards the river bursting with greenery, which emphasizes the skilful perspective. The horizon is painted as a strip of opaque woods with gathering thunderstorm clouds.

The painting "Before the Thunderstorm" fully justifies its name. Everything around seems to breathe with the foul air, the streams of water are just about to fall from the sky and the thunder is roaring. Shishkin’s skill with which he conveys this fleeting atmosphere amazed not only his contemporaries, but still makes viewers admire this masterpiece of the Russian landscape.