Felling Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin (1832-1898)

Description of Ivan Shishkin’s painting "Felling of the Forest".

Russian artists have always sought to celebrate in their paintings the beauty and majesty of all nature, which for many years has been the subject of admiration. It was one such work, which gave rise to a new trend in the art of painting, that Shishkin’s painting "Felling of the Forest" was one of them.

And this is no accident, because the author himself was born in a picturesque corner of the country, in the town of Elabuga. Therefore, looking at the picture, we can clearly see that before us stretched majestic coniferous forest, represented by tall firs, spruces and other trees. This is typical of the northern and taiga areas of our homeland. But, some people ponder the question: why does the forest still give more associations with the national treasure than the plain?

The fact is that the forests represent the wealth and patrimony of the entire Russian people, because they are more practical and beneficial to life. They give people firewood, in the form of cut trees, paper and much more. Therefore, many were seduced by this beauty and inaccessibility. Especially since man has always had to survive in such conditions.

The picture was painted in 1867, when the laws were being overturned. That is why the forest became a protection and support for many people. People learned to build houses with wooden planks, so it became much more comfortable to live in. But the forest was beautiful not only in terms of consumption, but it could also give peace of mind and faith in the best. Tall trees, slender pines help you sink into the abyss of simple life.

If you look closely, you can see that the landscape is painted in the afternoon. In fact, you can clearly see that the trees give shade according to the movement of the sun. It illuminates them at their best, and we see all the charm and beauty of the spruces opening up before us. A couple are already and cut down, but nothing stands still, so life goes on.

A favorite subject line in the painting was the theme of ferns, which spread their leaves majestically and in the foreground were in the shade of the trees. And therefore perfectly in harmony with each other.