Landscape with lake 1886 37h61 Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin (1832-1898)

Description of Ivan Shishkin’s painting "Landscape with Lake".

Shishkin is a famous Russian artist, known to all at least for his painting "Morning in the Pine Forest," which is printed on a candy wrapper and often comes across as the master’s most famous work.

Many of his paintings are on display in museums, some next to works by European masters. He preferred landscapes and pictures of animals, he did not paint on religious and mythological themes, so popular at his time. He loved Russian nature and gave much energy to its glorification. Even died Shishkin at his easel, while working - died as he lived.

"Landscape with Lake" is one of his typical works, realistic and vivid, it is memorable instantly, just looking at it. It depicts a lake, a tiny island in the middle with bushes growing on it, and a collapsed bridge just a pile of wood and a couple of bent piles. On the shore grows grass and small white flowers, reeds are not overgrown, but also available. Behind the hill you can see the village - just the roofs of a few houses - behind it the forest, standing up a dark wall, but it does not seem threatening.

On the far shore of the lake, if you look closely, you can see people - maybe they are walking, enjoying the sunny day, maybe they are going fishing or swimming. Everything is flooded with sunlight - the picture is full of light. The lake reflects the trees and the sky - high, ringing, almost devoid of clouds.

All done in light colors, with the use of warm shades - the picture conveys a sense of summer, freedom, warmth, the wind rustles in the treetops, human voices can be heard from the village and the smell of smoke. The landscape is alive and you want to step into it, as into the door painted on the wall - only sensible thinking stops it.

Up in the sky stretches a white streak of clouds, thin, fluttering, painted not with pure white, but with the addition of celestial color.

And it is beautiful, and adds to the painting.