Forgotten Village. Arhip Kuindzhi (Kuindschi) (1842-1910)

Description of the painting "Forgotten Village" by Arkhip Kouindzhi

Quindzhi’s name has always been shrouded in mystery. A lot of life’s obscurities constantly generated conversations behind his back. However, his paintings were extremely clear, lucid and realistic.

From his very first painting "Forgotten Village", the novice painter forced to talk about himself as a venerable creator. The painting sharply highlighted one moment of the gray and squalid life of the forgotten, nobody wanted people, showed the approaching demise of the village, and, as a consequence, the even greater impoverishment of its inhabitants.

The whole view of the canvas breathes despair, melancholy and gloom. Even nature itself is painted in rusty, dirty colors. Black, decayed houses, with dead eyeholes of windows stare into nowhere.

The road carefully skirts this dying corner and runs off into the distance, to where the sky is still light. Yes, there on the horizon are gentle blue skies, and above the village itself, even the blue is diluted with dirty greenery.

You can see that it is autumn, but even the hay is not gathered in neat stacks, but hopelessly dumped right in the yard. And there is no yard as such. Perhaps once there may have been a fence, but now there are only single logs left of it.

The skinny cow is mooing to its owner, but he is busy minding his own business. You cannot see his face, but the man’s whole figure speaks of silent humility and quiet desperation. Is there anyone left in this corner, forgotten by God? Whether this same man with his only cow will be able to survive another winter, no one cares.

Dirt, poverty, and scarcity are everywhere. It seems that nature itself does not want to brighten up the days of this village with any vegetation. Dreariness and hopelessness.

Quindzhi managed so strongly to display all the unattractiveness and tragedy of the moment, so fill his picture with oppressive mood that his work at the exhibition of artists took first place.