Description of the picture:
Sunset over the swamp – Savrasov. 1871. Oil on canvas. Eighty eight x one hundred thirty nine cm
The landscape genre in Russian painting was first chosen precisely by the Wanderers, and therefore Savrasov can be called a kind of discoverer. Early Savrasov-landscape painter is characterized by overt romanticization of the plot, and this painting is the best proof of this.
The picture depicts a view commonplace for central Russia – endless expanses, a plain covered with uneven contours of swamps. However, the painter was able to create extraordinary beauty and solemnity from a simple plot of the picture.
The master depicted the swamp at that time of the day, when the sun had almost set over the horizon and only red flashes still illuminate the water surface. This light of the setting sun magically illuminates every detail.
A bare landscape, where there are no trees and other greenery, while not devoid of dynamics and movement – the artist solved this problem by the forces of heaven. The sky is covered with clouds that hang low over the swamp, while their location indicates the wind.
This was the greatest strength of Savrasov the artist – to notice in the ordinary part a little surprising and beautiful, so that later he could tell the viewer about it."