Description of the picture:
Rye – Shishkin. 1878. Oil on canvas. 107×187
Having first appeared in public during the exhibition of the Wanderers, the work immediately entrenched among the masterpieces of Russian painting. Today, it is perhaps impossible to find a more popular and familiar to everyone Russian landscape. What is the secret of such a success of the picture?
The author combined in his work two main colors of Russian fine art: blue and gold. This combination was characteristic of Orthodox icons, associated with the image of the High Mountain, the Divine. Based on this symbolic color meaning, the artist equalizes Russian nature with divine nature.
Thick greens of grass on the outskirts of the field, crowns of pine trees in the background emphasize the main color scheme and complete the work palette.
The symbolic meaning of pines is endurance, life force and strength. The trees in the picture are epic heroes guarding the rye field. The dead tree looks like a dissonance. Most likely, the author, therefore, tried to identify a personal tragedy: shortly before the creation of this work, the artist lost relatives and people very close to him (father, wife and two children). This symbolic presence of the author in the work expands the dramatic framework of the picture, makes it more emotional and closer to the viewer.
The work is filled with summer, sultry atmosphere. The country road, which cuts the field into two parts, introduces energy, the presence of a person in the landscape, and a special rhythm into the composition. Two tiny figures of people allow the viewer to appreciate the grandeur and grandeur of Russian nature.
Heavy clouds full of life-giving moisture, barely appearing on the horizon, bring with them renewal and freshness. A rye field, pines, grass – everything is ready to soak up the warm summer rain water.
In an amazing way, the work makes the viewer "hear" summer symphony of the Russian field: the buzz of bumblebees, the chirping of swallows, the rustle of the wind."