The painting "Evening bells" (Levitan I.I.)

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

It happens that representatives of other nations and religions are better able to describe the essence of the Russian soul and character than the Russians themselves. There is a lot of evidence for this in the history of art. For example, the painting "Evening Bells". Levitan I. I. was a Jew by origin, but considered himself a real Russian artist.

I. I. Levitan. Bio pages

Isaac Ilyich Levitan (1860 - 1900) - the largest Russian landscape painter of the second half of the 19th century. He was born in a small town in Lithuania, but in the early 1870s his parents moved to Moscow, where they soon died, leaving their four children without a livelihood. Throughout his life, Isaac Levitan was in need, led a very modest working life.

In 1873, he became a student at an art school, deciding to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, an artist. Isaac's teachers were A. K. Savrasov and V. D. Polenov. Savrasov highly appreciated the talent of his student, prophesied him the glory of the French landscape painter Corot, but only harmed him with his disposition. School teachersdid not like Savrasov and decided to recoup on his favorite, refusing to Levitan to receive the title of artist. He was given a diploma, where the speci alty column indicated: a drawing teacher. It happened in 1885.

In 1898 Levitan himself became a teacher at that school. He did a lot to create the House of Landscapes - a huge workshop, the doors of which were open to all Russian landscape painters. Levitan taught his wards not only to draw, but to love nature. He told them that flowers in landscapes should smell like flowers, not paint.

Isaac Levitan died on August 4, 1900. His legacy is huge, he painted almost 1000 canvases. Levitan is an artist whose paintings adorn the collections of famous museums, especially many of his works in the funds of the Tretyakov Gallery.

Features of creativity

Levitan is called one of the founders of the so-called "mood landscape". On his canvases, the elements of nature are depicted with high reliability, at the same time they have an incredible psychological richness, reflecting the movements of the human soul. People in the artist's paintings appear extremely rarely, but the author himself, his attempts to unravel the secrets of the universe are always present.

Churches, chapels, monasteries are often depicted in Levitan's works. They are harmoniously written out in the natural landscape surrounding them, they form a single whole with it. To describe such canvases, a special term was introduced - "church landscape". Even during his studies, Levitan painted a number of paintings in this genre, among them "Simonov Monastery". Faithful to the "church landscape" the artist remains in later years. The painting "Evening Bells"", Levitan painted it in 1892, is considered one of the best on this topic.

Many creative people were inspired by autumn. Pushkin and Tyutchev devoted their best lines to this time of year. Levitan also repeatedly confessed his love for this time. He created over 100 autumn landscapes. All of them are different in colors and mood.

The artist reaches the peak of his skill in the late 80s - early 90s, we can say that it was at this time that Levitan the artist took place. The paintings painted during this period brought him national fame. Among them are the canvases “Above the Evening Peace”, “Vladimirka”, “Evening Bells”.

The painting "Evening bells" (Levitan I. I.): description

The picture is painted in the style of "church landscape". It depicts the Krivozersky Monastery, located near the city of Yuryevets, on the other side of the Volga. In 1890, the artist depicted the same monastery in the painting "Quiet Convent". The new version reflects a different take on a familiar landscape.

If in "Quiet Abode" the artist directs the viewer's gaze deep into the picture, into the oak forest, to the monastery hiding there, then in "Evening Bells" the river comes to the fore. She takes her eyes up diagonally, to the very horizon, to the beautiful sunset sky. This composition brings more dynamics. This feeling is reinforced by a ferry with people, depicted in the center of the river.

The description of the painting "Evening Bells" will be incomplete if you do not mention the high bell tower,rising above the forest and the river. Church domes, looking up, symbolize people's desire for light and holiness. But the vertical of the monastery buildings does not contrast with the diagonal of the river. The whole picture is imbued with the spirit of harmony and peace.

Composition based on the painting by I. I. Levitan “Evening Bells”

The painting “Evening Bells” (Levitan I. I., 1892) is an image of a monastery surrounded by an autumn forest. The author seems to invite the viewer to visit a bright, devoid of any evil world. Soft colors give it a special comfort: the white walls of the monastery buildings, pink-golden clouds floating across the bright sky, the greenery of the forests, illuminated by yellow autumn strands. The calm surface of the river reflects these colors, doubling the impression.

It is believed that to understand the beauty of nature, to notice the greatness of Russian temples, Levitan was taught by his teacher - Alexei Savrasov. But the grains of other people's knowledge and experience can take root only on fertile soil. Levitan had a sensitive soul and a keen eye, able to see beauty in the usual. The painting "Evening Bells" is a vivid confirmation of this.