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A Birch Grove
A painting by Arkhip Kuindzhi / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Birch Grove is a landscape by the Russian artist Arkhip Kuindzhi (1842–1910), completed in 1879. It is kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery (inventory 882). The size of the painting is 97×181 cm.[1][2] The canvas depicts birch trees growing in a sunny forest clearing.[3] The unusual combinations of light and color and sharp contrast of sun and shadow create the impression of very bright sunlight.[2] The upper part of the birches is not shown; only the trunks and small branches are visible, which stand out in light green against the background of the dark green forest. The composition is divided into two parts by a stream running through the middle.[3]
A Birch Grove | |
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Artist | Arkhip Kuindzhi |
Year | 1879 |
Medium | Oil on canvas |
Dimensions | 97 cm × 181 cm (38 in × 71 in) |
Location | State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow |
Together with two other paintings by the artist (After the Rain and North), A Birch Grove was presented at the 7th Exhibition of the Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions ("Peredvizhniki"), which opened in St. Petersburg in February 1879.[4][5] The artist Ivan Kramskoy reported that Kuindzhi's works were enthusiastically received by the public.[6][7][8] In particular, the visitors to the exhibition noted the "extraordinary nature" of A Birch Grove.[9] Immediately after the exhibition, all three paintings were purchased by Pavel Tretyakov for 6,500 rubles.[1][10]
Art critic Vladimir Stasov noted that A Birch Grove is a painting "with wonderfully illuminated trees and grass", and that in this work Kuindzhi "takes notes of strong spectacular lighting, which no one has tried before".[11] Art historian Faina Maltseva wrote that A Birch Grove is an "innovative work" that is one of the best examples of realistic landscapes of the 1870s.[3] According to the art historian Vitaly Manin, "there was no picture in Russian landscape painting where a bright sunny day was captured so joyfully and enlightened, where the artist's peaceful feeling was so fully expressed, where a bright sense of peace, uplifted mood received such a perfect embodiment".[12]