A Birch Grove

A Birch Grove

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. The canvas depicts birch trees growing in a sunny forest clearing. The unusual combinations of light and color and sharp contrast of sun and shadow create the impression of very bright sunlight. 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. 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. The artist Ivan Kramskoy reported that Kuindzhi's works were enthusiastically received by the public. In particular, the visitors to the exhibition noted the "extraordinary nature" of A Birch Grove. Immediately after the exhibition, all three paintings were purchased by Pavel Tretyakov for 6,500 rubles. 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". 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. 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".

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Boyaryna Morozova (painting).

Art exhibition.

A Birch Grove

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