Nenyufary. 1895 Isaac Ilyich Levitan (1860-1900)
Isaac Ilyich Levitan – Nenyufary. 1895
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Painter: Isaac Ilyich Levitan
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The summer the artist spent in the Tver region, in Ostrovno, was filled with delightful emotions of enjoying the beauty of nature. Here one could indulge in philosophical meditations, unraveling the mysteries of life. The belief was that life after death was like a deep abyss. Because of serious heart problems, he was often haunted by such thoughts. On this canvas Levitan sought to create water lilies isolated from the general background of the image.
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Description of Isaac Levitan’s painting Nenyufars (Water Lilies)
The summer the artist spent in the Tver region, in Ostrovno, was filled with delightful emotions of enjoying the beauty of nature. Here one could indulge in philosophical meditations, unraveling the mysteries of life. The belief was that life after death was like a deep abyss. Because of serious heart problems, he was often haunted by such thoughts.
On this canvas Levitan sought to create water lilies isolated from the general background of the image. And he succeeded brilliantly. He painted them standing in his boat, while the oars were rowing his dear Lulu.
In the painting, the horizon is somewhere beyond, which creates the effect of illuminating the surface of the water with the nenufar leaves and flowers lying on it.
According to local legend, there was an enchanted lake near Ostrovno, completely covered with lily leaves and flowers. They were regarded by the people as a symbol of the fight against evil forces, as well as helpers for travelers who were about to undertake a long journey.
On this lake the artist apparently found the answers to his questions. Here he draws the line between the two worlds. He saw in the depths of the lake - a secret life, and over the dark abyss float white lilies. The existence of the otherworldly world the artist depicted through the image of woven plant stems sprouting from the underwater depths to the surface.
The painting was painted at a very close distance with the flowers. As Lulu later recalled, "Usually we would come here, a stone would be lowered to the bottom of the lake, tied to a rope to keep the boat from drifting away, and Isaac would indulge in the work for many hours.
One day, I snagged some lilies with my oar, picked them up, and brought them to him. He took one of them and kissed it. I muttered to him that lilies soon wither, but I want to admire them constantly. And Levitan wrote beautiful lilies with gilded edges in her album and signed "To Sweet and Dearest Lulu..."
COMMENTS: 4 Ответы
FLOWERS
1
Flowers, inscribed in reality,
Are given to us as clots of colored light.
How delicate the rose is, and for hours
It believes in the sunset – this is clear.
The symbolism of flowers! The language of carnations,
The smiles of asters, and the starry colors.
How can we understand the language of reality,
Without betraying the meaning of flowers?
2
Carnations are wounds of the air, and sometimes
The mind wounds thoughts with similar force.
Remember the wind – you too: slow-witted,
How the wind sounded with a gust from the promontory!
And there are such dissimilar flowers -
Did peonies lie next to cornflowers?
But in its purest form, we hardly
Have ever encountered an embodiment of beauty.
3
Color pattern
Attracts.
Phloxes, chrysanthemums -
How can I understand your main themes?
Chrysanthemums, phloxes...
And life itself is full of paradoxes.
4
A blazing rose garden,
And the peaks of gladioli raised to the heavens.
Did you understand the flowers? Not yet.
But have you understood yourself?
5
A garden without flowers? Absurdity.
And the stars-asters collect light,
So that with splashes of shattered sky
They greet me in moments of trouble.
6
Flowers have a
Power field -
In them is the breath of will,
Of heights.
But in your life
Theres so much capriciousness.
Between fields, between fields
The road lies into the unknown.
7
Flowers greet me -
Whether they are lush or delicate -
Enticing with all their semantic mystery.
They hardly know about my flaws. I myself
Am wounded by my own flaws.
The garden is always magnificent -
Always luxurious and multifaceted.
Люблю "Ненюфары"! Душа замирает... и стихи великолепны!!!
Ненюфары, конечно хороши, но "Золотая осень" 1895г...
Exhibited at the Wanderers Exhibition in 1896 alongside other works by Levitan, this painting puzzled viewers. Golden Autumn is extremely generalized, a distillation of the artists feelings and impressions. March is radiant, light, sparkling, airy. A fresh breeze carries enormous water lilies and clouds soaring into the sky.
However, the water lilies seemed to be painted by another hand – that of a pedant, meticulously studying nature, for whom the highest praise would be: How realistic!
This painting elicited many enthusiastic reviews from those who had previously been intimidated by Levitans broad, bold brushstrokes. With relieved spirits, they wrote: The leaves are so well done that they create a complete illusion; it seems as if their curved edges actually protrude from the surface of the canvas, and you involuntarily approach the painting to make sure that, like the others, it is painted in a single plane.
S. A. Prozorov. Isaac Ilyich Levitan. 1990.
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The subtexts of this painting can be interpreted in several ways. The recurring motif of water lilies is famously associated with the artist Claude Monet and the Impressionist movement, signifying a fascination with capturing fleeting moments of natural beauty and the effects of light. The dark, somewhat mysterious depths of the water might allude to the subconscious or the hidden aspects of nature. The contrast between the serene surface and the implied depth could suggest a contemplation of life and its complexities, or the beauty that can be found even in stillness and shadow. The year 1895 places it at a time when Impressionism was mature, and artists were exploring new ways to represent the natural world, often imbuing their landscapes with personal emotion and a sense of meditative calm. The painting invites the viewer to pause and appreciate the subtle details and quiet grandeur of a natural scene.