Autumn. River. 1898-1899

Description of Isaac Levitan’s painting "Autumn. River."

Levitan was one of the foremost artists of the Russian landscape. He subtly felt nature and could masterfully convey in his paintings its various states, thus creating a "landscape of mood."

Autumn was always the Russian painter’s favorite season, and he painted an unimaginable number of canvases during this period: about 100, not counting his sketches. One of the famous autumn paintings, which Levitan completed in 1899 - "Autumn. River."

In this picture, the artist depicts autumn in its copper-golden clothing, pre-winter sun barely noticeably warms the earth. The yellowing and fading grass already conveys the sorrow of farewell days. The birches on the right are dressed in yellow, half-decayed leaves. The trees on the right are still gloriously reddish in their luxurious, reddish robes and lush yellow decoration. Still green trees can be seen through them, resisting the cold winter and wilting to the last. Behind the meadow, the cold blue river stretches, on its opposite bank you can see a snow-white church with dark domes and a small settlement.

The canvas is painted in light colors, evoking pleasant emotion in the viewer. The motionless smooth surface of the river reflects the blue sky with white fluffy clouds. Looking at the horizon line, one can discern distant buildings, forests and fields.

Levitan’s landscape "Autumn. River" depicts the most poetic of all seasons. Looking at the picture, one is reminded of the poetry of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, who, like Levitan, praised autumn.

Looking at the picture, you can see that the artist loved autumn for the festival of colors, he does not portray it as a sad, dreary time. Therefore, looking at the painting "Autumn. The viewer does not think of sad thoughts, on the contrary, he is imbued with love for nature and native expanses, feels pleasure, admiring the charm of a beautiful season.