Noon. In the vicinity of Moscow Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin (1832-1898)

Description of Ivan Shishkin’s painting "Midday. In the Outskirts of Moscow."

The sketch on the basis of which the famous painting "Midday. In the Suburbs of Moscow" was painted by the artist in the mid-1960s, when the artist spent the summer at an old manor estate in Brattsevo, northwest of Moscow. Of the many sketches created, the basis for this painting was the most elaborate.

In this picture the artist managed to depict a kind of "ideal" Russian landscape: a field through which runs crooked country road, in the distance flows a small river, a hill, poor village with a towering church bell tower. The nature for the landscape, he found in the vicinity of the village of Brattsevo.

It should be noted that for the work of Shishkin landscape is not typical. Most of the artist’s works depict the forest. Here is an immense expanse, vast sky, which occupies a large part of the painting. Despite the fact that the sky has never held Shishkin’s attention, on this canvas he manages to perfectly depict the amazingly clear sky, filled with ashy-silvery clouds with bright sunlight streaming through them.

Unusual for Shishkin and the image of people. Most often on his paintings can be seen self-sufficient nature, and very rarely - a man. Here the local peasants are walking along a country road with their tools. There are other signs that in this place nature has submitted to man.

The painting depicts rural life, its foundations, peasant work, repeated from year to year. Being one of the painter’s best works, "Midday. In the Surroundings of Moscow" stands apart in his oeuvre.

The painting is the first Shishkin painting purchased by the famous merchant Tretyakov for his newly created gallery. After that Tretyakov looked for Shishkin landscapes at all the traveling exhibitions. And the artist himself received public recognition and a certain financial success.