Plot

With rare exceptions, the subject of Shishkin's paintings (if you look at this issue broadly) is one - nature. Ivan Ivanovich is an enthusiastic, loving contemplator. And the viewer becomes an eyewitness to the painter’s meeting with his native expanses.

Shishkin was an extraordinary expert on the forest. He knew everything about trees of different species and noticed errors in the drawing. During plein airs, the artist’s students were ready to literally hide in the bushes, just so as not to hear criticism in the spirit of “Such a birch cannot exist” or “these pine trees are fake.”

The students were so afraid of Shishkin that they hid in the bushes

As for people and animals, they occasionally appeared in Ivan Ivanovich’s paintings, but they were more of a background than an object of attention. "Morning in pine forest"is perhaps the only canvas where bears compete with the forest. For this, thanks to one of Shishkin’s best friends - the artist Konstantin Savitsky. He suggested such a composition and depicted animals. True, Pavel Tretyakov, who bought the canvas, erased Savitsky’s name, so for a long time the bears were attributed to Shishkin.

Portrait of Shishkin by I. N. Kramskoy. 1880

Context

Before Shishkin, it was fashionable to paint Italian and Swiss landscapes. “Even in those rare cases when artists took on the task of depicting Russian localities, Russian nature became Italianized, adjusted to the ideal of Italian beauty,” recalled Alexandra Komarova, Shishkin’s niece. Ivan Ivanovich was the first who painted Russian nature realistically with such ecstasy. So that, looking at his paintings, a person would say: “There is a Russian spirit there, it smells of Russia.”

Rye. 1878

And now the story of how Shishkin’s canvas became a wrapper. Around the same time that “Morning in a Pine Forest” was presented to the public, Julius Geis, the head of the Einem Partnership, was brought a candy to try: a thick layer of almond praline between two wafer plates and enrobed chocolate. The confectioner liked the candy. Geis thought about the name. Then his gaze lingered on a reproduction of a painting by Shishkin and Savitsky. This is how the idea of “Teddy Bear” came about.

The wrapper, familiar to everyone, appeared in 1913, created by the artist Manuil Andreev. To the plot of Shishkin and Savitsky, he added a frame of fir branches and the stars of Bethlehem - in those years, candy was the most expensive and desired gift for the Christmas holidays. Over time, the wrapper has gone through various adjustments, but remains conceptually the same.

The fate of the artist

“Lord, will my son really be a painter!” — Ivan Shishkin’s mother lamented when she realized that she could not convince her son, who had decided to become an artist. The boy was terribly afraid of becoming an official. And, by the way, it’s good that he didn’t. The fact is that Shishkin had an uncontrollable urge to draw. Literally every sheet that was in Ivan’s hands was covered with drawings. Just imagine what the official Shishkin could do with the documents!

Shishkin knew all the botanical details about trees

Ivan Ivanovich studied painting first in Moscow, then in St. Petersburg. Life was hard. The artist Pyotr Neradovsky, whose father studied and lived with Ivan Ivanovich, wrote in his memoirs: “Shishkin was so poor that he often did not have his own boots. To go out somewhere from the house, it happened that he put on his father's boots. On Sundays they went to lunch together with my father’s sister.”

In the wild north. 1891

But everything was forgotten in the summer in the open air. Together with Savrasov and other classmates, they went somewhere out of town and painted sketches from life there. “It was there, in nature, that we really learned... In nature, we studied, and also took a break from the casts,” Shishkin recalled. Even then he chose the theme of his life: “I truly love the Russian forest and only write about it. The artist needs to choose the one thing that he loves most... There’s no way to throw it away.” By the way, Shishkin learned to masterfully paint Russian nature abroad. He studied in the Czech Republic, Germany, and Switzerland. The paintings brought from Europe brought in the first decent money.

After the death of his wife, brother and son, Shishkin drank for a long time and could not work

Meanwhile, in Russia, the Peredvizhniki protested against the academicians. Shishkin was incredibly happy about this. In addition, many of the rebels were friends of Ivan Ivanovich. True, over time he quarreled with both of them and was very worried about this.

Shishkin died suddenly. I sat down at the canvas, just about to start working, and yawned once. and that's all. This is exactly what the painter wanted - “instantly, right away, so as not to suffer.” Ivan Ivanovich was 66 years old.

MOSCOW, January 25 - RIA Novosti, Victoria Salnikova. 185 years ago, on January 25, 1832, Ivan Shishkin was born, perhaps the most “folk” Russian artist.

IN Soviet era reproductions of his paintings hung in many apartments, and the famous bear cubs from the painting “Morning in a Pine Forest” migrated to candy wrappers.

Ivan Shishkin’s paintings still live their own life, far from the museum space. What role did Vladimir Mayakovsky play in their history and how Shishkin’s bears ended up on the wrappers of pre-revolutionary sweets - in the RIA Novosti material.

"Get a savings book!"

In Soviet times, the design of the candy wrapper did not change, but “Mishka” became the most expensive delicacy: in the 1920s, a kilogram of candy was sold for four rubles. The candy even had a slogan: “If you want to eat Mishka, get yourself a Savings Book!” This phrase from the poet Vladimir Mayakovsky even began to be printed on wrappers.

Despite the high price, the delicacy was in demand among buyers: the artist and graphic artist Alexander Rodchenko even captured it on the Mosselprom building in Moscow in 1925.

In the 1950s, the “Bear Bear” candy went to Brussels: the “Red October” factory participated in the World Exhibition and received the highest award.

Art in every home

But the story of “Mornings in a Pine Forest” was not limited to sweets. Another popular trend in Soviet times was reproductions classical works art.

Unlike oil paintings, they were cheap and sold in any bookstore, so they were available to almost every family. "Morning in a Pine Forest" and "Rye", another one popular painting Ivan Shishkin, decorated the walls of many Soviet apartments and dachas.

“Bears” also ended up on tapestries—a favorite detail of Soviet people’s interiors. Over the course of a century, “Morning in a Pine Forest” has become one of the most recognizable paintings in Russia. True, a casual viewer is unlikely to immediately remember its real name.

In exchange for drugs

The works of Ivan Shishkin are popular with robbers and scammers. On January 25, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus discovered a work of art stolen in Russia in the car of drug couriers. The painting "Forest. Spruces" from 1897 was stolen in 2013 from the Vyaznikovsky Historical and Art Museum in Vladimir region. According to preliminary information, drug couriers brought the painting to Belarus at the request of a potential buyer from Europe. The cost of the painting could reach two million dollars, but the attackers planned to sell it for 100 thousand euros and three kilograms of cocaine.

Last year, criminal investigation officers suspected a 57-year-old woman of stealing the painting “Preobrazhenskoe” from 1896. The woman received this work from a famous collector for sale, however, according to investigators, she appropriated it.

“Morning in a Pine Forest” is a painting by Russian artists Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky. Savitsky painted the bears, but the collector Pavel Tretyakov erased his signature, so that Shishkin alone is often indicated as the author of the painting.

The painting is popular due to the compositional inclusion of animalistic elements in the landscape canvas. The painting conveys in detail the state of nature seen by the artist on Gorodomlya Island. Shown not deaf dense forest, and the sunlight breaking through the columns of tall trees. You can feel the depth of the ravines, the power of centuries-old trees, the sunlight seems to timidly peek into this dense forest. The frolicking cubs feel the approach of morning.

Presumably, the idea for the painting was suggested to Shishkin by Savitsky, who later acted as a co-author and depicted the figures of the bear cubs (based on Shishkin’s sketches). These bears, with some differences in poses and numbers (at first there were two of them), appear in preparatory drawings and sketches (for example, the State Russian Museum contains seven versions of Shishkin’s pencil sketches). Savitsky turned out the animals so well that he even signed the painting together with Shishkin. Savitsky himself told his family: “The painting was sold for 4 thousand, and I am a participant in the 4th share.”

Having acquired the painting, Tretyakov removed Savitsky’s signature, leaving the authorship behind Shishkin, because in the painting, Tretyakov said, “from the concept to the execution, everything speaks about the manner of painting, about the creative method that is peculiar to Shishkin.”

In the gallery inventory, initially (during the lives of the artists Shishkin and Savitsky), the painting was listed under the title “Bear Family in the Forest” (and without indicating Savitsky’s surname).

Russian prose writer and publicist V. M. Mikheev wrote the following words in 1894:
Look into this gray fog of the forest distance, into the “Bear Family in the Forest”... and you will understand what kind of forest expert, what a strong objective artist you are dealing with. And if something in his paintings interferes with the integrity of your impression, it won’t be the details of the forest, but, for example, the figures of bears, the interpretation of which makes you want a lot and spoils a lot big picture where the artist placed them. Obviously, the master forest specialist is not nearly as good at depicting animals.

Reproductions of “Morning in a Pine Forest” were widely circulated in the USSR. However, this began even before the revolution; in particular, since the 19th century, reproductions have been reproduced on the wrapper of the “Bear-Toed Bear” chocolates. Thanks to this, the picture is well known among the people, often under the name “Three Bears” (although there are four bears in the picture). Because of such candy-wrapped circulation, the picture began to be perceived in the Soviet and post-Soviet cultural space as an element of kitsch.

Ivan Shishkin. Morning in a pine forest. 1889 Tretyakov Gallery

“Morning in a Pine Forest” is the most famous painting Ivan Shishkin. No, take it higher. This is the most popular painting in Russia.

But this fact, it seems to me, brings little benefit to the masterpiece itself. It even harms him.

When it's too popular, it flashes everywhere. In every textbook. On candy wrappers (where the wild popularity of the painting began 100 years ago).

As a result, the viewer loses interest in the picture. We glance at her quickly with the thought “Oh, it’s her again...”. And we pass by.

For the same reason, I didn’t write about her. Although I’ve been writing articles about masterpieces for several years now. And one might be surprised how I passed by this blockbuster. But now you know why.

I'm correcting myself. Because I want to look at Shishkin’s masterpiece with you more closely.

Why “Morning in a Pine Forest” is a masterpiece

Shishkin was a realist to the core. He depicted the forest very realistically. Choosing colors carefully. Such realism easily draws the viewer into the picture.

Just look at the color schemes.

Pale emerald pine needles in the shade. Light green color of young grass in the rays of the morning sun. Dark ocher pine needles on a fallen tree.

The fog is also made from a combination different shades. Greenish in the shade. Bluish in the light. And it turns yellow closer to the treetops.

Ivan Shishkin. Morning in a pine forest (fragment). 1889 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

All this complexity creates the overall impression of being in this forest. You feel this forest. And don't just see it. The craftsmanship is incredible.

But Shishkin’s paintings, alas, are often compared to photographs. Considering the master deeply old-fashioned. Why such realism if there are photo images?

I do not agree with this position. It is important what angle the artist chooses, what kind of lighting, what kind of fog and even moss. All this together reveals to us a piece of the forest from a special side. In a way we wouldn't see him. But we see through the eyes of an artist.

And through his gaze we experience pleasant emotions: delight, inspiration, nostalgia. And this is the point: to provoke the viewer to a spiritual response.

Savitsky – assistant or co-author of the masterpiece?

The story of Konstantin Savitsky’s co-authorship seems strange to me. In all sources you will read that Savitsky was an animal painter, which is why he volunteered to help his friend Shishkin. Like, such realistic bears are his merit.

But if you look at Savitsky’s works, you will immediately understand that animal painting is NOT his main genre.

He was typical. He often wrote about the poor. Helped with the help of paintings for the disadvantaged. Here is one of his outstanding works, “Meeting of an Icon.”

Konstantin Savitsky. Meeting the icon. 1878 Tretyakov Gallery.

Yes, in addition to the crowd, there are also horses. Savitsky really knew how to portray them very realistically.

But Shishkin also easily coped with a similar task, if you look at his animalistic works. In my opinion, he did no worse than Savitsky.

Ivan Shishkin. Goby. 1863 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Therefore, it is not entirely clear why Shishkin commissioned Savitsky to write the bears. I'm sure he could handle it himself. They were friends. Perhaps this was an attempt to help a friend financially? Shishkin was more successful. He received serious money for his paintings.

For the bears, Savitsky received 1/4 of the fee from Shishkin - as much as 1000 rubles (with our money this is about 0.5 million rubles!) It is unlikely that Savitsky could have received such an amount for a whole own work.

Formally, Tretyakov was right. After all, Shishkin thought through the entire composition. Even the poses and positions of the bears. This is obvious if you look at the sketches.

Co-authorship as a phenomenon in Russian painting

Moreover, this is not the first such case in Russian painting. I immediately remembered Aivazovsky’s painting “Pushkin’s Farewell to the Sea.” Pushkin in the painting of the great marine painter was painted by... Ilya Repin.

But his name is not in the picture. Although these are not bears. But still great poet. Which needs to not only be depicted realistically. But to be expressive. So that the same farewell to the sea can be read in the eyes.

In my opinion, this is a more difficult task than depicting bears. Nevertheless, Repin did not insist on co-authorship. On the contrary, I was incredibly happy to work together with the great Aivazovsky.

Savitsky was prouder. I was offended by Tretyakov. But he continued to be friends with Shishkin.

But we cannot deny that without the bears this painting would not have become the artist's most recognizable painting. This would be another Shishkin masterpiece. Majestic and breathtaking landscape.

But he wouldn't be so popular. It was the bears who played their role. This means that Savitsky should not be completely discounted.

How to rediscover “Morning in a Pine Forest”

And in conclusion, I would like to return again to the problem of overdose of the image of a masterpiece. How can you look at it with fresh eyes?

I think it's possible. To do this, look at the little-known sketch for the painting.

Ivan Shishkin. Sketch for the painting “Morning in a Pine Forest”. 1889 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

It is done with quick strokes. The figures of the bears are only outlined and painted by Shishkin himself. Particularly impressive is the light in the form of golden vertical strokes.

Now look again at the painting “Morning in a Pine Forest.” And you will be able to “read” it with fresh eyes. See something you haven't noticed before.

Painting: 1889
Oil on canvas.
Size: 139 × 213 cm

Description of the painting “Three Bears” by I. Shishkin

Artist: Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin, Konstantin Apollonovich Savitsky
Title of the painting: “Morning in a pine forest”
Painting: 1889
Oil on canvas.
Size: 139 × 213 cm

In our country, you will not find a second such “hit” canvas, the plot of which is present on a rare grandmother’s bedspread, an embroidered little thought, a tablecloth, plates and even on wrappers with cute clubtoes. Memories of parents, chocolates and moves by PR people - this is what does not allow us to forget about I. Shishkin’s painting “Morning in a Pine Forest” or, in common parlance, “Three Bears”.

But only Shishkin? The bears were painted on canvas by K. Savitsky, who at first depicted two clubfooted bears, and then raised their number to four. Previously, it was believed that Shishkin, despite his rather significant successes in animal painting, was not able to depict bears, so he simply exploited poor Savitsky and did not even allow him to sign the picture. In fact, the artists were friends, and the bears appeared after the latter said that the canvas was not dynamic. Shishkin could draw anyone, but not bears, so he gave Savitsky the opportunity to revive the picture and put a signature. The collector P. Tretyakov was not so loyal: he bought the painting from Shishkin, which means that the authorship is his, so there can be no Savitskys here. In general, the inscription was erased and “Morning in a Pine Forest” began to be considered one of the key paintings in the work of one of the most outstanding Russian landscape painters.

The “Teddy Bear” candies with Shishkin’s reproduction on the candy wrapper gave the name to the painting “Three Bears”. The delicacy that appeared was filled with almonds and cocoa beans, it was expensive, but it was so tasty that even the agitator of everyone and everything, V. Mayakovsky, could not resist and wrote that if you want “Bears,” then put a certain amount of money into a savings book. This is how “Teddy Bear” became “Three Bears” (and there are four of them in the picture), candy became one of the signs of the USSR, and I. Shishkin became a people’s artist.

True, he was a singer of nature native land and before the Bears. The artist wanted and knew how to surprise, first of all, with landscapes, which he painted so brilliantly that he earned the reputation of a master of detail. Only here you will see a haze of fog, as if floating among the branches of hundred-year-old pines, soft and cozy moss on boulders, clear water of a stream, morning or evening coolness, midday heat of summer. What’s interesting is that all the artist’s paintings are partly epic, but always monumental. At the same time, Shishkin is not pretentious, he is simply a person who sincerely admires the majestic nature of his native land and knows how to portray it.

“Morning in a Pine Forest” pacifies with the balance of its composition. Three bear cubs look very harmonious with their mother bear, and you just want to apply divine proportion to the two halves of a fallen pine tree. This picture is like a random shot on an old camera that a tourist managed to take after searching for true virgin nature for so long.

And if you look at the coloring of the picture, it’s as if the artist is trying to capture all the richness of the colors of the dawn time. We see air, but it is not the usual shade of blue, but rather blue-green, a little cloudy and foggy. The predominant colors that surrounded the clubfooted inhabitants of the forest are green, blue and sunny yellow, reflecting the mood of awakened nature. The bright flickering of golden rays in the background seems to hint at the sun that is about to illuminate the earth. It is these glares that give the picture solemnity; they speak of the realism of the fog above the ground. “Morning in a Pine Forest” is another confirmation of the tactility of Shishkin’s paintings, because you can even feel the cool air.

Look closely at the forest. Its appearance is conveyed so realistically that it becomes clear: this is not a forest clearing, but a deep thicket - a true concentration of living nature. The sun had just risen above her, the rays of which had already managed to make their way to the top of the tree crowns, splashing them with gold and again hiding in the thicket. The damp fog, which has not yet cleared, seems to have awakened the inhabitants of the ancient forest.

The cubs and the mother bear woke up, developing their vigorous activity. Satisfied and well-fed bears have been exploring the world around them since the very morning, exploring the nearest fallen pine tree, and the mother bear is watching the babies, who are touchingly clumsily climbing the tree. Moreover, the mother bear watches not only the cubs, but also tries to catch the slightest sounds that could disturb their idyll. It’s simply amazing how these animals, painted by another artist, were able to revive the compositional solution of the picture: the fallen pine tree seemed to have been created for this bear family, busy with their important matters against the backdrop of a remote and wild corner of Russian nature.

The painting “Morning in a Pine Forest” reveals the mastery of realistic images and its quality, which is in many ways superior to modern digital technology. Every blade of grass, every ray of sun, every pine needle was written by Shishkin lovingly and reverently. If the foreground of the canvas depicts a fallen pine tree with bears climbing on it, then in the background there is an ancient forest. Bear cubs and the rest of nature evoke calming positive emotions in every person. Animals, like toy animals, fill the beginning of a new day with kindness and set us up for positive thinking. Looking at these cute animals, it’s hard to believe that they are predators by nature and cannot be capable of cruelty. But that’s not even the main thing. Shishkin focuses the viewer’s attention on harmony sunlight, which comes from the background of the painting with cubs in the foreground. Visually draw a line through them - and you will certainly notice that these are the brightest objects in the picture, and everything else, including the irregularly shaped pine tree, is just complementary touches.

It seems that “Morning in a Pine Forest” depicts real, living bears in some kind of fantastic landscape. The Vyatka forest, from which nature is copied, says researchers, is very different from the Shishkin forest. I just wonder if bears exist there now, because for a century the painting has been nurturing the aesthetic and moral taste of people, asking them to take care of the surrounding nature.