This painting is known to everyone, young and old, because the work of the great landscape painter Ivan Shishkin itself is the most notable pictorial masterpiece in creative heritage artist.
We all know that this artist loved the forest and its nature very much, admired every bush and blade of grass, moldy tree trunks decorated with branches sagging from the weight of foliage and pine needles. Shishkin reflected all this love on an ordinary linen canvas, so that later the whole world could see the unsurpassed skill of the great Russian master.
At the first acquaintance in the Tretyakov Hall with the painting Morning in pine forest, the indelible impression of the viewer’s presence is felt, the human mind is completely immersed in the atmosphere of the forest with marvelous and mighty giant pine trees, which reek of pine aroma. I want to breathe deeper in this air, its freshness mixed with the morning forest fog covering the surrounding forest.
The visible tops of centuries-old pines, their branches bent from the weight of their branches, are gently illuminated by the morning rays of the sun. As we understand, all this beauty was preceded by a terrible hurricane, mighty wind whom he uprooted and felled a pine tree, breaking it in two. All this contributed to what we see. Bear cubs frolic on the ruins of a tree and their mischievous play is guarded by the mother bear. This plot can be said to have very clearly enlivened the picture, adding atmosphere to the whole composition. everyday life forest nature.
Despite the fact that Shishkin rarely wrote animals in his works, he still gave preference to the beauties of earthly vegetation. Of course, he painted sheep and cows in some of his works, but apparently this bothered him somewhat. In this story, the bears were written by his colleague Savitsky K.A., who from time to time was engaged in creativity together with Shishkin. Perhaps he suggested working together.
Upon completion of the work, Savitsky also signed the painting, so there were two signatures. Everything would be fine, everyone really liked the painting, including the famous philanthropist Tretyakov, who decided to buy the canvas for his collection, however, he demanded that Savitsky’s signature be removed, citing the fact that the bulk of the work was executed by Shishkin, who was more familiar to him, who had to fulfill the demand collector. As a result, a quarrel arose in this co-authorship, because the entire fee was paid to the main performer of the film. Of course, there is practically no accurate information on this matter; historians shrug their shoulders. One can, of course, only guess how this fee was divided and what unpleasant feelings there were among the artists’ colleagues.
The subject of the painting Morning in a Pine Forest became widely known among contemporaries; there was a lot of talk and speculation regarding the state of nature depicted by the artist. The fog is shown very colorfully, decorating the airiness of the morning forest with a soft blue haze. As we remember, the artist already painted the painting “Fog in pine forest"And this airiness technique came in very handy in this work as well.
Today the picture is very common, as written above, it is known even to children who love candy and souvenirs, often it is even called the Three Bears, perhaps because three bear cubs catch the eye and the bear is as if in the shadows and is not entirely noticeable, in the second case in The USSR was the name for candy, where this reproduction was printed on candy wrappers.
Also today, modern masters draw copies, decorating various offices and representative social halls, and, of course, our apartments with the beauties of our Russian nature. This masterpiece can be seen in the original by visiting the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, which is not often visited by many.
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 a picture is 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.
Ivan Aivazovsky (co-authored with I. Repin). Pushkin's farewell to the sea. 1877 All-Russian Museum A.S. Pushkin, St. Petersburg. Wikipedia.org 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 with 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, MoscowIt 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.
Ivan Shishkin glorified not only his hometown(Elabuga) for the whole country, but also for the entire vast territory of Russia and for the whole world. His most famous painting is “Morning in a Pine Forest.” Why is it so famous and why is it considered practically the standard of painting? Let's try to understand this issue.
Shishkin and landscapes
Ivan Shishkin - famous landscape artist. His unique style of work originates from the Düsseldorf School of Drawing. But, unlike most of his colleagues, the artist passed the basic techniques through himself, which made it possible to create a unique style, not inherent in anyone else.
Shishkin admired nature all his life; she inspired him to create numerous masterpieces of a million colors and shades. The artist always tried to depict the flora as he sees it, without various exaggerations and decorations.
He tried to choose landscapes untouched by human hands. Virgin like the forests of the taiga. combine realism with a poetic view of nature. Ivan Ivanovich saw poetry in the play of light and shadow, in the power of Mother Earth, in the fragility of one Christmas tree standing in the wind.
The versatility of the artist
It's hard to imagine such a thing genius artist the head of the city or school teacher. But Shishkin combined many talents. Coming from a merchant family, he had to follow in the footsteps of his parent. In addition, Shishkin’s good disposition quickly endeared him to people throughout the city. He was elected to the post of manager and helped develop his native Elabuga as best he could. Naturally, this was also manifested in painting. Shishkin’s pen is “History of the City of Elabuga”.
Ivan Ivanovich managed to draw pictures and participate in exciting archaeological excavations. He lived abroad for some time, and even became an academician in Düsseldorf.
Shishkin was an active member of the Itinerants Society, where he met other famous Russian artists. He was considered a real authority among other painters. They tried to inherit the master’s style, and the paintings inspired both writers and painters.
He left behind a legacy of numerous landscapes that have become decorations in museums and private collections around the globe.
After Shishkin, few people managed to depict all the diversity of Russian nature so realistically and so beautifully. No matter what happened in the artist’s personal life, he did not allow his troubles to be reflected on the canvases.
Background
The artist treated forest nature with great trepidation; it literally captivated him with its countless colors, variety of shades, and the rays of the sun breaking through the thick pine branches.
The painting “Morning in a Pine Forest” became the embodiment of Shishkin’s love for the forest. It quickly gained popularity, and was soon used in pop culture, on stamps, and even on candy wrappers. To this day it is carefully kept in the Tretyakov Gallery.
Description: “Morning in a pine forest”
Ivan Shishkin managed to capture one moment from an entire forest life. He conveyed with the help of a drawing the moment of the beginning of the day, when the sun was just beginning to rise. An amazing moment of the birth of a new life. The painting “Morning in a Pine Forest” depicts an awakening forest and still sleepy cubs that are getting out of a secluded dwelling.
In this painting, as in many others, the artist wanted to emphasize the immensity of nature. To do this, he cut off the tops of the pine trees at the top of the canvas.
If you look closely, you will notice that the roots of the tree on which the cubs are frolicking have been torn out. Shishkin seemed to emphasize that this forest is so uninhabited and deaf that only animals can live in it, and the trees fall on their own, from old age.
Shishkin indicated the morning in a pine forest with the help of the fog that we see between the trees. Thanks to this artistic move, the time of day becomes obvious.
Co-authorship
Shishkin was an excellent landscape painter, but rarely took on images of animals in his works. The painting “Morning in a Pine Forest” was no exception. He created the landscape, but the four cubs were painted by another artist, an expert on animals, Konstantin Savitsky. They say that it was he who suggested the very idea for this painting. While painting a morning in a pine forest, Shishkin took Savitsky as a co-author, and the painting was initially signed by the two of them. However, after the painting was transferred to the gallery, Tretyakov considered Shishkin’s work more extensive and erased the name of the second artist.
Story
Shishkin and Savitsky went into nature. This is how the story began. The morning in the pine forest seemed so beautiful to them that it was impossible not to immortalize it on canvas. To search for a prototype, they went to Gordomlya Island, which stands on Lake Seliger. There they found this landscape and new inspiration for the painting.
The island, completely covered with forests, contained the remnants of virgin nature. For many centuries it stood untouched. This could not leave artists indifferent.
Claims
The painting was born in 1889. Although Savitsky initially complained to Tretyakov that he had erased his name, he soon changed his mind and abandoned this masterpiece in favor of Shishkin.
He justified his decision by the fact that the style of the painting fully corresponds to what Ivan Ivanovich did, and even the sketches of the bears originally belonged to him.
Facts and Misconceptions
Like any famous painting, the painting “Morning in a Pine Forest” arouses great interest. Consequently, it has a number of interpretations and is mentioned in literature and cinema. This masterpiece is talked about both in high society and on the streets.
Over time, some facts have been changed, and general misconceptions have become firmly entrenched in society:
- One of the common mistakes is the opinion that Vasnetsov created “Morning in a Pine Forest” together with Shishkin. Viktor Mikhailovich, of course, knew Ivan Ivanovich, since they were together in the Itinerants club. However, Vasnetsov could not possibly be the author of such a landscape. If you pay attention to his style, he is not at all similar to Shishkin, they belong to different art schools. These names are still mentioned together from time to time. Vasnetsov is not that artist. “Morning in a Pine Forest,” without any doubt, was painted by Shishkin.
- The title of the painting sounds like “Morning in a Pine Forest.” Boron is simply a second name that people apparently found more appropriate and mysterious.
- Unofficially, some Russians still call the painting “Three Bears,” which is a grave mistake. There are not three, but four animals in the picture. It is likely that the canvas began to be called that because of the popular Soviet era sweets called “Teddy bear”. The candy wrapper depicted a reproduction of Shishkin’s “Morning in a Pine Forest.” People gave the candy the name “Three Bears”.
- The picture has its “first version”. Shishkin painted another canvas of the same theme. He called it “Fog in the Pine Forest.” Few people know about this picture. She is rarely remembered. There is no canvas on site Russian Federation. To this day it is kept in private collection in Poland.
- Initially, there were only two bear cubs in the picture. Later Shishkin decided that the image should include four clubfooted people. Thanks to the addition of two more bears, the genre of the film changed. It began to be located on the “borderland”, as some elements of the game scene appeared on the landscape.
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 times, 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.
© Photo: Public Domain Ivan Shishkin. "Rye". Oil on canvas. 1878
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 popular painting by Ivan Shishkin, adorned the walls of many Soviet apartments and dachas.
“Bears” also found their way onto tapestries—a favorite interior detail of Soviet people. 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 perhaps one of the most famous paintings Ivan Shishkin. The first thing that attracts and touches the audience looking at the masterpiece is the bears. Without animals, the picture would hardly have turned out so attractive. Meanwhile, few people know that it was not Shishkin, another artist named Savitsky, who painted the animals.
Bear Master
Konstantin Apollonovich Savitsky is now not as famous as Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin, whose name probably even a child knows. Nevertheless, Savitsky is also one of the most talented Russian painters. At one time he was an academician and member of the Imperial Academy of Arts. It is clear that it was on the basis of art that Savitsky met Shishkin.
Both of them loved Russian nature and selflessly depicted it on their canvases. But Ivan Ivanovich preferred landscapes in which people or animals, if they appeared, were only in the role minor characters. Savitsky, on the contrary, actively portrayed both. Apparently, thanks to his friend’s skill, Shishkin became convinced that he was not very successful with the figures of living beings.
Help from a friend
At the end of the 1880s, Ivan Shishkin completed another landscape, in which he depicted an unusually picturesque morning in a pine forest. However, according to the artist, the picture lacked some kind of accent, for which he planned to paint 2 bears. Shishkin even made sketches for future characters, but was dissatisfied with his work. It was then that he turned to Konstantin Savitsky with a request to help him with the animals. Shishkin’s friend did not refuse and happily got down to business. The bears turned out to be enviable. In addition, the number of clubfoot has doubled.
To be fair, it is worth noting that Shishkin himself had no intention of cheating at all, and when the picture was ready, he indicated not only his last name, but also Savitsky’s. Both friends were satisfied with their joint work. But everything was ruined by the founder of the world-famous gallery, Pavel Tretyakov.
Stubborn Tretyakov
It was Tretyakov who purchased “Morning in a Pine Forest” from Shishkin. However, the patron did not like the 2 signatures on the painting. And since, after purchasing this or that work of art, Tretyakov considered himself its sole and rightful owner, he went ahead and erased Savitsky’s name. Shishkin began to object, but Pavel Mikhailovich remained adamant. He said that the style of writing, including regarding bears, corresponds to the manner of Shishkin, and Savitsky is clearly superfluous here.
Ivan Shishkin shared the fee he received from Tretyakov with a friend. However, he gave Savitsky only the 4th part of the money, explaining this by the fact that he did the sketches for “Morning” without the help of Konstantin Apollonovich.
Surely Savitsky was offended by such treatment. In any case, he never painted another painting together with Shishkin. And Savitsky’s bears, in any case, really became the decoration of the picture: without them, “Morning in a Pine Forest” would hardly have received such recognition.
