Sunday, December 6, 2009

Isaac Levitan- Russian Landscapes

The Lake (1900)


I decided to do my post about Russian art, specifically landscapes because that's what I'm interested in. I stumbled across Isaac Levitan on a website and thought his work was really nice. So now I share with you =)
Background:
He lived from 1860 to 1900 and grew up in the Kaunas region of Lithuania. When he was 10, his family moved to Moscow. He entered the Moscow School for Painting, Sculpture and Architecture when he was just 13 and began studying there. During his time, he specialized in mood landscapes and
played on the lyrical aspect of the areas he painted. He was featured in many big name art exhibits and was widely acclaimed throughout Russia for his work. Eventually he became head of the Landscape Studio at his former school.
My favorite thing about his work is how the paintings may seem simple but they express a lot
of emotion. They're absolutely gorgeous, in my opinion.

This painting to the left is titled Floodwaters. Spring and reminds me of the Everglades.







Right: This is titled March and as you can see he plays on details like the colors of the leaves and the reigns on the horse while keeping the painting simple.





Above: Twilight: Haystacks.

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