Shishkin, Ivan (1832-1898) - 1872 Backwoods

It is evident in Shishkin’s work that here is a man who loves nature as it is. In his painting, Backwoods, 1872, the artist presents us with a view of a woodland interior complete with an almost overabundance of detail. A fox can be seen in the lower corner of the picture, but small and indistinct in the wealth of its surroundings. The painting is composed of but one predominant tone and little or no value contrast - precisely as the scene would have appeared. Honesty and realism are the picture's carrying force.

These woodland scenes are Shishkin's most powerful and interesting works, all remarkably complex in their detail and patterning of light.

With Shishkin, as well as his European counterparts of the period, the outdoor study gained increasing significance in the production of the finished piece and in some cases was considered a finished piece in itself. Ivan Kramskoy, wrote in 1872: "Shishkin simply amazes us by his ability, doing two or three studies a day, and such complex ones, too... Out there face to face with nature, he is in his element, he is bold and clever and unhesitant; out there he knows everything... he is by himself a school... a milestone in the evolution of the Russian landscape."

Shishkin, seemed to revel in the endless variety of nature. Shishkin once said, "One must seek nature in all its simplicity... the drawing must follow it in every caprice of form." This love for nature's intricacies is also quite evident in the numerous ink drawings, lithographs and etchings that he made during his lifetime, which are marvels in themselves.

"One must seek nature in all its simplicity...the drawing must follow it in every caprice of form."

By 1878 Shishkin's work was at its full maturity. In Amidst the Spreading Vale and Rye, Shishkin is able to blend a striking truth to nature with a deeper emotional impact without relying on a forced design or color harmony. It is truth through the eyes of a poet, one who had spent countless hours recording nature in study after study.

Shishkin regarded his studies well enough to organize a large exhibition in 1891 with Ilya Repin . Scores of these studies were hung at the Academy of Arts along with nearly 300 paintings by Repin . After the exhibition, Shishkin , Repin and other members of the Itinerants (Repin, Surikov , Vasnetsov , Shishkin , Perov, Levitan, Serov and others) were offered teaching positions at the Academy.

Shishkin , In The Rye Fields

Shishkin  Bears

Shishkin    Mast Tree Grove