Moscow Courtyard

Artist: Vasily Polenov

Year of creation: 1878 and 1902 (replica)

Exhibited at: Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow, Russia) and Russian Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia)

Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Vasily Polenov was so impressed by this Moscow-set vista that he turned it into one of his best-known landscape works. Meticulously detailed, the image captures the multifaceted, summer spirit of Moscow – the city where village life meets urban sprawl and grand, magnificent churches. The painting is part of a trilogy, alongside Grandmother's Garden (1878) and Overgrown Pond (1879). The first two, in fact, illustrate the exact same manor house – but from different sides.

Rye

Artist: Ivan Shishkin

Year of creation: 1878

Exhibited at: Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow, Russia)

In that same year, Ivan Shishkin, crowned the Tsar of Forest by his contemporaries, gave form and vision to his Rye – a visual ode to nature and countryside life. Filled with light and harmony, it shows a seemingly endless field of golden rye, with several green-ish pine trees amidst and a hazy blue, slightly-overcast sky above. But it’s not just some field of rye; the artist made a sketch – that would then find its way into a full-fludged masterpiece – during his trip home to Yelabuga in Tatarstan.

A new exhibition celebrating the master of the Russian landscape is currently underway at the Russian Museum. It’s filled with the artist’s most prominent paintings of Russian forest in the summer.

Summer, Reaping

Artist: Alexey Venetsianov

Year of creation: 1820s

Exhibited at: Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow, Russia)

Among other things, summer heralds abundant harvests – a theme masterfully explored by the brush of Alexey Venetsianov in his painting, Summer, Reaping. The artist is most notably known for his depictions of rural life and portraits. In the painting, one can see a young woman who takes some time off for her newborn in the midst of an active rye harvest. This canvas is actually a part of a series; for instance, another one, In the Ploughed Field: Spring, as the name implies, focuses on spring works in the countryside.

Fresh Wind. Volga

Artist: Isaac Levitan

Year of creation: 1891-1895

Exhibited at: Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow, Russia)

Just like his other nature-centric works, Fresh Wind. Volga radiates a lively and inspiring atmosphere. It depicts a river view in the summer, with its crystal-clear water, green riverbank, and a remote urban skyline. Allegedly, the idea for the canvas appeared in Isaac Levitan's mind during his trip along the Volga; though the artist himself admitted that he didn’t connect with the region at first. Nevertheless, it took years of meticulous work – and several more trips to the Volga – to create this masterful attempt to convey the true might of the Russian river.

Rainbow

Artist: Aleksey Savrasov

Year of creation: 1875

Exhibited at: The Russian Museum (St. Petersburg, Russia)

Worlds apart in color and mood, Aleksey Savrasov’s Rainbow captures a moment of weather change in summer. It portrays a post-thunder scene – freshly washed greenery, a gloomy sky, and an arc of light, as a true silver lining, or an element of hope, making its way through the storm clouds. At its heart is a woman who is carrying buckets on a yoke – the rain has stopped or is about to stop and soon the sun will come.