“Autumn”, Stanislav Yulianovich Zhukovsky – description of the painting

Description of the picture:

Autumn – Stanislav Yulianovich Zhukovsky. Canvas, oil. 53 x 65 cm

The painting “Autumn” was painted by a remarkable Russian painter of Polish origin, Stanislav Zhukovsky. He was one of the best lyrical landscape painters, a student of Polenov and Levitan.

In his works, the influence of impressionism is clearly traced, but they are extremely realistic, fresh and perfectly perceived even by the modern audience, do not seem outdated.

“Autumn” is one of the best landscapes in many works of the master. It depicts a river bend overlooking a very picturesque autumn forest. The canvas was painted from the high bank of the river, this can be judged by the opened wide panorama and the steep slope in the foreground of the picture. It still has fresh green grass, but a low shrub descending to the river has already been decorated with a scattering of colored leaves and ripe berries.

The mixed forest lying on the other side of the river is a real explosion of autumn colors. If in the distance you can still see a few more dark green trees, obviously conifers, then the entire bulk of the forest is decorated with flashes of yellow, red and orange.

The total mass is easily visible thin white trunks of birches. This not only emphasizes the geographical affiliation of the forest, but also makes the image more dynamic. Vertical lines visually facilitate the very rich, dense colors used in the canvas.

The light colors of the sky contribute to this. It has a typical shade of golden autumn – pale blue, as if faded, but not yet the same lead gray that is characteristic of later and winter time. The sky in the picture even casts a slightly greenish tint, which connects it with the overall tonality of the canvas.

The dynamics of a static image gives flowing water. The river bends steeply, and its turn is closed by a steep slope. But in a more direct section, small waves are clearly visible, in which a fragmented image of the forest is reflected. And the part that is hidden behind the green mound is covered with white “lamb”, which suggests shoal and the presence of stones at the bottom of the river. Rough water and splashes of white paint make the image more vibrant, beautiful and realistic.

The master’s picturesque landscapes are distinguished by high craftsmanship and a surprisingly harmonious sense of color, despite the fact that he used very bright and saturated colors for his work. This is not just a work of art, but an achievement of human genius, not inferior to the best landscapes of great artists."