Tretyakov gallery bears in the forest. Bears of discord, or how Shishkin quarreled with Savitsky

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The author of the painting "Morning in a Pine Forest" is the great Russian artist Ivan Ivanovich (1832-1898). However, only the landscape itself belongs to his hand. The main characters of the picture - three bear cubs and a bear were painted by another famous artist Konstantin Apollonovich. The erroneous notion that "Morning in a Pine Forest" was written only by Shishkin is due to the fact that Pavel Mikhailovich Tretyakov, who bought the painting for his collection, erased Savitsky's signature.

History of the painting

The picture was painted in 1889. Canvas, oil. Dimensions: 139 × 213 cm. Currently located in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Interestingly, the painting was originally called "The Bear Family in the Forest."

It is believed that Ivan Shishkin came up with the plot of the painting while visiting Gorodomlya Island, which is located on Lake Seliger. Here the painter saw untouched nature, a dense forest, which amazes the imagination with its beauty and pristine nature.

Initially, there were no bears in the picture, only the forest landscape itself. Ivan Shishkin was an unsurpassed landscape painter, but in animalism, that is, the depiction of animals, he was not strong. Therefore, the bears were painted by another artist - Konstantin Savitsky.

Description of the artwork «Morning in a pine forest»

The painting "Morning in a Pine Forest" literally captivates the viewer with its extraordinary beauty. The age-old forest impresses with its power, untouched nature. Pine trees with thick trunks and knotty branches seem to hint at their ancient nature. The forest is drowning in a whitish fog, which early in the morning covered everything around with a milky veil.

The painting depicts an early morning. The sun is just beginning to rise and the forest begins to turn into golden hues of dawn. Since the sun has cast its first rays to the very tops of the trees, they contrast sharply with the semi-darkness inside the forest. Such a beautiful transition of colors and shades is mesmerizing. The hues of the picture smoothly change from dark green at the bottom to bright gold at the top.

In the foreground is a fallen pine tree. The bear family has gathered here. Three restless bear cubs crawl along the broken trunk. Nearby is a mother bear, who watches over her children, who still want to play and explore everything unfamiliar. One of the cubs stood up on its hind legs and peered deep into the fog-shrouded forest. Thus, he intrigues the viewer, so you want to follow his gaze, peer deep into the picture to see what a frozen bear cub saw in the distance.

Ivan Shishkin. Morning in a pine forest. 1889 Tretyakov Gallery

“Morning in a Pine Forest” is the most famous painting by Ivan Shishkin. No, take it higher. This is the most popular painting in Russia.

But this fact, it seems to me, is of little use to the masterpiece itself. Even hurt him.

When it's too popular, it flickers everywhere and everywhere. in every textbook. On candy wrappers (with which the frenzied popularity of the picture began 100 years ago).

As a result, the viewer loses interest in the picture. We skim over it with a quick glance with the thought "Ah, it's her again ...". And we pass by.

For the same reason, I did not write about it. Although for several years I have been writing articles about masterpieces. And one would wonder how I missed this blockbuster. But now you know why.

I am correcting myself. For I want to take a closer look at Shishkin's masterpiece with you.

Why "Morning in a Pine Forest" is a masterpiece

Shishkin was a realist to the core. He depicted the forest very believably. Carefully choosing colors. Such realism easily pulls the viewer into the picture.

Look at least at the color schemes.

Pale emerald needles in the shade. Light green color of young grass in the rays of the morning sun. Dark ocher needles on a fallen tree.

The fog is also tailored from a combination of different shades. Greenish in shade. Blueish in the light. And it turns into yellowness closer to the tops of the trees.

Ivan Shishkin. Morning in a pine forest (detail). 1889 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

All this complexity creates the general impression of being in this forest. You feel this forest. Don't just see it. The craftsmanship is incredible.

But Shishkin's paintings, alas, are often compared with 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 lighting, what fog and even moss. All this together reveals to us a piece of the forest from a special side. Like we wouldn't see it. But we see - through the eyes of the artist.

And through his eyes we experience pleasant emotions: delight, inspiration, nostalgia. And this is the point: to encourage the viewer to a spiritual response.

Savitsky - assistant or co-author of a masterpiece?

The story with the co-authorship of Konstantin Savitsky 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 animalistics is NOT his main genre.

He was typical. He often wrote to the poor. Radel with the help of paintings for the disadvantaged. Here is one of his outstanding works, "Meeting the Icon."

Konstantin Savitsky. Icon meeting. 1878 Tretyakov Gallery.

Yes, on it, 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 not worse than Savitsky.

Ivan Shishkin. Goby. 1863 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Therefore, it is not entirely clear why Shishkin instructed Savitsky to write the bears. I'm sure he could handle it himself. They were friends. Perhaps it 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 his own work.

Formally, Tretyakov was right. After all, the whole composition was thought out by Shishkin. Even the posture and location of the bears. This is obvious when looking at the sketches.

Co-authorship as a phenomenon in Russian painting

In addition, 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 picture of the great marine painter was painted by ... Ilya Repin.

But his name is not in the picture. It's not a bear though. But still a great poet. Which you need not just realistically portray. But to be expressive. So that the same farewell to the sea is read in the eyes.

In my opinion, this is a more difficult task than the image of bears. Nevertheless, Repin did not insist on co-authorship. On the contrary, he was incredibly happy to work with the great Aivazovsky.

Savitsky was more proud. 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. It would be another masterpiece of Shishkin. Majestic and breathtaking scenery.

But he wouldn't be that popular. It was the bears who played their part. This means that Savitsky should not be completely discounted.

How to rediscover "Morning in a Pine Forest"

And in conclusion, I want to return 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 a little-known sketch for the painting.

Ivan Shishkin. Sketch for the painting "Morning in a Pine Forest". 1889 Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

It is done in 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.

Now look again at the picture "Morning in a pine forest." And you can "read" it with a fresh look. See what you didn't see before.

MOSCOW, January 25 - RIA Novosti, Victoria Salnikova. 185 years ago, on January 25, 1832, Ivan Shishkin was born, perhaps the most "popular" Russian artist.

In Soviet times, reproductions of his paintings hung in many apartments, and the famous bear cubs from the canvas "Morning in a Pine Forest" migrated to candy wrappers.

Paintings by Ivan Shishkin still live their own life, far from the museum space. What role did Vladimir Mayakovsky play in their history and how Shishkin's bears got on the wrappers of pre-revolutionary sweets - in the material of RIA Novosti.

"Get a Passbook!"

In Soviet times, the design of the wrapper did not change, but "Mishka" became the most expensive delicacy: in the 1920s, a kilogram of sweets was sold for four rubles. The candy even has a slogan: "If you want to eat "Mishka", get yourself a Passbook!". This phrase of 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 Mishka kosolapy candy went to Brussels: the Krasny Oktyabr factory participated in the World Exhibition and received the highest award.

Art in every home

But the story of "Morning in a Pine Forest" was not limited to sweets. Another popular destination during the Soviet era was reproductions of classical works of art.

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 ended up on tapestries - a favorite detail of the interior of the Soviet people. For 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 her real name.

In exchange for drugs

The work of Ivan Shishkin is 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. Fir" in 1897 was stolen in 2013 from the Vyaznikovsky Museum of History and Art in the Vladimir Region. According to preliminary information, drug couriers brought the canvas to Belarus at the request of a potential buyer from Europe. The cost of the painting can reach two million dollars, but the attackers planned to sell it for 100,000 euros and three kilograms of cocaine.

Last year, criminal investigation officers suspected a 57-year-old woman of stealing the painting "Preobrazhenskoye" in 1896. The woman received this work from a well-known collector for sale, however, according to investigators, she appropriated it.

Composition plan:

I.I. Shishkin is a landscape painter.
Early summer morning.
Foreground:
- forest;
- a tree broken by a storm;
- funny bear cubs;
- caring mother;
Background (fog).
My take on this picture.

Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin is an outstanding Russian landscape painter. He created many paintings in which he sings of the beauty and poetry of his native expanses. Endless forest distances, birch and oak groves flooded with sunlight, mighty ship pines ....

On his canvases, a diverse plant world is amazingly accurately and realistically depicted, which seems to come to life under the brush of the master, breathes, gives us freshness and coolness, evokes evening sadness or, on the contrary, awakens bright joy from the contemplation of beauty. The painting “Morning in a Pine Forest” has been known and loved by many of us since childhood. No wonder it is considered one of the best works of Shishkin.

The picture shows a large family of bears. In the early summer morning, three little bear cubs and their mother bear went out for a walk. The sun is just rising. It gently illuminates the tops of huge pines. Thick fog shrouds the forest. It will soon dissipate from the sun's rays. In a small clearing where the bears gathered, he had almost melted.

The animals wandered into a coniferous forest and accidentally discovered an old withered tree that had broken during a recent storm. Its trunk broke into two with a crack, and its huge roots even turned the earth upside down.

The cubs depicted in the picture are brown in color. They are not yet quite big, mischievous, clubfoot. Two of them have little white collars around their necks. The bravest of them climbed almost to the very top of the trunk of a broken tree and hung on its very edge, clung to the rough bark with his claws, look that he would fall into the ravine. And the second got only so far to the middle.

He probably also wants to climb higher, but it's scary. Here he is, clumsy, and sat on a tree, looking helplessly at the mother bear, not knowing what to do next. The third, the most cautious, climbed onto the other half of the broken tree, which fell onto the slope of the ravine, but did not roll into it, but caught on the branches of a neighboring pine tree. The little bear cautiously stood up on its hind legs, tilted its head slightly and listened to the sounds of the awakening forest, peering into the thick fog. There, in the fog, tall, green pines sway and rustle.

The bear is large, shaggy, brown. Like any mother, she worries about her mischievous cubs, who are playful and restless. She even growls and probably warns them that they might fall out of the tree and should be careful. Or maybe she noticed some kind of danger and wants to warn her kids about it. It's time to finish the morning walk and go deep into the forest. She rushes from one bear cub to another, the dark green grass trampled under her.

The artist skillfully conveys the atmosphere of early morning in the forest. Soft diffused light falls through the dense crowns of trees and seems golden. In the background, the fog is a veil, through which slender trunks of pines are guessed. Thanks to a slightly blurred background, all the attention of the audience is focused on the bear family.

I really like this picture, because it depicts a fun and lively story, and the cubs are so cute and funny. I just want to play with them, stroke their soft brown fur!

The picture is known to every person, it is held almost in elementary school, and it is hardly possible to forget such a masterpiece after. In addition, this well-known and beloved reproduction constantly adorns the packaging of the chocolate of the same name, and is an excellent illustration for stories.

The plot of the picture

This is probably the most popular painting by I.I. Shishkin, the most famous landscape painter, whose hands created many beautiful paintings, including “Morning in a Pine Forest”. The canvas was written in 1889, and according to historians, the idea of the plot itself did not appear spontaneously, Savitsky K.A. suggested it to Shishkin. It was this artist who at one time miraculously depicted a bear on the canvas along with playing cubs. "Morning in a Pine Forest" was acquired by a well-known art connoisseur of that time, Tretyakov, who considered that the painting was made by Shishkin and assigned the final authorship directly to him.

Some believe that the film owes its incredible popularity to its entertaining plot. But, despite this, the canvas is valuable due to the fact that the state of nature on the canvas is conveyed surprisingly clearly and truly.

Nature in the picture

First of all, it can be noted that the picture depicts a morning forest, but this is only a superficial description. In fact, the author depicted not an ordinary pine forest, but its very thicket, the place that is called "deaf", and it is she who begins her early awakening in the morning. The picture is very subtly drawn natural phenomena:

the sun begins to rise;

the sun's rays first of all touch the very tops of the trees, but some mischievous rays have already made their way into the very depths of the ravine;

the ravine is also remarkable in the picture because you can still see fog in it, which, as it were, is not afraid of the sun's rays, as if it is not going to leave.

Heroes of the picture

The canvas also has its own characters. These are three little cubs and their mother bear. She takes care of her cubs, because they look full, happy and carefree on the canvas. The forest is waking up, so the mother bear watches very carefully how her cubs frolic, controls their game and worries if something has happened. The cubs do not care about the awakening nature, they are interested in frolic on the alignment of the fallen pine

The picture creates the feeling that we are in the most remote part of the entire pine forest, also because the mighty pine is completely ownerless after the forest, it was once uprooted, and still remains in this state. This is practically a corner of real wildlife, the one where bears live, and a person does not risk touching it.

Writing style

In addition to the fact that the picture can pleasantly surprise with its plot, it is impossible to take your eyes off it, also because the author tried to skillfully use all the drawing skills, put his soul and revived the canvas. Absolutely ingeniously solved by Shishkin the problem of the ratio of color and light on the canvas. It is interesting to note that in the foreground you can "meet" quite clear drawings, colors, in contrast to the background color, which seems almost transparent.

It is clear from the picture that the artist was actually delighted with the grace and amazing beauty of pristine nature, which is beyond the control of man.