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Moonlit night

Ivan Nikolayevich Kramskoy • Painting, 1880, 178.8×135.2 cm
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About the artwork
Art form: Painting
Subject and objects: Portrait
Style of art: Realism
Technique: Oil
Materials: Canvas
Date of creation: 1880
Size: 178.8×135.2 cm
Artwork in selections: 63 selections
Exhibitions history

Description of the artwork «Moonlit night»

Talented Russian landscape painter and portraitist Ivan Kramskoy managed to conquer the hearts of its fans the ability to grant almost any plot, transferred to canvas, an incredibly powerful emotional component. For this, he used all his tools — expressive background or lack of it, is carefully drawn facial expressions and posture of the character, a balance of colors. The masterpieces of his brush to amaze the audience even after a hundred years, and the picture Kramskogo "Moonlit night"— a vivid example.

The canvas depicts a quiet corner of the old Park, lying beside the pond. On the bench under the big poplar tree, illumined by the light of the full moon, sits a young woman. Her head is slightly tilted, and look pensive — what dreams she looking at white Lily flowers, stood on the water surface? What dreams captured her thoughts in this warm moonlit night? Woman's hand resting on the backrest of the bench, from posture emanates peace and quiet. This feeling emphasize the smooth, almost fluid lines of the long white dress and a light shawl-Cape. It seems like the light comes not from the moon, and the mysterious stranger, sat down to rest during an evening walk in the Park.

"Moonlit night" — painting by Kramskoy, created in 1880. Work on the painting was begun in 1879, and a model for the sketches served as A. I. Popov, who later became the wife of D. I. Mendeleeva. At the final stage of work on canvas in the role of artist's model was made by E. A. Tretyakov, who was the second wife of the famous Russian art patron and collector, S. M. Tretyakov. The artist had a name for his work, oscillating between the "Old poplar", "Magic night" and just "Night". In the end, some time he used for shows the last option, which later transformed into the name is familiar to everyone today admirer of the talent of archaeology.

The painting Kramskoi "moonlight night" nature appears before us in all its pristine beauty, which emphasizes the image of a young woman in white robes. Creating your masterpiece, Ivan tried to convey the charm of a summer night, filled with mystery and serenity, and he succeeded thanks to clever supply of light and shadow. Where on the path the rays of moonlight stood the canopy of trees, the Park is in darkness, and one can only guess what is hiding behind the trunks of trees and a blooming Bush. Nature is constrained by sleep, and nothing to disturb the peace: on the water surface can not see the slightest ripple in the breeze, all were waiting in the morning...

The contemporaries of Kramskoi highly appreciated this painting: in 1880, the painting "moonlit night" became the showpiece of the 8th exhibition, hosted by the Association of the Wanderers, and after the exhibition it was acquired by Sergei Tretyakov. Today the picture Kramskogo "moonlit night" can be seen in the Tretyakov gallery in Moscow.
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