Morning in a Pine Forest

 

 

Morning in a Pine Forest is painting by the russian artists Ivan Shishkin (1832-1898) and Konstantin Savitsky (1844-1905). The artwork was made in 1889. The painting is often attributed solely to Shishkin, while Savitsky's, who drew the bears, and his contribution is often forgotten.

In this painting we travel to the very depths of the forest. Old and once grand trees lie fallen down littering the forest floor. Up above us there is the golden sun whose morning rays barely penetrate the deep woods. Around us the white fog, rising from the ground. You could almost feel the slight chill in the air of a damp morning.

We are invited to see a scene that man is not meant to observe. It is nature as it exists on its own. It's not the tidy and well kept forest meant for human enjoyment, but the natural messiness of the animal world.

In the center of the painting there are four bears - a mother and her cubs. Two little bears are playing on the nearly fallen tree  while their mother stands on guard watching them. Meanwhile the third bear cub stares in the distance of the misty forest. What is he thinking? Does he wonder what lies beyond at the very heart of the forest? A future hidden in the clouds?

The painting is a masterwork of russian realism. The realist artists of the Peredvizhniki movement tried to accurately capture the world and its rough beauty. Peredvizhniki is usually translated as The Wanderers, the people who sought to leave behind the old conservative notions of art.