Russian Art
Shishkin, I. I.
"Skirt of a Wood". 1895
Notes: Skirt of a Wood
This work painted on paper examines a passage of nature. During the last quarter of the eighteenth century, artists whose ideas about nature and art had been shaped by Enlightenment thinking came to view such subjects as the humble glade or hill worthy of artistic attention. The popularity of such motifs rose during the first quarter of the nineteenth century when French, German, and English landscape painters began devoting more of their time to sketching out-of-doors before the motif. Bonington, Constable, and other Englishmen considered the plein-air sketch a crucial aspect of their practice. They, in turn, influenced Corot, who made the direct observation of nature and images of the contemporary countryside essential components of French landscape art.
Shishkin did not invent the plein-air sketch, but it proved a perfect vehicle for his abilities. Though "Skirt of a Wood" depicts an average place on an average summer day, the painter's belief in the permanence and power of nature and his expert depiction of different textures elevate and enliven this fairly pedestrian and nondescript subject.
