Painting “Walking through the forest,” written by Ivan Shishkin in 1869 is very colorful, it is full of summer sunshine and positive. In this work, the artist painted a forest path, along which a young family walks in full. Husband and wife are ahead, discussing something rather personal, as they go a little apart.
A little farther away from them step grandfather and grandmother, who watch closely the children, and at the head of the whole procession – a dog in spots, scurrying back and forth and guarding their masters.
Of course, as in all the works of Ivan Shishkin, one of the main characters in the picture is the forest. How beautiful it is around! High birches, large stones scattered here and there. The sun is not visible, but its light fills the whole picture with a special radiance, the artist’s masterful execution of light-shadow transitions proves once again the professionalism of Ivan Shishkin as an artist-landscape painter.
The forest, depicted by the painter, adds tranquility and some coziness to the composition of the painting. A subtle transmission of a light breeze and a game of shadow and light make the “Walk in the Forest” unusually realistic. I can not believe that the artist wrote this masterpiece from memory, without the use of nature.