Ivan Ivanovitch Shishkin

Private Collection, Russia (acquired circa 1900s)
Thence by descent

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting has never been restored and is still stretched on its original stretcher. The paint layer is quite dirty and may never have been cleaned. The small reinforcement on the reverse in the upper left seems to correspond to a tiny restoration in the trees. Overall however, the condition is excellent.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This present lot is highly characteristic of Shishkin's landscapes; it is composed from a low horizon, with glimmers of light through overlapping branches, and it contains visible fragments of a lucid sky. Images of an overgrown stump, leaning grass, and a moss covered fallen tree on the water's edge are also typical of his works. Similar motifs appear in many of his landscape sketches. Furthermore, the thinly and carefully underlined foreground with highlighted vegetation, springs, brush, and more composite background are regular signatures of Shishkin's paintings.

This theme of a waterway in the woods preoccupied the artist throughout his artistic career. He expressed the theme through different techniques from the 1870s to 1890s, composing such works as The Backwoods (1972) and Forest Brook. On a Hillside (1881). The majority of works such as these are now either on display at major museums, including the Kiev Museum of Russian Art, or in distinguished private collections. Shishkin typically conveyed his forest landscapes in a vertical format, allowing him to penetrate deeply into space while conveying the massive verticality of his scenes, which often depict both overgrowth on the ground and clouds in the sky.

Very interestingly, the artist signed this work by pressing the handle of his brush against the still wet canvas or by scratching it into dry paint. This painting is without doubt artistically exceptional and illustrates the mastery of Russia's most famous landscape painter.