Lake (painting)

Lake
ArtistIsaac Levitan
Year1899–1900
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions149 cm × 208 cm (59 in × 82 in)
LocationState Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg

Lake is a painting by the Russian artist Isaac Levitan (1860–1900), which he worked on in 1899–1900. It is currently held in the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg (Inventory Zh-4262). The painting measures 149 × 208 cm.[1][2] It is also known by other names, including Lake. Rus[3][4] and Sunny Day. Lake.[5][6]

The painting Lake was Levitan's last major work,[7] which he painted shortly before his death. Although unfinished, this canvas is considered the main work of the late Levitan and is often referred to as his 'swan song'.[8] The painting was first exhibited under the title 'Sunny Day' at Levitan's posthumous exhibition held in Saint Petersburg and Moscow in 1901.[2][9]

The painting Lake is one of the artist's three largest works, along with At the Pool (1892) and Over Eternal Peace (1894), which echoes the latter in subject matter.[10][11] During the process of creating the painting, Levitan used numerous sketches and studies, including a large sketch, held in the Nizhny Novgorod State Art Museum and a small preliminary version of the painting,[12][13] kept in the State Tretyakov Gallery.[14]

Art historian Aleksei Fedorov-Davydov considered the painting Lake to be 'a remarkable creation by Levitan' and wrote that it 'immediately makes a great and strong impression on the viewer, as a powerful and beautiful image of Russian nature.'[15] According to art historian Mikhail Alpatov, in the painting Lake Levitan managed to give 'a collective image of his homeland' – in it you can see 'the past of Russia, its present, nature, and man', in this work 'both the personal experiences of the artist, and the very festive beauty of the world merged.'[16]

  1. ^ Каталог ГРМ (1980, p. 179)
  2. ^ a b Каталог ГРМ, vol. 6 (2016, p. 106)
  3. ^ Манин 2001, p. 228.
  4. ^ Иовлева 2010, p. 13.
  5. ^ Прытков 1960, p. 11.
  6. ^ Рогинская 1989, p. 313.
  7. ^ Фёдоров-Давыдов 1975, p. 574.
  8. ^ Фёдоров-Давыдов 1966, p. 293.
  9. ^ Мальцева 2002, p. 40.
  10. ^ Фёдоров-Давыдов 1966, p. 296.
  11. ^ Фёдоров-Давыдов 1975, pp. 575–576.
  12. ^ Фёдоров-Давыдов 1966, p. 294.
  13. ^ Фёдоров-Давыдов 1975, p. 575.
  14. ^ Каталог ГТГ, vol. 4, book 1 (2001, p. 369)
  15. ^ Фёдоров-Давыдов 1966, p. 314.
  16. ^ Алпатов 1945, pp. 28–29.