Description of the painting by Igor Grabar “Birch Alley”

Description of the painting by Igor Grabar Birch Alley

The painting “Birch Alley” is dedicated to the beauty of the native land and belongs to the late works of Igor Grabar. But, despite the difficult times, which coincided with the writing of the picture, it is filled with sincerity and trembling before the power of nature.

The picture was created under the influence of impressionism. Igor Grabar, like his French predecessors, refuses contours, replacing them with delicate overlapping of colors on each other. “Birch Alley” is written in translucent tones. One shade smoothly into another. Still, the manner of writing tells us that the creator of the picture is a Russian person. The plot laid at its base is so close to any inhabitant of Russia due to its simplicity and vitality.

Igor Grabar invites us to walk along the March Birch Alley with him. Thanks to the detailed drawing of the details, we feel like participants in the events. Take a step and feel the

crunch of melting snow under your feet. His bluish tones blend smoothly into the blue of heaven. On their background, white birch trunks are clearly outlined.

We do not see the sun in the picture, but we clearly feel its light. It seems that the sun is right above us and you can feel its warm rays on yourself. The transparency of tones, the harmony of shades and the soft contrast of trees prompts us episodes from a long-time childhood in the village of a grandmother, when the soul anticipates the withdrawal of cold weather and rejoices at first thawed patches. The air is still frosty clean, but the warmth of the sun and the horn of the birds foreshadow the imminent onset of the long-awaited spring.

The play of light and shadow and the prospect of birches lined up on both sides involve in a mysterious journey somewhere far from our everyday cares and trivial matters. I want to go to the spring path and go along the track left by the sledge, far away from the horizon…


1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Description of the painting by Igor Grabar “Birch Alley”