Rye

Painted after a trip home to Yelabuga in Vyatka Province in 1877, this is one of Ivan Shishkin’s most popular works. The motif originally appeared in a pencil sketch made in a rye field in Lekarevo with the laconic inscription “this one”.

The path in the rye field twists and turns, hiding behind the ears of ripening corn. The movement into the depths is accentuated by the rhythm of the pine trunks, organising the picture space and increasing the sensation of the power of nature.

This simple yet majestic canvas echoes the works of Shishkin’s favourite poets – Alexei Koltsov and Nikolai Nekrasov. The painting conveys ideas of the wealth and potency of Russian nature and the happiness and prosperity of human life.