Autumn Quagmire

Arkhip Kuinji’s painting sums up the development of the motif of the road and the landscape in the age of Critical Realism. In such works, a large portion of the canvas was traditionally occupied by the sky, which was covered in clouds.

The tracks from the cart and the travellers in the foreground – a woman and a child – are painted with naturalistic authenticity. In contrast, the low horizon and the virtually indiscernible contours of the wooden huts are lost in the haze.

This particular subject conveys notes of sorrow and alarm. Kuinji closely adheres to the principles of academic painting in Autumn Quagmire. In 1872, he was awarded the title of third-class artist for this work by the Imperial Academy of Arts.

Modello: Rainy Weather (Nizhny Novgorod Museum of Art)