Autumn, Savrasov, 1871 
- Posted by Alexey Kondratievich Savrasov
- Museum: Tretyakov Gallery
- Year: 1870
Overview of the painting :
Autumn – Savrasov. 1871. Oil on canvas
The remorse of nature, its autumn peace and quiet, has always interested the author. In this work, the loneliness of the master is acutely felt, his attempt to comprehend and analyze this feeling.
The colors of the work are muffled and devoid of all cheerfulness. The plot itself – a small windmill and rid the mill under the canopy of several trees – causes bewilderment. The mill is uncomfortable. This can only mean that it has been standing here for a very long time, when the trees have not yet closed the way to the wind, which sets the blade of the mill in motion.
Smoke rises above the hut – it got so cold that the owners flooded the stove. Against the background of an inexpressive and cloudy sky, a flying flock of birds creates a dreary mood.
The contrast between large, powerful trees and small, fragile buildings reveals the feelings of the author himself, acutely feeling the void in his personal space.
On the other hand, the loneliness and emptiness with which the picture is saturated are not transmitted to the viewer. The master, therefore, builds his picture that the viewer, first of all, draws attention to the picturesque and restrained, solemn beauty of autumn wilting.
Numerous shades of brown and dark green color work to uncover the author’s idea, making up the atmosphere of work.
The viewer has the feeling that the light in the picture is inevitably leaving, it is becoming increasingly difficult to see individual details. It seems that very soon the light will go away completely in order to return only with spring. Light for the artist is actually the source of life itself.