Elbrus, Archip Ivanovich Quinji – overview of the painting 
- Posted by Arkhip Ivanovich Quinji
- Museum: Russian Museum
- Year: 1900
Overview of the painting :
Elbrus – Arkhip Ivanovich Quinji. Paper on cardboard. 20 x 27.2 cm
The painting “Elbrus” was written in 1900. By this time, Archip Ivanovich Quinji had time to make his way from immature self-taught, who earns bread by restoring photographs, to a recognized artist of world significance. The period of his twenty-year retreat was drawing to a close.
Many of the author’s paintings depict Mount Elbrus at different times of the day and from different angles.
Archip Ivanovich successfully experimented with paints; it happened that people did not believe that the lighting in the picture was transmitted only by visual means, and they were looking for where the artist mounted the light bulb. The negative side of these experiments is that the paints created by him were short-lived and quickly dimmed. Kramskaya noticed a darkening of color at the works of Quinja and urged contemporaries to record the impressions they receive by observing a unique lighting game, because in the future part of the attractiveness of the paintings will be lost.
We cannot enjoy the canvases in their original form: even restoration did not help restore the original brightness of the colors. But, fortunately, the paintings retain our attractiveness due to the unsurpassed skill of their performance.
The theme of mountain greatness is displayed. The light effects transmitted by the skilled brush of Quinji are striking. Theaterly built plans create the illusion of space. Despite the unusual approach to lighting transmission, which is a characteristic feature of impressionists, the artist remains within the framework of a realistic method.
Elbrus is shown in daylight peering out of the fog. The viewer feels that the majestic and huge Mount Elbrus is very far away, and under it is an abyss, the end and edge of which is not visible. This feeling of limitlessness and greatness is very characteristic of Quinji’s work.