Painting “Muhomors”, Shishkin 
- Posted by Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin
- Museum: Tretyakov Gallery
- Year: 1880-1890
Overview of the painting :
Muhomors – Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin. 1880-1890. Oil on canvas. 12.8×19.6
Etud Shishkin “Muhomors” is a vivid example of the talented sketch of the great Russian artist. The plot of this is akin to the Russian fairy tale: fly agaric is an indispensable attribute of unclean power, magical rituals, mysteries and transformations.
Before the audience appears a family of bright mushrooms in more often virgin forest. Each of the seven muhomor depicted seems to have its own character, biography, and destiny. In the foreground is a pair of young strong handsome men guarding elders of the clan in the center of the composition. In the center, on the contrary, old mushrooms with traces of decay, wilting… The artist schematically, blurryly and fuzzyly depicts the forest around the main “heroes” of the picture. Nothing should distract the audience from the picturesque group of fly agaric. On the other hand, it is the green forest and brown leaves that favorably emphasize the brightness of the hats of mushrooms, the whiteness of the spots on the hats.
By focusing the unfinished work creates a sense of fairy tale and unreality of the image. As if we had a vision inspired by insidious and poisonous mushrooms in the magic forest.