“Sunlight in the Park”, Archip Ivanovich Quinji – overview of the painting 
- Posted by Arkhip Ivanovich Quinji
- Museum: Russian Museum
- Year: 1908
Overview of the painting :
Sunlight in the park – Arkhip Ivanovich Quinji. Canvas on canvas, butter. 53.2 x 39.3 cm
The ability of the author to transmit the smallest details of the lighting has only developed over the years. The sympathy of the painter to impressionism manifested itself in his love of light.
The painstaking writing of the visible in reality was not his approach. Quinji, like the impressionists, knew that much of what we see with our own eyes was explained by the peculiarities of the lighting. One true movement of the brush, guided by such an understanding, replaces the long, diligent, but thoughtless work of copying the world around us.
This was manifested in the teaching activities of A. AND. Quinji (everyone noted his undoubted pedagogical gift, that he could instantly and naturally convey to the students artistic truths, which he himself reached by long, persistent and inspired work).
AND. AND. Vladimirov, a Russian and Soviet artist, recalled how Archip Ivanovich criticized the work of a student who “split” the horizon with dark paint on the night landscape. The master said that the effect of darkening is explained by the contrast between the sky and the reflected moonlight and it is not necessary to specifically achieve it: if everything is done correctly, it will manifest itself.
This feature of Quinji’s work is clearly visible on the canvas “Sunlight in the Park”. The truncated trunks are pressed closer to each other – they feel the proximity, similar to the familiar to us, human kinship, without which life would be colorless, like a grove without sunlight.
Croons reach for each other, as if trying to unite in their arms. Although sunlight cannot break through their tight plexus, it finds workarounds and still illuminates the path that runs between the rows of birch lovers.
The vision of this picture not only brings the viewer to the very path where you can enjoy the towering trees and the play of light, not only makes you forget that the visible is not a reality, but only an image – it seems as if the picture is higher, better than what is found in everyday life.
This impression is false, but understandable: the artist focuses on the details that are hidden from our mundane look; it’s as if we are seeing something new and unfamiliar, although we have observed it more than once.