Landscape with Barge Haulers
First half of the 1810s
- Paper, watercolour, bistre, brush, nib, white pigment. 20 x 24
- Р-13135
- Period Early 19th century
- CategoryGenre Painting
This is one of the best-known works of graphic art by Orest Kiprensky. The motif of the river as a symbol of life and the slowly moving barge were important metaphors for the Romantic artist. Unlike eighteenth-century landscapes and many views of the first half of the nineteenth century, this work is almost monochrome. The entire scene is drawn on a small piece of pale-yellow paper covered in lightblue watercolours. The white chalk creates the effect of reflected moonlight. The unfinished nature of the drawing and the way in which the artist appears to capture a chance moment from the general passage of life are typical features of Romantic art. Russian Museum: From Icons to the Modern Times. Palace Editions, St Petersburg, 2015. P. 109.