Moscow Courtyard
1902
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Location in museum
The Mikhailovsky Palace
Open the panorama of the hall in the virtual tour
Room 32. Polenov, Antokolsky - Period Late 19th century – Early 20th century
- CategoryLandscape
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Vasily Polenov often repeated his most successful works. Depicting a typical corner of old Moscow, this is a later version of one of the artist’s most famous paintings — Moscow Courtyard (1878, Tret. Gal.). Combining elements of a landscape and genre scene, the canvas is filled with the poetry of a peaceful existence and the virtues of a lazy existence. Polenov fully reveals his mastery of plein-air painting in this work, making it one of the most important canvases in his oeuvre and in the history of Russian landscape painting in general. The artist works in light colours, softening the reflections and avoiding dark tones and bright patches. Permeated with light and air, this picture is a symbol of old Russia. Russian Museum: From Icons to the Modern Times. Palace Editions, St Petersburg, 2015. P. 213.