Landscape

In 1897, after completing his studies, Ferdynand Ruszczyc (1870–1936) took part in an exhibition of graduation work at St Petersburg Academy of Art. The famous Russian art collector Pavel Tretyakov bought his Spring directly from the exhibition. The money he paid for the landscape enabled the young artist to set off on an ‘art trip’ to different European countries the same year. Ruszczyc also went to Scandinavia, which was not often visited by Lithuanian artists. A small landscape he painted while travelling in Sweden and Denmark reflects his attention to plein air studies of nature, and his sharp eye. The subject is a classic one, as if chosen according to the principle of the ‘ideal’ landscape, and yet at the same time it is unique. The artist’s eye was attracted by the rocky river valley, and by an ancient brick building on a hill nearby. A large part of the painting is taken up by the early evening sky, with light clouds, against which the dark outlines of slender trees and a bell tower in sombre architecture stand out clearly. The sketch is painted in free, expressive brushwork, and the textured painting of the sky creates an effect of movement. We might say that the exceptional care the artist has taken to record the clouds and their reflection in the quiet water of the river anticipates his future interest in and studies on celestial and atmospheric phenomena. This composition, made up of a strip of dark earth and bright skies, also contains some rudimentary elements of Symbolism. Text author Rūta Janonienė.