Ivan Shishkin: The Poet of the Russian forest was presented by our de Laszlo scholar for the summer term, Nika Klimova. Below is the transcript for the presentation, as well as the slides.
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[1] Good evening, everyone.
Today, I’d like to talk about one of the most iconic figures in Russian art history: Ivan Shishkin. Often referred to as “The Poet of the Russian Forests,” Shishkin is renowned for his breathtaking depictions of the Russian landscape.
[2] Ivan Shishkin was born on January 13, 1832, in the city of Yelabuga, located in what is now the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.
He began his formal art education at the age of 20, enrolling at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture. After his time in Moscow, he continued his studies at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. He studied under influential artists such as
[3] Karl Briullov
[4] and Andrei Ivanov. His time at the Academy laid the foundation for his mastery of painting.
Although his teachers were a significant influence, Shishkin did not follow in their stylistic footsteps.
In contrast to the idealized or romanticized landscapes popular among some of his contemporaries, Shishkin’s work was grounded in realism. He didn’t just aim to depict nature, he wanted to immortalize the wilderness in all its raw, untamed beauty.
[5] Shishkin created over 700 paintings and drawings in his lifetime.
Tonight, I’ll show you three types of his work:
- Drawings and etchings;
- Finished oil paintings;
- Plein Air studies.
[6] Deciduous Forest on a Rocky Shore. Valaam, 1859.
Personally, I see Shishkin more as a draftsman than a painter. Pencil sketches were an essential part of his creative process. His contemporaries also regarded him as an unparalleled draftsman and printmaker.
This is the earliest study I could find. It was completed in 1859, when Shishkin was still a student at the Academy. If you look closely, you can see that he used a scale grid, most likely to transfer the drawing onto canvas, but no finished painting has been found.
[7] Oak Trees, 1867
This study was completed in 1867 most likely from life in one sitting. Generally, his graphite works show how precise Shishkin was with his lines.
[8] Forest, 1870s
He believed that the ability to draw should come first, and colours come later, when the artist is confident enough with their drawing skills.
[9] By the Stream, 1883
Here you can see that Shishkin was quite versatile with his mediums. He often used not only graphite but charcoal and white chalk.
[10] Swamp, 1884
Although those works more about values than precise lines.
[11] Oak Trees, 1884
As you can see, in the 1880s, Shishkin often preferred working on brown paper.
[12] Flooded Rivers, Vast as Seas, 1890
This particular charcoal drawing is actually quite big. It was an illustration to a poem called “motherland” by Mickhail Lermontov.
[13] We actually have two preparatory studies. In the end, Shishkin chose the second composition for the final drawing and used a grid to transfer the sketch.
[14] Now we are moving into printmaking. Shishkin created 112 etchings, 68 lithographs, and 15 zincographs. These were published in various formats: as standalone works, in albums and collections, as magazine supplements, and as illustrations for books.
[15] Shishkin’s first etching, Mountain Road, was made in 1853 during his studies in Moscow (1852–1856).
In 1858, while at the Academy in St. Petersburg, he began working with friends on an album of lithographs based on plein air sketches. He wrote:
[16] “We don’t yet have such publications and rely on foreign ones. But here we already feel the strength to compete.”
[17] Unfortunately, the album was never fully realized, despite support from the Academy. Only a few pieces from that time survived. You can see them on the slide.
[18] Shishkin’s first successful lithograph album, Studies from Nature in Pen on Stone, was published in 1868.
[19] In 1873, his first etching album, Engravings on Copper with Strong Acid, was released.
[20] His next two major portfolios were released in 1878 and 1886 respectively, they expanded his reputation as an excellent printmaker.
[21] For most artists of that era, etching was a way to reproduce paintings. But for Shishkin—diligent, precise, and patient—it was an art form in itself.
He often used different methods, like the drypoint method to add detail without acid.
He employed tools like roulettes for texturing and even printed using fabric to create desired effects.
What set Shishkin apart was that he not only created the compositions and reworked the plates, but also he personally printed the final editions.
By the mid-1880s, he began using aquatint and soft varnish techniques to capture depth, softness, and the subtle tonal effects of nature.
[22] The album, released in 1886, was created with the aim of promoting Russian realist art even in the most remote regions.
The idea was that it was much easier to transport an album containing a collection of etchings than, for example, to bring twenty paintings to a remote area.
The album contained 26 new works (including a title page and 25 etchings) and was originally intended to be printed by a master printer at the Academy. However, due to the demanding nature of the work, he fell ill. Shishkin then printed the entire edition himself, completing the job within just a few days.
He experimented with different papers and materials: satin, cambric, velvet, silk—creating incredible tonal variety.
[23] He also created different variations of the same drawing.
[24] In 1894, Shishkin released his final major portfolio. This album compiled his best work and added 19 new pieces.
[25] Today, intact copies of these portfolios are rare. Most were broken up and sold as individual prints.
[26] Now we’re moving to oil painting.
[27.1] But before we dive into his oil paintings, let’s talk about Shishkin’s approach to color.
He preferred factory-prepared tones over extensive palette mixing, believing paints retained their integrity better when placed side by side. He once said:
[27.2]“Paints change less over time when laid down side by side rather than turned into mud by excessive mixing—though how hard it is to avoid that!”
He experimented constantly with new pigments but avoided those proven to be unstable. For example, after another Russian artist Vasily Polenov demonstrated that carmine faded badly in light after ten years, Shishkin reluctantly removed it from his palette.
[28] Shishkin’s Typical Palette included:
Whites:
- Primarily zinc white
- Lead white, which dries quickly, he took with him on trips and for some plein air studies at his summer house, but he only used it in his paintings when he was in a great hurry to meet an exhibition deadline.
[29] Yellows:
- Yellow ochre, cadmium yellow, zinc yellow, chrome yellow, Indian yellow
- He sometimes used Naples yellow: for sand, cliffs, and roots. Sometimes he mixed fine sand into the paint to depict a sandy foreground. In general, he said that the foreground should be painted using all kinds of methods, techniques, and approaches, as this enhances the calm, broad treatment of the distant planes.
- Never used gamboge or aureolin
[30] Oranges:
- Almost exclusively cadmium orange
[31] Reds:
- Indian red, Chinese vermilion, rose madder
[32] Browns:
- An enormous variety.A lot of raw sienna and burnt sienna.
- Early in his career, like many artists of his time, Shishkin over-relied on asphaltum for shadows. However, he fought against this habit, recognizing that asphaltum darkened paintings over time. In later years, he worked light to dark, avoiding rubbed-in shadows and instead building shadows with careful brushwork and clean tones.
[33] Greens:
- Permanent green, Veronese green, cobalt green, chromium oxide, and cinnabar green
- Also terre verte and emerald green
[34] Blues:
- Cobalt, ultramarine, and Prussian blue (mostly for enhancing greens)
- Often used a premixed light blue (cobalt + white)
[35] Blacks:
- Ivory black, lamp black (often used for mixing greens rather than as standalone darks).
[36] Morning in a Pine Forest, 1889
This is the most famous landscape in Russia. It doesn’t matter how old you are or where in Russia you live – you know this painting. I would even go as far as to say that it’s the most famous painting, period.
But why?
To be honest, I had the time of my life laughing while reading English articles about why it’s so popular. Some say it’s celebrated for its detailed realism, the atmosphere it evokes, or the artist’s mastery of landscape painting. Others suggest that its popularity comes from the story behind the painting, because, in fact, another artist worked on it too (and I’ll talk about that).
But no, that’s not the reason.
The reason is…
[37] sweets.
This painting became iconic because it was featured on the packaging of a beloved chocolate brand. Practically every Russian household saw it daily.
[38] Moreover, it is sold not only in Russia, but in other countries as well.
And I was actually able to find a latvian version here in London. So, you can take a piece of art home with you.
[39] On this slide you can see two studies for the final painting, one done in charcoal, another in oil.
[40] It is believed that the idea for the painting was suggested by Konstantin Savitsky, and moreover, it’s thought that he was the one who painted the bears. Shishkin suggested that Savitsky sign the painting, which he did, but after Tretyakov bought the painting, he was upset to see Savitsky’s signature. Tretyakov ordered the signature to be removed with turpentine. Here you can see a close-up, where the second signature is barely visible. Later, Savitsky came to the gallery and noticed his signature was gone. When he asked about it, Tretyakov explained the situation, stating that “from idea to performance, everything discloses the painting manner and creative method peculiar just to Shishkin”, so the painting is now sometimes credited solely to Shishkin.
[41] Rye, 1878
This painting is called “Rye”.
[42] It is based on a pencil sketch of a field of rye that Shishkin made during a trip with his daughter in 1877. On the top of the sketch you can see his writing that reads as: “Эта” (Russian for ‘this one’).
[43] Shishkin’s other notes reveal his thoughts about the idea behind the painting. He wrote: “Раздолье, простор, угодье. Рожь. Божья благодать. Русское богатство” (‘Expanse, space, land. Rye. God’s grace. Russian treasures’)
[44] In the Wild North, 1891
“In the Wild North” is another example of how Shishkin’s work was shaped by literature.
[45] The painting was inspired by a drawing he originally created as an illustration for a special anniversary edition of Mikhail Lermontov’s poems. Shishkin chose two of Lermontov’s poems—‘The Pine’ and ‘Motherland’—and created drawings based on their themes, the drawing for “motherland” we saw before, if you remember. After the publication, Shishkin revisited the composition he had developed for ‘The Pine’, this time translating it into oil on canvas.
[46] Oak Trees, 1886
This landscape is different from most of Shishkin’s works from the 1880s. He often painted deep forest scenes that made viewers feel as if they were stepping into a hidden, untouched world. But this stands out with its wide open space, distant horizon, bright sunlight, and clear blue sky.
Even though the painting looks realistic, it still carries the style of traditional academic landscape art. The scene feels natural and full of life, yet it also has a sense of balance and harmony that gives it a classic, timeless feel.
Some of the details add to this impression. The herd resting in the shade of big oak trees on a hot summer day brings to mind the peaceful, ideal countryside image often found in old paintings.
[47] Noon. Near Moscow, 1869
This is one of his earlier works, and one that also includes people. For some reason, the older Shishkin got, the less he included people in his paintings.
[48] We also have a study for this work. As you can see, he changed the composition slightly.
[49] The Forest in the distance, 1884
This painting is a wonderful example of atmospheric perspective. In painting you can depict atmospheric perspective by using bluer colors as you transition from the foreground to the background. This effect happens not only because small particles in the air reflect the blue light of the sky, so between your eyes and the distant mountains, there are millions of particles reflecting bits of that blue, but also because these particles interact more with shorter light waves (like violet, blue, and green), scattering them in all directions. This scattering makes distant objects appear bluer and less distinct.
[50]Sandy Coastline, 1879
This painting is a bit of a mystery. I actually found two works with the same name and the same year.
[51] At first, I thought it might just be a case of two photographs of the same painting looking different because of lighting—sometimes colors appear darker or lighter, cooler or warmer, etc. But then I looked closely and noticed clear differences. For example, in this version, you can see a person in the background. The trees are also different, and there’s a flock of birds here that is missing in the other one. I couldn’t find any information about this online, and since the painting is now in a private collection, it’s not possible to simply check a museum website for details. The signature appears to be authentic on both, and the year is the same. So, I guess Shishkin actually painted two versions of the same scene.
[52] Gathering Storm, 1884
This painting is one of Shishkin’s most powerful late-period landscapes. He masterfully uses shades of green and blue to convey humidity, heat, and atmospheric pressure. The work reflects not only his technical skill but also his emotional state: from mid 70s to yearly 80s he went through many personal tragedies. He lost his father, two sons, and his first wife. He remarried six years later, but his second wife died just a year after their wedding. During this difficult time, nature became both his refuge and a way to process grief through art.
[53] Mast-Tree Grove, 1898
This painting was Shishkin’s final masterpiece, and it really shows everything he had learned over his entire career. He based it on studies he did in the forests near Yelabuga, his home town, a place he saw as the perfect mix of harmony and grandeur.
The trees are massive, he even cuts off the tops with the frame, which is something he did often to make them feel even taller, almost like they can’t be contained.
[54] We also have a pencil study for the final painting.
[55] Plein Air Studies
Shishkin’s plein air works are sometimes hard to distinguish from his finished paintings, but generally, he considered these studies—even when they look like museum pieces.
[56] Most of Shishkin plein air works were completed during spring, summer or early autumn, because he had health complications that didn’t allow him to work in cold for extended periods of time.
[57] The majority of his studies were later used in bigger paintings, on which he worked in his studio.
[58] He would often bring several sketches back from his trips and combine elements from them to create a single, cohesive composition. Sometimes he also used photographs.
[59] Although a lot of his plein air works look polished, he also has some small studies, which often focus on a singular object like a tree trunk.
[60] To be honest with you I prefer some of his studies to finished works, because they often look more expressive and loose.
[61] These plein air studies capture the immediate mood and light of the landscape in a way that feels fresh and spontaneous.
[62] They also offer a rare glimpse into Shishkin’s creative process—how he observed, selected, and interpreted nature in his paintings.
[63] Now we’re going to talk about Shishkin as a Teacher
While Shishkin is rightly remembered as a master of the Russian landscape, his journey as a teacher at the Imperial Academy of Arts was far more turbulent than you would expect.
[64] Shishkin was invited to lead a landscape painting workshop at the Academy, a prestigious appointment, but one that stirred up controversy.
The invitation angered many of his peers in the Association of Traveling Art Exhibitions (the Peredvizhniki), some of whom saw it as a betrayal of their ideals and efforts to distance themselves from the Academy.. Tension ran high. Rumors flew. Intrigues brewed.
Shishkin, a man who hated gossip and backroom politics, found himself surrounded by both.
Despite these challenges, Shishkin did not shy away from the responsibility. In fact, his workshop produced several promising talents, including
[65] Fedor Vasilyev,
[66] Andrei Schilder,
[67] Yefim Volkov,
[68] and Olga Lagoda, who later became his wife.
In summer he often took students out into nature for plein-air sessions, insisting they observe and study the landscape directly rather than rely on formulas.
Inside the classroom, however, he was famously strict. He demanded precision, discipline, and respect for the craft. Many students left his sessions in tears. But those in whom he recognized genuine talent received his full support: advice, connections, even financial help.
[69] But not everyone liked his teaching style. He often clashed with Arkhip Kuindzhi, another famous Russian landscape painter. Where Shishkin was methodical, emphasizing line and structure, Kuindzhi championed color, atmosphere, and emotional freedom. Their workshops ran side by side at the Academy.
At one point, Shishkin proposed a collaboration: he would teach drawing, Kuindzhi would teach color. Kuindzhi flatly refused. Worse, he publicly criticized Shishkin’s method as harmful to painting. The two artists fought often, reconciled occasionally, but never for long.
Compared to Kuindzhi’s more liberated, romantic approach, Shishkin’s workshop could feel dry and demanding. During winter, when plein-air work was impossible due to his health, he had problems with his lungs, Shishkin made students practice drawing from photographs or his own etchings.
Some students began to drift to Kuindzhi’s more expressive camp. Disheartened, Shishkin eventually stopped attending classes altogether. “No one needs my teaching anymore,” he said and resigned.
Yet, the Academy wasn’t done with him.
A few years later, he was once again invited to head the landscape workshop, this time replacing Kuindzhi, who had stepped away. Shishkin accepted, perhaps with a renewed sense of duty or hope. But fate had other plans.
[70] His return was short-lived. He died suddenly of a heart rupture in Saint Petersburg in 1898, while sitting at his easel in front of his final painting “Mast-tree grove” , which you can see on the slide.
Thank you for your attention. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.
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