A Birch Grove
Introduction

***A Birch Grove*** is a [landscape](/wiki/Landscape_painting "Landscape painting") by the Russian artist [Arkhip Kuindzhi](/wiki/Arkhip_Kuindzhi "Arkhip Kuindzhi") (1842–1910\), completed in 1879\. It is kept in the [State Tretyakov Gallery](/wiki/Tretyakov_Gallery "Tretyakov Gallery") (inventory 882\). The size of the painting is 97×181 cm.Государственная Третьяковская галерея — каталог собрания / Я. В. Брук, Л. И. Иовлева. — М.: Красная площадь, 2001\. — V. 4: Живопись второй половины XIX века, книга 1, А—М. — 528 p. —P. 330\. — .Куинджи Архип Иванович — Берёзовая роща (HTML). [Государственная Третьяковская галерея](/wiki/Tretyakov_Gallery "Tretyakov Gallery"), www.tretyakovgallery.ru. Дата обращения: 8 June 2020\. [Archive](https://web.archive.org/web/20200918194001/https://www.tretyakovgallery.ru/collection/berezovaya-roshcha/): 18 September 2020\. The canvas depicts birch trees growing in a sunny forest clearing. The unusual combinations of light and color and sharp contrast of sun and shadow create the impression of very bright sunlight. The upper part of the [birches](/wiki/Birch "Birch") is not shown; only the trunks and small branches are visible, which stand out in light green against the background of the dark green forest. The [composition](/wiki/Composition_%28visual_arts%29 "Composition (visual arts)") is divided into two parts by a stream running through the middle.

Together with two other paintings by the artist (*[After the Rain](/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B5_%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%B4%D1%8F_%28%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%9A%D1%83%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B6%D0%B8%29 "После дождя (картина Куинджи)")* and *[North](/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80_%28%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%9A%D1%83%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B4%D0%B6%D0%B8%29 "Север (картина Куинджи)")*), *A Birch Grove* was presented at the 7th Exhibition of the [Society of Travelling Art Exhibitions](/wiki/Peredvizhniki "Peredvizhniki") ("Peredvizhniki"), which opened in [St. Petersburg](/wiki/Saint_Petersburg "Saint Petersburg") in February 1879\.Товарищество передвижных художественных выставок. Письма, документы. 1869—1899 / В. В. Андреева, М. В. Астафьева, С. Н. Гольдштейн, Н. Л. Приймак. — М.: Искусство, 1987\. — 668 p. — pp. 177–184\.  The artist [Ivan Kramskoy](/wiki/Ivan_Kramskoi "Ivan Kramskoi") reported that Kuindzhi's works were enthusiastically received by the public.Товарищество передвижных художественных выставок. Письма, документы. 1869—1899 / В. В. Андреева, М. В. Астафьева, С. Н. Гольдштейн, Н. Л. Приймак. — М.: Искусство, 1987\. — 668 p. — P. 186\. In particular, the visitors to the exhibition noted the "extraordinary nature" of *A Birch Grove*. Immediately after the exhibition, all three paintings were purchased by [Pavel Tretyakov](/wiki/Pavel_Tretyakov "Pavel Tretyakov") for 6,500 rubles.Летопись жизни и творчества Архипа Ивановича Куинджи // Архип Куинджи / Т. Л. Карпова, О. Д. Атрощенко, А. А. Ефимова. — М.: [Государственная Третьяковская галерея](/wiki/Tretyakov_Gallery "Tretyakov Gallery"), 2018\. — pp. 318–347\. — 360 сp. — P. 325\. — .

Art critic [Vladimir Stasov](/wiki/Vladimir_Stasov "Vladimir Stasov") noted that *A Birch Grove* is a painting "with wonderfully illuminated trees and grass", and that in this work Kuindzhi "takes notes of strong spectacular lighting, which no one has tried before". Art historian Faina Maltseva wrote that *A Birch Grove* is an "innovative work" that is one of the best examples of realistic landscapes of the 1870s. According to the art historian Vitaly Manin, "there was no picture in Russian landscape painting where a bright sunny day was captured so joyfully and enlightened, where the artist's peaceful feeling was so fully expressed, where a bright sense of peace, uplifted mood received such a perfect embodiment".


How were Kuindzhi's works received at the exhibition?