Landscape “Golden Autumn” by the famous Russian and Soviet painter Vasily Polenov, a classmate of Ilya Repin and teacher Isaac Levitan and Ostroukhov, a member of the French Academy, is not his most famous work, but his elegance and soulfulness make me write a couple of lines about him.

This painting was painted by the artist near his estate on the Oka River in the Tula province and depicts a sunny autumn day. The viewer is immediately attracted by the river, which stands out like a dark snake against the background of golden trees and hills. It is not immediately noticed, but for a long time the shining of the sun on the roofs of the monastery at the bend of the river engraves in memory.

Vasily Polenov depicted the very beginning of autumn – the yellow color has not yet completely captured the space of the picture, an example of this is a huge tree in the foreground with a still green crown. But all the attention, of course, is taken by the river. The clear water reflects the glare of the sun, the sky, the sun and trees, and yellow fallen foliage swirls in the shallows. And although the artist depicted autumn in the picture, it is clear that it is still very warm and sunny, and it would be more correct to call this work “Indian Summer”.

Year of painting: 1893.

Dimensions of the painting: 77 x 124 cm.

Material: canvas.

Writing technique: oil.

Genre: landscape.

Style: realism.

Gallery: State Historical, Art and Natural Museum-Reserve of V.D. Polenova, Tarusa, Russia.