The artist depicts the bank of the Moskva River near the village. Arkhangelskoe. The picture shows a summer morning. It seems that the day will be hot, but the morning freshness and coolness are still shown. The coastal strip in the foreground is strongly darkened, and then a strip of river sand turns yellow in the rays of the rising sun.

On the left side of the picture is a steeply rising bank overgrown with trees. A wide bend of the river with a calm, as if frozen surface. The water reflects dark green trees growing at the edge of the cliff. On the right you can see the opposite bank of the hills and the vast distance of the forest. Clouds froze in their caps in the sky. The light-filled space of the picture is saturated with air, and this air seems to be so much that it is almost physically felt.

The lonely figure of a man – a fisherman with nets – among the endless expanse of the river, expresses calmness and demonstrates the predominance of nature over the vain world of people. The fisherman’s movements do not disturb the undeniable calmness of the river and the heavens reflected in it. Everything froze in the early morning, and even the sun is not visible yet.

The picture is easily perceived due to light colors and harmonious contrast of colors. She is one of the examples of what Savrasov is considered the “father” of the Russian lyrical landscape for. Already our contemporaries dedicate poems to her:

“The landscape in the Moscow region is lyrical, beautiful, Where we see flowing rivers, meandering, The river flows majestically, calmly, And the clouds float just as calmly. And on the right is a stretch, the shore is gentle, sandy. Semi-darkening of the foreground Will evoke sadness and grief on the viewer, Until he looks into the bright distance … “. (I. Esaulkov)

Year of painting: 1859.

Dimensions of the painting: 59 x 82 cm.

Material: canvas.

Writing technique: oil.

Genre: landscape.

Style: realism.

Gallery: State Art Museum of Latvia, Riga, Latvia.