Why has this modest painting attracted viewers for 150 years?

In 1870, Savrasov was criticized for having too few students and was deprived of his state apartment in Moscow. Upset, he took a six-month leave and left with his family to the province in the midst of classes. There, he led a quiet and focused life, but soon faced his wife's illness and the death of his newborn daughter, which plunged him into turmoil. It was during this time that he created his famous landscape.

In the village of Molvitino (later renamed Susanino), not far from Kostroma, Savrasov found inspiration. The village church with its tented bell tower, visible through the birches, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ built in the 17th century, caught his attention. The artist, who loved ancient Russian architecture, realistically depicted the peeling plaster and exposed brickwork.

The painting comes to life thanks to the crows, whose cawing and the cracking of branches fill the air with tranquility. The arriving crows build nests on the trunks of the birches, symbolizing a return to life. The willow hidden behind the trunks serves as a metaphor for resurrection.

The painting was immediately noticed in the art community, and soon it was acquired for the collection of Tretyakov. Since 1871, Savrasov lived in Moscow. His personal life became chaotic; he separated from his wife, began to suffer from alcoholism, lost his teaching position, and gradually fell into extreme poverty.

Savrasov died at the age of 67 in a poorhouse on Khitrovka and was buried at Vagankovo Cemetery. But let's return to the painting. It is wonderful and lyrical, beloved since childhood, don't you agree?