How does Evening Bells (painting) elucidate its Description?
Evening Bells depicts a monastery illuminated by the evening sun standing at a bend in the river. The monastery is surrounded by an autumnal forest, with clouds drifting across the sky, all reflected in the still flowing river's mirror-like surface. A high pre-sunset sky, clean and brightly reflected in the waters plays an important role in the composition of the image. Levitan's appreciation for the beauty and poetry of old churches is thought to have come from his teacher, Alexei Savrasov.Evening Bells is built on horizontal lines that represent Russia's large plains, interrupted by a large depiction of water that reflects the sky. In this painting, Levitan used an impressionist palette and drew light with a poetic feeling. Crepuscular light dominates in this work, which according to art historian Mary Chamot, transforms the mundane into something unique in a magical twilight zone where darkness and light, reality and reflection, merge.The monastery in Evening Bells, like in Quiet Abode, is behind the river, with a portion of the near bank visible in the foreground. In comparison to Quiet Abode, the river is wider and not crossed by a flimsy-looking wooden bridge. There is a small pier near the bank, as well as boats, including one carrying people down the river. The monastery buildings on the other side of the river are similar to those depicted in Quiet Abode, but they are less obstructed by trees—the ensemble appears to open to the viewer, and the path does not disappear into the bushes, but leads directly to the monastery gates.The landscape surrounding the monastery is different from that of Quiet Abode. The river flows diagonally in Evening Bells, making a steep bend and passing behind the monastery, which, along with the grove surrounding it, appears to be situated on a bend. According to Fedorov-Davydov: "The greater spatiality of Evening Bells is striking, and it is reflected in the breadth and depth of the space of the new landscape and the diagonal dynamic asymmetry of the composition".
palette impressionist Alexei Savrasov monastery Quiet Abode ru Mary Chamot Crepuscular light