Paintings, photos from Passepartout A stream in a birch forest

Two female figures move away from the viewer along a forest path running along a stream overgrown with green mud. Towering birches, stretching straight into the sky, silently stand on both sides of the stream, like sentries. Each painted tree is unique, as always with Shishkin, each has its own unique natural curves. The whole picture is saturated with sunlight; penetrating through the branches of trees, it warms the green grass, the trampled road, and travelers. The sun's glare on the white birch trunks is the lightest spots of the painting; in general, its color is quite dark, which creates a sense of privacy and security. A wooden bridge connecting the two banks is thrown across the stream; the greenish water is expertly painted, and the reflections of the trees in it seem real. Far ahead, the trees part and the viewer can finally see the sunlit clearing. Obviously, this is where the girls strive; the symbolic path to light through the shadow is the driving motive of the painting.