Isaac Levitan

Born in 1860 to a poor Jewish family in Lithuania, Levitan moved to Moscow at age 10, where he began his journey to becoming a leading Russian landscape painter.¹

Under his teacher Alexei Savrasov, Levitan learned en plein air painting and how to imbue landscapes with emotion, forming the basis of his 'mood landscape' style.¹

At age 19, his work 'Autumn Day. Sokolniki' was purchased by the collector Pavel Tretyakov, leading to over 20 of his works being housed in the Tretyakov Gallery.¹

As a Jew, Levitan suffered from anti-Semitism in Russia, experiencing deportation from Moscow and being denied a formal degree despite his evident talent.¹

In the mid-1880s, he spent much time near the Istra River by the Chekhov family's dacha, a period that brought greater depth and lyricism to his landscape paintings.¹

In 1891, he joined the Peredvizhniki (Wanderers). Traveling across Russia, he found deep spirituality in simple rural landscapes previously overlooked as subjects for art.¹

Levitan was lifelong friends with Anton Chekhov. They briefly fell out when Chekhov used Levitan's private life as a model for a story, but they reconciled and remained close until death.¹

Evening Bells

His late works show Impressionist influence, but he prioritized poetic emotion over scientific light analysis, using muted tones to capture nature's quiet breath.¹