Левитан - Над вечным покоем

Levitan's painting "Over Eternal Rest"

The famous landscape painter Isaac Levitan in his works often turned to the theme of God, the spiritual path and the journey of the soul after death. In his works, the artist tries to find answers to the questions that are of acute interest to him. He was trying to figure out how to find his way to God, and whether unity with nature is one of the ways to know him. What awaits the soul after death and whether it is possible to find peace during life. And what does a brief moment of human life mean compared to the eternal monumentality of nature.

The painting "Over Eternal Rest" depicts a high cliff surrounded by water. The lake spread wide, as if it were a huge, quiet, full-flowing river. There is a small wooden church on the shore, behind it is an abandoned cemetery with crooked crosses.This cliff is the last refuge of believers, a place where eternal rest is found. And their souls go on, crossing the lake directly to heaven.

Next to the temple there are trees bent under the hurricane wind. The last colors of sunset are burning out in the sky, but the light is also hidden by heavy clouds, painted in an unusually voluminous and realistic way. A storm is coming — this can be seen from the overcast heavy sky and strong gusty wind. It seems that the hurricane will demolish the flimsy church, drop cemetery crosses and level the graves with the ground.

The artist demonstrates natural power in comparison with the brevity of human life. Even death itself looks fragile compared to this primordial power. Only the golden dome and the shining cross remain unshakable. Unshakable faith in God is the only thing that helps a person to resist during periods of life's adversities and spiritual storms. Levitan, with his painting, gives hope to all the desperate, shows a way out of darkness

The work, despite its gloomy, heavy mood, gives rise to a feeling of amazing harmony and peace.Isaac Levitan considered this masterpiece to be the key in his work, the pinnacle of many years of spiritual search. Critics also rated the canvas as one of the most grandiose, majestic canvases.