The Rooks Have Arrived

This painting by Alexei Savrasov was shown in the first exhibition of the Society for Travelling Art Exhibitions also known as Peredvizhniki or the Wanderers. He was one of the founders of the Peredvizhniki group along with several other Russian realist painters. Many art critics are of the opinion that this particular painting of the rooks in the tree by the river Volga, was popular due to its rustic beauty and the romanticization of the Russian countryside which was something that the Wanderers were known for. He began working on this piece in the years that he lived next to the Volga. He painted it in 1871, while he was in Yaroslavl and later near Nizhny Novgorod. This piece is unique as it backgrounds the Russian idyllic village life, while bringing the rooks nesting in the tree to the forefront. This marks the onset of spring as the snow on the ground is indicating a thawing winter. The rooks have come to nest in the birch, their arrival heralding the coming spring and definitely creating a cacophony near the village church. The foregrounding of these birds also points to the artist's love of nature which is further justified by the distance he has placed from the domed church and the surrounding village. The colour palette is cool and neutral. Muddy browns show the ground underneath the melting snow and the thawing pond, while leftover frost clings to the walls of the village. The birch is bare but populated by the rooks and the nests they've begun to build. This moment of transitioning between seasons has been lovingly and masterfully captured by the brushstrokes of Alexei Savrasov in this masterpiece.