Stable 1885

Isaac Levitan made this small oil on cardboard painting called 'Stable', though we don’t know exactly when. Levitan was a Russian landscape painter who depicted the Russian countryside with a melancholic and lyrical approach. Looking at this stable, consider how the image creates meaning. It uses the familiar visual codes of rural life in Russia, nodding to the country's economic and social structure that was based on agriculture at the time. Although the artwork doesn't directly critique social structures, it can be seen as self-consciously progressive. By focusing on the beauty and simplicity of rural life, Levitan elevates the status of the peasantry. It's worth reflecting on what the role of the artist is and what kind of research resources would help us to better understand it. The meaning of art is contingent on its social and institutional context.