It might not look very warm and very green, but this is indeed springtime in middle Russia. The days are longer, the snow is melting, and sunlight and birds have returned.
Maslenitsa, by Boris Kustodiev.
Maslenitsa, by Boris Kustodiev. Pagan celebration of the Sun and the return of the Spring take place (at the end of February – first week of March) through this day.
March, by Igor Grabar. It looks like winter – the snow is still there, and so are the crispy blue skies. But the light makes all the difference. No longer winter-prickly, it is now spring-warm.
March, by Isaac Levitan.
The Rooks Have Returned, by Alexey Savrasov.
Melted Water, by Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky
Birch Alley, by Igor Grabar.
Spring Again, by Sergey Gerasimov.
More Russian Seasons & Nature in Russian Art:
Home & Away 
And Russian Spring in 2014 will look like http://www.moscow-russia-insiders-guide.com/images/russian-summer-1.jpg – since the above pieces of art looks like New England 2014 Spring >.<
Here’s to hoping. Granted, we went through a 70F spell a week ago and now it is below freezing and snowing.
Lovely! In other news, I saw a leopard print VAN today 🙂
Tell me you took a photo! I snapped one myself of a double-leopard offender, to go into my Moscow Metro Style catch-all 🙂
I did 😉 It’s on my FB page – the damn thing even had whiskers…
OMG >.<
And people think I exaggerate 😉
Bitches. I mean birches. I totally love them 🙂
Sure you do 🙂
HEY! My BFF is going to Spain in May for a week – mostly Madrid but I told her that Toledo is a must-see! (That’s Jenna in the comments btw)
Cool! If I’m around, I can take her for a coffee 🙂
You’re the sweetest 🙂
Oh – Melted Water and Spring Again are absolutely lovely. They all are but those two especially for me.
I am partial to Birch Alley. In Russian there is a lovely word for those first snow-free patches of land/mud/grass – protalina – which literally means ‘melted through.’
Brilliant! What a wonderful idea to show the seasons through art. I love it. I loved Kustodiev’s art too.
I’m glad you like 🙂
I have been archiving the photos so that I can post new ones at least for another couple of years!
Fabulous, I love the journey through the seasons, very clever 😉
I try 😉
What an interesting idea Anna. I love the Maslenitsa paintings as I like looking at the seasons and The Rooks Have Returned. 🙂
Maslenitsa is always so much fun and there are so many bliny!
I think that Levitan one is my fave, I like how the barrel at the front door is tipped over – so very real life. Shame about the snow in Spring – yuck.
OMG I didnt even notice the barrel until now! Way to pay attention to detail 🙂
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