Isaac Levitan - the best landscape painter you may never have heard of? 

My favorite painter. no other makes you feel the cold wind, fresh air, immense space and distance, but also the intimacy of the small things. You can feel the mice in those grasses. His treatment is so subtle and free of "artistry" like "develop your own distinct trademark style". Yet I feel such strong artistic control and emotional awareness. He shows his innermost feelings and human nature, I feel I know him, know what was most important to him. His compositions are so bold, it's so hard to fill a canvas with so little. Each composition feels like an archetype, similar to a mozart motive where you wonder how nobody else came up with such simple and brilliant theme. And yet, despite these strong statements, it never feels like he wants to show off or prove some kind of "power". Instead his brushwork is soft, rounded and reduced, giving a feeling of vulnerability, humbleness and admiration for what he sees. I think he felt as a very small part of nature, not very important as an individual. His function on earth was to observe, record and communicate the reality to others so that they, with their less developed senses, can see as well. There is no other like him who paints so naturally and without his ego in the way.

Levitan was pure genius. Sadly he died at the young age of 40 from a life long heart condition. Who knows how many great works he may have done.

Speechless...simply wonderful.

Incredible paintings! I’d never heard of him. And let me add, that this is the best artwork video I’ve seen! You did it exactly right! No distracting graphics or transitions. No music! And you left each image up long enough the study! Perfectly done!! Thank you so much!!

Tsjechov's travelling companion! Beautiful, thanks for showing.

Never heard of this artist, his work is beautiful. It appears he can swing from realist, to impressionist very easy. Just Wonderful! Thanks!

In my eyes, I think he may be the best landscape painter I've ever come across ...just love his work on so many levels.

These are very beautiful, serene, moody pictures that anyone can appreciate. Thanks for sharing them.

Actually, I have known about Levitan's work for some time now and find it fascinating. Thank you so much for showing these. Splendid presentation, by the way. No distractions - Just ART. - Superb.

Thank you for making this available.

Wonderful video ! I had never heard of or seen his work. Some of his paintings look like photos touched up with a brush, some impressionist. Loved the light and atmosphere. He conveyed a sense of being there.

Very dramatic strong plein air paintings well worth a look, thank you.

I am a ultra beginner, have not even started painting, and just going thru RU-vid to learn what I can by others (I do realize I need to start and just make mistakes to learn). but I am a total analyst thinker and learner. I have to understand colors and tools first. Thanks for sharing this!

Always a joy to discover an artist that I hadn't known about a minute before. Some wonderful works here. As noted by several others, I appreciate the pacing and lack of (unnecessary) soundtrack. The work stands quite well on its own.

₩0₩ complete sensory overload! Delightfully Trilled & Inspired beyond words. Aloha 🌊 from the P.Rim.

Levitan è uno dei più grandi pittori. dell'ottocento. Immenso artista, poco conosciuto fuori dalla Russia.

It's beautiful art, thank you for showing us, and how he saw what he want to painr

Issac levitan unmatched, incomparable, unparalleled Maestro 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 highest level titan

He sure knows his values!!!

Spectacular!!!!!

Wow. Incredible.

I have heard of him and he is was incredible painted - sadly he died from heart disease at only 35 years old.

They are fantastic, surprised I haven’t heard of him .

He seemed to use a muted palette for most of his works. Great compositions and a masterful control of values in his paintings. Much of his value shifts were done with subtle color temperature changes. His work struck me as conveying a sense of isolation and loneliness.

Savvinskaya sloboda near Zvenigorod (1884) my favorite

Agree! Like photo,s.

Thank you for not adding music or zooming in and out of the picture frame! It’s rare that RU-vid has a good viewing of an artist’s work. Well done Robin! :)

Levitan and Shishkin, 2 most famous Russian landscape painters. Never have heard of? :(

so nice so beuatful.

Thank you.

WOW!

Il est bien au dessus de ce qui est beau....❤

I think I am watching the best ever paintings now. They are awesome . it's rightly said that an artist is second God.. next to God. Jay Shree Jagannath 🙏🙏🙏

Only thing missing to elevate art even more would be some human content re figures. Great art.

Гений пейзажа

It would be nice to have some expert take one artist of today like Robert A and compare it with the Grand Masters. Maybe thru a computer program?

Classic compositions. Lots of reflected dismal light. Not much summer color. Thank you.

to paint nature well is not to take photos, but to understand its profound laws. and the only real genius in the matter remains camille corot

Love his work but I prefer Ivan Shishkin.

Great realism but same houses and no people . (A ghost town, no life.)

Cool but some of those photos a bit out of focus 😉

Ass good as Constable.

I've seen a lot of art over the last 50 years. He's no the best in my opinion. Not even close to the best, but he's good.

He is good. Not quite as good as Peder Monsted. But then, nobody is.