Savrasov “The Rooks Arrived” essay


“Rooks arrived” – a very famous canvas by Russian artist Alexei Savrasov. It shows the beginning of spring. The old, curved and birches broken by the storms still stand without foliage. So far there is a lot of snow around, but it is not at all like it was in winter – the snow is caked, loose, dirty and begins to melt.

The first spring messengers, rooks, settled on the trees. Arriving from afar, they made a difficult and dangerous journey home. Birds have a little bit of a rest, and now they are busy with a very important matter – put nests. On the snow under the trees you can see bird tracks and broken branches. Rooks bustle, clinging to birches, talking to each other in their own language. Their voices must be heard far away. Unsettled and noisy birds seem to awaken nature from winter sleep, enliven everything around.

The signs of spring are observed in this picture everywhere. To the right of the birches a huge puddle of melt water was formed.

It reflects the gray-blue spring sky and the restless clouds running along it. Behind the trees we see a wet dilapidated fence and some wooden structures. In the background, behind the houses and the chapel, the fields spread out. The snow gradually disappears from them, forming thawed patches and opening the wet earth. The picture is poorly lit by the still timid, but already hot rays of the sun. And this landscape is filled with fresh and warm air, breathing the wind. It is not yet a real, blooming spring, but only a hint at its beginning. Everything in the picture of Savrasov is filled with a joyful expectation of warmth, greenery, clear sunny days.

The viewer sees old trees and old houses here. The church and the chapel next to it are also quite old, shabby and seemingly abandoned. How many winters and springs they have already seen in their long age! These old, slightly sad birches and buildings represent a sharp contrast to the spring renovation and the young troublesome rooks. The time of winter cold and snowstorms has finally passed. In the life of nature and people, long-awaited, great and joyous changes begin.


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Savrasov “The Rooks Arrived” essay