Nikolai Mikhailovich Baranov
«Летний полдень» "Summer Midday" (or Summer Noon)
1996
Oil on canvas
60 × 70 cm
Unique
Location: United Kingdom
Arianee token ID
90058178
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About the artwork
Sunlight illuminates a quiet riverside bank dominated by dense clusters of weeping willows rendered in thick,expressive impasto strokes of green and ochre. Across the water,a solitary red-roofed cottage stands against a pale blue sky dotted with scattered clouds,anchoring the upper right quadrant of the composition. In the foreground,the deep blue surface of the river reflects fragments of light,while small human figures gather along the sandy shore near bathing areas on the left.
The execution relies on vigorous,textured brushwork characteristic of late twentieth-century Russian plein-air painting,balancing descriptive representation with tangible surface materiality. Signed and dated in Cyrillic at the lower right,the piece reflects the artist's ongoing engagement with rural motifs and localized atmospheric conditions during the post-Soviet transition period.
Expert opinion
This composition exemplifies the continuation of traditional plein-air landscape painting within regional Russian artistic circles during a period of significant socio-political transition. By focusing on ordinary provincial scenery through textured brushwork and direct observation,the creator aligns with the broader Vladimir school aesthetics that prioritized emotive color relationships over strict academic finish.
Within the broader art market,works from this regional milieu occupy a niche position,valued primarily for their documentary relationship to late Soviet artistic production and provincial landscape traditions. While lacking the international liquidity of avant-garde or non-conformist art,such canvases provide insight into the durable persistence of naturalist painting practices outside major metropolitan centers.
About the artist
Nikolai Mikhailovich Baranov was born in 1929 in the village of Michkovo, Vladimir Oblast. He completed his formal education at the Ivanov Art College in 1960 and subsequently settled in the city of Vladimir, where he became a central figure in the local artistic community. From 1985 to 1992, he served as the chairman of the board of the Vladimir regional branch of the Union of Artists of the RSFSR.
Throughout his career, Baranov worked extensively in both printmaking and painting, earning initial recognition for his linocuts and etchings depicting historical architecture and regional landscapes. In later decades, he shifted significant focus toward oil painting, capturing rural motifs, seasonal changes, and provincial life. He was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation in 1997. His works are held in various public and private collections across Russia.
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