Vasily Polenov was 37 years old when he painted this picture which takes us into a deeply wooded place. I feel as if we have been stumbling around in the woods. We might feel ourselves to be lost, and then, we come upon this pond (more like a big puddle) surrounded by trees.
We have just arrived. I can hear frog-splash as they take cover. There is the front row of low, native plants between ourselves and the water. Then there is the wall of tall trees. Then there are more trees in a misty atmosphere. Finally, there is sky. Is the sun trying to break through?
While Polenov only now and again places people in his landscapes, he still gives some indication of human presence. Do you know what that indicator is here? Maybe it's just a deer path (top right corner of the pond) but more likely the artist has people (maybe children) in mind.
There is also a handsome bird along the top right of the pond. Are those willow trees on the far side of the pond? Maybe Polenov is giving us a closer look in the top right corner — yes, those are clearly willow leaves reaching in.
But as peaceful as this painting is, in its long story, something went very wrong. For years White Willows at Pond was housed in the museum at Taganrog. Taganrog is a port city in Southwest Russia whose origins date back to the late Bronze Age. Tsar Alexander I had a summer residence there. In 1855 Taganrog was bombarded by the Anglo-French army, but by 1911 it had recovered and become prominent, hosting fifteen foreign consulates.
Then the city was occupied by the German Army in the First World War and then again during the Second. During this second occupation Taganrog suffered significant damage until liberated by the Russian army in 1943. But on their way out the door, the German Wehrmacht took White Willows at Pond with them. The painting was subsequently moved around to a number of places until 2017, when it was finally returned to the museum and people of Taganrog.
Isn't that remarkable—seventy five years after the end of that terrible war in Europe, life was still being restored and things put back where they belonged. With the help of intelligent, determined, honest and cooperative people, the painting found its way home. Blessed are the peace-restorers.
