This is one of a number of times Vasily Polenov painted the Oka River Valley. Wherever we go, nature is beautiful, inviting us to pause and ponder. Here we are high up on hill looking out at an enormous panorama of the valley and the well known river.
It is early autumn. Polenov loves moments like this — the first gradual and subtle signs of a seasonal change. There are white clouds piled high. But way over to the left, darkness is moving in that will change the look of the river yet again. To the left, in the distance, there is a soft line of trees with leaves already turning.
There are no people in this painting — not even a boat on the river. There are no animals — not a bird in sight. We still feel the summer, but we know fall is arriving and winter will follow. And so we soak up that last bit of a summer we wish could stay a little longer.
But this is important too. Vasily Polenov painted the Oka River over and over, in all seasons, at different times of the day or evening, from high up over the river and down below in the valley, far from Tarusa and close by. His practice is not unlike that of Camille Pissarro who would set up his easel on a street, finish a painted draft, then turn the easel and his chair and paint the same street facing a new direction. As we go about the day, do we really know how to say thank you.
