This is one of Levitan’s last works. Its simple and generalised motif acquires a symbolic resonance. The wicker fence lays out a roundish line that cuts off the foreground immersed in a purplish shadow. The curved line of the road ends at the edge indicated by the square frame of the gate. Placed in the center of the composition, the frame is perceived as a border that seems to separate two worlds – those of vague twilight presentiments and of illusive sunset reflections. The gate also serves as a frame for what seems to be a landscape within a landscape that focuses the gaze on the central fragment of the composition. This technique concentrates attention on the transition from one space to another. The gate and pillar tops accentuated by light also emphasise the cyclical basis. Passing by the restless play of light and shadow in the figurative strip of the forest, the gaze rises up to the serene nacreous shades of the sky. Levitan, using laconic means, creates a formula for the accord existing between the earthly path and the serenity of heavenly peace.
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow