History Of A Painting: 'Moonlight Night On The Dniepr' By Arkhip Kuindzhi

You wouldn’t be wrong if you called this painting the most famous masterpiece of Russian artist Arkhip Kuindzhi. The art piece, which has always had a truly mesmerizing effect on the public, became legendary even before it was exhibited for the first time. It certainly caught our attention, and we wanted to learn more about it.

Kuindzhi was still working on his Moonlight Night on the Dniepr painting when St Petersburg heard about it and started gossipping about its extraordinary beauty and lyrical expression. The interest of the public was so high that Kuindzhi organized two-hour studio visits on Sundays. Among the first visitors were none other than the famous Ivan Turgenev, Ivan Kramskoy and Dmitrii Mendeleev. The Great Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich also visited the studio and purchased the painting for a huge sum of money before it was even finished.

The painting reflects a calm Ukrainian night on the river of Dniepr. The moonlight sheds mysterious green light on the waters of the river and a sleepy village on the shore. Most of the painting is covered with very dark pigments; only a few rays of light distort the dark space. This dramatic contrast and masterful use of color became the key to the painting’s success.

Moonlight Night on the Dniepr was completed in 1880 and exhibited on Bolshaya Morskaya street. What’s interesting is that it was the first one-piece exhibition in Russia. Kuindzhi’s personal exhibition consisted only of the one painting. The artist took every measure to make the painting’s effect on audiences even stronger; he ordered every window to be closed with curtains so that daylight couldn’t enter the exhibition hall. The only source of light was an electric lamp focused on the painting.

This method elicited a tremendous effect on the painting and evoked a great response from viewers. The focused source of light made the painting look like a window to a real landscape; the greenish light of the moon looked surreal, but realistic at the same time. The public was mesmerized. People were spending hours in front of the painting, and the queues to the exhibition hall never seemed to end.

Some skeptics couldn’t believe the light of the moon in the painting could be so bright, even shining, so they tried to find a lamp behind the painting. There was no lamp. Kuindzhi was known to experiment and pursue perfection in his color and light implementation–this can be seen in his other pieces too. His distinctive style and mastered techniques made the painting a unique masterpiece.

The Great Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich loved the painting so much that he took it with him on a cruise. Unfortunately, the salty sea air and humidity caused the painting’s colours to fade, so the version we see today doesn’t display all the beauty and vividness of the piece when it was newly painted. Regardless of its age and history, Moonlight Night on Dniepr continues to captivate audiences and even steals the attention from other paintings on the wall.

Currently, this masterpiece is exhibited at the Russian Museum in St Petersburg.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.