The landscape was on the whole a relatively diverse and rich phenomenon in Russia in the latter half of the nineteenth century. It ceased to be simply a view, inspired by the artist’s emotional and philosophical perception of nature. It often crossed beyond the borders of its genre, transformed into a pictorial metaphor for Russia, as in Thaw (1871) by Fyodor Vasilyev (1850–1873). It is one of the finest works in both the art of Fyodor Vasilyev and the road theme in general. Without introducing external actions, the genre elements of the landscape increase the inner tension of the picture. The figures of the peasants disappearing into the unknown distance are perceived as wanderers following predetermined paths. The heavy, murky sky, the flock of black ravens in the foreground, the slush and the lopsided peasant hut create an impression of hopeless sorrow, reflecting the artist’s own troubled state of mind.
