Arkhip Kuindzhi

Arkhip Kuindzhi was a Russian painter famous for his astonishing effects of light. Born in what is now Ukraine around 1841 into a poor family of Greek descent, he rose to become one of the most celebrated landscape painters in Russia. He became known for scenes that seem to glow from within, above all a moonlit night on a river that caused a sensation when he showed it almost alone in a darkened room.

Audiences were amazed by the intense, luminous quality of his light and wondered if there was a trick behind it. At the height of his fame he withdrew from public exhibiting and devoted himself to teaching and experiment. Kuindzhi's glowing, dramatic landscapes made him a legend of Russian art.