Before the thunderstorm

"Before the Thunderstorm" by Russian artist Isaac Levitan, completed in 1894 and housed in the State Tretyakov Gallery, is a masterful landscape capturing the calm before nature's fury. Painted on a large canvas measuring 150 × 206 cm, it exemplifies Realism through its detailed depiction of a rural scene. Levitan’s skillful use of pencil sketches and paper studies] demonstrate his meticulous sketch and study approach before finalizing the composition, resulting in an evocative portrayal of nature’s tranquility just before a storm.