Rafail Levitsky: Bridge in the Woods

This Sunday, I am sharing a lyrical, slightly unsettling Romantic artwork titled Bridge in the Woods by Rafail Levitsky. It depicts a wooden bridge over a ravine deep in a forest. A lone woman, dressed elegantly in white, stands on it, looking unsure. The natural light and the woman’s white dress give her a phantom-like appearance that contrasts drastically with the natural surroundings. The place is undoubtedly deep in some woods due to the dense vegetation and sparse natural light seen reaching the location. The precarious nature of the bridge and the woman’s proximity to its most unstable point give this otherwise serene artwork the element of slight unease. Metaphorically, the bridge may also function as a crossing to other, unexplored side of things, and its haphazard nature gives off a sense of risk/danger that follows any adventurous pursuit.

Rafail Levitsky (1847-1940) was a Russian/Soviet artist from an aristocratic family, and a member of the renowned Peredvizhniki Artists movements. His father, Sergei Levitsky (1819-1898), was one of Europe’s leading pioneers in the development of photography.