Fontanka

Barges and granite embankments line the Fontanka in this woodcut by Anna Ostroumova-Lebedeva, the canal rendered as a band of still water between dark stone facades. Ostroumova-Lebedeva cuts the Petersburg waterfront with a woodblock hand, crosshatching pressed deep into the masonry shadows while the canal surface stays almost bare paper. Dome silhouettes and chimney stacks sit against a pale sky, their reflections dissolving into thin, broken lines. Ink tones run from cold graphite grey to near black, and the whole composition holds a quiet, winter-clear stillness. A canal scene of this temperament suits a hallway or a study, somewhere the eye can rest on measured lines and northern light. Anna Ostroumova-Lebedeva, russian, fontanka, woodcut, graphite grey, still, wall art, art print, art poster, cityscape, russian symbolism, study decor