Landscape "May" [oil, canvas, 62 x 99 cm, signed p. d.: S. Zhukovskij (inscription in Russian), I.I. Brodsky Museum of Art in Berdyansk, inv. no. Z-86, Berdyansk, Ukraine]
The landscape "May. (Ruchai)' was painted in a trend close to Russian Art Nouveau. There is a strong element of contemplation and meditation in it, felt by the artist himself and conveyed in the moment of his direct contact with nature. A vast landscape stretches before the viewer's eyes. The space opens up slowly in depth with planes parallel to the picture plane. As a whole, it leans towards a balanced composition. Beneath a bright blue sky stretches a valley flooded by the spring flood of a lake. In the distant foreground, wooden houses can be seen. Their walls are painted with dark brown paint with ochre tones. The small group of trees on the left, not yet covered with leaves, provides a focal point for the entire composition, and has been painted with exceptional refinement. The green valley is filled with the spring spirit. The colour palette includes a wide range of shades from verdant green to indigo, from light purple to deep purple in the shadows. It is difficult to isolate a focal centre in this composition. Calm, cool, colourful planes filled with air and inner balance dominate. The artist has succeeded in capturing the sacred state of spring nature, when life is born in the water, the earth and the heavens. The metaphorical interpretation of spring space is also emphasised by the mirror-like surface of the water with the majestic high sky reflected in it. The natural mirror - the lake - appears as a symbolic space in the landscape. Żukowski has spread matt layers of colourful motifs reflected in the surface of the water. The water is calm and flashes in emerald tones. A mélange of other colours - blue, violet, light green and celadon with a touch of yellow - is concentrated around the deep green.
In this landscape - as in the works discussed above - Stanisław Żukowski succeeded in conveying the invisible, but perceptible and present, processes of the birth of new life in spring nature.
The lyrical intimacy of the landscape, a clear-sounding visual basis, has the specific colouring of Russian Art Nouveau painting. The emotional side of the creative process is open, revealed and the depth of feeling comes to the fore in this case.