Landscape "Old Mill" [1906, oil, canvas, 62 x 80 cm, signed l.d.: S. Zhukovskij 1906 (inscription in Russian in cyrillic), National Art Museum in Odesa, inv. no. Ż - 500, Odesa, Ukraine]
One of Zhukovsky's favourite motifs was water and an old mill or causeway. He was very fond of painting bridges, fences, sheds, woodsheds, piles of firewood in a peasant's yard. As a painter, he was intoxicated by the colours of old wood, in tones of purple, silver, warm ochre, browns and reds, sometimes dark and unlit. In 1906, the artist painted the work 'The Old Mill', which, due to its artistic value, can confidently be considered another pearl in his creative output. The right corner and centre of the painting are occupied by the old mill - a small wooden house - and a large wooden wheel from which water is falling. In the foreground, the water of the small river is bounded on both sides by wooden fences. Behind the mill a small hill can be seen, from behind which the dark blue silhouettes of cottages and trees emerge.
The artist has chosen the time of nightfall, when the sky is filled with light, but blue and blue shadows already prevail on the ground. In the background, light, translucent colours of light grey, blue and light violet still shimmer. In the foreground, however, the shadows of the building and its gabled roof are already falling, and the door and window openings are dark brown, dark blue and grey. The upper part of the sky is still white, while the lower part is painted in shades of pale blue and pale pink. Against this background, all the upper silhouettes and outlines have a graphic clarity, while some of the objects at the bottom of the composition remain almost melted in the colour and ether of the falling dusk. The water surface of the small bend in the river is painted softly, gently, smoothly and reminds us of the effect of an old mirror that still reflects objects, light and shadows. The tranquillity is disturbed by the light silver ripples that arise from the water falling from the mill wheel and gently spread over the smooth, calm surface. The ground layer and the boards of the building and fence have been painted with dynamic brushstrokes in the 'impasto' technique. The texture of these objects looks as if the painting has been carved. The old wood is rendered in a beautiful range of silvery, purple, grey and brown tones. The last glimmers of the now invisible sun fall across the slopes of the roof, the mill wheel and the water, making this building charming. The whole composition of the painting captures the delightful atmosphere that comes from the peace and quiet of the evening landscape. The air fills every part of the space. Its humidity dampens the silhouettes and colours that add something enigmatic to this painting. What did the artist himself feel when he chose the motif of an abandoned mill? In this landscape, Żukowski has achieved an emotional effect with the pure possibilities of plein air painting, stimulating the viewer's pictorial thinking and their imagination.