---
title: "\"The Nature of Photography\": Tretyakov Gallery exhibits 130 landscape photographs, tracing the evolution of the photographic view of Russian nature"
description: "The exhibition \"The Nature of Photography\" has opened at the Tretyakov Gallery: about 130 landscape photographs by over 30 authors trace the evolution of the photographic view of Russian nature from the late 19th century to the present day."
date: 2026-11-04T01:44:35.377Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/nature-of-photography-tretyakov-gallery-exhibition
tags: [landscape-photography, tretyakov-gallery, exhibition, russian-art, photography]
author: "Marina Slivenko"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "The Nature of Photography": Tretyakov Gallery exhibits 130 landscape photographs, tracing the evolution of the photographic view of Russian nature

![Black and white artistic landscape photograph featuring a church, horses, and a beam of light breaking through clouds near a body of water](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/04/priroda-fotografii-vystavka-tretyakovskaya-galereya/priroda-fotografii-vystavka-tretyakovskaya-galereya-1.webp)

## Key Points

- The exhibition "The Nature of Photography" opened on November 3, 2026, at the Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val and will run until March 28, 2027.
- The exposition includes about 130 works by over 30 authors, with many shown for the first time; the curator is Nikita Erofeev.
- The project traces the evolution of landscape photography from imitating painting to an independent artistic language.
- The exposition features works by Vishnyakov, Mescherin, Grabar, Andreev, Rodchenko, Kovrigin, Erin, Kulyabykin, as well as photographs of "Collective Actions" performances, Infante's projects, and Polissky's land art.

On November 3, 2026, the exhibition "The Nature of Photography," dedicated to landscape photography in Russia, opened at the Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val (Krymsky Val, 10, Hall 82). The exposition includes about 130 works by more than 30 authors, with many pieces being shown to the public for the first time. The project will run until March 28, 2027. Alongside works from the gallery's own collection, visitors will see photographs by winners of the international mobile photography contest HUAWEI XMAGE, which brings together both amateurs and professionals, including in the landscape genre. The curator of the exhibition is Nikita Erofeev.

### From imitating painting to an independent language

The central idea of the exposition is to trace the evolution of photographic interest in Russian nature: from early experiments oriented towards painting traditions to contemporary artistic practices. The exhibition shows how, for over a century, photography gradually developed its own artistic language and became an independent way of interpreting the landscape rather than merely an illustration of the pictorial canon.

### Pictorialism and Constructivism: two poles of the landscape

The earliest works in the exposition are pieces by Evgeny Vishnyakov, Nikolai Mescherin, and Igor Grabar, reflecting the desire to solve traditional artistic tasks using the means of the new art. In the 20th century, photography increasingly became a space for experimentation. The exhibition presents two contrasting approaches: the pictorialism of Nikolai Andreev, who used soft-focus lenses and special printing techniques to move away from the precise recording of reality, and the constructivism of Alexander Rodchenko, for whom the natural motif was an occasion for experiments with composition and angles. In both cases, the landscape acted not only as an object of shooting but also as a space for artistic research and work with audience perception.

### Landscape as a space for artistic research

The exposition reveals a variety of approaches to depicting nature. In the photographs of Moscow Oblast architecture by Vadim Kovrigin, nature formally remains a secondary character, yet it is not perceived as a background and often plays a key role in the frame. The works of Anatoly Erin, created during an expedition to Valaam dedicated to the plein-air geography of Ivan Shishkin, have the character of documentary research. Nikolai Kulyabykin, in turn, combined panoramic landscape views with vivid outdoor impressions, finding poetry in the contemplation of nature.

### Photography as a fixation of artistic practices

A special place in the exposition is occupied by photography as a means of recording other artistic practices. The exhibition features photographs of performances by the "Collective Actions" group, experiments with artifacts by Francisco Infante, and land art works by Nikolai Polissky. Thus, the landscape photograph here acts both as a document and as an independent statement.

### Conclusion: over a century of the photographic gaze

By bringing together works from different eras and artistic movements, the exhibition "The Nature of Photography" shows that throughout its history, photography developed simultaneously as a means of documenting reality and as an independent artistic statement. The project reveals the diversity of approaches to depicting nature and the possibilities of photographic art, tracing the path from the late 19th century to the present day.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [«Природа фотографии»: 3 ноября в Третьяковской галерее откроется выставка пейзажных снимков](https://www.goha.ru/priroda-fotografii-3-noyabrya-v-tretyakovskoj-galeree-otkroetsya-vystavka-pejzazhnyh-snimkov-4Ve210) - Primary source: dates (Nov 3, 2026 — Mar 28, 2027), address (Krymsky Val, 10, Hall 82), about 130 works by over 30 authors, curator Nikita Erofeev, composition of authors and exposition sections.
- [В Москве, в Третьяковской галерее, откроется выставка «Природа фотографии»](https://daily.afisha.ru/news/112104-v-moskve-v-tretyakovskoy-galeree-otkroetsya-vystavka-priroda-fotografii/) - Independent confirmation of scale (about 130 works, 30+ authors), period (late 19th century — present day), participation of the Huawei XMAGE contest, and the list of authors; matches the primary source.

## FAQ

### When and where is the exhibition "The Nature of Photography" taking place?

The exhibition opened on November 3, 2026, at the Tretyakov Gallery on Krymsky Val (Krymsky Val, 10, Hall 82) and will run until March 28, 2027.

### How many works and authors are featured in the exhibition?

The exposition includes about 130 works by over 30 authors, many of which are being shown for the first time.

### Who is the curator of the exhibition?

The curator of the exhibition is Nikita Erofeev.

### What unites the works in the exposition?

The project traces the evolution of landscape photography — from early works oriented towards painting traditions to contemporary artistic practices, showing how photography became an independent way of interpreting the landscape.