The Russian word картина has more than one meaning and consequently can get a bit confusing in certain situations. The most popular definition of the word is the noun painting. And the painting has to be a true piece of art of considerable size or reasonable value to be called a картина, otherwise it’s a картинка (something I and kindergarteners would draw).

Kартина can sometimes stand for image, picture or scenery— depending on the subject matter of the conversation. For example you can use the scene/scenery translation to describe nature or anything else that you see live; like some swimmer being attacked by a a Great White, and etc… Also, just like a lot of English-speaking filmmakers refer to their films as “pictures," many Russian directors describe them as картины.

A картина can be нарисована (drawn), написана (written/painted), снята (filmed), описана (described) and создана (created).

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Вот картина Ивана Шишкина «Утро в сосновом лесу». Here is Ivan Shishkin's painting "Morning in a Pine Forest." It is one of the most recognizable paintings in Russia, partly because it is depicted on the wrappers of the popular candy «Мишка Kосолапый» "Clumsy Bear."