The Painting by Pukirev “Unequal marriage”


Vasily Vladimirovich Pukirev – a famous Russian painter, famous for his genre painting “Unequal Marriage”, written in 1862. In those days, the problem of women’s lack of rights was very acute. In Russian society, voices were increasingly voiced in defense of women’s equality. This theme in his work was developed by the artist Pukirev. The plot of the picture is a life drama that is common for those times: an unequal marriage. A young girl is married to a rich old man.

The appearance of the bride is charming: she still has unformed, childlike soft features, beautiful eyes. The bride is pale, probably she is close to fainting. An elderly groom makes an unpleasant impression: he has inexpressive dim eyes, fastidious lips protruding. This man is accustomed to order. The fate of a girl is easy to predict: she will become a toy in the house of a rich and powerful old man.

The artist with great power depicted the secondary characters of the picture. All these people who come to the church for a wedding ceremony consider this marriage to be a matter of course: their faces express indifference or cold curiosity. The bride, who most likely hates and fears her future husband with all her heart, has nowhere to wait for help: on the side of the groom, the law is not only earthy, but heavenly as well – the rite is blessed by the church.

Only one of the present – a young man – his own expression expresses a silent protest: his face reads a reproach, his arms crossed on his chest. Vasily Vladimirovich Pukirev with the unsurpassed talent of the realist artist captured on the canvas the drama of a destitute young creature.


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The Painting by Pukirev “Unequal marriage”