The Painting by Serebryakova “Whitewash of the canvas”


The bright background of a gentle blue sky with fluffy soft clouds envelops the figures of young peasant women who, from the very morning, came out on the field to the river where they spread the canvas, and the sun, with its rays, whitens it. Work of female workers does not seem exhausting.

Girls look light, happy, like the very youth. This effect can be achieved by the fact that the artist tried to show them as if they were standing on a raised platform. So they look like monuments of beauty and youth. I liked this moment most of all, after all, the emphasis is mostly on heroines. It is they who are given the key attention, which allows all other details to emphasize this feature.

The artist chose the tones not bright, but they are colorful enough to emphasize the individuality of each character. Without resorting to the portrayal of each girl’s portrait, Serebryakova devotes her attention to each of them, which is why you stare at the traditional clothes of young

women in Russia before the revolution. The choice of a suit indicates the personal characteristics and qualities of peasant women. Their priorities and aspirations are easily discernible. The girls themselves carefully thought out every element of their appearance. And the artist took this as the basis for revealing their image.

The picture gave me its energy. The charge of the nascent day is felt. Only early morning, and sunlight is already gentle, but boldly runs through the meadow, touching the strong figures of peasant women. The dynamics of the process is also guessed in the movement of the girls, the reversal of their figures, in the expression of their faces, and even in bare feet ready for action. The very attitude of the author to his work, not the passive image of what is happening, but a personal approach, the search to express his view of things, enlivens everything that is happening that distant early morning. There is an effect when you want to feel sympathy for the characters, and thus participate in their lives.


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The Painting by Serebryakova “Whitewash of the canvas”