The artist Alexander Mikhailovich Gerasimov was born and raised in the quaint town of Kozlov with a centuries-old way of living. The population was primarily engaged in trading, buying, and driving cattle. The town also had taverns, water mills, privately-owned handicraft factories, and tallow rendering plants. The main square, located on the highest point of the town, was surrounded by a gallery of shops that sold bread, wood chips, fish and meat.

Sasha Gerasimov’s father, Mikhail Safronovich, was a fish-and-meat wholesaler who bought fish or meat and salted it for retail sale in villages. Sasha often visited slaughterhouses of the town and was engaged in the trade himself.

Alexander Gerasimov created the large painting “Slaughterhouse” in 1929 and demonstrated it at the 11th exhibition, organized by the Association of Artists of Revolutionary Russia. The picture is rooted in the artist’s profound and close observation of nature. Alexander Gerasimov’s memories of his youth were quite useful in creating the work. A huge thoroughbred bull occupies a significant part of the composition; the animal feels the danger, its body tense from anticipation. It is opposed by the strong, muscular figure of a slaughterman. The artist was especially meticulous in outlining the man in the foreground.

Alexander Gerasimov put a lot of passion and temperament into painting the “Slaughterhouse”. The artist repeatedly mentioned slaughterers as people who were quite empathetic, “Taverns were often frequented by wandering singers; they sang with a violin or harmonica accompaniment. They mostly performed mournful songs, like ‘The Parting’ or ‘The Pauper’s Share’ or something else equally sad. And strangely enough, the same people that killed cattle without blinking in the slaughterhouse, where everything was covered in blood, were there to listen to those wistful songs with tears in their eyes. Touched to the core, they opened their purses willingly and rewarded the performers with great generosity.”