The collection of the Engels Museum of Local Lore houses a painting by Yakov Yakovlevich Weber “Girl with a Lemon”. This painting is one of the student works of the artist, created from life in the Imperial Academy of Arts, where he studied from 1901 to 1909.

The painting “Girl with a Lemon” demonstrates the growth of Weber’s mastery in depicting the nude model. This is primarily due to short-term studies with Konstantin Korovin in Moscow in 1897. Weber studied under the famous painter after failing the exam at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where he had applied with other Saratov artists Pyotr Utkin and Pavel Kuznetsov. Studying under Korovin gave the young artist a unique opportunity to work with models, mainly painting female nudes, which was allowed only after several years of study in other schools in Russia at that time. Later, the gained experience and good drawing skills enabled Weber to paint at the proper professional level at the Academy.

The early student work shows correctness of proportions and accuracy of chromatic relationships, as well as elegance and refinement of pose and gesture. The girl is depicted in full size: the lowered gaze, the hand with the lemon, her figure rendered with restrained strokes, and the shape of the drapery constituting the background, — all this demonstrates the artist’s high skill. The brush makes more delicate and subtle strokes on the model’s face. Warm and cold colors are harmoniously combined into a cohesive colorful palette.

Weber’s early works are characterized by an appeal to the traditions of portrait and landscape painting of the Peredvizhniki artists, while his student works show the influence of his teacher Konstantin Apollonovich Savitsky, imitating the motifs and general tone of his works. Savitsky deliberately promoted the realistic method in art, so the school practice focused a lot on plein air work, with painting playing the main role. Weber and Savitsky established a good friendship.