The artist Alexander Zolotykh created the Ivan & Marya diptych in 2010. In these two paintings he allegorically, in the genre of everyday still life, conveyed his ideas on the male and female principles. Individual objects add together to create traditional images of a Russian peasant family – of husband and wife, Ivan and Marya.

The painting Ivan depicts an overcoat that hangs on the wall, next to which are kirza boots and a soldier’s flask. The items indicate that their master has returned from the war.

Also, the canvas depicts various tools: a two-handed saw, an axe, a plane, an anvil, and pincers. The metaphorical “Ivan” is a skilled worker and industrious man of the house who masters several crafts at once. The tools do not look new, but they show no rust. The way the artist painted them indicates clearly that though these devices are often used, they are treated with care.

In the centre of the picture, the author placed a cart wheel, a horse collar with jingle bells, a horseshoe and a small bell, which in ancient times used to be hung under the shaft bow. To the left of them, on the wall, hangs a whip, with the help of which the team was driven. Horses were considered the most important animals in the peasant farm: with them people ploughed the land, rode to the fair, carried grain sacs on carts.

There is an accordion next to the wheel and boots. Its body is frayed and scratched: it is clear that the instrument has been around for many years, and it has often been used. With this detail, the artist pointed out that the life of a peasant does not consist only of constant labour: there is a place in it for rest, celebration, fun.

The Belgorod State Art Museum acquired the Ivan & Marya diptych in 2011, when the paintings participated in the Prokhorovskoye Pole art exhibition and competition.

The artist Alexander Zolotykh was born in 1960 in the village of Siniye Lipyagi, Voronezh Oblast. He graduated from the Voronezh Art College, then entered the Surikov Moscow Art Institute. For several years, the painter taught at the Voronezh State Academy of Arts.

Zolotykh paints oil paintings in different genres: still-lifes, portraits, landscapes, scenes from everyday life. The artist calls the diptych Ivan da Marya his favourite work.