In this painting, the artist depicted the three brothers — a set of three rocks, one of the main natural landmarks of the Sakhalin Region. According to the legend of the Nivkhs, an indigenous ethnic group inhabiting Sakhalin, the rocks were once brothers who set off on a quest to achieve a happy life for their poor people. In their search for the “keys to the people’s happiness, ” the brothers encountered the mighty deity Dev, who stopped them.

Legend has it that the three brothers were frozen in stone and turned into three rocks on the seashore. Dev poured water on them, attempting to crush them to the ground and take back the keys, but he could not defeat the brothers. The three rocks became a symbol of loyalty and courage; they gave strength to the people, who joined their forces and defeated the evil Dev. The Nivkhs have lived happily ever since.

Rocks that consist of columns or cones, usually emerging from the water, are called stacks. The three Brothers stand in the Strait of Tartary, near the west coast of Sakhalin. The “oldest brother” is 21 meters high, while the height of the other two is about 18 and 15 meters. Nowadays, this is a popular tourist attraction on Sakhalin, where festivals are held, and guided tours are organized.

The museum purchased “The three brothers” from the Sakhalin painter Tatyana Antoshkina (Murashova) to expand its collection of fine arts. Tatyana Antoshkina is a member of the Sakhalin Regional Branch of the Union of Russian Artists and a restoration artist at the Sakhalin Regional Art Museum.