Pavel Kovalevskiy created the painting ‘A winter day. By the Tavern, ” in 1882. He portrayed an aspect of typical everyday life with a winter landscape in the background. There are horses harnessed to a sleigh near a wooden hut. A man in winter clothes is rising upwards on the sleigh. The man he is talking to is standing with his back towards the door. There is a thick layer of light snow on the roof. On the left side of the painting, there is a rider on a horse.
In this work of art, the artist subtly and modestly introduces the topic of drunk and disorderly in the Russian wilderness. The title of the painting is ‘a winter day. By the Tavern, ” he leaves a hint as to which courtyard is painted on the canvas. Taverns in villages were usually located on the outskirts of the settlement - this hut is also located far from other village houses, which are barely visible on the left side of the canvas. The artist does not want to address the viewer with disgusting displays of public intoxication. His characters look ordinary. The artist showed his concern for the people in a concealed way - with the help of a gloomy palette of grey. The choice of a dark and heavy color helped to portray the artist’s mood and thoughts to the viewer in this painting.
Pavel Kovalevskiy lived from 1843 to 1903. He was most famous for being a military artist. Following the first days of studies, the artist chose the department of military art — he studied under Bogdan Willewalde, a recognized artist of this genre. Pavel Kovalevskiy progressed so well in his studies that he was awarded four silver medals and two gold medals. When he earned recognition for his work he was invited to accompany the Russian army during the Russian-Turkish war between 1877 and 1878. That is where the artist gathered some invaluable inspiration for his works. In the early 1880s the artist received the title of Professor, and from 1897 he took over the post as the head of the military art department at the Academy of Arts. He trained future military artists until the end of his days at the academy.
Most of all Pavel Kovalevskiy loved paintings with images of horses. The perfect body proportions of these animals and their graceful movements are reflected in his paintings with the utmost care. He knew their anatomical features very well and depicted them in many works, including those on everyday themes.
