The industrial painting was one of the trends of the 20th century. It took shape as a separate genre in the first third of the century and gained special popularity in the post-war period when it was necessary to restore the economy and celebrate the heroism of labor. Therefore, it is not surprising that many Soviet artists used the image of a worker.
The Ural artist Alexander Filippovich Burak also joined in the trend of depicting factory workers. He created a large-scale painting, glorifying labor deeds.
The creative process was difficult. When it came to developing the characters and forming the idea for his painting, Burak preferred the open-hearth shop of the Ural Machine-Building Plant to his workshop. At first, the artist was going to dedicate his work to the introduction of self-service workers' canteens. He even had the title — “The Beginning of Trouble”. The painter oftentimes observed a scene where, after a long day of hard physical labor, a steelworker timidly and hesitantly carried his tray afraid of knocking over a glass or a plate or spilling cabbage soup. Burak viewed the situation as comical, touching, and devoid of drama.
After a long time spent in the workshops, Burak finally found his story and his characters. He chose to capture the moments of rest after the smelting was complete for the day.
The picture depicts people who, just a minute ago, were united by one aspiration and common goal, but now that they have a minute to themselves, they have an opportunity to contemplate their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
This understanding helped the artist to focus on the personalities of his characters. Every one of them has their own unique inner world, but at the same time, they all share features that were typical of that time. An intense and saturated color scheme conveys the tense atmosphere of labor and reflects the cooling heat of the workshop. The preparatory studies were made for this picture, for both the characters and the interiors.
The central character was inspired by the steelmaker Fyodor Zakharovich Anoshchenko, who worked at Uralmash almost from its very first days. Burak had been making portraits of him for six months using different angles. The image of a steelworker lighting a cigarette became a real challenge for the painter. Burak changed it several times, trying to catch the right mood and a glimpse of his personality.
The painting “Smelting is Done for the Day” was awarded the Honorary Diploma of the First Degree of the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR for participation in the Republican Art Exhibition.
The Ural artist Alexander Filippovich Burak also joined in the trend of depicting factory workers. He created a large-scale painting, glorifying labor deeds.
The creative process was difficult. When it came to developing the characters and forming the idea for his painting, Burak preferred the open-hearth shop of the Ural Machine-Building Plant to his workshop. At first, the artist was going to dedicate his work to the introduction of self-service workers' canteens. He even had the title — “The Beginning of Trouble”. The painter oftentimes observed a scene where, after a long day of hard physical labor, a steelworker timidly and hesitantly carried his tray afraid of knocking over a glass or a plate or spilling cabbage soup. Burak viewed the situation as comical, touching, and devoid of drama.
After a long time spent in the workshops, Burak finally found his story and his characters. He chose to capture the moments of rest after the smelting was complete for the day.
The picture depicts people who, just a minute ago, were united by one aspiration and common goal, but now that they have a minute to themselves, they have an opportunity to contemplate their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
This understanding helped the artist to focus on the personalities of his characters. Every one of them has their own unique inner world, but at the same time, they all share features that were typical of that time. An intense and saturated color scheme conveys the tense atmosphere of labor and reflects the cooling heat of the workshop. The preparatory studies were made for this picture, for both the characters and the interiors.
The central character was inspired by the steelmaker Fyodor Zakharovich Anoshchenko, who worked at Uralmash almost from its very first days. Burak had been making portraits of him for six months using different angles. The image of a steelworker lighting a cigarette became a real challenge for the painter. Burak changed it several times, trying to catch the right mood and a glimpse of his personality.
The painting “Smelting is Done for the Day” was awarded the Honorary Diploma of the First Degree of the Ministry of Culture of the RSFSR for participation in the Republican Art Exhibition.
