Vasily Polenov was a remarkable painter, theater decorator, and composer with two degrees. He earned an art degree from the Saint Petersburg Academy and a law degree from Saint Petersburg University. He was also fond of history, and professionally engaged in mathematics, which helped him greatly in his artistic work.
One of the most important topics of Polenov´s career was the Gospel. The second half of the 19th century was marked by a spiritual quest and a new reading of the Christian religion. A vast number of Russian artists dedicated their work to the reinterpretation of Holy Scripture. As a young boy, Vasily Polenov visited a large exhibition of the artist Alexander Ivanov, where he saw the famous canvas ‘The Appearance of Christ to the People’, as well as preparatory sketches Ivanov had made in the preliminary process. The exhibition had an incredible impact on the future artist, and it was then that he made a plan to create his own artistic image of Christ, close and clear for people. That was the initial point of the future series of paintings dedicated to the life of Jesus.
Polenov shared the views of the French writer and philosopher Ernest Renan about the human nature of Jesus as a real historical figure. Therefore, Christ and the Virgin Mary are close to the viewer, presented as ordinary people with simple human feelings of joy, suffering, hope, and sorrow.
Polenov traveled extensively through the Middle East, and made hundreds of field studies and sketches for his paintings of the gospel cycle. A long stay in the East enriched his palette with bright colors, which surprised both the audience and art critics, who were accustomed to the dark colors of the Wanderers.
In the sketch presented in the Vrubel Museum, Polenov depicted the Virgin Mary walking along the road to the Upland country to see her relative Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. Maria wanted to share the good news that she was waiting a baby. The Mother of God is depicted as an ordinary woman walking along a road. The mountains are shown with great accuracy, and the painting is filled with color reflections that accurately transmit the features of the Southern sunlight.
