In 1914, Pavel Filonov and several other Russian avant-guardists published Made Paintings, a manifesto of analytical art. According to Filonov’s method, everything in nature and in art develops from parts to the whole. With each stroke, an artist creates an atom of a new matter, so that everything depicted on his canvas is growing organically. This analytical method resulted in a complex composition in which all elements are closely related. Such a structure arose from overlapping colours and forms.

Like all futurists, Filonov believed in the future prosperity of the world that would follow after the Apocalypse — when the old world dies. Nikolai Kuzmin, a Russian and Soviet graphic artist and Filonov’s contemporary, wrote: When the First World War broke out, many people claimed the role of soothsayers who foresaw in their works the coming bloody disasters. Filonov more than others deserved the title of a prophet. Even animals' faces reflect anticipation of apocalypse. The expressive dark eyes of the horse are as if they are full of tears.

The Peasant Family belongs to a cycle of twenty-two paintings entitled Entering the World Prosperity. The entire series is dedicated to a brighter future when art will triumph in human lives.

The principle of world prosperity was reflected in the motley world around the character of the canvas. The author chose colorful, rich, radiant tones. Especially pink, violet and lilac shades prevailed in the artist’s palette. Such colours were characteristic of the Venetian Renaissance school, which Filonov much appreciated.