When Mordovian autonomy was established in the 1930s, the national theme, the image of the hardworking man, the creator of a new life, took a significant place in the work of the painter Fedot Sychkov. Mordovian ethnoculture had long been of interest to the master, even before the October Revolution, as evidenced by numerous photographs and pencil sketches from Sychkov’s archive. One of the best paintings in the gallery of the national types is “Mordovian Tractor Drivers”. The artist recalled about the creation of this paired portrait that once two lively Mordovian girls came to his studio,

As the artist listened to his visitors, he could not help noticing the distinctive features of their appearance, the manner of their demeanor, and the colors of the national costumes that the girls found necessary to wear on the occasion of such an important visit. That is how this portrait appeared. The two friends hug each other; the face of the blond and petite one is aglow with happiness and carefree smiles. The one that is sturdier, broad in the shoulders ponders about something, staring dreamily somewhere in the distance. The painter meticulously depicts the ornaments of the female friends, admiring their diversity. The painter’s talented brush captures the realistic details in the multilayered neck, pectoral and waist ornaments. Glimmering glass beads, matte glow of antique beads of rowanberry color on the openwork pelerine — “bayaravan-krgan”, mysterious gleam of metal coins and tokens, convex pattern of cowrie shells in the belt pendant, magnificent embroidery, shaded by the luster of braid, and intricate headdresses — all this adds a bright and festive chord to the portrait and complements the appeal of the girls’ images.

The artist decided to paint the girls who were not wearing greasy overalls on an “iron horse”, but their national costumes. Fedot Sychkov was interested in the authenticity and harmony of Mordovian costumes and wanted to communicate this splendor to the audience.