Work began on ‘At the Well’ in 1952. At that time, they were living in Minsk, and they would leave the city for the nearby village of Golotsk during the warmest months of the year. They spotted the painting’s subject in this village.
The Tkachyov brothers depict the village well on a warm summer’s day. A woman in a bright white apron drenches a tractor driver’s back from a wooden bucket. Nearby, another young man is drinking water from the well. The artists have managed to convey the young peoples’ sense of joy and vivacity. It is clear that the subjects are relishing the warm air and the good weather. The brothers’ used this down-to-earth subject matter to express a dearly held perception of the fullness of life - the sincere joy derived from the simplest of moments. They imbued the work with dazzlingly bright colors and, all in all, created a colorful and vibrant painting. There is another version of the painting, where a group of smiling young girls stand in a circle near the well, using buckets to drench a laundry machine operator.
Georgiy Prokhorchuk posed as the young tractor driver for the artists. He was the youngest son of Anna Prokhorchuk, the brothers’ landlady. The artists recall that the village all called him a different name - ‘Zhora’. He was a popular young man and a real driving force in the village.
The brothers set up a studio in the village school to work on the painting. The school’s headteacher was a relation of Anna Prokhorchuk and he gave the brothers access to one of the school’s classrooms. The classroom’s windows opened out onto a stunning view of the countryside. There was also a well sweep, always surrounded by people.
The brothers returned from Golotsk with a huge number of studies, but started work on the painting itself later, at the “I.E. Repin Akademicheskaya Dacha” in Tver Oblast. In 1955, an exhibition of Belarusian painters opened in the USSR Academy of Art. The Tkachyovs exhibited “At the Well”, “In the Field. Airplanes Flying”, “Friends” and others. They were awarded the medal “For Distinguished Labor” for these works.
The Tkachyov brothers depict the village well on a warm summer’s day. A woman in a bright white apron drenches a tractor driver’s back from a wooden bucket. Nearby, another young man is drinking water from the well. The artists have managed to convey the young peoples’ sense of joy and vivacity. It is clear that the subjects are relishing the warm air and the good weather. The brothers’ used this down-to-earth subject matter to express a dearly held perception of the fullness of life - the sincere joy derived from the simplest of moments. They imbued the work with dazzlingly bright colors and, all in all, created a colorful and vibrant painting. There is another version of the painting, where a group of smiling young girls stand in a circle near the well, using buckets to drench a laundry machine operator.
Georgiy Prokhorchuk posed as the young tractor driver for the artists. He was the youngest son of Anna Prokhorchuk, the brothers’ landlady. The artists recall that the village all called him a different name - ‘Zhora’. He was a popular young man and a real driving force in the village.
The brothers set up a studio in the village school to work on the painting. The school’s headteacher was a relation of Anna Prokhorchuk and he gave the brothers access to one of the school’s classrooms. The classroom’s windows opened out onto a stunning view of the countryside. There was also a well sweep, always surrounded by people.
The brothers returned from Golotsk with a huge number of studies, but started work on the painting itself later, at the “I.E. Repin Akademicheskaya Dacha” in Tver Oblast. In 1955, an exhibition of Belarusian painters opened in the USSR Academy of Art. The Tkachyovs exhibited “At the Well”, “In the Field. Airplanes Flying”, “Friends” and others. They were awarded the medal “For Distinguished Labor” for these works.
