Vladimir Makovsky, who was proficient in genre painting, created it in 1893. The artist often took topics for his work from real life of the ordinary people. Most often, his paintings depict several people and reflect a silent dialogue between them.

This painting is a sad satire by Vladimir Makovsky depicting the deterioration of family relations because of money. The artist painted every image, every household and interior item with great detail.

Probably, the viewers witness the unexpected visit of one of the sisters, who arrive to her father’s house with some claims. The family quarrel is taking place in her father’s study. He is sitting at the table with a mess all around it: papers are scattered and books have fallen down from the chair. The old man is looking in the window apathetically; he turns his back on both daughters because he no longer wants to participate in this family conflict.

Vladimir Makovsky purposefully emphasized the difference in the way the two sisters look — the abyss of social and financial disparity yawns between them. They are very differently dressed.

The young girl depicted on the left is wearing a bright brown fur coat. She is holding a muff in her hands. A miniature hat decorated with flowers is sitting on the guest’s head. Everything in the way she looks shows her prosperity. The second sister is dressed in a modest dark dress without any bright decorations or jewelry.

Paintings are hanging on the walls of the study, and the shelves are filled with books and statuettes. With those details, the artist implies the former wealth and beauty of the house. Now the situation is much worse: the father is wearing a shabby frock, a bottle is sitting on the table, the inkpots are empty, and there is a mess all around the table.

Vladimir Makovsky was born in Moscow in 1846. His father was one of the founders of Moscow School of Arts, Sculpture and Architecture. There was always a creative atmosphere in the family of the future artist: painters, musicians and actors were frequent guests there. Makovsky demonstrated his talents in arts in his early years. His first teacher of painting was the famous Russian portrait painter Vasily Tropinin. In 1861, Makovsky became a student of Moscow School of Arts, Sculpture and Architecture. Soon he became a member of the Itinerants partnership, which promoted realistic depiction of the life of ordinary people. Genre paintings by Makovsky are the most typical pieces of art of this partnership.