In the 1920s and 1930s, Fedot Sychkov paid a lot of attention to genre portraits, which he began to paint in the first decade of the 20th century. In a genre portrait, the model is not set against a neutral background but is rather depicted in the surrounding of household items, nature, or architecture. These details make it easier to reveal the character of a sitter, to show his place of origin or social status.
The people’s life inspired the artist. He created a whole gallery of portraits depicting beautiful countryside women, expressing his understanding of harmony through the images of young peasant women. The attractive, cheerful, blushing countryside woman with a strong character looking directly at the viewer with sincerity and openness was very special to him. The Ryabov sisters often posed for such Sychkov’s paintings.
In this picture, the artist depicted Sofia Ryabova (Chizhikova by marriage) in the traditional costume of that time. Her cheerful image also appeared in other paintings: ‘Near the Fence. Summer’, ‘Festive day’, ‘Dancer Sonya’. The artist depicted three other Ryabov sisters — Vasilisa, Tatiana, and Anastasia in genre portraits called ‘Visiting’, ‘Nastya is Knitting’ and in other paintings.
The sisters became orphans early. Their grandmother Akulina, who taught the girls to stitching, knitting, and needlework brought them up. They also managed to be good at farming: they could hitch a horse, and worked hard during mowing and reaping. The artist’s ideas about a healthy and integral national character appeared in their portraits.
Many years later, the adult children of Sofia Chizhikova came to the artist with a request to paint a portrait of their mother for them one more time. When the artist looked at his favorite model, he could not get to work and had to refuse. The artist did not see the carefree joy, cheerful smile, and perky glint in the eyes that he loved so much in Sofia. A hard life has left its trace on the appearance of the woman. Therefore, the image of this character remained for her children as vivid and cheerful as in her younger years. She appears as a young, blushing woman who stands with a smile in the midst of a rye field.
The people’s life inspired the artist. He created a whole gallery of portraits depicting beautiful countryside women, expressing his understanding of harmony through the images of young peasant women. The attractive, cheerful, blushing countryside woman with a strong character looking directly at the viewer with sincerity and openness was very special to him. The Ryabov sisters often posed for such Sychkov’s paintings.
In this picture, the artist depicted Sofia Ryabova (Chizhikova by marriage) in the traditional costume of that time. Her cheerful image also appeared in other paintings: ‘Near the Fence. Summer’, ‘Festive day’, ‘Dancer Sonya’. The artist depicted three other Ryabov sisters — Vasilisa, Tatiana, and Anastasia in genre portraits called ‘Visiting’, ‘Nastya is Knitting’ and in other paintings.
The sisters became orphans early. Their grandmother Akulina, who taught the girls to stitching, knitting, and needlework brought them up. They also managed to be good at farming: they could hitch a horse, and worked hard during mowing and reaping. The artist’s ideas about a healthy and integral national character appeared in their portraits.
Many years later, the adult children of Sofia Chizhikova came to the artist with a request to paint a portrait of their mother for them one more time. When the artist looked at his favorite model, he could not get to work and had to refuse. The artist did not see the carefree joy, cheerful smile, and perky glint in the eyes that he loved so much in Sofia. A hard life has left its trace on the appearance of the woman. Therefore, the image of this character remained for her children as vivid and cheerful as in her younger years. She appears as a young, blushing woman who stands with a smile in the midst of a rye field.
