‘Zina’ is a late work of People’s Artist of the Russian Federation Nikolai Sysoev painted in 1990. The artist was 72 years old at the time. It is safe to say that the work before us is that of a mature master bringing all his talent to bear as the author of a psychological portrait.
Nikolai Sysoev was born in 1918. He spent his childhood in the Lipetsk region, in the village of Slanskoe. Later on, he would return to his native village to hone his skills and make a series of studies and sketches for future work. In the village of Slanskoe he painted a whole gallery of Russian peasant characters. He would employ similar works, for example, when creating the canvas “Collectivization”. Each character is important, and each character is shown acting, expressing emotion, thinking.
This painting depicts a resident of the village of Slanskoe, a distant relative of the artist, Zinaida Medvedeva. The artist was drawn to portraits of simple people engaged in rural labour. Medvedeva was employed as a calf herd, a truly difficult and important job. Calf herds take care of newborn calves up to three months of age. Their duties include a whole range of jobs related to the animal: from taking the calf after childbirth to cleaning and disinfecting the premises.
The artist masterfully created dimension, “sculpting” the face with wide, large strokes. In this work, he used a lot of red: the jacket, scarf, and drawing on the carpet behind the woman. There are many shades of one colour, but its is a red that is different everywhere. The viewer is presented first and foremost with the woman’s character. A profound gaze tangibly conveying a difficult life, concentration, and a certain fatigue. The artist does not hide or try to embellish the real image. In his work, the artist directs the main focus to the face and eyes, which serve as a true mirror of the soul, lending spirituality and especial warmth to the portrait’s subject.
He considered Vasily Surikov and Ilya Repin to be points of reference. The work of these realist artists influenced the formation of Sysoev’s style. He also put realism above all other artistic movements.
Nikolai Sysoev was born in 1918. He spent his childhood in the Lipetsk region, in the village of Slanskoe. Later on, he would return to his native village to hone his skills and make a series of studies and sketches for future work. In the village of Slanskoe he painted a whole gallery of Russian peasant characters. He would employ similar works, for example, when creating the canvas “Collectivization”. Each character is important, and each character is shown acting, expressing emotion, thinking.
This painting depicts a resident of the village of Slanskoe, a distant relative of the artist, Zinaida Medvedeva. The artist was drawn to portraits of simple people engaged in rural labour. Medvedeva was employed as a calf herd, a truly difficult and important job. Calf herds take care of newborn calves up to three months of age. Their duties include a whole range of jobs related to the animal: from taking the calf after childbirth to cleaning and disinfecting the premises.
The artist masterfully created dimension, “sculpting” the face with wide, large strokes. In this work, he used a lot of red: the jacket, scarf, and drawing on the carpet behind the woman. There are many shades of one colour, but its is a red that is different everywhere. The viewer is presented first and foremost with the woman’s character. A profound gaze tangibly conveying a difficult life, concentration, and a certain fatigue. The artist does not hide or try to embellish the real image. In his work, the artist directs the main focus to the face and eyes, which serve as a true mirror of the soul, lending spirituality and especial warmth to the portrait’s subject.
He considered Vasily Surikov and Ilya Repin to be points of reference. The work of these realist artists influenced the formation of Sysoev’s style. He also put realism above all other artistic movements.
