Portrait
of a Peasant Woman in a Traditional Russian Dress (1784)
Oil on canvas, 67 x 53.6 cm. Tretiakov Gallery, Moscow. |
Ivan Petrovich Argunov
(1729-1802) was born in Moscow, a serf on the estate of the Count Sheremetev.
It is possible that he studied art with his cousin, Fedor Leontevich Argunov
and with G. Groot. Like Antropov, Argunov was also a member of the first
generation of portrait painters in Russia, and he benefited from the interest
his owners had in portrait painting. As portraits became popular among the
upper classes, many serf owners were anxious for their serfs to learn to
paint, so that they would be able to paint good likenesses of them. As other
peasant artists of the time, he painted portraits of his owner and of other
peasants. In his paintings, rich in details, Argunov shows himself a master
of chiaroscuro. The Portrait of a Peasant Woman in a Traditional Russian
Dress depicts a common peasant in a traditional "kokoshnik" headdress
and a "sarafan," usually a sleeveless dress worn over a shirt, but sometimes,
like here, with thin sleeves attached. Argunov's amazing technique does
justice to the fine clothing of his subject. He is able to render with great
accuracy the gold thread used to decorate the kokoshnik and the sarafan.
His extraordinary technique in placing alternating brushstrokes to properly
depict the different directions of the thread both on the kokoshnik
and on the dress gives us a feeling that we can touch the embroidery. Equally
impressive is the rendering of the gauzy texture of the woman's sleeves
and the brilliance of a single red button fastening the top of the sarafan.
While being attentive to the details of his sitter's clothing, Argunov does
not neglect her physical appearance, altering and adjusting the light which
illuminates her face and bosom. The subject of his portrait is a beautiful
woman with slightly rouged cheeks, manicured eyebrows, and a slightly wide
nose. Finally, the artist is able to finish the portrait by adding beautiful
large earrings, a large coral necklace, and a rainbow sash around the waist
of the model. Despite all this attention to detail and an unusual technical
ability to represent it, the master created a portrait of extraordinary
balance and charm.[S.H.] |