Korobochk The Sacred Lake

I had the pleasure of visiting Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University. I was even lucky enough to have Ulrika show us some of the art around the museum. We toured ‘The George Riabov Collection of Russian Art’ and saw many beautiful pieces of art. Perhaps my favorite piece of art that I viewed was “Stage for Korobochka.” This is a tempera and gouache on board painting created by Serge Soudeikine. This style of art is abstract representational because the painting is somewhat representational, yet it is not based on the real world. Representational artwork is art that has recognizable forms. This is the case because I can comprehend that the painting is of some sort of performance on a stage. The colors in this painting are really nice to
This painting depicts a scenic landscape filled with a winding road, a house, an island, and a body of water. Despite the many different features, the painting gives the viewer a sense of calmness. The large amount of negative space implies a feeling of loneliness, as much of the sky, water, and mountains in the background take up most of the painting. The perspective of the painting allows the viewer to determine that there is deep space because the house is far down the winding dirt road and the island is fairly distant off of the coast. I also find the scale of this painting to be interesting because it conveys how far away the man on the bottom right is from the building. Scale is the size of an object compared to another object. I also thought it was intriguing how the man is dressed in religious garb. The painting is titled “The Sacred Lake” so there is likely some religious
What I noticed first was the somber composition of the men in the bottom left corner. These men seem defeated and miserable about working for the coal factories in Russia because they appear disinterested and hesitant about going back into the factory. Another aspect of the painting that I enjoy is the texture on the enclosing wall on the bottom of the painting. Using different brushstrokes creates a new perception of the canvas and creates texture. In this case, the texture makes the wall seem worn and desecrated. This adds to the tone of solemnity expressed by the workers because the wall is faded and not taken care of. If the establishment itself is not preserved, then the workers probably are not treated very well. I also noticed the light on the top right of the painting. The light is above a hotel and this could symbolize an escape from being a coal factory worker. While the coal factory is dark and ominous, the hotel and the set of buildings in the distance are bright and positive. Lastly, I noticed that “The Coal Factories” painting is vertical while most other paintings at Zimmerli Museum are horizontal. The vertical perspective conveys the hierarchical system in Russia. The Russian oligarchy is in the background of the painting, depicting the trickle-down power of the Russian empire. The workers at the coal factories work hard while the Russian government stays happy