Woman with Serpents
1909
- восковые краски on canvas. 213,8 х 106,7
- Ж-10380
Пост. в 1944 из Инспекции по охране памятников, Ленинград-
Сведения о реставрации:
Реставрация: Клёнова О.Ю. (1996)
- Period Late 19th century – Early 20th century
- CategoryMythological Subject
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This exotic and suggestive painting, with its magical ornamental design, is a typical example of the oeuvre of Nikolai Kalmakov in the late 1900s and early 1910s. Oriental mythology was a common motif in the artist’s works. This particular picture possibly depicts the goddess Kali, a fierce and terrifying aspect of Devi — wife of Siva and personification of the formidable and destructive aspect of his divine energy. At the end of a kalpa or periodical life cycle, Kali (Sanskrit: black) shrouds the world in darkness, contributing to its destruction. Kali was a devouring, destructive goddess and a mighty patroness. This work by Kalmakov, like other works by him, represents one of the varieties of Russian symbolist art, which echoes one of the Art Nouveau.