The Mother of God of Tenderness Towards Evil Hearts
1914–1915
- oil on canvas. 100,2 x 110
- Ж-11200
Received in 1985-
Сведения о реставрации:
Киселёва М.А. (1987)
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Location in museum
The Benois Wing
Open the panorama of the hall in the virtual tour
Room 79 - Period Late 19th century – Early 20th century
- CategoryBiblical Subject
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Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin spent a lot of time between 1913 and 1915 working on murals in the cathedrals of Kronstadt and Sumy. This may have been what inspired the appearance of such a remarkable easel work as the Mother of God of Tenderness Towards Evil Hearts. This was the author’s title; in Orthodox iconography the image is known as the Mother of God of the Softening of Evil Hearts. Created at the start of the First World War, Petrov-Vodkin’s picture acquired a special significance as the artist’s spiritual response to the tragic events of the war. Despite its small size, the canvas is a major monumental work, burning with the fire of a sublime spiritual force. The artist himself said that the face was «the highest possible form of expression». This instilling and lofty icon of the Virgin Mary is one of the most powerful images in the oeuvre of Petrov-Vodkin. Russian Museum: From Icons to the Modern Times. Palace Editions, St Petersburg, 2015. P. 282.