Portrait of the Artist’s Daughter
1906
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Location in museum
The Benois Wing
Open the panorama of the hall in the virtual tour
Room 68 - Period Late 19th century – Early 20th century
- CategoryPortrait
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Mikhail Nesterov often portrayed his eldest daughter Olga. This famous portrait depicts her in riding gear on the bank of the White River outside Ufa. The composition is based on a study from life later finished in Kiev. The slender figure of the young woman is depicted against a background of green fields commonly encountered in Nesterov’s works. Olga’s slightly wearisome face betrays a hint of light grief, corresponding to the quiet state of nature in the hours before sundown. The canvas is pervaded with a mood of soft and elegaic meditation. As the artist once said: «I avoid depicting ‘strong passions’; I prefer our quiet landscapes and the inner life of man.» Olga Mikhailovna Nesterova (married name Schroeter) (1886–1973). Russian Museum: From Icons to the Modern Times. Palace Editions, St Petersburg, 2015. P. 251.