A Village
From the Rasyea cycle. 1918
- Period Early 20th century
- CategoryGenre Painting
Created in the wake of the revolutionary events, Boris Grigoriev’s Raseya cycle (1917–22) brought the artist fame and helped to define his creative credo. Raseya was perceived as a profound and expressive image of Russia in 1917 — hungry and exhausted by labour and war. The mistrustful glances of the rustic heroes of Countryside reflect the inner tension and psychologism. Grigoriev’s combination of Neoclassicism with elements of Expressionism, restrained colour nuances and simplified and grotesque forms turn the simple-hearted men, women and children of Raseya into the heroes of a dramatic era. Contemporaries highly rated Grigoriev’s painting, believing that for future generations «this work will speak volumes more than any chronicle or book, painting a profound picture of the history of the dictatorship of workers and peasants.» The artist completed the cycle in emigration. Russian Museum: From Icons to the Modern Times. Palace Editions, St Petersburg, 2015. P. 276.