Girl with a Doll. 1937 Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin (1878-1939)
Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin – Girl with a Doll. 1937
Edit attribution
Download full size: 774×1000 px (0,2 Mb)
Painter: Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin
Album navigation:
Petrov Vodkin was a Russian and Soviet artist, writer, and teacher. In his works one often sees the theme of motherhood, which is revealed in two keys - either in the context of holiness, the sublimity of the duty of the mother, who, fulfilling her purpose, becomes equal to the holy, or in the context of naturalness and simplicity, part of life and holy ordinariness. Also in his paintings one often sees children - grabbed with the brush vividly, as if in the midst of a lingering moment, they seem ready in the next moment to snap and flee from the canvas, leaving only the chair or chair on which they were previously seated. "Girl with a Doll" is one such painting.
ArtClub
Best Contemporary Atists
Description of Kuzma Petrov Vodkin’s painting The Girl with the Doll
Petrov Vodkin was a Russian and Soviet artist, writer, and teacher. In his works one often sees the theme of motherhood, which is revealed in two keys - either in the context of holiness, the sublimity of the duty of the mother, who, fulfilling her purpose, becomes equal to the holy, or in the context of naturalness and simplicity, part of life and holy ordinariness.
Also in his paintings one often sees children - grabbed with the brush vividly, as if in the midst of a lingering moment, they seem ready in the next moment to snap and flee from the canvas, leaving only the chair or chair on which they were previously seated.
"Girl with a Doll" is one such painting. It depicts Tatiana Piletskaya, a famous actress of Soviet cinema, in her childhood years, when no one yet thought that such a future awaited her. Her parents were friends with Petrov-Vodkin - their summer cottages were next door and they maintained good relations.
One day the summer-towners’ children staged an impromptu concert-reading poetry, singing songs, dancing-and Petrov-Vodkin, impressed by the girl’s natural grace, invited her to pose for a portrait. She was seven years old at the time.
They arranged themselves on the veranda. Tata found it difficult to sit, and the artist allowed her to twirl and play with a doll, a doll given to her by her father. When she had to be completely still, Tata would look through the stained-glass window on the veranda, peering through the different panes.
The picture left that summer in warm colors, in the red light on the boards of the veranda. A girl sitting on a chair, wary, bored, looking away - I wish they would let me go sooner! - hugs a doll, which, like many dolls, smiles stupidly from under her mistress’s hand.
Tata is wearing a white lace dress and looks at her from the picture as if she were alive. Now she nods and, having comfortably arranged the doll, runs away from the veranda, laughing gaily.
You cannot comment Why?
The girls expression is notable; it conveys a sense of quiet introspection rather than overt joy or playfulness. Her gaze is direct, almost confrontational, yet her eyes hold a certain vulnerability. The doll she holds mirrors this complexity – its painted features are somewhat unsettling, with an exaggerated and slightly melancholic expression that seems to echo the girl’s own mood.
The artists brushwork is loose and expressive, contributing to a sense of immediacy and emotional depth. Colors are muted and earthy, reinforcing the impression of a humble environment and perhaps hinting at a somber atmosphere. The texture of the wooden chair and walls is rendered with visible strokes, adding to the overall feeling of realism and grounding the scene in a tangible space.
Beyond the straightforward depiction of a child with her toy, subtexts emerge concerning innocence, loss, or resilience. The starkness of the surroundings and the girl’s serious demeanor suggest a life lived under challenging circumstances. The doll, typically an object of comfort and imaginative play, becomes less a symbol of carefree childhood and more a companion in solitude. It is possible to interpret this as a portrait reflecting the anxieties and hardships experienced by children during a period of social or political upheaval. The painting evokes a sense of quiet dignity and understated strength within a context of hardship.