Summer (Portrait of O. F. Serova) Valentin Serov (1865-1911)

Description of Valentin Serov’s painting "Summer" (Portrait of O. Serova)

Seven years later, after the painting "The Girl Lit by the Sun" was published, Valentin Serov paints another Impressionist painting, "Summer," in which he depicts his beloved wife, Olga. Here we see a plein air portrait of a woman in a light white blouse, saving her from the summer heat.

Olga’s calm pose conveys her inner equilibrium, her portrait is in harmony with her surroundings. Behind Olga children frolic in the lush grass, not yet exhausted by the morning heat. The forest on the background of Olga Serova is depicted very airy and dynamic, we can feel the rustling of the birch leaves, ruffled by a light breeze.

If we compare the painting "Summer" and "The Girl in the Sunlight", first of all, we can notice what the artist made an emphasis on, depicting his wife in the shade of a wooden house. First of all, we see accurately painted, shallow facial features, detailing her soft but perceptive image. The fields of straw hat cannot hide the depth of blue eyes of Serov’s beloved wife, her image is overflowing with tenderness and care.

Some stoopedness and stiffness is visible in her image - but this is also the special charm of her portrait, as if she was accidentally captured on the camera while enjoying the view of the pond or the spruce of their favorite dacha site. Serov portrays Olga Fyodorovna as modest, shy and somewhat timid, just as she really was. For Serov, his wife is the most fragile and delicate creature in the world, this can be understood from the manner in which her image was created.

The composition of Valentin Serov’s painting "Summer" is filled with the feeling of true summer warmth, sunlight and the stillness of the forest in the summer time. His work is made with great inner soul contribution also for the reason that he portrayed the most important people in his life, which never left him for a moment. The paintings are imbued with lightness, the charm of a happy childhood and, of course, love.