Autumn bouquet. Portrait of Vera Ilyinichna Repina, the artist’s daughter Ilya Repin (1844-1930)

Description of Ilya Repin’s painting "Autumn Bouquet".

The materials for Repin’s work "Autumn Bouquet" were canvas and oil, the dimensions of the canvas are 111 by 65 cm. At present the Autumn Bouquet decorates the State Tretyakov Gallery.

In this picture, the artist depicted his eldest daughter Vera. At the time of painting this picture Repin became very interested in plein air painting and spent a lot of time painting landscapes, which could not but affect the portraits. Nature is an integral part of the portrait: a bouquet of wild flowers in the hands of the heroine, the flowers on her clothes and the landscape in the background emphasize the femininity and tenderness of the girl.

A closer look at the painting gives rise to two of the most positive feelings: a sense of peace and a sense of life. Everything is aimed at conveying the unity of the character with nature: the colors, the pose, the look, the girl’s clothes, and the composition. The bouquet in the hands is like a point in the compositional solution, linking the female image and the beauty of Russian nature.

Everything in the girl’s attire suggests that she is an artist’s daughter: her clothes are chosen tastefully, and she is wearing a large brown beret. It is from the beret that we can guess that it is autumn and it has already become cool. The girl’s face is thoughtful, it looks clean and gentle, and her hair is neatly tidied. The daughter looks directly at her father, seemingly ready to say something to him.

Her facial features cannot be called correct and beautiful, but, at the same time, there is something appealing about her. Perhaps it is youth and at the same time unspoiled, tenderness, modesty.

The girl reminds this very bouquet with buttercups and cornflowers, which she holds in her hands. This bouquet is already beginning to wither, the autumn nature is already fading and losing its brightness and greenery, and the girl is just beginning to bloom and blossom. It was probably this contrast that the artist wanted to convey.