#43776 Boris Kustodiev (1878-1927)

Description of Boris Kustodiev’s painting "Merchant’s Woman at Tea

The painting Merchant’s Woman at Tea encapsulates all the originality of the creative method of the artist Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev. The image of the merchant’s wife, a burly beautiful Russian woman with a round face and a healthy smile, is in the opinion of art critics a favorite of the artist.

In the painting the merchant’s wife is depicted drinking tea from a saucer at a large table. On the table there is a samovar and dishes with a variety of viands (the artist particularly clearly painted images of fruit, grapes, watermelon, apples). On the table there are also many beautiful and expensive dishes and traditional Russian food: pirozhki, white bread, jam. In the background you can see scenes from the life of the old merchant Moscow: the white-stone church, shopping rows, a grove and monastery buildings.

The merchantess herself is young and beautiful, she has a pleasant full face, a kerchief covering her hair tied up at the ends, big gold earrings and her lips circled in red lipstick. The artist carefully paints her white neck and shoulders, as well as a nice dark blue dress with a small brooch as jewelry.

There is also a certain irony in this picture, as if the artist allows the viewer to smile wickedly when he sees the full and kind merchant’s wife and her feast. However, the irony here is soft, not evoking any negative feelings.

It would seem that there is nothing mysterious in this ordinary domestic sketch, but this is not the case. The image of the merchant’s wife is deeply symbolic, because the artist painted this picture in 1918, a turning point in our country’s history, when some thought that Russia was lost and would never reborn.

And the Russian merchant’s wife, with her well-organized way of life, plenty of food, a big cat with its back arched in anticipation of affection, and a simple, measured life was seen by the artist as an image of the future of the country, which, having survived all the turmoil, will return to the traditional order of existence.