The artwork entitled “Portrait of V. V. Verevkina” was executed by the distinguished artist Ilya Repin in 1916. Painted using oil on canvas, the artwork is a quintessential example of the Realism art movement. As a portrait, it captures the likeness and character of Verevkina and is presently housed at the Perm State Art Gallery located in Perm, Russia.
The artwork presents a detailed visage of the subject, V. V. Verevkina, depicted in profile. She is adorned with an extravagant feathered headpiece, which suggests a sense of opulence and fashion of the time. Her attire is equally luxurious, featuring a decorative, dark-toned garment with embellishments visible on her shoulder. In stark contrast to the decorated elements, her facial expression is rendered with subtlety, capturing a calm and contemplative demeanor.
The brushwork demonstrates Repin’s masterful control of the medium, with a vibrant approach to texture that provides a tactile quality to the surfaces. Notably, the painting is marked with the year ‘1916’, and the artist’s signature is inscribed in red, anchoring the bottom right of the composition. The background is less defined, with expressive brushstrokes and a palette that consists of greens, yellows, and hints of other colors. This backdrop serves as an abstract counterpoint to the subject’s refined detail, highlighting the artist’s knack for capturing the essence of the persona amidst a painterly environment.
