Moisey Spiridonovich Spiridonov, 1956~1960
painting & photoreproduction
This portrait of a bride-to-be is an outstanding work of Chuvash easel painting, which the artist began in 1954 and completed in 1960. Spiridonov himself called that work the main and most difficult as he set high standards for it taking responsibility upon himself. It is the reason why he often reworked the painting. The final version was preceded by about 4 versions. But despite his suffering and creative endeavors, this is his favorite work.
other ver. of painting, 1960s
The girl is depicted in traditional Chuvash wedding attire. Following the realism principles, the author used the classic technique of presenting the person on a dark background with top side lighting. Emotional tension increased by the turn of the head, accentuated by the plasticity of the hands and dynamic folds of the costume. The artist's style reveals the beauty of the ornamented dress and wedding veil, as well as the shimmering of beads and silver coins on the trad-headdress.
The girl's striking features are expressive, sad eyes filled with excitement and tension, which can be felt in the right hand holding a hanky and in the left hand nervously clutching a veil... It's not surprising: the waiting of a wedding, a new life; she may be forced to marry someone she doesn't love because of her parents. Moisey (Moses) Spiridonovich revealed not only the depth of the bride's emotions at the moment, but also her strong character...