Russian Art
Klodt, M. K.
"At the Plough". 1871
Notes: At the Plough
"At the Plough," painted in 1871 and shown at the first Wanderers exhibition in Moscow during the same year, became the artist's most popular painting. There is a spare symmetry to the composition which perhaps reflects Klodt's familiarity with Venetsianov's work (see ImageBase). More significantly, though, certain subtleties of storytelling establish the special quality of this canvas.
During a moment of rest from her ploughing, a Russian peasant woman looks away from her work into the distance where a wagon drawn by two horses passes on its way. The viewer is presented with a moment in the life of the common person -- a moment which reveals both the nature of labor and the beauty and vastness of the country.
