In the room, the sunlight seeping in creates colorful shadows that are so bright and warm. The enchanting warmth conveyed by pastel colors shines. This was not only a completely new expression in the late 19th-century Russian visual arts scene, but it was also a fresh breath in itself. Valentin Serov (1865-1911) said of his work, “What I wanted was freshness, a special freshness that is always felt in nature but cannot be seen in paintings. I spent over a month painting and tormented the poor girl until she died. I truly wanted to preserve the freshness of the painting in perfect completeness. Like the old masters.”
The light slides down along the wall, falling on the tablecloth and the burned cheek of the girl through the pink sleeves of her dress. The sweet scent of peaches fills the room. The girl’s black pupils show a childlike anxiety, and there is patience in her smile trying to restrain herself modestly. On the table, alongside the freshly picked leaves, there are several peaches, but in the girl’s hand, there is already one securely held as her own. The slightly tousled hair, the dim cheek, the laughter-filled gaze, all breathe life into the painting. In the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Serov’s portrait of this girl takes center stage amidst numerous other portraits. Forever in youth.
The amazing thing about this painting is that it is a portrait yet a still life, and a still life yet a landscape. That is, the deep green landscape outside the window, the carefully arranged objects indoors, and the figures expressing emotions penetrate each other, harmoniously. The peaches capture the exquisite reflection and soft light absorption, creating a velvety texture that complements the girl’s smooth skin. This painting was the debut work of a twenty-two-year-old artist, a portrait that lifted him to heights he could not have reached otherwise. He received the Moscow Art Lovers Society Award.
Serov’s work is evaluated as closing the door to 19th-century art in Russia and opening a completely new door to 20th-century art in terms of quality. During that period, Russian art was rapidly moving towards new trends and different directions, and Serov, with his unique curiosity and perfectionist work ethic, worked in a wide range from Impressionism and Symbolism to Modernism. He set the standards and directions of contemporary art along with artists like Konstantin Korovin, Fyodor Shalyapin, and Alexander Benois, supported by famous composer Alexander Serov and Valentina Serova, a progressive woman of the century who advocated democratic ideals. “Girl with Peaches” is a piece that marks the beginning of Serov’s creative development.
From Abramtsevo
His father’s house, where he met various creative and extraordinary individuals from diverse social backgrounds, was a gathering place for music and poetry recitals. For instance, Ivan Turgenev was one of them. When he was four years old, he accompanied his father on a trip abroad to visit Richard Wagner. In the year he turned six, his father passed away, and his mother, who took him to Germany, received advice from the artist Kupin, recognizing her son’s talent. In 1874, nine-year-old Valentin moved from Munich to Paris with his mother, where Ilya Repin was working on “Sadko.” Repin was the only mentor who could fully reveal and develop his son’s abilities. Upon returning to Russia, Valentin Serov headed to Abramtsevo.
Abramtsevo was the summer mansion of Savva Mamontov, a businessman and philanthropist, and was the center of Moscow’s intellectual and cultural life in the late 19th century. Savva Mamontov gathered Russian artists and intellectuals at the Abramtsevo mansion to create a creative atmosphere and provide visiting artists with a unique opportunity to escape financial issues and daily life burdens to freely inspire themselves. Serov, who lived with his mother at Abramtsevo from a young age, absorbed everything in a creative environment created by passionate people interested in new art. “Girl with Peaches” was painted at the Abramtsevo dining table, and the girl was none other than Vera Mamontova, Savva Mamontov’s daughter.
Portrait of Ida Rubinstein (1910) by Valentin Serov
Serov had an interest in introspective landscapes that reveal vulnerability through change and historical paintings that reveal reverence for life, but if there is a genre that he undoubtedly excelled in, it would be portraiture. Serov, who pierced through the inner self and confidently captured it on canvas, was in high demand for portrait commissions from peasants to royalty. For example, in “Portrait of Levitan” (1893), the rays capture the superior characteristics of the lyrical landscape that emanates from the dark room. The high forehead and noble beautiful hands are accentuated with two lights in the painting, while everything else is locked in a calm brown twilight. Levitan posed in his studio, but there was nothing in the finished portrait to say it was an artist’s portrait. To Serov, depicting the thoughtfulness and continuous sadness, melancholy, and romanticism of a friend were more important.
However, his greatest achievement was the portrait of Ida Rubinstein in “Portrait of Ida Rubinstein” (1910), who debuted as Salome through the ballet “Salome” by Oscar Wilde. Mikhail Fokin, the choreographer of the Ballets Russes led by Diaghilev, believed that Ida Rubinstein’s appearance was perfect for fashionable ballets like “Cleopatra” and “Scheherazade.” He saw her charismatic elegance as a perfect match for the avant-garde era’s taste. Indeed, Ida became hugely popular in Europe.
The portrait was painted in a style named “Steil Moderne,” characterized by simple and boldly executed illustrations. Despite the storm of criticism, Serov was extremely proud of his work. His daughter recalls, “His amazing sincerity and ruthless rigor towards himself made everyone unconsciously turn to him.” On the morning of November 22, 1911, Serov passed away at the age of 46, due to heart failure.