Artwork
Family at the Sea
Family at the Sea is a tempera painting by the Social Realist artist Dmitri Zhilinsky. It dates from 1964 and is held in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1964, this tempera work titled Family at the Sea is part of the collection of Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery. The composition presents a seaside scene centered on a woman in a bright red swimsuit, flanked by two children and a reclining man, with a muted shoreline and distant figures rendered against a deep blue sky.
Subject & Meaning
The painting captures a moment of leisure, emphasizing familial togetherness on a beach. The central figure’s vivid red attire draws the eye, suggesting vitality and focus, while the surrounding figures and distant beachgoers convey a broader social setting, hinting at post‑war recreational life in the Soviet Union.
Technique & Style
Executed in tempera, the artist employs solid, opaque layers that lend the surface a luminous quality. Bold brushwork and saturated hues, particularly the striking red against cooler blues and earth tones, create a warm, lively atmosphere, while the flatness of the background underscores the work’s graphic clarity.
History & Provenance
Dmitri Zhilinsky painted the piece during a period of increased interest in everyday Soviet subjects. Since its completion, the canvas has remained in public ownership, entering the Tretyakov Gallery’s holdings where it is displayed as part of the museum’s mid‑20th‑century Russian art collection.
Artist & collection
