Artwork
Мать партизана
Мать партизана is an unspecified painting by the Social Realist artist Sergey Gerasimov. It dates from 1950 and is held in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery.
About this work
Overview
Sergey Vasilyevich Gerasimov painted Мать партизана circa 1950. The canvas is part of the Tretyakov Gallery’s holdings and exemplifies the Soviet social‑realist approach that linked realistic technique with officially endorsed subjects.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a mother of a partisan, shown in a muted, emotionally charged encounter with a uniformed soldier. Her traditional attire and the man's military dress suggest a wartime setting, highlighting the personal cost of resistance and the intersection of civilian and combatant lives.
Technique & Style
Executed in a palette dominated by cool blues and purples, the work employs a restrained realism characteristic of the period. Gerasimov’s handling of light and form renders the figures solidly, while the background architecture and surrounding figures are suggested rather than detailed, focusing attention on the central dialogue.
History & Provenance
Created during the early post‑war years, the painting entered the state collection that later became the Tretyakov Gallery. Gerasimov, who later chaired the Union of Painters of the USSR (1958‑1964), contributed the work at a time when his reputation as a leading social‑realist was solidifying.
Artist & collection
Artist
Sergey Vasilyevich Gerasimov (Russian: Серге́й Васи́льевич Гера́симов; 26 September 1885 – 20 April 1964) was a Soviet and Russian painter. First Secretary of the Union of Painters of the USSR in 1958-1964.
