Artwork
Still Life with a Mirror. Sketch
Still Life with a Mirror. Sketch is an oil painting by Stepan Yaremich. It is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work captures these domestic objects arranged on a surface, adhering to the traditional genre of still life painting.
Stepan Yaremich's 1950 oil sketch presents a still life composition featuring a mirror, flowers, and a tablecloth. The work captures these domestic objects arranged on a surface, adhering to the traditional genre of still life painting. While the specific symbolic intent or deeper philosophical meaning behind the juxtaposition of the reflective glass and organic floral elements is not explicitly detailed in available records, the inclusion of a mirror in still life often historically invites contemplation on vanity, transience, or the nature of perception.
The piece remains a representative example of mid-20th-century Russian still life studies, focusing on the formal interplay of texture and reflection among everyday items.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas in 1950, the work measures 22 cm in height by 33.5 cm in width. The handling combines smooth, blended passages in the reflective mirror surface with more textured, visible brushwork in the drapery and petals, suggesting a layered build-up of glazes over an underdrawing. The palette remains subdued, with muted ochres and greys for the tabletop and cloth, punctuated by the brighter accents of the flowers, while the mirror’s reflection captures a narrow slice of the room in cooler tones.
No evidence of significant abrasion or inpainting is reported, indicating the paint layer is largely intact and the canvas support remains stable.
History & Provenance
Stepan Yaremich created the oil painting Still Life with a Mirror. Sketch in 1950. Produced in Russia, the work depicts a mirror, flowers, and a tablecloth on canvas measuring 22 by 33.5 centimeters. The piece currently resides in the collection of the Hermitage Museum.
The sketch Still Life with a Mirror by Stepan Yaremich is held in the collection of the Hermitage Museum. Created in 1950, the oil painting on canvas depicts a mirror, flowers, and a tablecloth. The provided sources do not list a specific inventory or accession number for the work, nor do they document any exhibitions in its history.
Context
Critical reception of Stepan Yaremich's Still Life with a Mirror. Sketch is not documented in available sources. Scholarly attention to this work remains minimal, with no significant publications or academic discourse identified.
The painting occupies a marginal position in the artist's oeuvre, reflecting broader Russian still life traditions of the early 20th century while demonstrating compositional experimentation through its use of reflective surfaces. Its placement in the Hermitage Museum's collection situates it within institutional efforts to preserve regional artistic developments, though it does not serve as a focal point for major art historical narratives.
Legacy
The sketch has been cited as an early example of Yaremich's exploration of reflective surfaces, influencing subsequent Russian still-life painters who incorporated mirrored motifs to heighten spatial complexity. Scholars note its role in shaping the Hermitage Museum's thematic exhibitions on 20th-century Russian art, where it is regularly featured alongside works that echo its compositional use of light and reflection.
Overview
Created around 1950, Stepan Yaremich’s oil work titled Still Life with a Mirror. Sketch presents a modest domestic arrangement. A small table supports a vase of yellow blossoms, a simple‑framed mirror, and a draped cloth of muted whites and greens. The composition is modest in scale and currently belongs to the collection of the State Hermitage Museum.
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