Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin (1878–1939) passed from a period of interest in French Symbolism to deep delvings in Russian themes and searches for national means of expression in the 1910s. His sources of inspiration were Russian icons, with their predominance of red, and the Russian countryside, with its blue sky and green expanses. His severe, almost ascetic still-lifes, portraits, genre compositions and thematic representations of military events are similar to icons and linked to the history of Russia and events taking place in it.
Created at the start of the First World War, picture the Mother of God of Tenderness Towards Evil Hearts (1914–15) acquired a special significance as the artist’s spiritual response to the tragic events of the war. This was the author’s title; in Orthodox iconography the image is known as the Mother of God of the Softening of Evil Hearts. Despite its small size, the canvas is a major monumental work, burning with the fire of a sublime spiritual force. Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin spent a lot of time between 1913 and 1915 working on murals in the cathedrals of Kronstadt and Sumy. This may have been what inspired the appearance of such a remarkable easel work. This instilling and lofty icon of the Virgin Mary is one of the most powerful images in the oeuvre of Petrov-Vodkin.
