Mikhail Nesterov (1862–1942)

Nesterov M. The Great Taking of the Veil. 1898

This is the finest work from the cycle of paintings by Mikhail Nesterov on the fate of Russian women, inspired by the novels of Pavel Melnikov-Pechersky on the lives of the Old Believers. The artist depicts a procession of nuns accompanying a novice to the taking of the veil among the thick forests of the Volga countryside. A quiet sorrow shines in their pensive faces. Mikhail Nesterov was elected to the Imperial Academy of Arts for this painting in 1898.

Nesterov M. Portrait of the Artist’s Daughter. 1906

Mikhail Nesterov often portrayed his eldest daughter Olga. This famous portrait depicts her in riding gear on the bank of the White River outside Ufa. The composition is based on a study from life later finished in Kiev. The slender figure of the young woman is depicted against a background of green fields commonly encountered in Nesterov’s works. Olga’s slightly wearisome face betrays a hint of light grief, corresponding to the quiet state of nature in the hours before sundown. The canvas is pervaded with a mood of soft and elegaic meditation. As the artist once said: “I avoid depicting ‘strong passions’; I prefer our quiet landscapes and the inner life of man.” Olga Mikhailovna Nesterova (married name Schroeter) (1886–1973).