At the turn of the 1910s, the “idol mask” in Goncharova’s paintings becomes ever more prominent. That mask appeared as a synthesis of her impressions from contemplating Scythian stone women and getting acquainted with African sculpture. It gave a special scope to the artist “theatrical” inclinations. It seems that in the painting Peasants Picking Apples, peasants are not peasants anymore but kind of wooden idols so strong is the wildness in these stump-like figures, slumped back faces, pupils and whites of their slanting eyes. The movement of the painter’s brush seems to reproduce the movements of the characters themselves. It repeats their crude gestures, the plasticity of motion is simplified, the heads are stretched a little, and the hands reaching for fruit become even longer. The sullen appearance of the characters seemed to be transferred to the artist herself. It seems that her hand holding a brush has lost its former lightness and moves with difficulty and strain.
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow