Vera Ilyinichna Repina (1872–1948) was the artist’s eldest daughter. The portrait was painted at the estate of Zdravnevo (Vitebsk Governorate), which the artist bought shortly before. The whole family was happy with the acquisition: “their own” land allowed to pass more leisure time there. It was during that early autumn of 1892 that the portrait was painted. Not having a great talent of his father, Vera was quite artistic, fond of theatre, studied singing, tried her hand in painting. The picture tells about her youth, health, calm. The artist himself noted the presence of a “sense of life, youth and bliss” in the painting. Repin was always a virtuoso in art. His dense and juicy brushwork confidently conveys the texture of wild flowers, clothes, and lawns that are dear to the artist’s heart. There is a colour harmony in the portrait: the lace collar, light ruche adorning the blouse, white buttons and flowers of the same colour – are like memories of bright summer days. The dim gold of the trees in the background, the “hot” colour of the beret and the red and ochre flowers of the bouquet indicate that autumn has already come ...
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow