V.A. Serov and O.F. Trubnikova had lived together happily for 22 years, right up to the artist’s sudden death. At various times Serov created 12 portraits of Olga Fyodorovna (6 pictural and 6 graphic). In Summer is one of them. The canvas depicts Olga Fyodorovna and two children (there would be six of them altogether) running about on the lawn near their house in the village of Domotkanovo. The picture does not try to impress. It has neither a deliberate pose nor bright accessories. The master managed to find a modest motif and reveal its secret charm. The portrait was painted in the open-air, and what skill does Serov achieve in transmitting light and air! He fills the picture with silver-grey, tender green, blue and white colours. The model’s summer dress is painted with long brushstrokes and features pale pink, slightly golden, slightly blueish and lilac colours. Her summer hat with a beautiful blue ribbon is glowing with light ochre. It would seem that the painting’s composition is slightly geometrised by the vertical of the house and the horizontal border of the forest and glade, but the exact position of the model on the canvas, diagonal path, play of light and shadow – all this prevents the painting from being stern or dull.
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow