The canvas continues the Romantic traditions of interior painting, first of all those of the Venetsianov school. This sun-lit interior was painted under the influence of Impressionism, the Russian version of which has a typical lyrical note. Impressionism influences the way the life of things is portrayed. The greater part of the composition is claimed by windows, with the room space laid open to the outer world. Spring nature triumphs outside the windows, with its new foliage warming the heart and the sky ablaze with azure. The windows are like a pair of eyes watching the world that is waking up. The posy of snowdrops on the window sill seems to be a fragment of the blue sky. The old manor walls come to life, become warm, luminous as if soaked in the sun. The closed window projects a different mood. Seen through its pane dim with time, the landscape seems to be gloomy, to have lost its colours. The portraits and Empire-style chairs introduce a hint of nostalgic memories of the life that once filled the house but now is forever gone.
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow