Description of the picture:
Internal view of the hut – Vasily Maximovich Maximov. Canvas, oil.
With all his work, the Russian realist artist Vasily Maximovich Maximov proved his devotion to the village genre. Owing to his talent and perseverance, he himself from a peasant family was able to enter the Imperial Academy of Arts, and upon its completion the main characters of his paintings are ordinary peasants, their traditions, huts, centuries-old order of simple toilers of the earth. According to the master himself, “he forever came to village life.”
Living in a village in the Tver province, he creates the picture “Internal view of the hut. 1869. ” Before us is the usual peasant hut of a modest, even ascetic appearance. But the house is soundly cut down from logs, although without frills and decorations. On the left is the only window large enough for light to freely enter the house. The floors are scraped clean.
At the top left are wooden shelves for various utensils. There are dishes, a basket, clay pots, cast-iron and other items on them. All of them are simple, but so necessary for household items.
Under the shelves on the floor is a wooden chest, at the same time fulfilling the role of a bench. Usually in such boxes they stored the necessary things, sometimes products. To the right of the door, which was insulated along the contour of a straw bundled into bundles, is a tub of water. The owners probably just brought her, it is clear that the tub is full to the brim.
In the upper right corner there is a rope for drying clothes. A pinned board with hammered pieces of wood is also visible – this is a hanger for clothes or for some household items.
The whole kind of hut speaks of the straightforwardness and simplicity of peasant life. Each thing, each item has its own purpose and place in the house.
Vasily Maksimovich мейд several versions of this picture with different internal views of the village hut. But invariably, with what knowledge the artist paints every detail of the interior decoration. One feels the author’s complete immersion in rural life and his true love for the simple life of peasants."