Venetsianov, A. G.
Venetsianov's self-portrait of 1811 reveals a quiet, serious, high-minded professional. During his life, he was hailed as "the father of Russian genre painting." His keen observation of both the power and subtlety of light and his ability to translate his perceptions into compositions of quiet intensity, communicate an almost palpable sympathy for the worthiness and dignity of his subjects. These were almost always rural in nature: farm folk engaged in or pausing at their tasks. (00380)