Anastasia Dobrinskaya

"Anastasia Dobrinskaya" (1911), held at the Russian Museum, is a late work by Surikov depicting a young woman in traditional Russian dress — a figure study that partakes of the interest in folk costume and vernacular Russian appearance that ran through his entire career. By 1911 Surikov was in his sixties and his major historical canvases were behind him, but he continued painting figure studies, portraits, and landscape works with sustained skill. The name Anastasia Dobrinskaya suggests either a specific individual — a model or acquaintance — or a type from Russian folk culture and literary tradition. The traditional Russian costume places the figure within the long tradition of ethnographic portrait painting that documented the distinctive dress of Russian regional and social groups. The Russian Museum's acquisition of this late work demonstrates the institution's commitment to representing the full span of Surikov's career.

The late Surikov brings mature confidence to the figure study, the handling looser and more economical than his meticulous historical preparations but no less precise in its character observation. The traditional Russian dress is rendered with the textile sensitivity characteristic of his historical costume work. The figure is placed against a simple background that allows the costume's colour and the face's expression full prominence.