Portrait von E.A. Prakhova

Portrait of E.A. Prakhova, completed in 1894 and held in the Tretyakov Gallery, depicts Yelena Prakhova, daughter of the art historian and archaeologist Adrian Prakhov, who had been Vasnetsov's principal contact during the massive St Vladimir's Cathedral commission in Kiev. Vasnetsov worked in Kiev from 1885 to 1896, and the Prakhov family became close friends; some scholars have noted that his image of the Virgin Mary in the cathedral murals bears a resemblance to Yelena's mother, Emilia. This portrait of the daughter was painted near the midpoint of the cathedral project, when Vasnetsov was simultaneously producing some of the most ambitious religious paintings in nineteenth-century Russian art. The portrait represents a departure from his folkloric work, demonstrating his facility with the social portrait tradition of the Russian realist school, particularly the psychological directness associated with Ivan Kramskoi. The Tretyakov Gallery, which acquired numerous Vasnetsov works, represents the institutional canonization of his position in Russian art history.

The portrait employs the three-quarter format standard to Russian Realist portraiture, with careful attention to the texture of the sitter's dress against a neutral background. Vasnetsov renders the face with subtle, blended brushwork that captures both likeness and inner character, contrasting with the more broadly handled fabric.