People

Mediums: oil, canvas.
Location: The Kharkov Art Museum (Ukraine).

Yuon’s symbolist poetics sharply manifested itself in his series of drawings “Creation of the World” (1908-1909). Later, developing this theme after the revolution, he created several ambiguous pictures. The painting “People” that he created two years after his famous “New Planet” depicts the Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp, where there were many prisoners at that time. Less than a quarter of the space is occupied by crowds of people marching or busy with work; the master gave the rest of the canvas to starry space (this is not even the sky, but rather space). Art critics differently interpret this painting; however, contemporary critics consider it difficult to see the enthusiasm of a happy Soviet man here.