Sisters of mercy

Mediums: tempera, cardboard.
Location: The Yaroslavl State Art Museum (Russia).

The painting belongs to the series “Sisters of Mercy” and is one of the most famous later works of the artist. The carefully designed composition creates a multidimensional space in which the movement is as if hidden behind an external static shell. Large central figures are depicted in a free, “wide” manner, and colour diversity creates the dynamics and rhythm of the composition. Nurses are monumental figures symbolizing hope and salvation. They are like incorporeal angels, giving life to soldiers dying on the field or escorting their souls into the world of eternal tranquillity.