Actress Pelagia Strepetova, Repin, 1882 
- Posted by Ilya Efimovich Repin
- Museum: Tretyakov Gallery
- Year: 1882
Overview of the painting :
Actress Pelagia Strepetova – Ilya Efimovich Repin. 1882 year. Oil on canvas. 59 x 48 cm
This picture immediately resembles the paintings of Rembrandt, not the style of performance, but its color scheme. In it, Repin took advantage of a special effect in which the face of the actress against the background of dark colors seems very expressive and voluminous, as if protruding from the canvas.
The picture is written in large energetic strokes, which makes the image very lively, mobile. The background of the canvas does not have clear outlines, contours, it is vague and formless, stands out only in color – saturated with black and red on one side, and as if glowing grayish-blue and greenish, on which golden and red reflections on the other are cropped.
The actress is dressed in very dark clothes, the shape and shape of which cannot be considered. Only a tall white wrapped collar is highlighted, like the actress’s highlighting face. Its color focuses on the spectacular large and memorable features of the woman’s face, with deep dark eyes and sufferingly broken eyebrows.
This very beautiful and bright woman, from whom it is impossible to look away, will forever remain young thanks to the extraordinary talent of the portrait painter.