Siberian, Surikov, 1909 
- Posted by Vasily Ivanovich Surikov
- Museum: Russian Museum
- Year: 1909
Overview of the painting :
Sibiryachka – Vasily Ivanovich Surikov. 1909. Oil on canvas. 88×77
Woman in front of the mirror. This simple story inspired many generations of artists. Everyone found in him something special, invisible to others.
The author presents to the viewer a sample of truly Russian female beauty. The pompous, thick-haired, blue-eyed beauty carefully studies its reflection, evaluating how dark blue fabric is for her, designed for a new outfit. Reddish hair, white body, chubby lips, deep eyes, full chest – everything in the presented model attracts the artist, he frankly admires his heroine, embodying the ideal of anthrax.
The combination of brown tones and saturated blue creates a cozy, warm, calm atmosphere of work. The calm and simple background of the picture is designed to emphasize the whiteness of the body, to shade the blue fabric that lies around the camp of the heroine. The master was able to perfectly convey the texture of the fabric, the matte softness of the skin, the sparkle of thick hair.
The heroine looks incredulously in the mirror, critically evaluating herself from the outside. There is a feeling of a certain theatricality of the plot. The author seemed to have spied on this scene, remaining invisible to the heroine.