Culver City,
California
x
Maker: Rezaev, Alexei
Untitled
Date Made: 1991
Country: Soviet Union
Measurements: 90 cm x 60 cm; 35 7/16 in x 23 5/8 in
A bare-breasted woman holding a Russian flag to her chest stares straight at the viewer, wearing a kokoshnik, a traditional Russian hat from the 16th to 19th century, labeled “Russia.” The hat is flanked by a sheaf of wheat on either side. The Russian text above the woman is a line from the 1864 poem “The Railway,” by Nikolai Nekrasov, reading, “he will succeed while enduring some sort of struggle.” The poem was originally banned in Russia, for it spoke about the building of the St. Petersburg-Moscow railroad and the high number of serf deaths associated with its rapid and forced construction. The poem’s message of the danger of authoritative figures and their disregard for civilian life allows viewers to draw their own parallels between politicians in Russia during the 1800s and in contemporary 1991.
Accession Number: 2009.053.084
Item Name: Painting
Credit Line: The Ferris Russian Collection, Donated by Tom and Jeri Ferris
Collection/Series: The Ferris Russian Collection, Donated by Tom and Jeri Ferris