"In Café" is an oil on canvas painting by one of the main contributors to the Russian avant-garde movement, Olga Vladimirnova Rozanova. She had a short life, succumbing to diphtheria in 1918, prior to which she was quickly becoming popular for her intellect, artistic prowess and experimentation with Futurism while blending it with Cubism in her famous series of playing card portraits. She was mainly influenced by the Italian Futurist movement which used art to visually depict movement using Cubist techniques. Later on in her life, she would join the Russian Suprematism movement. Her abstract techniques which she called "colour painting" were the precursors to the Abstract art movement which would later take place in American painting.
This painting depicts a man and a woman sitting across each other on a table. The woman is smiling at the viewer while the man has his hands over his head in despair, sadness or defeat. It stands out from her other works being one that depicts a close-up scene of a couple in her style of bold strokes and vibrant palette. This seems to be part of her studies in real life and still life painting. It also showcases her use of colour The painting is reminiscent of the abstract nature her later compositions would bring to the forefront. The painting is currently housed in the Russian Museum at St. Petersburg and can be viewed digitally through their website.
While the writer has provided almost all the detail, but in the manner it has been provided makes the description totally scattered. The painting describes more than just two people sitting across each other. The woman's condition seems more different than the man, showing a difference between them both. The colour scheme is bright and the clothing of both of them also shows a sort of difference in their social status.
