Portrait of an Unknown Peasant Woman

The wonderful canvas titled Portrait of an Unknown Woman in Russian Costume made by Ivan Argunov is a true landmark in the history of the portrait painting in Russia. The use of Classicism style can be seen clearly since this painting is the first ever in the history of art, which depicts a woman from a peasant class the way she deserves to be portrayed. However, Argunov managed to move the art from aristocratic luxury to beauty of ordinary people. The painting shows a dark and not full of details background that does not take away the viewer’s attention from the angelic face of a woman. The expression on the face of the woman is full of sincerity, which tells about her emotional state. The woman is wearing a traditional dress that is decorated with beautiful kokoshnik. The color palette used by Argunov is very broad and includes such colors like bright red, posterior yellow, and light white colors; these colors represent fertility and purity of women. To sum it up, Argunov’s work goes beyond normal regulations of 18th-century portraits and turns the oppressed peasant figure into high art. With its high-quality fine-line painting, beautiful oil layers, and strong emotional involvement, this artwork becomes the testimony of the human spirit since it bridges the gap of the feudal age.