The Arrival of Spring; Two Roads
Artist: Maria Vasilievna Iakunchikova-Veber (Russian, 1870-1902)
Date: 1896
Dimensions:
H: 12 5/8 in. (32.1 cm); W: 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm)
Medium: Oil on carved wood panel.
Classification: Paintings
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 2005.303
Label Text:Russian artist Maria Iakunchikova [pronounced Yah-koonch-ee-KOH-va] often combined applied arts with fine arts, as with her unusual technique of carving a wood panel—sometimes by use of heat (pyrography)—and then painting it, as with The Arrival of Spring. More deeply and fluidly carved, the left side of the composition creates a sense of energy and motion in comparison to the relatively flat surface of the right side. This emphasizes the contrast between the two halves of the image: the train speeding towards us on the left, representing the rapid pace of technology and modernity in the late 19th century; and the deserted dirt road on the right leading into the painting.
The juxtaposition speaks to Iakunchikova’s ambivalence towards the contradictions between nature and technology, Russia and Europe, and tradition and modernity. The dynamic line of the wall separating the two roads underscores these dualities.
The juxtaposition speaks to Iakunchikova’s ambivalence towards the contradictions between nature and technology, Russia and Europe, and tradition and modernity. The dynamic line of the wall separating the two roads underscores these dualities.
On view
In Collection(s)