1918 in Petrograd. 1920 Kuzma Sergeevich Petrov-Vodkin (1878-1939)

Description of Kuzma Petrov Vodkin’s painting In Petrograd

This painting by Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin is often called the "Petrograd Madonna." And those who so dubbed it are right, because the nursing mother with the baby, standing on the balcony of the city house, even in her facial expression resembles an iconic image.

The woman’s hair is hidden under a white shawl, and a scarlet cloth is thrown over her shoulder, a peculiar symbol of revolution. The young mother has a tired and at the same time stern look. But still some ray of hope for a bright future in it. And it is symbolized by the sky-blue building behind the lady.

The glass in this house looks strange. They are either broken in places, or covered with cobwebs, or maybe just covered with dust. This house has probably been abandoned by a wealthy family, and the common people haven’t moved in yet.

The streets are rather deserted, except for the crowds of people, which critics have posited as a queue for bread, epitomizing the time of hunger. But neither the bread nor the vendor is visible to the viewer: everything is concealed by the figure of the mother, who does not care about what is going on below. All of this is transient, the main thing for her is to raise her child.

Some people see this baby as a symbol of the emerging Soviet country, while others see the image of mother as a symbol of Russia. That is, we can say that it is no longer an icon of the Mother of God, but it is still not the image of Motherland, which began to be exploited on a mass scale somewhat later. It was particularly often referred to in the days of the Great Patriotic War and after it.

The idea of the canvas "1918 in Petrograd" - this is the official title of the painting - can be expressed as follows: there will be no devastation and poverty, we will be able to overcome it. Motherhood is the brightest symbol of continued life, it is like a seed that has sprouted among the stone walls of starving Petrograd.