On the boulevard Vladimir Makovsky (1846-1920)
Vladimir Makovsky – On the boulevard
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Painter: Vladimir Makovsky
Location: The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (Государственная Третьяковская галерея).
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Vladimir Makovsky touched upon in his 1877 painting On the Boulevard one of the most acute problems in Russia at the time, which may seem distant and irrelevant now, but to his contemporaries it must have seemed quite typical. The main problem of the picture is the departure of the peasants in the city to earn money. The breadwinner was forced to leave his family: parents, wife, children, life without them was disrupted, the family connection weakened and even disappeared, and the usual foundations of the village world collapsed, as did the patriarchal world. The main characters of "On the Boulevard" are a wife who came to her young husband in Moscow and the husband himself, who, like many others, went to the city to earn money and changed beyond recognition.
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Description of Vladimir Makovsky’s painting On the Boulevard
Vladimir Makovsky touched upon in his 1877 painting On the Boulevard one of the most acute problems in Russia at the time, which may seem distant and irrelevant now, but to his contemporaries it must have seemed quite typical.
The main problem of the picture is the departure of the peasants in the city to earn money. The breadwinner was forced to leave his family: parents, wife, children, life without them was disrupted, the family connection weakened and even disappeared, and the usual foundations of the village world collapsed, as did the patriarchal world.
The main characters of "On the Boulevard" are a wife who came to her young husband in Moscow and the husband himself, who, like many others, went to the city to earn money and changed beyond recognition. Such changes in her husband’s behavior surprised and saddened the girl, who had come to Moscow hoping to share everything she had accumulated with her husband. But when she arrives on the boulevard and sits on a bench, he seems not to notice her beloved.
City life has taken hold of him: here he is, fat and tipsy, lounging about imposingly, playing the harmonica, while thinking of nothing and no one but himself and his appearance. He is ruddy and pleased with himself, which cannot be said of his wife: saddened by the irreparable changes, she is hunched over and looks away in despair. Perhaps she is ashamed of her beloved, perhaps she regrets the loss of her soul mate, and, of course, it is very hard for her to realize her uselessness to this man. The whole picture unfolds against the background of an autumn cityscape: trees with fallen leaves, gray sky and roofs of houses with small patches of snow; which adds even more drama to it.
Small in size and subject matter, the canvas contained a lot of thoughts, experiences, observations of the artist. Yes, the picture is somewhat irrelevant today, but that does not prevent its idea and sympathy for the girls of those times, who found themselves in a similar situation, as well as their families.
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Here we see two figures seated prominently on a park bench. The woman, dressed in dark clothing with a vibrant red scarf draped around her shoulders, appears withdrawn, her gaze directed downwards. Beside her sits a man, his posture animated as he plays an accordion. His expression suggests a degree of enthusiasm or perhaps forced cheerfulness that contrasts sharply with the woman’s demeanor. Their proximity implies a relationship – possibly familial or romantic – yet their body language indicates a disconnect, a lack of shared emotional engagement.
The background is populated by buildings and trees stripped bare of foliage, contributing to the feeling of desolation. A church dome rises in the distance, suggesting a spiritual presence but offering little solace within the immediate scene. To the left, behind a low fence, several figures are visible, seemingly observing the central pair from afar, adding another layer of detachment. On the right side of the boulevard, a man and a child stand near a lamppost, their forms blurred by distance and light.
The ground is covered in fallen leaves, rendered with loose brushstrokes that emphasize texture and movement. The artist’s use of impasto – thickly applied paint – creates a tactile quality, particularly noticeable on the bench and surrounding foliage. This technique also serves to capture the transient nature of the season and the fragility of the moment depicted.
Subtleties within the painting suggest broader social commentary. The contrast between the mans lively performance and the woman’s somber mood could be interpreted as a reflection of societal expectations or the burden of responsibility placed upon individuals. The presence of the fence separating the figures from the onlookers hints at class divisions or a sense of isolation within urban life. The overall impression is one of quiet desperation, a poignant portrayal of human connection strained by circumstance and unspoken anxieties.