Andrei Petrovich Riabushkin

Andrei Petrovich Riabushkin, born in 1861 in the small village of Borisoglebskoy, was an innovative artist, creating works that went against the trends of his contemporaries.  The majority of Russian art of the 1870s and 1880s was used as a means of social criticism, exposing the flaws and greed of the bourgeoisie, government officials, and merchants.  In the 1890s, Riabushkin and several of his contemporaries, including Nesterov and Serov, broke away from the use of art as a form of social criticism, and instead focused on art as an absolute--art as pure beauty.

Riabushkin especially enjoyed painting village and city life of 17th century Russia. Many of his works depict scenes from small villages and market places, bustling with people going about their daily lives.  The present painting, Village Scene, exemplifies Riabushkin's ability to effortlessly convey the energy of  a community.  Amidst the crowd of townspeople and the bustle of the day, Riabushkin offers an intimate and nostalgic look into the ordinary life of the Russian villager.