«At the Seaside. Family» — Dmitry Zhilinsky. $17,500.
A beach scene masking a family portrait: wife Nina Zhilinskaya with children Olya and Vasya; Zhilinsky in water, holding a fish. Most figures are real.
A turning point: after Italy, he abandoned Soviet-standard oil, adopting tempera on levkas — an ancient icon technique. In 1960s USSR, this was quiet rebellion.
Art historians see not leisure, but familial harmony. The fish, mother’s centrality, stillness — elevate the everyday into symbols of family, childhood, continuity.
At debut, misclassified as graphic art due to medium. Moved only after Artists’ Union intervention. Now a Tretyakov masterpiece — a personal story emblematic of an era.
#SovietArt #FamilyPortrait #ArtHistory
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3August 23, 2026 15.3K 1
