''Girl with Peaches'' (russian: Девочка с персиками, ''Devochka s Persikami'') is an 1887 painting by the Russian painter

Valentin Serov Valentin Alexandrovich Serov (russian: Валенти́н Алекса́ндрович Серо́в; 19 January 1865 – 5 December 1911) was a Russian painter and one of the premier portrait artists of his era. Life and work Youth and educ ...

. It is considered to be one of Serov's greatest works and one of his most famous. Serov's friend and biographer, Russian art historian

Igor Grabar Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar (russian: И́горь Эммануи́лович Граба́рь, 25 March 1871 in Budapest – 16 May 1960 in Moscow) was a Russian post-impressionism, post-impressionist painter, publisher, restorer and historian ...

, acclaimed it as "the masterpiece of Russian painting". According to the book ''1000 Drawings of Genius'', although the style of the painting (and Serov's early style in general) "has much in common with the French Impressionists, erovdid not become acquainted with their work until after he had painted t.

History

The painting depicts 11-year-old Vera Mamontova, a daughter of Russian entrepreneur and patron of the arts

Savva Mamontov Savva Ivanovich Mamontov (russian: Са́вва Ива́нович Ма́монтов, ; 3 October 1841 (15 October N.S.), Yalutorovsk – 6 April 1918, Moscow) was a Russian industrialist, merchant, entrepreneur and patron of the arts. Busine ...

. It was painted at Abramtsevo, an estate not far from Moscow. Under the ownership of the writer

Sergei Aksakov Sergey Timofeyevich Aksakov (russian: Серге́й Тимофе́евич Акса́ков) (—) was a 19th-century Russian literary figure remembered for his semi-autobiographical tales of family life, as well as his books on hunting and fi ...

, Abramtsevo had become one of the centers of Russian culture. Mamontov bought the place in 1870 and continued the tradition. Among people who stayed there were painter

Ilya Repin Ilya Yefimovich Repin (russian: Илья Ефимович Репин, translit=Il'ya Yefimovich Repin, p=ˈrʲepʲɪn); fi, Ilja Jefimovitš Repin ( – 29 September 1930) was a Russian painter, born in what is now Ukraine. He became one of the ...

, writer

Ivan Turgenev Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (; rus, links=no, Ива́н Серге́евич Турге́невIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; 9 November 1818 – 3 September 1883 (Old Style dat ...

, painter

Mikhail Vrubel Mikhail Aleksandrovich Vrubel (russian: Михаил Александрович Врубель; March 17, 1856 – April 14, 1910, all New Style, n.s.) was a Russian Painting, painter, Drawing, draughtsman, and sculptor. A prolific and inno ...

, and sculptor

Mark Antokolsky Mark Matveyevich Antokolsky (russian: Марк Матве́евич Антоко́льский; 2 November 18409 July 1902) was a Russian Imperial sculptor of Lithuanian Jewish descent. Biography Mordukh Matysovich Antokolsky''Boris Schatz: The ...

. It was a comfortable place for artists not only to gather and discuss important topics, but to live and create. Valentin Serov knew Vera Mamontova from her babyhood, as he frequently visited Mamontov's Abramtsevo estate, and sometimes he even lived there for lengthy periods of time. Serov later recalled, In 1887 the painting won first prize at the Exhibition of the Moscow Society of Lovers of Art. The model, Vera Mamontova, was also painted by Viktor Vasnetsov in 'Girl With a Maple Branch' (1896). Vera married the head of the Moscow Nobility League, future Chief Prosecutor of the

Most Holy Synod The Most Holy Governing Synod (russian: Святѣйшій Правительствующій Сѵнодъ, Святейший Правительствующий Синод) was the highest governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church betwee ...

in 1903. They had three children. In 1907, at the age of 32, she contracted

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

and died just a few days later. She is buried in Abramtsevo.

Internet meme

The painting spawned a Russian

Internet meme An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...

, in which the girl is placed into humorous scenarios or is replaced by a different person or character. One of the altered pictures depicted the girl sitting at a very large table covered with all sorts of dishes and was titled "The Girl with Peaches: Full Version".

References

{{reflist, 30em

External links

''Girls with Peaches''
on the Tretyakov Gallery's website Paintings by Valentin Serov 1887 paintings Paintings of children Collections of the Tretyakov Gallery Portraits Internet memes