I.V. Stalin Receiving A. Dzhangildin on the Tsaritsyn Front in 1918

Description

Author: Leontiyev, Leonid. 1913-1983
A group portrait set in an interior: gathered around a table with a map is a group of men in military uniform, with Stalin standing at the centre, turned right toward Zhangildin, holding a pencil in his right hand. In the left foreground, a fair-haired man sits with his back to the viewer, backed by a moustached man, while a sailor is depicted in profile in the background. The composition centers on a enclosed ring of figures united by their attention to the map, where light from the window on the right accentuates their faces. The painting style is dense and painterly, featuring confident modeling of form. The restrained palette of grey-brown and olive tones is enlivened by the warm hues of the faces and the cool light streaming from the window. The work is conceived in the tradition of the Soviet historical genre.