Golden Grain

Description

Author: Kasteyev, Abylkhan. 1904-1973
A genre composition centered on the harvest season, glorifying the labor of the virgin land settlers and a bountiful yield. The entire lower portion of the canvas is occupied by mounds of golden grain being shoveled by workers: to the left is a woman in a red shirt, and to the right a man leaning over the grain. At the right edge stands a thresher, with the white building of the threshing floor behind it; in the background, trucks are being loaded with grain. The color scheme is built on the dominance of the warm, golden-ochre tones of the grain contrasted with the cool blue of the clear sky and the silvery highlights of the machinery. The panoramic composition, the large scale of the foreground figures, and the detailed, realistic painting technique align the work with the tradition of the Soviet thematic painting, exalting collective rural labor and the abundance of the virgin lands. At the lower right - signature and date.