Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky. A Wedding. 1904

A Wedding

Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky

1904

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This is a peasant wedding in a humble village church portrayed without any sentimentality or gloss. Remember, at that time, glass was an expensive luxury, so, many village churches were rather dark. It appears that two couples are being married at one time, no doubt, to save on the fees paid to the priest for his services.

BMD

Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky. Grief. 1909

Grief

Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky

1909

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Whose untimely death is being mourned here? Is it a beloved wife and mother? Or is it a little son or daughter carried away by a childhood disease? Or is it the news of a son who isn’t going to return from the army because he fell on a foreign field? One doesn’t know… However, one thing is certain, no matter if the family is humble, of the middle classes, or of the nobility, the emotion felt is the same… exactly the same.

BMD

Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky. Hitting the Books. 1915

Hitting the Books

Nikolai Bogdanov-Belsky

1915

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Cramming for exams is no new thing… but, one can tell that some of these girls are from poorer families. They have to share the same textbook. However, the thirst for knowledge is evident.

BMD

Nikolai Bogatov. A Pier on the Volga. undated (1880s-1900s?)

A Pier on the Volga (Nikolai Bogatov, undated (1880s-1900s?))