Grigory Soroka depicts the Lepekhin estate in the village of Spasskoe in Tambov Province. This exact and generalized image of Russian nature is the most heartfelt of the artist’s landscapes. One can sense the peace and quiet of a summer evening, when the heat of the day has abated, but the night mists have still not descended. The water is transparent and the setting sun illuminates everything in a pinkish light. The buildings on the far shore and the peasant boy in the boat are reflected in the smooth surface of the lake.

Soroka Grigory

Soroka, Grigory Vasilyevich
1823, Pokrovskaya (Tver Province) - 1864, Pokrovskaya (Tver Province)
Painter, landscapist, portraitist, icon-painter. Serf of the landowner Grigory Soroka, worked at his Ostrovki estate. Did not receive a systematic art education. Studied under Alexei Venetsianov, who lived in the nearby village of Safonkovo (from 1841, with intervals). Painted landscapes and portraits for his landowner and icons under the guidance of Alexei Venetsianov (1847). Married Alexandra Nesterova and settled in the village of Pokrovskaya (1852). Sentenced to corporal punishment for taking part in peasant disorders (early i86os). Committed suicide (1864).