by 
Abram Arkhipov’s painting “Girl with a Jug” was written in 1927. It depicts a Russian red maiden, magnificent, with an affectionate look, who with all her heart wants to present a cup of delicious aromatic village milk.
In this portrait, you can see a parallel with the work of Boris Kustodiev. But with him we will not find the simplicity and frankness of his characters, but mainly everyday scenes. The portrait is painted brightly, emotionally, colorful. It is immediately evident that Arkhipov focuses on inner beauty, and not outer, shows us the Russian soul. Strong, but at the same time kind, honest, fair, generous and open – the real soul of the Russian people.
The main element of the picture is, of course, color. Prior to this cycle of paintings with peasant plots, the artist painted paintings with gloomy despairing mood. Here Arkhipov is revealed in a completely different form. It was not in vain that he studied painting with the wonderful Russian artists Makovsky, Polenov, Pryanishnikov, Savrasov – he learned many of their lessons, for example, bold experiments with color. Arkhipov’s canvases were so highly valued during the artist’s lifetime that Tretyakov personally bought them for his gallery.
The heroine of the picture is depicted very brightly: an orange top, a bright red bottom, an apron with a bright pattern, a bright blue cup in her hand. The dark background, painted by the artist, sets off the girl even more, it seems that she literally glows from the inside.
Wide sleeves and a skirt hide the figure of the heroine, but the shapes of the face and neck are very voluminous. A country girl in bright clothes with a confident direct gaze personifies for the artist the future of the people, just as bright, confident and free.
Year of painting: 1927. Dimensions: 108 x 87 cm. Material: canvas. Writing technique: oil. Genre: portrait. Style: impressionism. Gallery: State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
