View of the town from the riverside 1887

Lev Lagorio, an artist associated with the Russian Romantic and Realist movements, painted this view of a town from the riverside. Lagorio was a product of his time, and his biography has the distinct whiff of 19th-century Russian society. The son of a Neapolitan nobleman, he was ennobled himself by Tsar Alexander III, a signal of his assimilation into the Russian Imperial system. Here, a calm body of water reflects the soft light of the sky, illuminating a humble townscape with a prominent Orthodox church. In Tsarist Russia, the Church was both a religious institution and a pillar of the state. Despite the presence of the church, the painting primarily evokes the personal experience of rural life in Russia. The composition has the viewer placed at the river's edge, and the quietude of the scene instills in the viewer an appreciation for the simple beauty of the Russian landscape. Although not radical, the painting offers a glimpse into the lives of the people of Russia, a population largely composed of peasants, many of whom were serfs until 1861. This focus on the everyday has a subtle but distinct political implication.