Chronicle of our artistic circle. Drawing for the cover. 1894

Vasily Polenov created this watercolor drawing, titled "Chronicle of our artistic circle. Drawing for the cover," probably in Russia in the late 19th or early 20th century. It shows the interior of a grand house. We see a staircase leading up to a doorway that frames a view of a garden, complete with a classical sculpture. This is a carefully constructed image of cultured life, a world of refined aesthetic taste. The title suggests that this drawing was made for a specific purpose, perhaps to document or celebrate a particular group of artists. We can learn more about this social context through archival research. Letters, diaries, and exhibition catalogs can tell us about the artistic circles of Polenov's time. These sources help historians understand the social conditions that shaped artistic production and, ultimately, the public role of art.