Autumn in the village. Open spaces 

Mikhail Olennikov painted ‘Autumn in the village. Open spaces’ with oils on canvas. Although undated, we can read this landscape in relation to the history of Soviet painting and the idea of the ‘Motherland’ in Russian culture. Looking at the open fields, the distant hills and the modest village structures in between, one is reminded of the 19th century tradition of Russian landscape painting. This imagery gained official status in the Soviet era, where the vastness of the country was linked to the power of the state and the collective identity of its people. Olennikov’s loose brushwork and muted color palette soften any sense of grandiosity, creating a more intimate and accessible scene. Such artists can be understood through the history of art institutions, exhibition culture, and the shifting demands made on artists in representing Russian identity. By researching such factors, we can begin to appreciate how individual expression intersects with broader social and political forces.