Girl with flowers 

Konstantin Makovsky created this watercolor of a girl with flowers sometime during his career in Russia. He made his name painting portraits of wealthy Russians in elaborate historical costumes. However, this work depicts a more subdued setting, focusing on the everyday life of a young woman. It is a representation of idealized womanhood and beauty. As a member of the Academy of Arts, Makovsky would have been expected to produce work that reinforced certain values. The subtle details, like the flowers and the modest dress, speak to the qualities of beauty deemed acceptable in the time. To fully appreciate the context in which Makovsky was working, we might consider the role of the Academy and how its expectations shaped the work of artists at the time. Scholarly resources, period journals, and exhibition catalogs are a great place to start.