The unplaiting of the hair 1997

"The Unplaiting of the Hair" (1997) by Andrey Remnev is a contemporary artwork that uses the style of traditional Russian iconography to depict a scene of a woman having her hair unplaited. The painting features a woman kneeling in the center, dressed in traditional clothing, and a figure to the left of her, presumably an attendant, unbraiding her long, dark hair. The background is made up of stylized figures of angels in a similar style to Byzantine iconography, with stylized halos and wings, suggesting a connection to religious themes. Remnev's painting pays homage to the aesthetics of religious art while updating the subject matter to a contemporary theme of women's lives and rituals.