Girl with a Butterfly Net 1959

Tetyana Yablonska painted this oil on canvas, *Girl with a Butterfly Net*, in 1959. At first glance, the image of a girl on the cusp of womanhood, equipped for the simple summer sport of butterfly catching, seems innocuous. However, the work was created during the height of the Soviet Thaw when artists were permitted slightly more creative freedom in their work. Born in Ukraine and trained in Moscow, Yablonska became a celebrated artist in the Soviet Union. Throughout her artistic career, she adhered to the Socialist Realism style, imbuing her canvases with optimism and celebrating the everyday life of Soviet people. The image embodies this spirit, with the girl appearing self-assured, healthy, and free. To understand this work further, we can explore the archives of the Soviet Ministry of Culture as well as publications from the period. With more information, we can see how it reflected and shaped social values during a time of political change.