In the painting by PA Fedotov, “The Widow” a young pregnant woman is depicted, who stands leaning on the chest of drawers. The woman is dressed in a long black mourning dress, and her dark hair is neatly gathered in a bun at the back of her neck. A face full of sorrow and longing, she lost her husband. It seems that the woman’s face expresses complete indifference, driven to despair. The portrait of her husband, who was an officer, in a beautiful carved frame, stands on a chest of drawers. Near it there is an icon, which the woman probably prayed for the life of her husband. Here, on the chest of drawers, there is a basket with thread for embroidery, and the hoop with an unfinished painting is located on the floor, near the chest of drawers.
The woman is lit by daylight, and near the door on the chair there is a candle that illuminates the dark corner of the room. In this corner you can see a bed with cushions, near which there is a basket with things. Right on the floor there are dishes from silver, collected in one place. Judging by the labels on the door, on the chair, on the dishes, all the things in the house described. Most likely, the deceased husband left after himself some debts, on account of which they described all the property. Not only that the widow is heartbroken, so also the property is taken away and probably the house is also taken away for debts. She will soon give birth, but you can forget about the bright future. Now she herself will have to, as it turns, to live together with the child.
Darken the picture and the dark walls, which add to the situation even more tragedy. Only the candle flame illuminates the objects with a warm soft light, creating a small piece of coziness. The widow just leaned against the dresser, she was tired both physically and spiritually. In her pose, there is nothing ostentatious. The woman is brought to despair. She lost her husband, which very soon must give birth to a child. So also the creditors came to get the debt of the deceased man and described all the property. The quiet, measured life of the widow went downhill, now she has another life, full of poverty and struggle for survival.
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