1888
oil on canvas
212 x 106

The topic of social contradictions was very important for Yaroshenko. The picture was painted under the impression of a story by Lev Tolstoy entitled What do people cherish in life? The artist originally planned to call his work “Where there is love, there is God.” In the window of a wagon carrying convicts, the prisoners have crowded together as they feed pigeons. The idea of the painting is humanity which is preserved in inhuman conditions. The central group reminds us of the Holy Family Like many of the Itinerant (Peredvizhniki) artists, Yaroshenko used parallels from the Gospel to enhance the social resonance of his canvases. “This speaks so very much to the heart,” Lev Tolstoy said about this painting.

at 10, Lavrushinsky Lane, Hall 24