1930
oil on canvas
190 õ 287
The artist has chosen a specific time and place for the action of the subject of the painting – the first months of the Soviet regime whose Central Committee was located in the building of the Smolny Institute for Young Noble Ladies in Petrograd. Smolny was at the time the HQ of the Revolution.
Brodsky wanted to convey an absolute portrait likeness and the concentrated, business-like appearance of Lenin. The figure is drawn practically life size, which enhances the sensation of reality and allows the viewer to feel himself right before the leader, as it were.
The depiction by the painter of the study is just as accurate and painstaking. The colour structure of the painting is as close as possible to the real paint. The artist paints every detail right up to the electricity cabling and outlet. This specificity helps strengthen the accuracy of the portrayal and underlines the historical importance of the moment.
The painting was done after Lenin’s death and was intended to canonize the image of the leader of the world proletariat.
