Description of the picture:
The chairman is Georgy Georgievich Ryazhsky. 1928. Oil on canvas. 109×73
Soviet artists of the 1920s sought to notice the new that the post-revolutionary era gave rise to in everyday life, in the minds of people, in their appearance and life. George Georgievich Ryazhsky created a number of portraits of types: “Rabfakovka”, “Pechatnitsa”, “Delegate”, “Vuzovka”, “Chairwoman”. Ryazhsky women – this is the new type of people who formed the revolutionary era. Simple and modest women workers became equal members of society. Short-haired, broad-faced, the heroines of Ryazhsky are filled with internal energy. They are able to rule the state, lead the masses.
One of the best works of the cycle is “Chairwoman”. The artist depicts a woman at the time of the performance. Ryazhsky reveals in her appearance features that make it possible to feel the atmosphere of social life of those years: simplicity and severity of life and at the same time – a passion for the idea, a great emotional upsurge. The artist observes the haggard face of a woman, the modesty of her hair and clothes. A warm short fur coat is also not an accidental detail. One can easily imagine the cold, unheated room where the meeting took place. The audience is captivated by the enthusiasm with which the chairwoman speaks, the conviction and economic confidence that are felt in her manner of holding on.
The vertical canvas emphasizes the significance of the figure. With broad energetic strokes of the brush, the artist sculpts the forms firmly. The color scheme of the picture is restrained, but beautiful in its own way. With all the character of the performance of this work, Ryazhsky affirms the type of man born of the Soviet era – an active builder of new life."
