Balkashina

This 1820 pastel of a figure identified simply as Balkashina represents Venetsianov's use of the medium for informal portrait studies of individuals within his immediate social and rural circle. The single name suggests a peasant or minor figure rather than a noble, consistent with Venetsianov's documented practice of painting the people around him on his estate. Held in the Tretyakov Gallery, the work belongs to the group of pastel studies that demonstrate the range of Venetsianov's practice beyond the celebrated oil paintings — a more private, immediate form of record-making.

Pastel on paper with the characteristic soft luminosity of the medium, applied in delicate layered strokes. The warm light characteristic of Venetsianov's indoor studies is maintained in the pastel medium, with careful blending in the face. The informal character of the pastel support matches the informal, personal nature of the subject.