Yuon Torzhok. 1914, Russian Empire

Konstantin Yuon (1875-1958) was a Russian painter and stage designer known for his depictions of the Russian landscape and its people. He was born in Moscow and studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Yuon's early work was influenced by the Russian Impressionist movement and he often painted en plein air, capturing the changing light and atmosphere of the landscape. In the 1910s, Yuon became interested in stage design and worked on productions for the Moscow Art Theatre and the Bolshoi Theatre. He also designed sets for Sergei Eisenstein's 1938 film Alexander Nevsky. Yuon's most famous painting is "The New Planet" (1921), which depicts a group of peasants gazing at a comet in the night sky. The painting has become an iconic image of Soviet art and is often used to represent the optimism and hope of the early Soviet era. Throughout his career, Yuon remained committed to depicting the beauty and traditions of Russian life, even as Soviet art became more focused on propaganda and political messages. He died in Moscow in 1958.