Grigorii Vasilevich Soroka

Born Nov. 15 (27), 1823, in the village of Pokrovskaia, in what is now Kalinin Oblast; died there Apr. 10 (22), 1864. Russian painter of the Venetsianov school. Son of a serf.

From 1842 to 1847, Soroka studied under A. G. Venetsianov. His works, which include landscapes, genre paintings, interiors, and portraits, evoke a contemplative atmosphere and reveal a naive conception of the harmony of life. Conveying the sleepy tranquility of nature and the measured pace of daily life on landed estates, they often feature pensive human figures. Soroka worked with a subtle, harmonious palette of tones ranging from gold to brown and employed a restrained and static composition. While stylizing forms, he portrayed the details of his world with especial warmth.

Notable examples of Soroka’s works include Fishermen on Lake Moldino and Portrait of E. N. Miliukova, both of which date from the 1840’s and are housed in the Russian Museum in Leningrad.