Tatiana Alekseyevna Mavrina-Lebedeva
A Street
1933
oil on canvas
70 x 80 cm
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Mavrina’s work is typified by its highly pronounced decorative aspects, its very keen and direct perception of the world, its entertaining and mocking gaiety, and the artist’s mastery of technique. Olga Gildebrandt, who, like Mavrina, was a member of the Group of Thirteen, said of Mavrina: “Her Moscow landscapes—whether grey or brightly coloured—are always joyful, as if they were having fun. They are amusing in themselves.” Everything in A Street appears to be alive and animated: the multicoloured houses, the somewhat distorted and grotesque cars, the streetcars, the horses and carriages, all appear to be wriggling together, as are the small bay horse and the awkward and colourful people.