Artist – Petrov -Vodkin
In 1916, Petrov-Vodkin was called up for military service, which was held in the Izmailovsky regiment in Petrograd, which he wrote to his mother: “Yesterday the order came to appear in the military commission. After the commission, I will be sent to Tsarskoye, or maybe another proposal will be, I can choose the place I wish “. And later it reports: “It was very difficult, especially in the beginning, it was in the barracks by 7 in the morning. I go through the combat service. It’s good that I live at home. I still go to civilian. I’ll write more authentically on the holidays and tell you about the life of the warrior of the Life Guards of the Izmailovsky Regiment, the 1st company, the 1st platoon, the 1st department … ”. Throughout 1914-1918, the regiment participated in many operations. In Petrograd, the reserve battalion of the Life Guards of the Izmailovsky regiment was stationed, where Petrov-Vodkin was mobilized.
The artist did not get to the front, but the passage of the actual service contributed to the appearance of paintings with specific events, such as the “review of the Izmailovsky regiment before sending to the front”. A small, clearly built, absolutely realistic canvas-not particularly familiar to the viewer, the version of Petrov-Vodkin’s painting. The artist adheres to an academically strict composition, uses restrained color relations, prescribes the smallest details, which gives the canvas the loyalty of a historical document.