Alexei and Sergei Tkachyov completed ‘Friends’ in 1955. They spotted the subject for this painting a little earlier than this, when they lived in Belarus. The artists depict two village girls, who are meeting up by a gate on a winter day. One of them is holding an envelope in her hand, whilst the other one, having put down her shoulder-yoke, is looking at a photograph of a sailor. We can imagine that one of the girls has received a letter from her suitor, and is sharing her thoughts about this with her friend.

This work fully reveals the Tkachyov brothers’ ability in working with color. The vibrant winter air seems to imbue the whole image with soft silvery highlights. The warm colors of the houses, powdery snow and streak of light in the sky create a lyrical atmosphere. The delicacy of the color palette saves the painting from any monotony. The artists masterfully oversee the gradation between the different colors and overtones on the buckets, gate and fur coats.

Art historians have occasionally positioned the work of the Tkachyov brothers within impressionism, as they pay great attention to light and air and individual brush strokes are clearly visible. For example, in the early 2000’s, a few of the brothers’ works were included in some albums for publication as part of a book launched by Russia’s major museums, called ‘The Historical Path of Russian Impressionism.’

But many other art historians disagree with this. For example, Professor Vladimir Sysoev has noted that the brothers’ paintings have closer ties to the genre of Russian pre-impressionism and artists such as Ilya Repin, Isaac Levitan and Vasily Perov. He asserts that ‘Friends’ has both a subject and a subtext. The lively expression on the girl’s face, her coquettish joy and impatient expectation allows the view to feel close to her and to understand her. However for impressionist painters, depicting psychological depth or reflecting current social situations are not important. Artists in this genre usually only concentrate on the exterior and aesthetic features of a painting.

‘Friends’ and a number of the artists’ other works received the awards ‘For Distinguished Labour’. One version of this painting is exhibited in the museum.