Student Artwork Guide — Candlestick (study)

4 parts 1 The artwork2 In context3 Artist and museum4 Look closely

Name Class Date

vasily ivanovich surikov, Candlestick (study). Public domain.

The facts

Artist: vasily ivanovich surikov wahooart.com/en/artists/vasily-ivanovich-surikov/
Artist’s dates: 1848 – 1916

Copyright This work is in the public domain. vasily ivanovich surikov died in 1916; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 1986.

Candlestick (study) — vasily ivanovich surikov

When might this have been painted?

1840
1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910

Shaded: the lifetime of vasily ivanovich surikov (1848–1916)

This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?

Compare with

Townswoman (also known as A. Yemelyanova, née Schreider), 1902 wahooart.com/en/art/vasily-ivanovich-surikov-townswoman-also-known-as-a-yemelyanova-nee-schr-8YE5DL-en/
Stretlets Bidding Farewell to the People, 1879 wahooart.com/en/art/vasily-ivanovich-surikov-stretlets-bidding-farewell-to-the-people-8YE3F7-en/
Siberian Belle (also known as E. Rachkovskaya), 1891 wahooart.com/en/art/vasily-ivanovich-surikov-siberian-belle-also-known-as-e-rachkovskaya-8YDUNW-en/

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: wahooart.com/en/art/similar/vasily-ivanovich-surikov-candlestick-study-8XX5Q6-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

Main colour

Clay #916d5c

Catalogued palette

#916D5C
#DFCDAC
#694233
#301B1A

Palette: Earthy The dominant colour family in the image.
Main colour name: Clay
Intensity: Balanced How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
Contrast: Statement How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
Harmony: Balanced Harmony How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
Brightness: Balanced How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
Saturation: Balanced Soft How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

Candlestick (study) — vasily ivanovich surikov

Artist

vasily ivanovich surikov

Born in Krasnoyarsk, Russia

The Soul of a Nation Captured in Paint

Vasily Ivanovich Surikov stands as one of the most celebrated figures in Russian art history, a painter whose canvases capture not merely visual representations but profound explorations of Russia’s soul. Born in 1848 in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Surikov's early life was marked by hardship and familial struggles—a formative experience that instilled within him an unwavering dedication to portraying the realities of rural Russian society with unflutched honesty. This commitment would become the cornerstone of his artistic vision, propelling him to create monumental works that continue to resonate powerfully today.

His artistic sensibilities were nurtured by a fascination with folklore and peasant life, themes deeply prevalent in Siberian culture. His father, a teacher, instilled in him a love for literature and history, shaping his intellectual curiosity and providing the foundation for his meticulous research into historical subjects. Recognizing Surikov’s talent, his father secured him admission to the St Petersburg Academy of Arts, where he honed his skills under the guidance of masters like Konstantin Dmitrievich Makovsky and Ivan Alekseyevich Kramskoy. These influential figures championed Realism as a dominant artistic style, encouraging Surikov to depict everyday life with psychological depth and emotional resonance.

Where to read more

The artist vasily ivanovich surikov wahooart.com/en/artists/vasily-ivanovich-surikov/
Similar works More works to compare wahooart.com/en/art/similar/vasily-ivanovich-surikov-candlestick-study-8XX5Q6-en/

Find this online

QR code linking to the download page for Candlestick (study)

wahooart.com/en/art/download/vasily-ivanovich-surikov-candlestick-study-8XX5Q6-en/

Cite this artwork

MLA: surikov, vasily ivanovich. Candlestick (study). n.d., https://wahooart.com/en/art/vasily-ivanovich-surikov-candlestick-study-8XX5Q6-en/
APA: surikov, vasily ivanovich (n.d.). Candlestick (study) [Painting]. https://wahooart.com/en/art/vasily-ivanovich-surikov-candlestick-study-8XX5Q6-en/
Chicago: vasily ivanovich surikov. Candlestick (study). n.d. https://wahooart.com/en/art/vasily-ivanovich-surikov-candlestick-study-8XX5Q6-en/
Harvard: surikov, vasily ivanovich (n.d.) Candlestick (study). Available at: https://wahooart.com/en/art/vasily-ivanovich-surikov-candlestick-study-8XX5Q6-en/

Candlestick (study) — vasily ivanovich surikov

Look closely

Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

What catches your eye first, and why?
Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
Our catalogue files this work under: study. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
Look back at Townswoman (also known as A. Yemelyanova, née Schreider) (1902), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
What might the artist have wanted you to feel?

Your response

Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.