Paper

Student Artwork Guide

Smithy

Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar

Name Class Date
Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar, Smithy. Reproduced for reference; rights reserved by the rights holder. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist
Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar topimpressionists.com/en/artists/igor-emmanuilovich-grabar/
Artist’s dates
1871 – 1960
Movement
Post-Impressionism Artists who kept the bright colour of Impressionism but pushed shape and feeling further than the eye really sees.

Copyright This work is still under copyright. Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar died in 1960; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it remains in force until 2030. The image is shown here for classroom reference; rights remain with the rights holder.

Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 5, 2026

Smithy — Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar Part 1 · The artwork

In context

Smithy — Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar

When might this have been painted?

  1. 1870
  2. 1880
  3. 1890
  4. 1900
  5. 1910
  6. 1920
  7. 1930
  8. 1940
  9. 1950
  10. 1960

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 89 at death.

Shaded: the lifetime of Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar (1871–1960) every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1904 Main working years: 1904–1935 Late works: from 1935

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

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

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: topimpressionists.com/en/art/similar/igor-emmanuilovich-grabar-smithy-8XY8C6-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Espresso #444740

    Catalogued palette

    • #444740
    • #BCA07A
    • #79765E
    • #D3DCD5

    These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

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

    Where in the world is this painting looked at?

    • under 1%
    • 1–3%
    • 3–8%
    • 8–20%
    • 20% and over
    This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar over the last twelve months — 3 countries in all. Where these figures come from

    The ten leading countries

    1. 1 China 90.5%
    2. 2 Spain 7.1%
    3. 3 Armenia 2.4%

    Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

    The 20 most looked-at works by Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar

    1. 1 Portrait of Sergei Prokofiev, 1941 5.9%
    2. 2 Roses on the Window, 1939 5.9%
    3. 3 Radiant Morning, 1922 5.9%
    4. 4 Group Portrait with Cornflowers, 1914 3.9%
    5. 5 September Snow, 1903 3.9%
    6. 6 February Azure, 1904 3.9%
    7. 7 The entrance to the Estate, 1922 3.9%
    8. 8 Winter. Rook Nests, 1904 3.9%
    9. 9 Nikolai Gogol. The Overcoat, 1890 3.9%
    10. 10 Autumn, Rowan Tree and Birches, 1906 2.0%
    11. 11 Spring Breeze, 1905 2.0%
    12. 12 Abramtsevo. Wattle, 1944 2.0%
    13. 13 Portrait of N.D.Zelinsky, 1935 2.0%
    14. 14 The Frost, 1905 2.0%
    15. 15 Oaks, 1923 2.0%
    16. 16 Under Birches, 1904 2.0%
    17. 17 Portrait of V.G.Dulova, 1935 2.0%
    18. 18 Carousel, 1925 2.0%
    19. 19 Portrait of Goldenveizer, 1940 2.0%
    20. — Smithy this painting 0.0%

    Together these works take 61.1% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 180 works by this artist, of which 39 were looked at at least once. This painting has not been looked at yet in that time — it closes the list without a rank. The same counts, month by month

    Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

    Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 5, 2026

    Smithy — Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar Part 2 · In context

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar

    Born in Budapest, Hungary

    early life and education

    igor emmanuilovich grabar, a renowned russian post-impressionist painter, publisher, restorer, and historian of art, was born on march 25, 1871, in budapest, hungary. his family, of rusyn descent, had a strong inclination towards the russian culture. emmanuil hrabar, his father, was an ethnic rusyn lawyer and politician who maintained ties with the russian embassy. grabar's early education took place in yegoryevsk, where he attended high school. his interest in drawing was sparked by the stream of magazine publications following the 1881 murder of alexander ii of russia. he later enrolled in mikhail katkov's boarding school in moscow, making contacts with students from the moscow school of painting, sculpture, and architecture.

    artistic career and notable works

    igor emmanuilovich grabar trained under ilya repin in saint petersburg and anton ažbe in munich. he reached his peak in painting between 1903-1907, notable for his divisionist technique bordering on pointillism and his rendition of snow. some of his notable works include:

    landscape with a haystack, showcasing his skill in capturing the beauty of nature.

    the embroideress, a prime example of the realist style popular in russia during the 19th century.

    going to work, a painting that reflects the daily life of the russian people.

    museum and art restoration

    in 1913, grabar was appointed executive director of the tretyakov gallery in moscow. he diversified the collection into modern art and published its first comprehensive catalogue in 1917. as a professor of art restoration at the moscow state university (1921), he played a crucial role in the soviet art establishment. notable museums featuring grabar's work:

    novokuznetsk art museum, russia, housing an impressive collection of russian and european artworks.

    tretyakov gallery, moscow, a world-renowned museum with an extensive collection of russian fine art.

    museo kharkov museum of art (ukraine), featuring a vast collection of opere d'arte from the 14th century.

    legacy and later life

    grabar remained at the top of the soviet art establishment until his death on may 16, 1960. he managed art-restoration workshops (present-day grabar centre) during 1918-1930 and from 1944 to 1960. his legacy continues to inspire artists and art enthusiasts alike.

    view more of grabar's work on AllPaintingsStore.

    learn more about the tretyakov gallery on AllPaintingsStore.

    discover the novokuznetsk art museum's collection on AllPaintingsStore.

    references:

    igor grabar - wikipedia

    igor emmanuilovich grabar - AllPaintingsStore

    Where to read more

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for Smithy

    topimpressionists.com/en/art/download/igor-emmanuilovich-grabar-smithy-8XY8C6-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Grabar, Igor Emmanuilovich. Smithy. n.d., https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/igor-emmanuilovich-grabar-smithy-8XY8C6-en/
    APA
    Grabar, Igor Emmanuilovich (n.d.). Smithy [Painting]. https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/igor-emmanuilovich-grabar-smithy-8XY8C6-en/
    Chicago
    Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar. Smithy. n.d. https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/igor-emmanuilovich-grabar-smithy-8XY8C6-en/
    Harvard
    Grabar, Igor Emmanuilovich (n.d.) Smithy. Available at: https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/igor-emmanuilovich-grabar-smithy-8XY8C6-en/

    Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 5, 2026

    Smithy — Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar Part 3 · Artist and museum

    Look closely

    Smithy — Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar

    Look closely

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

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. Our catalogue files this work under: blacksmith scene, horse carriage, red house detail. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    4. Look back at Group Portrait with Cornflowers (1914), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
    5. Post-Impressionism: Artists who kept the bright colour of Impressionism but pushed shape and feeling further than the eye really sees. Where can you see that in this work?

    Your response

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

    Source: TopImpressionists.com — accessed Oct. 5, 2026

    Smithy — Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar Part 4 · Look closely

    Questions & Answers

    In which movement and which era is "Smithy" by Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar placed?

    In "Smithy" by Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar, the Post-Impressionism movement meets the Modern era.

    Who is the author of "Smithy", and in which movement?

    Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar created "Smithy" within the Post-Impressionism movement.

    Can I examine "Smithy" in more detail?

    The X-Ray view of "Smithy" by Igor Emmanuilovich Grabar is on the artwork's X-Ray page: an interactive examination of the image through eleven optical layers.