Though better known for his historical and contemporary genre scenes, Repin was an accomplished portraitist, whose subjects included a wide range of pre-revolutionary Russian writers, painters, and musicians, including Anton Rubenstein and Leo Tolstoy.

Repin was particularly renowned for his sensitivity to his sitters’ complex personalities. In this late portrait, academic principles of composition are combined with a looser brushwork and lighter palette, reminiscent of the contemporary French painting to which Repin was drawn. Nadya’s direct gaze and the unarticulated background emphasize the figure’s individual psychology, despite the lack of any identifying accoutrements or props.