Checks Game 

Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky, painted this image of children playing checkers. It’s a scene that speaks to the artist’s broader interest in education and the lives of peasant children in late 19th and early 20th century Russia. Bogdanov-Belsky was committed to social realism, and sought to represent the everyday experiences of ordinary people. We can see this through the depiction of children playing a simple game. This was made during a period of significant social and political change in Russia, and Bogdanov-Belsky was part of a wider movement of artists and intellectuals who were interested in exploring the lives and experiences of the peasantry. Institutions such as the Russian Academy of Arts shaped artistic production, and artists often used their work to comment on the social structures of their time. By studying the historical context in which the artwork was created, we can gain a deeper understanding of its meaning and significance. Historians use a variety of resources, such as letters, diaries, and other primary sources, to reconstruct the social and institutional context in which art was made.