Funeral

Three elderly women, wrapped in dark headscarves and shawls, sit in a row on a bench inside a wooden village house. Beside them a table is laid with a floral blue cloth, loaves of bread, and a ring of lit candles beneath a small icon on the wall. Lace curtains filter grey daylight through the windows, and a snow-covered street with a passer-by is visible outside; a striped towel and painted cups hang above the scene.

The interior is rendered in warm ochres and browns set against cool blue-green walls and white lace, with the candle flames providing small points of warm light. Brushwork is careful and descriptive in the faces and folded hands, looser in the textiles and window view beyond. The hushed poses and burning candles give the room a solemn, mourning atmosphere.