I'M SORRY, I'LL READ THAT AGAIN...
In 1880 Polenov painted another version of his Overgrown Pond, in which he brought the figure of the reading woman out of the shade and placed her standing at the focus of the picture's lighting. It isn't clear whether this was a purely compositional decision, or a gesture to the sitter, who was his sister, but whatever the motive for the change, it slightly alters the way the painting is read. Changing a pictorial element inevitably changes a "word" in the language of visual emblems through which a painting conveys an attitude to what it depicts. The figure is no longer musing thoughtfully in the background, with nature holding center stage - a Romantic touch. She is foregrounded in a more familiar posture of admiration of nature, with the pond, the jetty and the surrounding trees providing her with an almost theatrical setting. Notice that in this version the tall weed is no longer competing for attention in the lower right corner. Click on the picture to see the details more clearly.
