The work of traditional landscape and genre painter Tutunov is characterised by the basic principles of academic painting in terms of content and form alike. Since the fifties, his dominant theme has been the idyll of the Russian landscape and provincial small towns. Often made en plein air, his paintings depict the everyday life of Russian people, representing a kind of social genre painting. In the eighties, Tutunov turned towards historical and religious topics. His painting in the Ludwig Museum’s collection, entitled Imitating Lentulov, refers to painter and graphic artist Aristarch Lentulov, who was one of the most important figures of the cubist trend of the Russian avant-garde. He had abandoned this style of painting, without completely losing his interest in constructivist image elements. In his compositions, architectural details and cityscapes drawing on the Russian architectural tradition are associated with Biblical scenes. Imitating Lentulov’s style, the painting evokes reminiscences of Chagall, thus can be interpreted as an homage to the early Russian avant-garde. Andrey Tutunov is a member of the Russian Academy of Arts and has not had a solo exhibition since 1987.