Lembersky's Portrayal of Depression During the Siege
Lembersky's piece, Woman in Recline: The Siege of Leningrad, Leningrad, 1964, depicts a woman reclining across a surface who appears to have lost any obviously visible markers of femininity. She is only classified as a woman by the title of the work and the white headband she wears. The work lacks any movement; the straight harsh lines and cool colors suggest that the figure is frozen in her reclined form. These features in combination with the passive body language of the woman evoke feelings of depression and stagnation. This work was created several decades after the siege had ended, showing the lasting physical and mental effects of the severe starvation during the siege.
While this piece represents the continued hardships of the survivors of the siege, it also mirrors Lembersky's experience. Though little is discussed about his time during the siege, he was injured and living under peril, sneaking food and supplies across the siege line, eventually having to leave Leningrad because of his deteriorating health. It would be hard to imagine that these extreme conditions did not negatively alter Lembersky's mental health as he was starving, sick, and afraid. The themes of depression in Woman in Recline likely reflect the effect of the siege on Lembersky that continued decades after his evacuation and physical recovery.