Shevchenko is known as the founding father of Ukrainian modern literature and language, more that his talent as an artist. He was born into serfdom, but when his talents were discovered, the famous poet Vasily Zhukovsky bought him out of serfdom in 1838. This portrait depicts Katerina, who was a key figure in one of his most famous poems. She was a serf girl, who was seduced, abandoned and disgraced by a Russian soldier in the poem. Shevchenko's art crosses between folk art and realism.