As they were traveling with the theater , Simonovich-Efimova 's interest in painting rekindled . She was inspired to depict women in their regional dress digging potatoes , comforting their children , or attending fairs and festivals . She painted pictures of women and girls in 1924 and again in 1926 while in Lipetsk ; colorful images with reds , greens and ambers in a noted series called " Tambov women " ; picturesque scenes from Bashkiria and Udmurtia ; and a critically acclaimed series created in Crimea and Novgorod . The Novgorod paintings began in a period when the Effimovs had fled Moscow in 1935 because of political turmoil . During this time , purges of 1933 and the party restructuring that followed in 1935 , bureaucrats , corrupt officials , shirkers and those who sought personal gain over state benefit were targeted , rather than previous purges which had focused upon bourgeoisie elements . Even if one were not a target of the purge , a broad range of society was effected , because the purges were aimed at eliminating all those affiliated with a targeted party member . Fear of arrest , denunciation , or extortion , created uncertainty for every strata of society . The paintings from the period comprise mostly landscapes of the area surrounding the city and ancient buildings , where Simonovich-Efimova walked to enjoy the peace of her surroundings
political turmoil
Great Purge
Nina Simonovich-Efimova