This two-volume study investigates the artistic development and historical significance of Leonid Pasternak within the context of late 19th and early 20th-century European art. Rimgaila Salys, a scholar of Russian culture and art, utilizes extensive archival research and direct collaboration with the Pasternak family to construct a comprehensive biographical and analytical framework. The work serves as both a critical assessment of Pasternak's portraiture and a definitive record of his creative output during his formative and most productive years in Russia.

Experts identify this work as a foundational reference for scholars of Russian art and the Pasternak family legacy. The text is noted for its academic rigor and the sheer scale of its cataloging, making it an indispensable resource for institutional archives and art historians alike.