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As a results of Bastien Lepage's influence, the canvases made by Iványi in the early 1890s were characterized by meticulous drawing, the application of evenly dispersed light and the use of restrained colours, predominantly of pearl-grey tone. Genre painting depicting the festivities of the people living in the country was very popular at the time. The picture shows a peasant girl all dressed up and sincerely praying before leaving for church. In this case, however, we are not dealing with the fancy and superficial type of representation so often sought after by art dealers. The painting radiates the solemn silence surrounding the praying girl. She is kept out of the outside world, almost imprisoned, by the brown lattice fence. A white lily, the symbol of virginity and spiritual purity in Christian iconography, protrudes from the colourful flowers. This attribute of Virgin Mary and the original title of the painting, "Ave Maria", connect the two favourite themes of Iványi's early period; the genre and the religious scenes.
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