I've read Dr. Zhivago and some of Pasternak's poems, but I knew nothing about Leonid, so I'm very grateful for this illumination.

The picture is quite interesting (it seems to my untrained eye more symbolist than impressionist). Notice how there's what seems to be a book between the mourning woman and the arm rest of her seat. It almost pushes her toward the woman holding the baby, so that their knees are touching, although their glances are in opposite directions (left vs. right, outward vs. inward). But of course if the woman in black (as death) wanted to distance herself from the woman and child (as life), she could simply move the book. It's as if literature compels us to acknowledge the bond between life and death.

From what I remember, there's a ton of life-death symbolism in Dr. Zhivago ("zhiv" is the root of the Russian word for live). One of Pasternak's early books of poetry is titled "My Sister Life."

Your essay points out how the great ideas of art are often passed down as a legacy, in this case from father to son.