Cloud 1908

Arkhyp Kuindzhi painted this picture of a cloud, using oil on canvas, and the way he’s layered the paint feels important. I love how he's built up the cloud. It's not just white, but a whole bunch of whites and grays, layered in a way that gives it real depth. You can almost feel the weight of it, even though it's floating in the sky. And then there's the way he's handled the sky itself – it's not just one flat blue, but a mix of different shades, like he's really studied how light moves through the air. When I look at the big cloud, with its puffy edges and solid core, it reminds me of Guston's later paintings. There's something about the way Kuindzhi builds up the form with these deliberate brushstrokes that feels related, even though they're working in totally different contexts. It's cool to think about how artists can be in conversation with each other across time, even if they don't know it.