Kadusha 1907

Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin made ‘Kadusha’ using oil paint, sometime around 1902, and it feels like a moment frozen in time. Look at those warm reds and yellows, almost like she's sitting right in front of us, bathed in sunlight. You can almost feel the artist's hand moving across the canvas, layering those colors, building up the form, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition. I bet Petrov-Vodkin was wrestling with how to capture not just her likeness, but also something of her spirit. The paint isn't too thick, but you can still see the brushstrokes, the way he’s trying to get at something beyond just a portrait. It reminds me of other painters from that time, all trying to figure out how to make painting new again, to use color and form to express something deeper. And that gesture, the way she holds her hands. It's so simple, but it communicates so much—a little bit of shyness, a little bit of strength. We're all in this ongoing conversation, inspiring each other to see the world in new ways. Painting is just one way of keeping that conversation alive.