Troika in the Snow 1910

Abraham Manievich made this painting of a troika in the snow with oil on canvas, and it feels like he was there, right in the thick of it. I imagine he was shivering while painting this wintery village scene. Manievich must have built up the layers, stroke by stroke, mixing whites and greys to capture the dull light of a snow-covered day. The paint has been applied so loosely, with such immediacy, but at the same time, it feels so sure of itself. Look at how he’s rendered the fence in the foreground with a few deft strokes of green and yellow – and how those colours just sing against the cool blues of the snow. It reminds me of how Chaim Soutine used colour to create a sense of movement and energy in his paintings. Artists are always in conversation, and in constant dialogue across time, exchanging ideas and inspiring each other's creativity. Painting embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings. It's exciting, right?