Moscow 1900

Editor: So, here we have Ivan Bilibin's "Moscow," created around 1900, using ink and print on paper. The image has this almost dreamlike quality; the Kremlin seems to float on the water. What jumps out at you when you look at this print? Curator: The city is encased within a distinct outline that mirrors its reflection. Notice how the stylized rainbow almost seals this space off from us, the viewer. It certainly taps into deeply embedded Russian symbols. The floating city suggests an ideal, a Moscow set apart, a cultural memory. What does that reflection symbolize to you? Editor: Maybe it’s doubling the importance, like emphasizing Moscow’s significance, both in reality and as an ideal? It feels powerful, this deliberate symmetry. Curator: Precisely. And think about the deliberate use of line. It gives us a clear, almost iconic view of Moscow, harking back to medieval icon painting where the city was frequently cast as a Holy realm. What feeling does the color evoke in you? Editor: The colors are intense! The blood red is very evocative; but then also the gold clouds – they definitely give it a mythical sort of glow. I'd not normally think about a cityscape being represented like this. Curator: That crimson certainly draws out very primal emotions. That is its intent! What seems contained below, hints that it might spill over the boundaries. Do you think that it’s really about literal geography, or something more conceptual? Editor: I'm thinking that its conceptual! It feels like Bilibin is using Moscow to represent some idealized version of Russia, its history, and maybe even its soul. Thanks, this was an amazing way to look at an image! Curator: And to me, that visual vocabulary says so much about cultural identity and collective memory, distilled into these potent symbols. Thank you, it was a pleasure exchanging ideas with you!