Kremlin view from Cathedral of Christ the Saviour 

Curator: Take a look at this lovely cityscape, a painting entitled “Kremlin view from Cathedral of Christ the Saviour” by Konstantin Alexeevich Korovin. Editor: Oh, I love this! It's like looking through a dream, hazy and shimmering. All those blues and golds – pure delight! I immediately feel this carefree almost joyful vibe, you know. Curator: Absolutely. Korovin was a master of Russian Impressionism, embracing plein-air painting and capturing the fleeting moments of light and atmosphere. He played a key role in introducing impressionist styles to the Russian art world and you really see the techniques on display here. Editor: See, "atmosphere" is exactly the word! Look at how the buildings almost dissolve into the sky, the loose brushwork creates this beautiful sense of movement like you’re really seeing the Kremlin on a bright sunny day. Curator: Korovin's work can also be viewed in light of the shifting socio-political context in Russia at the turn of the century. Images like this served to preserve cultural landmarks amid growing revolutionary sentiments. Editor: Hmm, that’s interesting… so like he’s celebrating this idealized vision of Russia even as things are starting to fall apart? A visual comfort blanket of sorts, using dabs of paint rather than thread. There's that gorgeous bridge arching over the water! It looks so solid yet so fragile at the same time – like hope perhaps. Curator: Exactly! The impasto technique, the thick layering of paint, it’s very evocative. I feel a sense of the artist capturing something vital, making visible a unique sense of the place, of the atmosphere in this place. Editor: I love thinking about how art is not always intentional or about "saying something important"– it's about seeing, about that joy of trying to hold something beautiful in your heart, so it translates out of the brush and into a form that might outlast your body, or the bodies of the viewers in future eras. Curator: A very personal vision, in fact, I think you nailed it. Editor: And in the meantime it lets us appreciate the vibrant landscape with this loose energetic freedom, like being able to stop time by grabbing an old postcard with gold rims, it is nice being able to enjoy the show, what's available now.