Children in Winter 

Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky painted "Children in Winter" with oil, creating a canvas dominated by a palette of whites, grays, and muted browns, evoking a visceral sense of the cold, harsh Russian winter. The rough texture of the brushstrokes adds to the feeling of a bleak, windswept landscape. At the heart of this painting is the formal structure of survival. The composition centers on a huddle of figures, their forms blurred by the snow. Here, the semiotics of color play a crucial role. The dark, earthy tones of the children’s clothing contrast starkly with the enveloping white, symbolizing their struggle against the elements. The artist uses a limited palette to amplify the emotional weight of the scene. Bogdanov-Belsky destabilizes any romantic notion of winter, instead forcing us to confront the raw reality of poverty and resilience. The painting's stark, almost monochromatic palette, serves as a signifier of hardship. The form and structure of the composition are carefully constructed to reflect a larger discourse about survival.