Province, Voronezh 1912

Mstislav Dobuzhinsky created this watercolour painting, called Province, Voronezh, sometime in the early 20th century. He invites us to consider what life was like in Russia’s provincial towns. The high vantage point is unusual and draws attention to the architectural features in the composition. Domes and rooftops show an urban landscape that seems a little sleepy, set against a drab sky. Dobuzhinsky was part of the Russian artistic movement Mir iskusstva which, in English, means ‘World of Art’. The group rejected what it saw as the declining standards of academic art and embraced a new aesthetic that was more symbolic. We might understand this image as nostalgic, recalling a time before the radical social changes brought about by the Russian Revolution. In my role as an art historian, I would look at images from popular magazines and newspapers of the period to help build up a clearer picture of the Russian provinces at the time. I’d also investigate the archives of institutions, such as the Academy of Arts, to learn more about the artistic debates of the time.