Youth (Kiss) 1913

Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin made Youth (Kiss) using oil paint. There's a beautiful stillness in this painting. The figures are bathed in this warm, reddish light that feels both intimate and a little unsettling. Look at how he models their forms – it's not about perfect realism, but more about capturing the essence of the body, the weight of it, the way light moves across the skin. I'm drawn to the way their hands meet; it's tender but also a bit awkward. The artist uses these soft, blended strokes, especially in the flesh tones, which create this dreamlike quality. It reminds me a bit of Gauguin, actually, that same interest in the human form. But where Gauguin went for bold colours, Petrov-Vodkin uses a more muted, subtle palette, which gives the painting a more melancholic feel. Art is a conversation, right? Each artist building on what came before, twisting it, turning it into something new.