Moscow court 1877

Vasily Polenov captured this Moscow courtyard with oil on canvas, immortalizing a serene moment. Dominating the skyline are the golden domes and a slender bell tower of a Russian Orthodox church, potent symbols of spiritual aspiration. The upward thrust of the tower reminds me of the Egyptian obelisks, reaching for the heavens, a visual echo across millennia and cultures. Here, the tower serves as a ‘lightning rod’ for collective memory and spiritual longing. It is a reaching towards something transcendent, embedded deeply within our collective unconscious. This spiritual yearning, passed down through generations, resurfaces here, grounding itself in the very soil of Moscow. Notice how Polenov uses the light and shadow to invoke a dream-like state. The subconscious pull of symbols like this tower can be deeply moving, engaging the viewer on an emotional level that transcends mere visual appreciation. The symbol is non-linear, cyclical, and resurfaces with new meaning.