Winter. Shrovetide festivities 1919

Boris Kustodiev made this painting of Winter Shrovetide festivities, and the date is unknown. I am really struck by the way Kustodiev lays down paint. Look at the rooftops, for example. See how the snow is made up of dabs and dashes of white and blue. It's not about realism; it's about the joy of applying paint to canvas. Artmaking as a process, right? The texture is so physical; you can almost feel the cold air and the crunch of snow under your boots. And the colors, wow, they pop! The reds of the buildings against the white snow and the muted blues create this fantastic sense of energy. I keep coming back to the little figures, each one a tiny brushstroke, bustling about, celebrating. It's like a microcosm of life itself. It reminds me of Pieter Bruegel, the way he captures the energy of a community in motion, but with a uniquely Russian sensibility. Ultimately, it's a celebration of life, art, and the messy, beautiful process of making something new.