Russian Venus 1920

Boris Kustodiev conjured this Russian Venus with watercolor, I think. I can almost feel the steam rising from the bathhouse. It's so dark and mysterious! Kustodiev isn't shy about the body, is he? I feel like he really saw her, like he captured a certain earthiness that's so Russian. Look at the way he painted her hair, so blonde and thick, and the little blush on her cheeks. What was he thinking when he painted this? Was he trying to capture the spirit of Russian womanhood? It feels like a celebration, a love letter to a certain kind of beauty. The surface is smooth, like skin, but you can see every brushstroke, every little decision he made. It reminds me of some folk art. I wonder if Kustodiev was looking at that stuff. Anyway, it's a reminder that artists are always in conversation, always riffing off each other, and I love that.