Direction of the wind 2019

Andrey Remnev created this enigmatic painting titled “Direction of the Wind” in our own time, using oil on canvas. At its heart, we find a woman adorned with traditional Slavic headdress, coin jewelry, and holding her hand up to her forehead as she gazes into the distance. The gesture of shielding one's eyes to see further echoes across cultures and millennia, from ancient Greek sculptures to Renaissance paintings. We see it in the figures of seers and prophets. It represents not just physical sight, but a deeper visionary quest. The woman’s elaborate headdress and jewelry, reminiscent of historical Russian attire, connects her to a rich cultural past, yet her fragmented form evokes a sense of loss and longing. There is a poignant beauty here, a sense of watching and waiting. This image is a powerful emblem of the enduring human search for meaning, continually re-emerging throughout the history of art.