Midnight Sun 1915

Mikhail Larionov has created a raucous gathering with oil paint. The red and yellow are mixed with blue like in a dream, and that blue makes me feel as though the whole scene is taking place in the cosmos. I can imagine him there in his studio, pushing the paint around, letting the figures emerge from the brushstrokes. The paint is put on with what seems like freedom and confidence, although I am sure he was struggling. I always feel that struggle when I make a painting. I wonder if Larionov did too. I wonder if he wanted to create a stage, or a sun, a midnight sun, where everyone can play. The masked faces peer down with toothy grins. It reminds me how artists converse through paintings and continue to inspire one another. There is no definitive reading because painting is about embodying expression and embracing ambiguity.