By Volga 1905

Mikhail Nesterov's painting, *By Volga*, shows two figures overlooking a wide river in Russia. Look at the muted tones and the way the colours are blended – pinks, blues, and greens. Imagine the artist, brush in hand, layering thin washes of paint, building up the scene bit by bit, almost like a watercolor. I can just picture Nesterov stepping back, squinting, adjusting his palette, trying to capture that melancholic mood. The woman is crouched on a small hill, playing with flowers, but what’s she thinking? Is she longing, dreaming, lost in thought? You can almost feel the wind coming off the water. Maybe Nesterov was thinking of the Symbolists and their poetic approach to landscape. Or maybe he was just trying to capture the light on that day by the river. I wonder if he ever thought his work would be seen so far in the future. Painters like Nesterov give us a different way of seeing, reminding us of the beauty and mystery of the world.