Boats on Calm Waters 

Konstantin Gorbatov created this oil painting called 'Boats on Calm Waters' at some unknown date. Its loose brushwork evokes the impressionistic style that spread across Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Though Gorbatov left his homeland in 1922, he often painted scenes of Russia's towns, provincial life, and Orthodox churches from memory. In this respect, he followed other Russian émigré artists, such as Nikolai Rerikh, who felt a deep sense of cultural loss when exiled. Here, Gorbatov shows us a rural scene far removed from the radical artistic experiments happening in Moscow and Petrograd at that time. The domes and spires in the background are a reminder of Russia’s strong spiritual identity. But the boats might also be seen as symbolizing the artist's own journey, floating between the past and the present. Art historians use archival material such as letters, photographs, and exhibition reviews to piece together the conditions in which art is made. The meaning of art is always contingent on these social and institutional contexts.