Navigator 2015

Andrey Remnev made this painting, Navigator, with I'm guessing, oil on canvas. The figures are rendered with a glossy smoothness that's almost unsettling, like porcelain dolls frozen in a tableau. It feels like peering into a dream, or maybe a slightly eerie puppet show. I keep coming back to the gondolas that form the base of the woman's dress. They're so regimented, so neatly lined up. I wonder if Remnev was thinking about Canaletto or Guardi, those old Venetian masters who painted the city as a stage set. But this isn't their Venice. This is a Venice filtered through a very modern, slightly surreal sensibility. In some ways, it reminds me of Balthus - that same feeling of stillness and hidden meaning. Ultimately, the painting evokes a sense of mystery, inviting us to ponder the unseen narratives and unspoken tensions that simmer beneath the surface.