Март. 1913

Vitold Byalynitsky-Birulya, probably standing outside, made this painting with oils on canvas. I see a cluster of buildings in a landscape, with snow still on the ground. The overall palette is muted, almost monochrome, with subtle variations in tone and texture. Looking at this, I'm wondering what Birulya was thinking about while painting this, outside in the cold? Probably thinking about the light in the landscape, how it reflects off the snow, casting long shadows. It’s really all about tone, not color, isn’t it? I imagine him working outdoors, trying to capture the quiet stillness of a winter landscape. The brushstrokes feel deliberate, each one carefully placed to build up the image. It reminds me of other landscape painters like Isaac Levitan, who were also interested in capturing the mood and atmosphere of the Russian countryside. It's like painters are always in conversation with each other, across time and space, inspiring each other's creativity and ways of seeing. The beauty of painting lies in its ability to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings.