Pavlovsk. Novosilviysky bridge. 1921

Anna Ostroumova-Lebedeva created this landscape of Pavlovsk with watercolor and gouache on paper. Here we see a bridge, an ancient symbol of transition and connection. For centuries, bridges have held profound symbolic weight. From ancient Roman aqueducts to medieval crossings guarded by saints, they signify not just physical passage but also the bridging of divides – between the earthly and the divine, the known and the unknown. We see the repetition of this motif of passage in Caspar David Friedrich’s landscapes, and later in the surrealist dreamscapes of Giorgio de Chirico. The psychological resonance of a bridge lies in its duality, a pathway between two states. It embodies both hope for what lies ahead and nostalgia for what has been left behind. Like a rite of passage, a bridge elicits a complex emotional response, engaging our subconscious desires for exploration and transformation. This is a potent image that resonates with our deepest selves.