Petersburg. Palace 1926

Boris Kustodiev made this painting of a palace in Petersburg using watercolor. I love the way the painting emerges, shifting with trial, error, and intuition. Look at those sun flags—aren’t they just the cheekiest things? I can imagine Kustodiev having a lot of fun painting them. The paint is applied with quick, loose gestures. The red in the painting feels so energized, and the blue provides a cool contrast. The combination really vibrates. It reminds me of the sets for early 20th-century avant-garde theatre, which were so influential in shaping modern art and design. It feels like Kustodiev is having a conversation with those artists, bouncing ideas back and forth through his work. It’s a reminder that artists are always inspiring each other across time. Ultimately, painting is a way of embracing ambiguity. It allows for so many readings. What do you see here?