Venus 1912

Mikhail Larionov made this reclining nude, Venus, with oil on canvas. Imagine him in his studio, working on this painting! I wonder if he built it up in layers, starting with that golden background, those diagonal strokes almost like floorboards, then adding the figure, adjusting the pose. There’s something so casual and unidealized about this Venus. She’s fleshy, a little lumpy, not your typical goddess. I bet Larionov was more interested in the way the light fell across her body than in any classical notion of beauty. Notice the shadows, the way the paint is dabbed on, especially in the folds of the pillow. That dark line around her eye – it looks like she’s been crying, or maybe she's just tired. You can almost feel the softness of the pillow against her skin. Painters have been painting nudes for centuries, each with their own perspective. Larionov’s Venus feels intimate, immediate, like a glimpse into a private moment. It’s a painting that invites you to look closely, to see the beauty in the everyday, and to imagine the thoughts and feelings of the artist.