Untitled (St. George the Victorious) 1915

Pavel Filonov made this painting, St. George the Victorious, out of oil on paper. Just looking at the fractured light, it seems like he built up the painting layer by layer, allowing a complex image to emerge. I can imagine him peering intently, brush in hand, adding tiny strokes and dabs of color. The painting is brimming with figures, horses, and architectural details. Look at the fragmented forms and the mosaic-like composition, built with touches of red, white, blue, and black. What was he thinking? There's a real sense of the artist trying to capture the essence of a subject from multiple angles all at once. I love the way the fractured surface suggests a world in flux, full of hidden perspectives and possibilities. The longer you look, the more you see. It’s like he’s turning the Cubist idea inside out! Artists are always riffing on each other's ideas across time. In painting, as in life, we're all constantly exchanging ideas, inspiring each other to see the world in new and unexpected ways.