Winter 1916

Boris Kustodiev's 'Winter' captures a snow-covered landscape with bold brushstrokes, predominantly in shades of white and pale blues, with the unexpected touch of pinks and yellows in the sky. You know, when I look at this painting, I imagine Kustodiev standing there in the freezing cold, his breath visible as he tries to capture the scene before him. I can almost feel his struggle to convey the way the light filters through the trees, turning the snow into a field of sparkling diamonds. The way he daubs the paint onto the canvas—thick in some places, thin in others—gives the whole scene a kind of shivering, shimmering quality. And look at the birds flying away in the sky: what is it that makes a whole flock take flight? Kustodiev really gets to something about the human spirit too, in a way that reminds me of Pieter Bruegel. Both artists transform the quiet observation of people into an emotional statement about joy. It's about finding your own way of seeing and feeling. That's painting.