Varvara. Costume Design for Nikolai Ostrovsky's 'The Thunderstorm' 1920

Curator: Right in front of us we have Boris Kustodiev's costume design for 'The Thunderstorm', specifically for the character Varvara. It's dated 1920 and done in watercolor. Editor: The first thing that jumps out is the theatricality, naturally! That incredible skirt—it's a swirl of gold brocade—demands attention. Though a sadness wafts off the muted watercolor, a yearning. Curator: Definitely theatrical, but there’s a considered approach to fabric at play here. Look how he details the construction of the costume itself—the layering of the blouse, the vest with its deep indigo dye… he's showcasing the material realities behind the character. Editor: It’s more than just the costume, though. Her profile… that slightly downturned gaze and soft features, there’s a tenderness there. Do you think it might also reveal the potential of a soul trapped? A Russian Ophelia almost. Curator: Potentially. Remember this was painted amidst a period of immense upheaval. Kustodiev, grappling with illness himself, designed sets and costumes during a time of civil war and economic collapse. Think about the access to materials and artistic labor. His deliberate focus brings attention to craft that existed irrespective of revolutionary change. Editor: It almost feels like he’s holding onto something familiar, pre-revolution… using Varvara as a vessel. Though look closer at the architecture, the rural buildings look so very unstable! Everything shifts under the painting’s symbolic calm! Curator: Yes, these buildings serve as material reminders that Russian history rests uneasily beneath any grand narrative, whether theatrical or revolutionary. And the application of watercolour speaks to both the delicacy and disposability of old certainties in this context. Editor: Perhaps that's what speaks to me—that haunting premonition. It transcends a mere costume sketch into an evocative commentary on fleeting beauty and cultural tension. Curator: Precisely! Thank you for highlighting how process brings into view an uneasy awareness in our material and historical conditions of being!