Stormy day on the Kama 1918

Arkady Rylov made this painting of a stormy day on the Kama with visible brushstrokes and a somber palette. It's like he's inviting us to witness the very act of creation, the push and pull of applying paint to canvas. You can almost feel the wind and spray coming off that choppy water. Look closely and you will see the waves are built up from thick layers of ochre, like frozen curls that sit on the surface of the painting. These brushstrokes create this amazing tension between the rough surface and the smooth, almost eerie light filtering through the clouds. It's a simple scene, but Rylov captures such a deep sense of atmosphere. He reminds me of some of the earlier Russian landscape painters like Isaac Levitan, who sought to convey the inner life of nature through humble, unassuming scenes. Both artists share a commitment to ambiguity, inviting the viewer to bring their own experiences and emotions to the canvas.