Portrait of mother and children 2006

Andrey Remnev made this portrait of mother and children with oils, born in 1962. It’s really interesting to see how painters working today think about history. Here, there’s a kind of Byzantine flatness, with a decorative patterning, and a golden light. I'm wondering what the painter was looking at and thinking about. Maybe he was trying to make something new, while also thinking about the past. The birds feel very decorative, like wallpaper, but also symbolic, like souls or thoughts. It’s this strange combination of realness and artificiality. The girls are so present, in their pretty dresses, yet the whole image feels timeless, like a memory. In the end, aren’t we all just trying to find our place in art history, to add something to the conversation?