Elbrus in the Evening 1908

Arkhyp Kuindzhi must have painted Elbrus in the Evening with oil on canvas, patiently layering different colours of paint. I love the way the colours glow in the foreground and on the peak of the mountain! It's like he trapped the last light of the day in the paint itself. I can imagine Kuindzhi standing there, trying to capture the fleeting moment, mixing the paint just right to get that warm, pinkish hue. It makes me think about how much painting is about trying to hold onto something that's always changing, like the light or a feeling. The tiny brushstrokes build into something that feels so expansive, like the mountain itself. Painters are always looking at each other's work, borrowing and riffing on ideas. It's a long conversation across time. Each painting is a moment, a way of seeing and feeling that someone wanted to share.