A. Pushkin on the act in the Lyceum on Jan. 8, 1815 reads his poem memories in Tsarskoe Selo 1911

Ilya Repin made this painting of Alexander Pushkin reading his poetry with oil on canvas. You can see right away that Repin’s brushstrokes are thick, almost frantic, as if he’s trying to capture the energy of the moment, not just the image. Look closely at the faces in the crowd. Each one is rendered with such expressive strokes that you can almost feel their reactions to Pushkin’s words. The way Repin uses light is fantastic too. It’s not just about illuminating the scene, but also about creating a sense of drama and anticipation. There’s a glow around Pushkin himself, making him appear almost radiant, while the rest of the room is cast in shadow, which makes him really stand out. Repin always had a knack for capturing the emotional intensity of his subjects. Think of Rembrandt, another painter who knew how to use light and shadow to tell a story, but with a bit more of a modern, psychological edge. Anyway, it’s a reminder that art is always in conversation with itself, building on what came before, pushing into new territories.