Scetch At Kupavina's house for Ostrovsky's "Wolves and Sheep" 1926

This is Boris Kustodiev's stage design painted for Ostrovsky's play "Wolves and Sheep". Looking at the scene, the architecture appears like a stage set itself, doesn’t it? The strong colours and flat surfaces almost seem to mock traditional theatre. I imagine Kustodiev working on this, a real back-and-forth, a dance between observation and invention. The woman standing in the middle seems unsure, but is perhaps ready to embrace the moment. Maybe the artist felt the same. Colour and shape push against each other; the painting's surface is alive and kicking. The bold blues, yellows, and pinks are bumping up against each other! It's like the colours are singing different tunes at the same time. I wonder if Kustodiev was thinking about other artists when he made this? Maybe a little Matisse? Anyway, artists never really work in isolation. We're always riffing off each other. Painting is all about embracing uncertainty and letting things unfold.