Portrait of songbeater futurist Wassily Kamensky 1916

David Burliuk made this oil painting, Portrait of songbeater futurist Wassily Kamensky, sometime in the 20th century. Look at the broad brushstrokes and the ochre and fleshy tones that build the bodies in the composition. I imagine Burliuk painting this in a fit of creative energy, layering colors and forms with a kind of reckless abandon. I wonder what he was thinking as he painted Kamensky and the reclining nude. Did he see them as symbols of a new, liberated future? Was he trying to capture the dynamism and chaos of modern life? There's a real physicality to the paint itself, thick in some places, thin in others, creating a textured surface that invites you to touch it, even though you can't. I'm drawn to the way Burliuk uses color to create a sense of depth and movement. It's like he's not just painting a picture, but also capturing a feeling, an energy. This piece reminds me of other early modernists who were pushing the boundaries of representation, like Kirchner and the German Expressionists. Artists are always in dialogue with each other, riffing on each other's ideas, and creating something new in the process. Painting isn’t about answers; it's about keeping the conversation going.