After the storm 1921

Boris Kustodiev made this landscape painting with oils, its title is *After the Storm*. It's like two paintings in one, you know? Up top, there’s this awesome rainbow after a dark storm. Down below, people are getting back to work in the fields, the river reflecting that vibrant blue sky. I can almost feel what it might have been like for Kustodiev, standing there with his brushes, trying to capture the feeling after a storm has passed. It's a dance between darkness and light. Like when you're painting, you're always trying to find the right balance, right? Too much of one thing, and it all falls apart. That bold, bright rainbow against the landscape – it reminds me of Russian folk art. A lot of painters are in conversation with one another, across time, inspiring new approaches. And that’s why ambiguity is such a powerful tool.