Merchant wedding 1917

Boris Kustodiev made this watercolor on paper. The blurry edges and broad washes of color give it a real dreamlike atmosphere, don’t they? I can almost see Kustodiev, brush in hand, trying to capture the sheer exuberance of a merchant wedding. It's like he’s not just painting what he sees, but also the sounds, the smells, and the giddy excitement in the air. Look at how he uses the red – it’s not just the color of the walls; it's the energy of the party itself. And the way the figures are drawn, kind of loose and free, gives the painting a sense of movement, like everyone’s caught up in the celebration. I think Kustodiev understood that painting isn't just about representing reality, but about conveying the feeling of a moment. It’s this kind of bold, emotional mark-making that makes painting such an amazing way to explore the world.