Street of a provincial town 1917

This is Boris Kustodiev’s "Street of a Provincial Town," and he made it using paint and pencil. The whole thing feels like it’s been sketched in, like a memory being quickly pulled from the ether, and then given some touches of bold color. Look at how Kustodiev renders the people. They’re really just these dark, scribbled figures, but they're so alive, you can imagine the hustle and bustle of the market. He then punctuates the scene with these little shocks of saturated color. The reds of the dresses are so striking, and they're placed just so to draw your eye through the composition. There is a dog in the very front, a dark splodge, it looks like a deliberate and dark mark. It’s such a counterpoint to the overall exuberance, like a little shadow. Kustodiev shares some of that playful but awkward touch with someone like Bonnard, who was working a bit earlier. Both really understood that a painting can be more felt than seen. There is something very heartfelt and not overly controlled in this.