Illustration to Leo Tolstoy's "Hadji-Murat" 1913

This illustration to Leo Tolstoy’s “Hadji-Murat” feels like it came into being through a dance of color and form. It's like Lanceray built it up layer by layer, from a gold ground. I feel the pressure of the moment, imagining Lanceray standing before his canvas, brush in hand, deciding where to place each stroke. He's using thin paint, pulling it over the canvas with all those tiny marks that somehow add up to a crowded scene! Look at that figure in the foreground, in orange. Lanceray's gesture gives a sense of movement, as if she's turning away. It's a fleeting moment captured in paint. There's something so intimate about witnessing the artist's process, seeing the evidence of his hand in every stroke, every choice. It reminds you of the Impressionists and their quick, gestural marks. I imagine their influence was buzzing in Lanceray’s ears. And isn’t that what art is all about? Artists are in an ongoing conversation, trading ideas and inspiring one another. We embrace ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations. There’s no single, correct way to see it.