Rainbow 

Arkhyp Kuindzhi created this oil on canvas painting, entitled 'Rainbow,' sometime in the late nineteenth century. Here, the striking contrast between darkness and light creates a dramatic tension, one which was very typical of Kuindzhi's work and of the broader realist movement in Russia at this time. Kuindzhi was very interested in capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere, and this canvas is an interesting example. Note the way that he positions a traditional Orthodox church below the titular rainbow; with its bright white color, the church stands out as a beacon of hope against the dark storm clouds. We might ask ourselves whether the artist sought to represent the established Church as a literal and symbolic refuge from the storm of revolutionary ferment in the Russian empire. By looking at the social and intellectual history of Russia at this time, and by digging into Kuindzhi's biography, we can begin to understand the ways in which this beautiful, yet simple, painting responded to the artist's era.