Volga. Rainbow 1925

Boris Kustodiev made this painting, Volga. Rainbow, with oil on canvas, and it feels like such a fleeting moment, like he’s grabbed a rainbow right out of the sky. The palette is really interesting, a muted, almost dreamy mix of blues, purples, and earthy reds. It’s not a high-key rainbow; it’s almost…melancholy? I can imagine Kustodiev standing there, trying to capture the light as it shifted across the water, probably smudging the paint with his fingers to get that misty effect. That rainbow, though—it’s so perfectly arched, like a bridge between worlds. I wonder if Kustodiev was thinking about connections, about how things that seem far apart can actually be linked. Painting is so cool because it lets us hold onto these moments, and artists are constantly talking to each other across time, picking up ideas and running with them. This painting is so evocative, like a song you can’t quite remember, but it fills you with a certain feeling. It’s a reminder that there’s always more to see, more to feel, and more to imagine.