Portrait of the Artist's Wife 1909

Boris Kustodiev painted his wife, using oils no doubt, with quick dabs of colour that catch the dappled light of the birch trees. I wonder what it was like to be Kustodiev, painting his wife, maybe in the heat of summer. The red shawl she wears, the red ribbon in her hair: these warm reds glow against the cool greens and whites of the birch trees. The artist has rendered them with these very satisfying brushstrokes. Each mark feels like a breath, a moment of observation and translation into paint. He is clearly besotted with the bright colours of Russian folk art. The white paint of the birch trees is thick in places, giving the surface real texture. Painters are always in conversation with one another; I see echoes of Impressionism here. It's a painting that embraces the beauty of everyday life and captures the quiet intimacy between an artist and his muse.