Wayfarer 1921

Mikhail Nesterov paints a melancholic scene of farewells and new beginnings in this work. Look at the way he's built up the landscape. It’s all soft greens and blues, laid on with a gentle hand, very different from the figures in the foreground. I can almost feel the cool air of the Russian countryside on my skin as I look at that sky. The artist must have mixed the paint carefully, achieving a misty atmospheric effect. I can feel the emotional weight of the moment; a mother is bowing down, maybe blessing her child. Maybe she is saying goodbye for good. The brushstrokes are smooth, but full of tenderness and vulnerability. The white garment of the Wayfarer evokes the paintings of the Italian Renaissance; artists are always inspired by the work of others, and the conversation of painting continues through the centuries. Nesterov's Wayfarer is a reminder that, through art, we are all wayfarers, traveling through time and feeling.