Marynka Smoking 

Editor: R.B. Kitaj’s oil painting "Marynka Smoking" is rendered with a surprising, almost unsettling intimacy. The soft palette, dominated by the gold of the divan and the muted skin tones, feels like a shared secret. What symbols do you find embedded in this composition? Curator: It's a fascinating tension, isn't it? The turned back, the plume of smoke, she's looking into shadow, or away from us. The symbol of the back has resonated through art history, an exposed yet guarded space. Is she a muse, or a participant? A model or an equal? And that smoke, is that a signal, a fading memory, a veil? The window-like structure behind her—does that represent confinement or a portal to something more? Editor: A portal… I hadn't considered that. The darkness is definitely pronounced; the model’s pose draws attention to the planes and contours of the back; almost as if memory and lived experiences are etched into her. The artist’s inclusion of her smoking somehow suggests reflection; her expression and sight, as you said, are intentionally averted. It invites the viewer to piece her experience from just hints of physical reality. Curator: Yes, the act of smoking, so loaded with historical and cultural weight, could signify rebellion, relaxation, even contemplation. Does the artwork bring forth any symbolic association for you? The golden divan acts as a throne; one is prone to look towards its comfort rather than the figure’s gaze. It gives an undeniable aura of agency but also raises a fundamental question, can it represent autonomy or even freedom? Editor: The golden throne might signify her position, yes, she is almost enshrined as the controller of this scenario of reflection. Her agency and her interior experience appear intimately linked but carefully concealed; thank you for illuminating some fascinating new directions for me. Curator: It’s the quiet complexity that makes it compelling. The familiar can sometimes become the symbolic, revealing hidden narratives when viewed through new lenses.