Coachman 1920

Curator: Standing before us is Boris Kustodiev's "Coachman," painted in 1920. A watercolor, it's part of a private collection, capturing a vibrant winter scene. Editor: My immediate thought? This is joy captured in a frame. The energy of the coachman, that vivid blue against the snowy landscape, it's just beaming with life. Curator: Kustodiev, though known for his portraits celebrating Russian merchant life, suffered from tuberculosis which greatly impacted his ability to get around. Perhaps this work reflects a longing, or a memory, of more mobile times. It is an exciting piece of the Russian avant-garde, challenging old orders. The very idea of such work—where the driver is just the size and force—that seems political, almost destabilizing, in its own way. Editor: That's an interesting observation about the Russian avant-garde's revolutionary spirit finding expression in this unexpected subject matter. It does feel almost… performative? Like the coachman is playing a role, or rather, exaggerating his own importance, waving a tiny red hat. The choice to represent it through watercolor is very interesting as well. Curator: The vibrancy is striking. One usually thinks of oils for such portraits, watercolor allows for this translucence and quickness to the brushstrokes, perfectly suiting a coachman in action. Do you notice his hands are almost mittened? The face has been rendered as rather ruddy too, despite it appearing like there are brown tones there as well. The figure and coach dwarf what seems like Moscow's skyline too. Editor: Yes, absolutely! The exaggerated features and the bright, almost theatrical coloring. I'm seeing themes around representation here too. It’s definitely playful and, yes, deliberately over the top. Kustodiev might be playfully subverting expectations of class and power during a period of great upheaval. A man in the driver's seat, quite literally, it would seem. Curator: Indeed. A delightful reminder of art’s power to uplift and provoke thought, even from the humblest of subjects, or… rather… inflated ones! Editor: Exactly! It's a window into not just a winter landscape, but the soul of a time struggling for a new image of itself.