Alexei Tolstoy. Eccentrics 1925

Boris Kustodiev made this book cover, "Alexei Tolstoy. Eccentrics," around 1925, with what looks like a light touch and a playful spirit. The marks are so delicate, like a whisper of ink. The surface feels almost like a memory, a sketch barely there. I love how the figures are suspended, caught mid-swing, in a kiss! The light washes of blue and ochre give the piece a dreamy quality, as though the lovers are floating, weightless. Look closely at the woman’s dress – the way Kustodiev suggests the folds and curves with just a few flicks of his brush is just *chef's kiss*. Kustodiev’s folk-art roots show through in his sense of composition and the way he captures the joy of life, like Chagall. It's not about perfection. It’s about feeling. It's about embracing the beautiful mess of being alive.