Kustodiev – “Thunderstorm”

The life of Boris Kustodiev was not easy: a serious illness and subsequent spinal cord surgery confined him to a wheelchair. The artist spent about fifteen years in a wheelchair, suffering from constant pain. Perhaps that is why his paintings are imbued with the brightest and most joyful emotions.

The Thunderstorm is no exception to this rule. The painting depicts a small provincial town. You can see the golden domes of the church, depict the everyday life of the town – people go about their business.

The carefully crafted details in the painting add a greater degree of realism to it. Various, everyday characters are carefully, lovingly written – an elderly woman at the fence, a girl washing clothes, a woman running across a bridge with a basket in her hands, and other equally striking figures. The multitude of horse drawn carts and stalls indicate that a fair was recently held in this place and that it is now going to travel.

Lightning bursts into the calm, measured mood of the picture, striking the golden dome of the church. A thunderstorm will start soon, but people do not seem to notice it, they are sure that they will have time to hide before the storm begins, and go about their business.

The painting “Thunderstorm” is written in the traditional manner of Kustodiev. Pastels were used to muffle the color of the earth and the figures of people, while the sky was painted in oil. “The Thunderstorm” is an excellent example of a successful combination of Russian traditionalism with new trends at that time – impressionism and modernism.

Year of painting: 1919.

Painting dimensions: no data.

Material: canvas.

Writing technique: oil, pastel.

Genre: urban landscape.

Style: modern.

Gallery: no data.