ANDREEVSK IN WINTER

Oil on canvas, 60 x 36 inches, 1992

(Private collection, Lake Forest, Florida)

This imaginary world was created for a Russian-born collector, whose heritage prompted him to master the balalaika. Besides incorporating elements of Russian culture, more wide-ranging aspects of his and his wife's lives, interests, and travels are subtly referenced in the painting. The concept of the painting developed slowly, starting with the idea that from a distance churches in many old Russian cities  looked like helmets of Russian warriors.  A crucial step in the composition and the character of the painting was the decision that the town depicted on this large canvas will be shown in the winter.  Painting a winter landscape presented many challenges, especially sacrificing of favorite colors used in other paintings, particularly green and brown.  Instead, many details in the painting feature all the colors; however, the overall tone of the work remains cool and soothing.  Another challenge presented by the painting was the rendition of snow, which, as anyone who has ever painted snow knows, is never white;  in this rendition it is white with purplish shadows. Among the most apparent Russian things in the painting, besides the church and the houses shaped like warriors, are: the balalaika, a traditional Russian three-stringed instrument; a Matryoshka nesting doll, one of the most popular souvenirs from Russia; a samovar, a traditional tea pot also characteristic of Russian life before the Revolution; a four-faced statue of a pagan idol, representing the pagan beliefs of the Russians before they were Christianized in 988; and a troika, a sled drawn by three horses, also symbolic of life in Old Russia and of winter celebrations in particular.

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