When browsing through the selected painter and artists, I was particularly struck by Kustodiev and his story. Aside from overcoming the debilitating tuberculosis and remaining mentally optimistic, his paintings captivated me because of their busy nature and distinctness. Interestingly, Kustodiev painted both an artist’s and a merchant’s wife, but the divergence of expression for a seemingly identical subject was, for me, noteworthy. Firstly, I was struck by the difference in pallet of the two paintings. The artist’s wife sits in a darker frame with some flora behind her. She is wearing a dark gown, but both the dress and the setting around her have some accents of lighter colors. There appears to be some smudging of paint, especially in the background, but more deliberate brush strokes are also visible in the linear parts of the illustration (the railings, dog’s limbs, and table cover).
The picture of the merchant’s wife is very antithetical to the artist’s. The setting is much more ornate: her dress is more sophisticated; the bowl and chalices being used are very elaborate; the food she is eating is clearly expensive, and the background is much more active. Additionally, she is not making eye contact with the viewer while the artist’s wife was.
The striking distinctions between the portraits of the wives must indicate how Kustodiev feels about the two classes. The artist’s wife, and by extension the artist, is much more pensive and introspective. Despite the dog looking at her, she maintains visual contact with the viewer. She is lightly smirking, but the mundane around her elicit a sense of relaxation and thought in her. The merchant’s wife, on the other hand, is looking off to the side. She is clearly much more captivated by what is going around her—the delicious food, pretty background, and happy cat have her attention. Her demeanor and way of holding the item in her hand illustrate her bliss and almost carefreeness, juxtaposing the pensive and thoughtful artist’s wife. I do not think he is criticizing either, but Kustodiev is definitely drawing a distinction.
An interesting comparison, and I’m glad that Kustodiev’s art appeals to you! We got to see one of his paintings (A Girl in a Muff) up close at Amherst College’s art museum when we visited there during our NYC trip… Just a couple of quick factual points I wanted to clarify: first, “The Artist’s Wife” refers to Kustodiev himself. This is a portrait of his own wife, not some abstract artist’s wife (just as the next portrait is of his own daughter). Second, notice that the first two paintings I gave you were made much earlier than the remainder of the paintings. The palette and style in both is likewise different. Here we can see a natural evolution that took place in Kustodiev’s work and style over time.