Anastasia Kuznetsova-RufFireworks, 2017 · Buy a print
(from the “From the HOLIDAY to the HOLIDAY” series)
Canvas, charcoal pencil, tempera · 146 × 105 cm · Russia

The painting captures a twilight cityscape as seen from a window. On the distant horizon, bursts of fireworks punctuate the evening, akin to echoes of a faraway foreign celebration. In the foreground, resting on the windowsill, lie a pair of binoculars and the remnants of an apple - an intimate trace of the person who resides in the apartment we peer out from.

This windowsill belongs to an observer, a spectator who feels somewhat removed from the festivity, a soul not inclined to partake in the revelry or orchestrate it. There's a desire to brush against the essence of the celebration, all while maintaining the stance of an onlooker. The yearning is not to disrupt one's own cadence and tempo, but rather to witness the spectacle from the sidelines. This painting captures the dichotomy between the longing for connection with merriment and the comfort found in the sanctuary of routine.