Shrovetide

Much of Boris Kustodiev’s artistic heritage is given over to pictures depicting all the originality of Russian folk life, with its bright fairs, noisy bazaars and merry public festivities at Shrovetide. The artist loved everything Russian — wooden utensils, painted toys, garish sarafans and headscarfs, peasant huts with traditional carvings. Much of this defined the style of his works — decorative, gaudy colours and somewhat simplified interpretation of form. Such employment of the devices of folk art was typical of the masters of the World of Art. Stepan Krachkovsky wrote to Kustodiev on 22 March 1916: “Repin wrote to me that he is in raptures over your Shrovetide."