Description of the painting by Mstislav Dobuzhinsky “House in St. Petersburg”

Description of the painting by Mstislav Dobuzhinsky House in St. Petersburg

Dobuzhinsky built his remarkable work “House in St. Petersburg” using the contrasting appearance of buildings. The image of a small house is a good-natured and intimate feeling of warmth, it embodies the peace of home and comfort. It is gently covered with a snow-white cap.

The branches of apple trees close the small windows, in the middle of them hid a small bench, calling for rest. The green color of the house calms the viewer. Behind the walls one can guess a quiet, calm and creative rhythm of life.

The house opposite to the small one. He is faceless, cold, of incredible size and boring. It goes beyond the picture on the left and above, and on the right it connects with almost an identical house. One gets the impression that he has no end. This house obstructs the sun for a small one, crushes it with its size, suffocates, chooses air.

The walls of it are painted with a government beige-yellow color. Monotonous windows are repeated from row to row, and suggest thoughts about the same living space, filled with the same furniture, and populated, apparently the same people.

The artist is sure that only unhappy people, ugly people, pale people can live in such cramped apartments. They are surrounded by the constancy of faded words, where there is not a single gram of creativity. In their lives, as well as in the house, everything is boring. Thus, the artist demonstrated contempt for leveling, for living standards, which are presented by philistinism, frightened by everything new, bright and individual.

While the artist is close to the originality, integrity, singularity of a small green building. Its beauty is in its individuality, and not in a strict row of identical windows.


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Description of the painting by Mstislav Dobuzhinsky “House in St. Petersburg”