Storytelling: Snow in Vladimir Twilight

I am going to start a series where I discuss a particular work of art and engage in off the cuff storytelling about it. To start I’ll begin with the painting below of a person walking down a snowy street in the twilight.

Painting “Snow in Vladimir. Twilight” by Evgeny Vagin

In the painting the white snow is draped over the buildings on a simple street that looks to be nearby a wooded area. Out of the lamp light is a rustic glow, and overlooking the town are the towers of what look to be two churches. They seem to be watching over the town as if providing protection. The person in the painting I feel is in a sense of contemplation as he or she walks along a quiet street.

I imagine inside of the buildings nearby people are having conversations over dinner, laughing, or reading a book in their own thoughts. Perhaps the building directly to the right in a business of some kind, and in the upper story of the building is a desk where the shop owner has closed up for the day. Objects lay in suspended wait for the return of the owner tomorrow, as still and quiet as the ice outside. For some reason a couple of days ago the owner brought his cat over but got mad at it after it jumped on the desk and knocked over the coffee. I imagine that the store owner rushes in and out regularly with thoughts consumed about business and money, completely unaware of the beauty that is outside their shop.

If this stranger walking on the street were a real person, you might wonder what sort of thoughts were going through their mind. I’d like to think nothing trivial, and nothing too deep either. Maybe just a simple appreciation of the stillness, an exhalation and a moment of recognition about being alive. A wondering glance goes into the trees to the left as the glow of the lamp post contrasts the darkening thicket that is descending into its sleepy night as the twilight fades. The person in the painting walks on and then reaches their destination. In my mind they are on their way home after running an unexpected errand. When they arrive they get on with things and the moment is gone, only a memory and impression in the mind.