The trauma received by Borisov-Musatov in his early childhood, brought him a lot of physical suffering, but the pains of the soul, probably, were much stronger, because it is difficult for a grieving man to rely on reciprocal feelings, despite the fact that the artist simply idolized women and femininity.
In 1902, the painter had a personal life, the search for artistic balance was finally crowned with success, soul balance arrived.
At the peak of the creative upsurge, Musatov wrote the picture “The Lady in Blue”, where he created a timeless image of a representative of the highest caste of the women’s kingdom. The arrogance of a lady is deceptive, and this feeling is dispelled by a closer examination of the portrait of the heroine. The predominant blue color in the painting, contrasting with light tones, gives the composition a certain cold, but a spiritual, almost unearthly expression of the face, also smooths this moment.
Considering the plot in the symbolist vein, it can be argued that the Musatian Lady is the personification of the search for harmony lost by people that is in the past and, while doing such searches, it is necessary to observe the purity of thoughts, and this emphasizes the blue color, so important for the Symbolists.
1902 Gouache, watercolor, paper. The State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia.
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