On my trip to the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, I saw a collection of works I had never been exposed to. What really caught my attention was The Dresses of the Russian Bride, by Konstantin Makovsky. Made in 1889, this exquisite piece depicts the preparation of a Russian wedding in the 19th century. Measuring 110 x 147 inches (279.4 x 373.4 cm) this painting is enormous and a spectacular feat of human creativity. After taking the scale into consideration, the details of the painting become even more impressive. Examining Makovsky's creation, I began to speculate on what he was trying to represent. There are elements that create the environment for the situation, but the features, color and facial expression set the tone of the moment. Here Makovsky has recreated a traditional Russian wedding ceremony, but not the “happy” one that most people would expect. Instead he appears melancholy and a little apprehensive. Makovsky addresses the universal concept of the wedding day: a day full of anticipation and a day often full of doubt. The most focal aspect of this painting is the bride, Maria Miloslavskaya, in the center, as all attention is paid to her. . She is applying makeup to her hair, her sister is at her feet in her lap, and a circle of spectators awaits her transformation. Everyone around her is wearing elaborate, elegant and colorful clothes while she is dressed all in white. He has a high value that emanates from the center and is amplified by his dress. His facial expression combined with the lack of color and rather pale skin is symbolic of his current state. The white represents the virginity she is about to lose, while her behavior is sulky as if she is forced into an arranged marriage and her apprehension is visible. The single splash of color, on her... in the center of the paper... the detail in an inconsequential piece of the painting is a tribute to Makovsky's motivations and efforts. Makovsky has created a majestic work that manages to convey the different aspects of the wedding day, and more specifically of a traditional Russian wedding from the 1800s. Through its shapes, colors, tones, light, value and incredible attention to detail , Makovsky went beyond the boundaries of the medium and transferred an idea of ​​"traditional" marriage and sparked a dialogue about what tradition should constitute and whether or not it is right for everyone. Being able to step into a piece of time gives perspective on what life was like then and an opportunity to reflect on what time is like now. Attention to detail, down to the most inanimate and tiny object, gives the painting the illusion of being real, rather than blobs of color on the canvas.