The painting reflects the appeal and beauty of this Russian popular holiday that symbolises a farewell to the long winter. Fairs, festivities, travelling shows appeal to Kustodiev as they are manifestations of the people's creative energy. The painting is a figment of the artist's imagination. It is striking in its fusion of panoramic space and faithfully reproduced details. The picture is seen both as a real-life scene, and as a painting on a lacquer box. To convey the folk holiday’s colourful nature, the master adopts a form close to folk art. The snow-covered fairy-tale land is all motion: we see racing troikas, flashing colours of vivid clothes, interplay of many hues on the snow. The artist equally treasures both church domes and tents with merry-go-rounds: they all embody the people’s life. The energy of movement and the joy of living seem to hasten to break the enchantment of winter's cold reign. However, despite the festive mood, one can’t help but feel the illusiveness of this world receding into the past.
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow