The woman at the window is an archetype, a plot that artists have written and will write. This is usually solved as follows: a female silhouette against the background of the window opening or a pretty female face in the window opening.

In the work of Andrei Surnov, “Window” there is practically no window itself. His presence is indicated only by the light incident on the figure and face of a young woman. With one hand she holds a blue curtain and looks down at the street or road.

This magnificent technique makes the viewer go beyond the image and, in the face of a beautiful stranger, try to guess what she sees there, outside the window. Is she waiting for her lover, or vice versa, looking after him, or is it just an early morning, and she just got out of bed?

The artist captures our attention, makes the viewer not only think about the answer to the riddle, but also see the beauty of simple things.

Beauty is born on the border of contrasts. So, the light on the delicate skin contrasts with the deep shadow of the room, a bright orange accent on the hair is emphasized by a dark blue curtain.

An important detail that is not immediately apparent is the shoes. Like the old Dutch masters, who often depicted shoes on their canvases, the artist gives her symbolic meaning. She tells us more about her than the woman in a photograph would like.