The Conversation, Arnold Borisovich Lakhovsky, ca. 1935

For some reason, as I get older, I’m drawn to paintings of old men sitting around talking. Lakhovsky was Ukrainian, so maybe these guys are talking about the wheat harvest? Or the Soviet government? Or the growing Nazi threat? Or their meager diets after Stalin collectivized the farms? Or sports, or their wives?

Regardless, the quiet pleasure that a simple conversation brings should never be overlooked.