Flow. Fantastic landscape. 1908

This landscape was painted by Konstantin Bogaevsky, we don’t know exactly when, using oil paints. The colors are quite muted, aren’t they? Almost monochrome. This gives it a kind of timeless, dreamlike quality, as if it exists outside of our everyday reality. Look at the way Bogaevsky applies the paint. It’s almost sculptural, like he’s building up the landscape with these thick, deliberate strokes. You can almost feel the weight of the rocks and the density of the trees. Notice how he uses these short, choppy strokes to create texture and form, especially in the mountains. It’s like he’s carving the landscape out of paint, one small mark at a time. Each stroke seems to carry its own weight and direction, adding to the overall drama. Bogaevsky reminds me a little of someone like Caspar David Friedrich, who was also interested in these epic landscapes, but with a very different emotional feel. It’s a reminder that art is always a conversation, an ongoing exploration of what it means to see and experience the world.