Gursuf 1913

Aristarkh Lentulov laid down the shapes and colours of ‘Gursuf’ with oil paint, most likely standing up, wrestling with his subject on the canvas. I imagine Lentulov, back in the day, squinting at the scene before him, thinking, "How can I squeeze this view into something new?". It’s all jagged edges and geometry, a mountain looming, houses jumbled like colourful blocks. He's not just copying what he sees. Nah, he’s feeling it, rearranging the world to fit his own picture. Look how the brushstrokes aren't trying to hide. They’re out there, dancing in the light. I feel like he's having a conversation with Cézanne, maybe a little nod to cubism, but he’s got his own thing going on. It’s like he's saying, "Yeah, I see you, but check out what I can do!" Artists, we’re all just borrowing and stealing from each other, trying to make something that sings our own tune, really.