Lilacs in Braids 1952

Pyotr Konchalovsky made this painting of Lilacs in Braids in 1952, and just imagine what it might have been like for him at the easel: pushing the paint around, building up the colors with all its tones of purple, pink, and white, and letting the forms of the flowers emerge through trial, error, and intuition. I sympathize with the artist; I can feel the pleasure of creating a visual experience of this scale. Look at the surface of the paint, how he uses the impasto to create thick and visible marks to represent those lilacs. I can see how this treatment of the material becomes a way of thinking. The painting feels very connected to the tradition of Impressionism while finding its own unique way. Artists are always talking to each other across time, and this painting suggests an ongoing exchange of ideas across time, inspiring each other’s creativity. Painting is a form of expression that embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple readings.