Capri 1924

Konstantin Gorbatov made this painting called ‘Capri’ with oils, and probably a whole bunch of brushes. It’s a sunny day, the colors are just bumping into each other! See how the brushstrokes create a kind of mosaic across the whole surface? It’s like he's not just painting a scene, but building it, piece by piece. Take the sea, for instance. Look at how many different blues and greens are packed in there. It gives the water this shimmering, alive quality. Then there's the woman, her dress cascading into these delicious ruffles. Each ruffle is like a little wave of paint, catching the light. It's like the whole painting is breathing, the colors dancing together. He's doing something similar to what someone like Bonnard does, bringing a domestic sensibility to an outdoor scene. You could get lost just looking at how the paint moves, the way the light catches on those little peaks and valleys. It reminds you that a painting is never just a picture; it's an experience.