Still Life. Pink notebook and handset. 1929

Pyotr Konchalovsky made this still life with paint, and what a still life it is! He wasn't trying to trick us into thinking these objects are real. He wanted to show us what paint can do. Look at the pink of that notebook. It’s not blended or smooth, but alive with strokes. You can almost feel Konchalovsky building the form with each brushstroke. It's thick and juicy, like he was sculpting with pigment. The colors feel honest, direct. Each object gets its own special attention and that orange tin can really vibrates against that deep blue form behind it! There's a dialogue happening here, a push and pull between representation and abstraction. It reminds me of Cezanne, who also knew how to turn everyday objects into monumental explorations of form and color. This painting isn't trying to tell us a story. It’s a celebration of seeing, of feeling, of the sheer joy of putting paint on canvas. It's a reminder that art is not about answers, but about endless looking and questioning.