Departure of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna 1916

Eugene Lanceray made this small watercolor, "Departure of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna", at an unknown date. There’s a real looseness to the way he’s worked the medium, layering washes of colour to create a sense of depth and atmosphere. Look at the trees in the background, the way they fade into the distance, almost dissolving into the snow-filled sky. You can see every stroke of the brush, every decision made, as Lanceray built up the image. The immediacy of the watercolor lends an ephemeral quality to the scene, as if we've stumbled upon a fleeting moment in time. Then you have these bolder areas of vibrant colour such as the Empress's royal blue coat, which is really intriguing. You can almost feel the cold, crisp air and the soft crunch of snow beneath the runners of the sleigh. For me, it echoes some of the compositions of Bonnard, a similar capturing of transient moments. It reminds us that art is an ongoing conversation, a dialogue between artists across time and space.