Landscape 1911

Konstantinos Parthenis made this small landscape painting on canvas sometime during his career. You can almost feel Parthenis building up the hills with layers of purplish-grey paint, using short, choppy strokes, almost like he's knitting the landscape together. I love that the process is so visible, it's like the painting is still in the making, still evolving. Look at how the ochre color of the fields in the foreground contrasts with the cool blues of the distant mountains. It's a simple contrast but it really makes the painting vibrate with life. And see that little house, right there? It's like a tiny beacon of warmth amidst all the cool tones. It's just a few simple shapes, but it anchors the whole composition. Parthenis’ paintings recall the earlier landscapes of Cezanne, but with a lighter palette. It's like he's saying, “Hey, painting is a conversation, a way of seeing and feeling the world that keeps going, changing, and always staying open to new possibilities.”