Children in a Class 1918

Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky painted these children in class with oils, and what strikes me is the open, almost airy brushwork. It's like he's letting the light and color breathe right through the scene. The surface is really interesting. It's not about hiding the process. You can totally see the way he dabbed and stroked the paint, almost like he's building the forms out of pure color. There's this one kid on the right, leaning on her hand, and the way he captured the light on her face with these tiny, almost impressionistic touches of color – it’s beautiful. It's like he's not just painting a portrait, but also painting the way light defines a form. I'm reminded of the French painter, Berthe Morisot, the way she found a modern approach to figure painting, but with such a sensitive touch. It feels like Bogdanov-Belsky is part of that same conversation, exploring how paint can capture not just what we see, but how we see it.