Krakow Hoarfrost 1911

Oleksa Novakivskyi made this painting of frost in Krakow with visible brushstrokes and a palette that’s mostly blues, whites, and browns. I can just imagine him standing outside in the cold, squinting, trying to capture the subtle shifts in the winter light. I bet his hands were freezing as he mixed those cool blues and dabs of white to depict the snow-covered trees. You can almost feel the chill in the air! Look closely at the way he’s built up the texture of the paint – thick in some areas, thin in others – which really brings the scene to life. See how the trees are kind of looming there in the background? There’s a quiet, almost melancholy feeling to the whole thing, right? It reminds me of some early modernist landscape painters, grappling with how to capture a feeling as much as a place. Painters like Novakivskyi keep the conversation going across time, inspiring us to see the world in new ways. Each brushstroke holds a little bit of their experience, inviting us to bring our own to the mix.