Skating Rink 'Dynamo' 1948

Pyotr Konchalovsky created this painting of the 'Dynamo' skating rink with oils, probably sometime in the mid-20th century. What strikes me is how the almost monochromatic palette and the rough, visible brushstrokes create a dreamlike atmosphere. It’s as if the scene is both familiar and just out of reach, a memory half-forgotten. The texture in this painting is really something; you can almost feel the cold air and the scratch of the ice under the skates. Look at the way Konchalovsky layers the paint to build up the snow-covered roofs and the shadowy figures on the ice. There’s a real physicality to it, a sense of the artist wrestling with the medium to capture a fleeting moment. I'm drawn to the upper left corner, how the dark greens and blues blend, punctuated by the tiny crescent moon. Konchalovsky feels like a mix of Impressionism and something more expressionistic; perhaps he was looking at someone like Edvard Munch. But like all great paintings, this one speaks in its own unique voice.