Katya with grains 1933

Pyotr Konchalovsky created this oil on canvas painting, titled “Katya with grains” in 1933. There's something so charming about the process here, the way the paint is dabbed and swirled, almost like he’s building up the image bit by bit, like a child playing with blocks. Look closely at the little girl's face, the way he uses these short, almost broken strokes to create the planes of her face, especially around the eyes and cheeks, with a muted palette. It gives the whole thing a kind of warm, fuzzy glow. The textures are so tactile, you can almost feel the roughness of the canvas beneath the paint. The juxtaposition of warm earth tones, with the cool blue ribbon in her bonnet creates a dynamic contrast. Konchalovsky reminds me of Cezanne in his process-oriented approach to painting, that shared sense of slowly building up form and space through color and brushstroke. It's about embracing the journey of making, and finding beauty in the process itself.