Girls. Neskuchnoye 1913

Zinaida Serebriakova made this piece called ‘Girls. Neskuchnoye’ in Russia with what looks like watercolors. It’s all about capturing a moment, like a quick sketch from life. There's a softness to the colours here, a gentle mix of reds, browns, and blues. It feels very intimate. Look how the paint is applied so freely, with thin washes that let the paper breathe beneath. You can almost feel the artist figuring things out as she goes. Notice the way she captures the folds in the girls' dresses, just a few strokes of colour, but so effective. And the table – it’s almost an abstract shape, a flat plane against which the figures come to life. This reminds me of Berthe Morisot, capturing scenes of domestic life with a similar lightness of touch. It's a reminder that art doesn’t always need to shout. Sometimes, the quietest voices are the most powerful.