Castellan. Valley 1929

This landscape, possibly made in watercolor by Zinaida Serebriakova, presents a valley of rolling hills, and you can almost feel the warmth of the sun on the fields. I imagine Serebriakova standing en plein air, quickly capturing the scene. Look how she layers washes of ochre and brown to create depth. See the way the sky seems to bleed into the mountains? It’s all about capturing a fleeting moment, a feeling of light and atmosphere. I’m drawn to the trees in the foreground, the bare branches reaching up. It’s so simple, but it adds this sense of intimacy to the scene. It reminds me of some of Corot’s landscapes, but with a distinctly Russian sensibility. It’s as if Serebriakova is inviting us to pause and consider our relationship to the land and the people who inhabit it. Painting is a language, and landscape painters are in constant dialogue.