Interior with Still-Life 1960

Alexander Semenovich Verdernikov made this colour print, "Interior with Still-Life" at an unknown date. The simple, direct approach to colour and drawing suggests that he was completely immersed in the joy of making. There is a beautiful naivete in the way he renders the objects, as if each one is a small character in a play. Look at the flowers, for example. They aren’t trying to be botanically correct; they just want to have fun, with their little dollops of yellow. Then there’s the vase, not quite symmetrical, wobbling slightly, but full of life. I love how the flat planes of colour come together to create forms that are both abstract and recognisable. The whole thing has a kind of raw, unpretentious energy that is very appealing. This piece feels like a conversation with Matisse, who also embraced the imperfect and celebrated the simple pleasures of looking. It's like Verdernikov is saying, “Hey, let’s not take ourselves too seriously, let’s just enjoy the process of making something beautiful, and not worry about perfection.”