The horse in harness. Sketch for painting 'The Return from the fair. " 1926

Pyotr Konchalovsky made this sketch for a painting, called ‘The Return from the fair’, and straight away, I'm thinking, this is an artist who understands process. The colours are muted, browns and greens, but it’s the marks that grab you. Look at the way he’s built up the horse’s body with these quick, almost impatient strokes. You can see the physicality of the paint, thick in some places, thin in others. It’s not about perfection, it’s about energy. I love how the harness is defined with these dark, decisive lines, giving a sense of the weight and the pull of the animal. And the wheel? A simple circle, but it suggests movement, a journey. This piece reminds me of Courbet, the way he captured the essence of a scene with such raw, unrefined brushwork. It's like Konchalovsky is saying, ‘Here’s a moment, a feeling, take it or leave it.’ And I'm taking it.