The Beach 

Efim Volkov created this oil on canvas painting, "The Beach", sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. The canvas, a textile woven on an industrial loom, serves as a surface to hold the natural pigments which were refined using techniques that have been around for centuries. Volkov’s brushstrokes capture a tranquil scene, yet the composition hints at the labor underpinning this coastal setting. The dark boats pulled onto the shore suggest the hands-on work of fishing. The larger ships on the horizon allude to trade, and the larger economic systems at play in the region. The muted tones and realist style reflect an attention to the specific conditions of this place, but they also echo the widespread aesthetic preferences of the time, and the art market which supported them. By attending to the materiality and making of both the image and the scene it depicts, we gain insight into the broader social context of this artwork.