The Baku oil fields 1935

Konstantin Bogaevsky made this watercolor of the Baku oil fields, and looking at it, I'm struck by how the process of artmaking can transform a landscape. Here, the muted palette of ochres and grays feels almost like a memory. Bogaevsky's brushstrokes are quick, confident—you can see the hand of the artist in the way the skeletal oil derricks are rendered with just a few lines. It's as if he's not just depicting a scene but also capturing a feeling, a moment in time. The way he handles the reflections in the water—loose, gestural—adds to this sense of immediacy. The whole piece reminds me a little of some of the early industrial landscapes by Joseph Mallord William Turner. Both artists share an interest in the atmospheric effects of industry, but where Turner often romanticizes the scene, Bogaevsky presents a more matter-of-fact view. Ultimately, this painting isn't just a depiction of an oil field; it's a meditation on how we see, remember, and transform the world around us.