Province 1934

Konstantin Gorbatov conjured this little village scene, probably in the early 20th century, with brushes loaded with blues, ochres, and umbers. I imagine him standing there, in the cold, trying to capture the stillness and the weight of the snow. It’s like he's building the scene, brick by brick, or rather, dab by dab. Look at the way he uses short, choppy strokes to create the texture of the snow, and how the houses sit on top of it all, sturdy and stoic. I love the feeling of the cold light and the silence. You know, it's funny how a simple palette can evoke so much. It reminds me of other painters, like maybe a less intense Van Gogh. Artists, we’re all just riffing off each other, trying to make sense of the world, one painting at a time. And each brushstroke? It’s a little decision, a little feeling, a little bit of the artist poured onto the canvas.