Province 1934

Konstantin Gorbatov painted Province with oils on canvas, and what strikes me first is the surface, built up with all this impasto. You can really see the process: a flurry of marks that create form, like the snow, which isn’t just white but full of blues and greys, suggesting the cold, damp air. There’s a real physical presence, like you could reach out and touch it. I love the way the path carves through the snow, a kind of brown scar cutting through the blue. It’s a simple mark, but it gives the painting so much depth and directs your eye to the house at the top of the hill. It reminds me of some of the early Fauvist painters, like Maurice de Vlaminck, who were also interested in using colour and texture to create a sense of emotion and atmosphere. Ultimately, paintings like this demonstrate how our interpretations are always evolving, changing with us.