Judean Desert 1999

Dmytro Kavsan made this painting of the Judean Desert with delicate strokes and a warm, earthy palette. I can imagine him standing before this vast landscape, trying to capture its essence with brush and paint. There’s something about the way the colours blend and merge into each other, it feels like a dance between observation and invention. Those soft pinks and ochres give such a lovely glow, almost as if the desert itself is breathing. I feel a pang of sympathy for the artist and the challenge of depicting the scale and majesty of the landscape. The texture looks so tactile. You want to run your fingers over the surface, tracing the contours of the mountains and valleys. Kavsan has an affinity with the Fauvist painters, like Derain, in his use of colour and bold interpretation of the landscape. It's all part of this never-ending conversation between artists across time. Each one borrowing, stealing, and transforming what came before.