Tea time 1939

Pyotr Konchalovsky painted “Tea Time” in 1953 with what looks like bold, quick strokes of oil paint. The looseness of the brushwork gives the whole scene a sense of immediacy, like a snapshot of a fleeting moment. Check out how the thick, opaque paint builds up the forms, especially in the piled-up teacups and the fruit. It’s not about rendering things perfectly, but about capturing the essence of the scene, the feeling of abundance and warmth. The blobs of paint that form the red flowers on the teapot are particularly charming. Each mark is so present and alive. The stacked teapots and cups remind me of Giorgio Morandi’s still lifes, both artists sharing a fascination with everyday objects and their potential for endless variation and abstraction. Like all good art, “Tea Time” invites us to slow down, to savor the simple pleasures, and to see the world with fresh eyes.