River in Forest 1908

Kazimir Malevich made this painting of a river in a forest, sized 53 by 42 cm, using oil on canvas. The way he's laid down the paint, it's all about the process, you can really see the build-up of the brushstrokes. The colours are unexpected, aren't they? Like, who knew a river could be such a deep, intense blue? And then there's that bank, all pinks and peaches, feels like a dream. Up close, you can see how the paint is thick in places, giving it this real tactile quality, like you could reach out and touch the bark of the tree. The shapes feel like they are emerging from the painting, these vague white figures amongst the trees. It's like a half-remembered scene. It’s interesting to view this piece with his later Suprematist works in mind, you can trace a through line from the way he flattens the landscape here to those blocks of colour floating in space. You might look at Bonnard, too, seeing how he used colour to build a world that feels both real and otherworldly. Ultimately, it's all about Malevich's way of seeing and making us see too.