Elizabeth of Russia in Tsarskoye Selo 1905

Eugene Lanceray’s ‘Elizabeth of Russia in Tsarskoye Selo' captures a day in the life of the Empress, rendered with watercolor on paper. The crisp blues and creams of the architecture contrast with the ornate, flower-strewn gowns. I like to imagine Lanceray, brush in hand, carefully layering the washes of color to build up the textures of fabric and stone. What kind of conversation was he having with this scene as it slowly appeared before him? The specificity of detail in the dresses and the almost cartoon-like rendering of the characters suggest he saw it all as a kind of theatre. There’s a quiet humor in the way he captures the weight and volume of the Empress's dress. It makes me think of Fragonard, and the Rococo painters of the French court. I bet Lanceray was in dialogue with them as he painted. Like all artists, he’s in conversation with the past and the present, finding his own way of expressing a lived reality, mixing tradition with a singular vision.