Still Life. Peonies and spruce branches. 1943

Pyotr Konchalovsky painted this still life of peonies and spruce branches with oil on canvas. Look at how Konchalovsky builds up the image through layers of brushstrokes, allowing the colours to mix optically. It’s a dance between observation and interpretation, where the act of painting itself shapes the final image. I love the physicality of the paint; it’s neither too thick nor too thin. Patches of the underlying blue ground peek through, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. Notice, in particular, the spruce branches, with individual needles rendered in short, deliberate strokes of green and brown. These marks feel spontaneous, yet they collectively create a dense, textured surface. This piece reminds me of Cezanne’s still lifes, not so much in style, but in the way Konchalovsky seems to be searching for form through colour and brushstroke. Like Cezanne, he embraces ambiguity, inviting us to see the world anew through the language of paint.