Southern Seascape 

Nikolay Bogdanov-Belsky’s “Southern Seascape” employs oil on canvas to capture a coastal vista. The painting's appeal resides in its textured surface. The artist builds up the image through visible brushstrokes, layering paint to evoke the natural forms. Note the thickness of the paint and the ways in which the strokes of the brush dance to create the ripples of the water. The pigment is worked wet-on-wet, with a limited color palette to conjure the landscape and the Mediterranean atmosphere. Bogdanov-Belsky's choice of oil paint and brushwork links him to a lineage of landscape painting, and yet there's a freedom in the application. The artist demonstrates technical command, while also valuing the immediacy of his sensory experience. Considering the material properties and artistic processes involved allows us to appreciate “Southern Seascape” as more than just a picture. Instead, it’s a record of how art-making can capture a fleeting moment in time.