Snowflakes 1923

Zinaida Serebriakova's "Snowflakes" looks like it was created with pastels. There's a real sense of process at play, as if the artist was thinking through the image as she was making it. I love the way Serebriakova uses color here. It's not just about representation, but about creating a mood, a feeling. The soft, muted tones give the piece a dreamlike quality, while the pops of darker color add depth and definition. Look at the ballerina at the front, the one with the crown. The way she is sat, and the blue of her tutu, draws me into the piece. It reminds me a little of Degas, especially his ballet scenes, in the way it captures a fleeting moment. I am interested in art as a form which embraces ambiguity.