Cassis 1913

Pyotr Konchalovsky made this painting, Cassis, using oil on canvas. Look at the way he lays down these confident, broad strokes of color. It’s like he's wrestling with the landscape, trying to pin down the essence of this little town. The paint has a really tactile quality, thick and juicy in places, especially on the rooftops where the terracotta sings against the blues and greens. The surface feels alive, worked over, but not overworked. I am drawn to the way the dark, almost brooding sky presses down on the buildings. It's a simple gesture, but it adds a real sense of drama. Konchalovsky feels like he's in conversation with someone like Cezanne. But with added Russian verve, transforming those famous bathers into buildings. It's like he's saying, “Okay, I see you, but let me show you my way of seeing.” Art, after all, is just one long, ongoing conversation.