Brittany. Beach at Camaret. 1926

Zinaida Serebriakova made this painting of the Brittany Beach at Camaret, and it feels like a memory, right? The brushstrokes are soft, and the colors blend, like looking back on a cloudy day. You can feel the process; it is about being there, not just seeing it. I love how the textures work in this piece. The sand is thick with paint, and the water is smooth, it feels like the real beach. See that little figure standing alone on the beach? It’s so small. The way the painting handles scale, the hugeness of the landscape against the tiny person, says so much about how we fit into the world, and about the feeling of being alone by the sea. I'm reminded of some of Whistler's nocturnes, the way he captures a mood rather than a scene. These paintings aren't about perfect realism; they're about feeling, about an openness to how a place makes you feel. The painting invites you to bring your own memories and feelings to the beach.