Paris, Les Bords De Sein 1923

Alexis Gritchenko made this painting, "Paris, Les Bords De Sein," sometime in the early 20th century, and I can just imagine him standing there, brush in hand, trying to capture the light and the life of the Seine. Look at the choppy brushstrokes, the way he builds up the sky with these little dashes of blue and gray. It’s like he’s trying to grab the fleeting moment, the way the clouds are moving, the way the water is shimmering. The paint isn't too thick, but you can still feel the texture, the roughness of the surface. I can sense him, trying to work out what was in front of him, with each stroke searching for an answer. I wonder what he was thinking as he painted those figures along the riverbank. There's a feeling of movement in the way he painted them, as if they are scurrying around. It’s like a little stage, and he’s capturing a slice of Parisian life. I love how artists from different times and places can have this silent conversation with one another, inspiring each other to see the world in new ways. And here we are, years later, still looking, still wondering.