Tiberia 1935

Konstantin Gorbatov’s painting, Tiberia, is full of impasto surfaces and creamy colours. I can just imagine the brushstrokes layered one on top of each other, building up the texture and creating a thick crust of paint on the canvas. I wonder what it must have been like for him, standing there, taking it all in. Perhaps he was captivated by the way the sunlight hit the buildings, how it transformed the colours into something almost dreamlike. Or maybe he was just trying to capture the essence of this place, the feeling of being there in that moment. I really feel his way of capturing a scene is similar to the impressionists but somehow he keeps the painting grounded and more ‘real’ and less fleeting. Look at the way he painted the mountains in the background. See how the brushstrokes are almost rough, giving them a sense of ruggedness and depth. It’s as if Gorbatov is inviting us to touch the painting, to feel the textures beneath our fingertips. Artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity!