Winter landscape. Neskuchnoye 1910

Editor: This watercolor painting, “Winter Landscape. Neskuchnoye,” by Zinaida Serebriakova, done in 1910, has such a stark, cold beauty to it. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Let’s consider the materiality first. Serebriakova's choice of watercolor is crucial. Watercolor as a medium was historically often viewed as a preparatory or less 'serious' art form compared to oils. By using it for a landscape, particularly one depicting the starkness of winter, she's potentially making a statement about value, perhaps finding beauty in the everyday, even the harsh. Think of the labor involved— the immediacy of the medium and how it speaks to the fleeting moment she captures. What do you make of her visible brushstrokes? Editor: They seem so quick, almost like she’s trying to capture the scene before it disappears, before the snow melts. It does feel like an honest and very human process is behind it, despite it feeling very bleak at first glance. Curator: Exactly. And consider "Neskuchnoye"—meaning 'not boring.' It's an interesting choice of title. Does it suggest that even a seemingly desolate winter scene, often associated with hardship in agricultural communities, holds value, or is even productive, perhaps in a spiritual or emotional sense? Editor: It almost reframes how we might initially perceive it. Maybe she's finding beauty and value in the simplicity, and therefore value in her work by choosing watercolor instead of a more formal or laborious media? Curator: Precisely. This work prompts us to question the value we place on certain materials and labor, doesn’t it? And think about what is being bought and sold here. Is it the landscape, or the way Serebriakova sees it? What a landscape would signify to people who worked and lived there every day. Editor: That definitely changes how I see the piece. I was focusing on the ‘bleakness’ but I realize that wasn't the full picture. Curator: Exactly. By understanding the process, the materials, and social context, we can re-evaluate our understanding and value of the work.