Flowers in a high vase. 1908

Pyotr Konchalovsky made "Flowers in a High Vase" with oils on canvas, and I love how he's not shy about laying down the paint. It's like he's wrestling with the color and form right there on the canvas. Look at the petals of the pink flower, how each dab of paint has a life of its own, but together they make this vibrant, almost pulsing bloom. The background is a deep blue, not flat, but alive with different shades, pulling you into the space behind the flowers. And that white vase, it's not just white, it's got pinks and blues, reflecting the colors around it, making it sing. You can almost feel the energy in his brushstrokes, the way he builds up the texture, like he's sculpting with paint. Konchalovsky was part of the Jack of Diamonds group, who loved to push the boundaries, exploring the raw and expressive power of paint, very much like Matisse in France. For me, this piece is like a reminder that art is not just about what you see, but about how you feel.