Landscape with a road 1910

David Burliuk created this small landscape, probably in oil paint, in order to capture the atmosphere of the forest. The road through the painting takes you on a journey. Burliuk’s short brushstrokes make the leaves and forest floor look active and full of life. Can you see how the thickness of the paint varies? I imagine he loaded his brush with paint, especially in the foreground. I wonder if Burliuk set up his easel right here, letting the trees surround him? You can almost smell the earth and hear the rustling leaves. Look at the way Burliuk uses green, not just one green, but so many shades that build a world. It’s this kind of looking, the close observation and translation into strokes of paint, that makes you feel like you are there. Painters like Burliuk are in conversation with painters of the past and present, borrowing and inventing techniques. They explore how paint can give us a unique way of experiencing the world.