Old Yard 1950

Alla Horska's 'Old Yard' is likely an oil painting, and it feels like a moment caught in time, a process of seeing and feeling translated directly onto the canvas. The palette is muted, earthy – browns, greens, whites – creating a sense of place that’s both familiar and dreamlike. Look closely and you can see the paint handling; not overworked, but confident. It gives me a feeling of the artist capturing fleeting light and shadow. The textures are built up, especially in the foreground, drawing you in. It's as if the artist wants you to feel the grit and the dust of this old yard. Notice the way Horska renders the shadows; they’re not just dark patches, they're full of color and depth. It’s that kind of attention to detail that elevates the piece beyond just a representation of a place. Thinking about artists that came before, someone like Fairfield Porter comes to mind, in that they also had a similar way of finding beauty in everyday scenes. Ultimately, 'Old Yard' invites us to slow down and appreciate the beauty in the mundane, reminding us that art is not about perfection, but about capturing a feeling.