Flowers in white vase 1956

This painting of flowers in a white vase, made in 1956 by David Burliuk, it feels like a landscape and still life rolled into one. I wonder how many times he layered the paint to make the flowers emerge like that. Look how Burliuk contrasts the foreground with the background, almost like a stage set. I can imagine him, squinting at the arrangement, dabbing at the canvas, trying to capture the light just so. Those impasto strokes throughout—you can almost feel the energy of his hand as he built up the texture. It is the kind of painting that probably has an awful smell, but that you would still want to touch. Burliuk was always pushing boundaries, experimenting with different styles and ideas, kind of like Picasso, who I am always looking at too. I feel how he probably saw painting as a way to explore the world, to capture the fleeting moments of beauty and turn them into something lasting. It makes me want to pick up a brush myself.