Italian Town by the Sea c. 1917

Alexandra Exter is credited with making this painting, Italian Town by the Sea, with oil on canvas. It's a Cubo-Futurist jumble of shapes. The colours, a mix of blues, browns, and blacks, are slapped on in flat planes, making it look like a collage of cardboard cutouts. Check out how the sky is rendered. See how the blue is layered in brushstrokes, sort of haphazardly, giving the impression of movement and light. It’s like she's trying to capture the feeling of the sea breeze rather than a literal depiction. Then, there's this weird, almost sinister vibe in the angular buildings. They feel imposing, even a little menacing. Exter's got a tough energy that reminds me of some of the German Expressionists. It’s like she's channeling their angst but with an avant-garde twist. It’s as if she wanted to capture the chaotic energy of modern life, the push and pull between the natural world and the encroaching forces of industrialization. It's not about answers, it’s about the thrill of seeing the world in a totally new way.