Girls in Front of the Lake 1988

Sergiy Grigoriev made this painting, *Girls in Front of the Lake,* with oil paints, and the date is unknown. The color palette is mostly blues and greens, and the marks are loose. It looks like he was trying to capture the light and mood of the scene rather than create a precise rendering. You can really see the texture of the paint. It's thick and juicy in some places, thin and transparent in others. This gives the painting a real sense of depth and movement. Like how the sky is pale blue mixed with pink, and there’s something about how those colors bleed together that makes you feel the warmth of the sunlight. I love the way that Grigoriev uses the paint to create a sense of light and shadow. He leaves open the possibility of multiple interpretations. Like, are they sunbathing, escaping, or just taking a break from a busy world? This piece reminds me of the work of Berthe Morisot, especially her informal scenes of women in nature.