Still Life. Oak branch. 1921

Pyotr Konchalovsky made "Still Life. Oak branch." with oil on canvas; I can just imagine the smell of the paint! The painting's dominated by these vigorous strokes, like he's really going for it. The color palette’s kind of earthy, reds, greens and browns. I imagine Konchalovsky wrestling with the image, trying to capture this arrangement of oak leaves, books, and some kind of draped cloth. It’s interesting to think about how he’s thinking of Cezanne and the Cubists, and how he’s trying to do his own thing. But the physicality of the paint is key. I can imagine him mixing up the colors, loading up the brush, maybe even scraping it back to change his mind. Look at how he’s rendered the leaves! Each brushstroke feels deliberate, trying to capture the essence of foliage. It’s like he’s in dialogue with the plant itself, trying to understand its form, its texture. Painters are constantly building on what's come before, riffing off each other, so we all keep the conversation going through time. And for me, this painting embodies the uncertainty and openness that makes painting so exciting.