Trees in Bloom 1924

Konstantin Gorbatov made this painting called *Trees in Bloom* with oil on canvas, and look at that surface! The painting looks like it has been breathed into being, slowly layering whites and greens and blues. He may have started with loose washes of colour and then gradually built up the forms with small dabs and strokes. I wonder if he repainted some areas, wiping away and reworking them until they felt right. I sympathize with the artist, trying to capture the vibrancy of a spring day. It can be tough! Those flowers in full bloom must have been luminous in real life, so painting that would have been a real challenge. I can imagine Gorbatov standing outside, squinting, trying to find the right balance between colour and light. The way he’s captured the overall feeling of growth and renewal, well, that's something that so many artists are trying to do in their own way.