In the Country 1910

Konstantin Gorbatov painted "In the Country" using oils to create a forest of birch trees; you can see the process of painting laid bare. The texture in this painting is built up from many distinct marks, and the paint is applied thickly in short strokes, layering colour on colour to give the impression of dappled light in the forest. Look at the way the sunlight falls between the trees, those deep shadows stretch toward you, pulling you into the landscape. The surface has a tangible presence, you can almost feel the rough texture of the bark and the soft grass underfoot. You can imagine Gorbatov outside, capturing the image rapidly, trying to grasp that fleeting light. I see an affinity with painters like Isaac Levitan, who captured the Russian landscape with similar sensitivity. Ultimately, art is about more than just representation; it's about the messy, beautiful process of seeing and feeling the world around us.