Ancient fortress 1902

Konstantin Bogaevsky made this painting, Ancient Fortress, in an unknown year with oil paints, and what I see first is how he builds up the forms with strokes of colour. The creamy, thick paint of the rocks looks almost edible, like marzipan, and the way he models the forms with distinct brushstrokes reminds me that art is always a process. Look at the waves crashing against the rocks in the foreground, and how they're built up from strokes of bright green, white and dark teal. This gives the impression of movement and energy, as the water appears to be constantly in motion. There’s a real physicality to this painting. Bogaevsky reminds me a little of someone like Marsden Hartley, who also found a personal way to represent the landscape. Art isn't about fixed meanings, it's more like an ongoing conversation through time.