Leningrad. Swan Canal in the Summer Garden. 1931

Pyotr Konchalovsky’s drawing of the Swan Canal in the Summer Garden is a delicate sketch made with pencil. I imagine him standing there, lightly poised, quickly taking in the shapes with his eyes and translating them to the page with his hand. The way he’s laid down these marks, they’re so sensitive and alive. You can feel the quickness of his hand. It reminds me of Cy Twombly's line drawings, simple but with a real sense of movement. I imagine that, like Twombly, Konchalovsky may have been looking at classical art when he made this sketch. His lines are incredibly economical, but you can see the influence of classical line and composition. The cross-hatching creates an impression of shadow and depth, giving the image volume. It’s not just a depiction; it’s a felt response. You can sense the artist's presence there, a kind of quiet attention to the world around him. And isn’t that what art is all about?