Leningrad. Swan Canal in the Summer Garden. 1931

Pyotr Konchalovsky made this drawing of the Swan Canal in the Summer Garden in Leningrad, using pencil on paper, probably en plein air. You know, there is a spontaneity to these marks that just says ‘process’ to me. Look at the way the marks build up along the bank of the canal, almost like a quick notation of the scene. There’s a real economy to the application of graphite here. The quick hatching and cross-hatching, it’s a real shorthand, isn't it? Then these bolder, almost aggressive marks as the artist seems to describe the gate. Konchalovsky reminds me a little bit of someone like Adolph Menzel. They both shared a commitment to observation and a love of depicting urban life. Of course, art is an ongoing conversation, a dialogue across time. I think that’s what I love most about it. It's okay not to have all the answers.