Meeting of Komsomol Members with the Crimean Peasants 1930

Eugene Lanceray made this piece called Meeting of Komsomol Members with the Crimean Peasants with what looks like oil paint. It’s like looking at a faded memory, isn't it? The paint is applied in these hazy layers, where figures emerge from the background as if they are gradually materializing from the mists of time. It’s all about process here, where the image is gradually built up through layers. Look at the way Lanceray handles the figures in the foreground. Each stroke is visible, and yet the forms retain a kind of fluidity. The edges are soft, allowing the figures to blend with each other and their surroundings. The texture is smooth, almost velvety, which gives the whole painting a dreamlike quality. I'm reminded of Puvis de Chavannes, but with a more optimistic tone. It’s all about suggesting, rather than defining. Art is an endless conversation, right? A constant exchange of ideas and ways of seeing.