Jug with Flowers 1960

This is Alexander Verdernikov's "Jug with Flowers," and it looks like a screenprint to me. There's something so satisfying about the basic shapes, the process on display. You see the layers of colour, and the way they build up the image. I love how Verdernikov simplified the forms – the jug, the flowers, even the shadows. Nothing is overworked, the marks are bold and confident, really pushing the limits of representation. The red and white of the flower heads really sings, especially against the greens and browns of the background. Check out the edge of the red tablecloth; the way the colour sits on top of the white, creating this wonderful texture. It looks like a mistake, but it totally makes the painting. It’s like Verdernikov is saying, "Here it is, process and all!" It reminds me a little of Matisse’s cutouts with their bold shapes and simplified forms. Art is like a conversation that way, always referencing and building on what came before.