Design for the opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, 'Don Giovanni' 1913

Pyotr Konchalovsky made this design for Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’ with paint that he really worked, not just applied. I mean, look how he’s layering those dark blues and blacks to evoke a night sky, or a mood, the kind of dark place where drama can unfold. It’s like, the paint itself becomes the feeling. You see how the colors are laid on, kinda thick, kinda raw? It gives the whole scene this unsettled energy. The brickwork floor is vibrating with tension! Notice how the architecture in the background is structured, almost like he wants to give us a sense of place, but it's ultimately abstracted, it feels like a half remembered dream. I love the columns on the left, holding up the stage curtain, because it reminds you this is all a set, all a fiction. For me, Konchalovsky’s work shares something with the Expressionists. It’s not just about what you see, but how you feel. Art is a place for that kind of exploration, for holding onto the questions, rather than rushing to answers.